Pilotlight News
2009 Pilotlight Annual Review
We are pleased to present our 2009 Annual Review.
Scotland takes on six new charities
Pilotlight Scotland has recently accepted six new charities and social enterprises. Pilotlighters will begin working with them in the next couple of months.
August letter from Fiona
I am delighted to report that we now have 300 business members
Pilotlight provides an effective way of giving time
Every year Pilotlight surveys its business members, �Pilotlighters�, to find out about their experience of volunteering with us. This year, we asked them about their motivation, whether they had benefited from being a Pilotlighter and whether it has changed their attitude towards the voluntary sector.
Demonstrating impact
Dan Ritman, evaluation manager at Pilotlight, shares his experience of demonstrating the impact of our work
Pilotlight broadens your mind
Pilotlighter Clare Dobie says her experience of working with six charities has given her a wider interest in the world
June letter from Fiona
“I will urge politicians to recognise that small charities and social enterprises can, given the right support, save the country money while solving social problems”
New ‘mark’ tells donors about Pilotlight effect
Philanthropy UK reports on our new ‘mark’ to show charities that have been Pilotlit
Fiona Halton encourages women to become Pilotlighters
A feature on Coutts website shows how busy female executives can have an impact in just three hours a week.
London Pilotlighter Nick Gornall shares his experience
London Pilotlighter, Nick Gornall, tells Coutts magazine about what it is like to share his experience and knowledge with a charity.
47 per cent more business leaders contact Pilotlight Scotland
Pilotlight Scotland has seen a 47 per cent increase in business leaders approaching it in the first quarter of the year.
Firms join Pilotlight Cymru
Admiral and Watts Gregory are just two leading businesses in Wales who are beginning work with Pilotlight Cymru to help small charities and social enterprises in Wales.
Published in The South Wales Echo and The Western Mail for Business In Focus, March 2010
First Pilotlight team launches in Wales
An article in the Western Mail describes how four corporate partners in Wales - Admiral, Watts Gregory, Ofcom and Lloyds TSB have teamed up with the Arts Factory to develop a long-term business plan
by Sion Barry, published in the Western Mail on Mar 5 2010
New partnership to support mergers
Pilotlight and Capacitybuilders have teamed up to support charities planning to merge or collaborate.
February letter from Fiona
Pilotlight starts to lobby politicians in the run up to the election
Pilotlighting Pilotlight
Are you interested in helping Pilotlight to expand?
Pilotlight People: Julia Mortimer
Julia Mortimer, an associate at Watts Gregory LLP, has recently started working as a Pilotlighter with Arts Factory in Wales
New charity recruited in Wales
The KPC Youth Centre opened for young people aged 8- to 25-years-old and has gone from strength to strength, winning the National Lottery UK’s Most Inspirational Project 2005 and being one of six winners in the Guardian Charity Awards 2006.
Pilotlight People: Alan Dickson
Alan Dickson is currently working as a Pilotlighter with Lanarkshire Association for Mental Health and was previously on a Pilotlight team helping the charity, Who Cares? Scotland
December letter from Fiona
Our ‘Money Can’t Buy Auction’ has raised £50,000 so far. We have added some new lots and the bids are still climbing. Bidding ends at midday on Wednesday 9 December.
McLaren team roars into auction action
Pilotlight is happy to say that Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen have donated a signed cap to the Pilotlight auction.
Money Can’t Buy Live Auction Re-Cap
There was an air of anticipation as Pilotlight’s ‘Money Can’t Buy’ live Auction event got underway last night at The Lincoln Centre in London.
Auction is proving a big hit
Our Money Can’t Buy Auction website is receiving thousands of hits a day
Pilotlight 2009 Money Can’t Buy Auction
Welcome to the Pilotlight auction. You are just a mouse click away from an adventure. The bidding starts here at 0900 on November 18th.
Pilotlight attends LASA event
Pilotlight recently attended an event hosted by LASA on Third Sector collaboration.
Charity ends at home as funds feel the pinch
Article in Scotland on Sunday describes fear among the charity sector after Lloyds Banking Group announced it was to cut its charitable foundation funding
September Letter from Fiona
The summer has not been quiet for Pilotlight. In July we signed up our first charity in Wales, a social enterprise in the Rhondda Valley, once one of the best known mining areas in Britain now also an area noted for its poverty. Arts Factory is all about developing a portfolio of businesses that will in turn fund an extensive community programme helping the most marginalised people in the Rhondda Valley.
2009 Annual Event: 1st October
Pilotlight London will hold our Annual Event Thursday evening, 1st October at the offices of our Corporate Partner, Herbert Smith LLP.
London 2009 Governance Events
If you are interested in learning more about what’s involved in being a trustee of a charity in the UK, Pilotlight London’s 2009 Governance Events have been designed with you in mind.
How ethical enterprise could rescue the UK (and why it might not)
The Social Enterprise Coalition describes social enterprises as businesses trading for social and environmental purposes. There are approximately 62,000 of them in the UK, with a total turnover of at least £27 billion. A few, such as The Big Issue, Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen, and Divine, the fair-trade chocolate company, are household names, but the majority are quietly working to turn bright ideas into outcomes for their communities. Many of the organisations we work with at Pilotlight generate some of their income through the sale of goods or services.
Pilotlight People: Tara Flood
CEO, The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE), London
The main aim of ALLFIE is to secure the right to a properly resourced mainstream education for all disabled learners, regardless of impairments or health condition, social, emotional or educational needs, background or community. Tara Flood, ALLFIE’s CEO, shares some of her perspective on the charity sector and her experience in working with Pilotlight London.
Pilotlight spreads the word
An ad aimed at those ambitious charities and social enterprises who have not yet heard about Pilotlight appeared in Third Sector magazine this week.
September News in Brief
Please read about our latest news.
Centre of the Cell Launch
Centre of the Cell is the world’s first science education centre located within working biomedical research laboratories, within a giant pod suspended above the labs themselves. It offers children and teenagers a fascinating insight into what scientists actually do and how their work influences real life.
London seeks Project Manager
Pilotlight is looking for a Project Manager who can manage the relationship between our members and up to 10 client charities, according to the Pilotlight model. We need someone who can manage or guide client charities and members through the Pilotlight process.
Evening Standard press
Pilotlight recently was featured in an article on governance in the Evening Standard.
July Letter from Fiona
“The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths to it are not found but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.”
2009 Member Survey results
This May, we surveyed the Pilotlight members focussing on three main areas: the impact on professional development, the philanthropic journey, and the member experience. Pilotlight distributed the survey to 221 members, and were pleased with a very strong response: 38% (or 85 members) completed the 2009 survey.
Is bigger always better?
On 5th June, New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) published a report on charity mergers, adding fuel to the fire of what was already one of the voluntary sector’s hottest topics. There are 171,000 charities registered in England and Wales. Are there too many trying to do the same thing, or are beneficiaries gaining from the competition, choice and specialist knowledge that a proliferation of small charities provide?
July newsletter poll
Pilotlight announced the addition of our Newsletter Polls in April.
2009 Annual Event
Pilotlight London is pleased to announce the date for our upcoming Annual Event: mark your calendars for Thursday, 1st October 2009. The event is graciously being held at the offices of our Corporate Partner Herbert Smith, near Liverpool Street station. Please plan to join us to celebrate our successes over the past year. You’ll hear stories from our Pilotlight partner charities and social enterprises and Pilotlight members, discussing the impact they have made to improve the lives of Londoners in need.
Pilotlight People: Sam Anderson
Co-ordinator, The Junction, Edinburgh: The Junction offers access to a wide range of health-related services, education and information for young people in Northeast Edinburgh enhancing their health and wellbeing. They work with some of the most disadvantaged and hard-to-reach groups encouraging social and economic inclusion. The Junction recently won a GlaxoSmithKline Impact Award for their work and have been nominated HSBC Edinburgh Charity of the Year. Sam Anderson is Co-ordinator at The Junction, and she shares below some of her perspective on the charity sector and her experience in working with Pilotlight Scotland.
July News in Brief
Please read about our latest news.
Possible Expansion, London M4 Corridor
Pilotlight wants to support more small charities to become sustainable and reach out to larger numbers of beneficiaries. By 2012, Pilotlight Group aims to have tripled the number of charities we work with, from 50 to 150.
Scottish charity restaurant venture tastes success after grant win
A restaurant serving traditional Punjabi food is set to open in Leith having won £69,700 in grant funding from a Scottish Government fund aimed at backing social enterprise.
3 New Charities!
Pilotlight Scotland is delighted to announce that a further 3 charities have recently been approved to receive mentoring and business skills coaching from Pilotlight’s teams of business professionals.
Pilotlight in The Guardian
We thought you’d like to know that Fiona Halton, our Chief Executive, has an article in the Society section of The Guardian today titled “Small Bodies Deserve a Fair Chance.”
April Letter from Fiona
Fiona Halton
Chief Executive, Pilotlight Group
A recent article in The FT (30th March) hailed a “Surge in charity advice work from executives.” It took Pilotlight as the example. In October last year we projected numbers volunteering to Pilotlight to fall, but instead they are rising. That goes for both new members and renewals. It’s not just surprising, it is moving.
Women’s Charities Under Threat
In March, the Women’s Resource Centre published a report about funding for women’s charities that showed one in five women’s organisations closed between 2004 and 2007. Yet the needs of society’s vulnerable women are growing. One in four UK women experience domestic violence at some point in their lives, and two women are killed every week by current or former partners. In the last decade the number of women in prison has nearly doubled, from 2,305 in 1996 to 4,463 in 2006. In 2006 only 20% of MPs, 10% of high court judges and 10% of executive directors of FTSE 100 companies (0.4% from black minority ethnic/BME groups) were women. Women in full-time employment earned 17.2% less than men in 2006; for part-time workers the gap was 35.6%.
Pilotlight People: Phil Zeidler
CHAIRMAN, POWERAMP MUSIC AND IGO4 INSURANCE
Phil is our first featured individual in the new Pilotlight People section, which will appear in each email newsletter. Phil has been a team member on the Charity Technology Trust project over the past year. Here are some of his thoughts on philanthropy and the experience with Pilotlight.
April News in Brief
Read Pilotlight’s latest news.
Pilotlight Featured in FT
Pilotlight is featured in the Financial Times today in an article discussing a recent increase in charitable work by executives.
Scottish Charity Wins!
The Junction wins Glaxo SmithKline Impact Award, picks up Bronze Award in the Voluntary Organisations Manager of the Year and is also nominated for the HSBC Edinburgh Charity of the Year.
London Chief Executive in Press
Third Sector’s “My Week” gave a snapshot of Deborah Xavier’s schedule on behalf of Pilotlight London. The article is a great example of the energy and diversity of her role with the organisation.
February Letter from Fiona
“During a downturn it is imperative that the charity remains strategic in its focus…”
Managing in a Downturn, PricewaterhouseCoopers, November 2008
I am delighted to announce that Pilotlight is coming to Wales.
The Pilotlight Pit Stop
Pilotlight has been keenly watching for signs of impact of the credit crunch on small charities and social enterprises in the UK. In her introduction, Fiona quotes from PricewaterhouseCoopers‘s “Managing in a Downturn” paper summarising the results of a survey of voluntary sector Finance Directors and Fundraisers carried out in November 2008.
Who We Can Best Help
We know that charities need the sort of support Pilotlight can offer now more than ever. If you know of a charity or social enterprise planning to grow, or looking for business advice during the economic downturn please do tell them — both about Pilotlight and about our criteria. Pilotlight has an impressive track record of helping small charities effectively. Over the years we have built up a picture of which charities will most benefit from our process.
Safeguarding Children Services
Safeguarding Children Services (SCS) is an award-winning social enterprise which works with children and young people aged 5-19 years old who have been abused or are at risk in Merseyside. Under the careful guidance of its founding Directors, Jaci Quennell and Elaine Allison, SCS has worked with over 200 young people since it was founded in 2005.
February News in Brief
Read Pilotlight’s latest news.
Sunday Times Features Outsiders
The 15th February edition of the Sunday Times Magazine featured one of Pilotlight’s partner charities, Outsiders, and its founder Tuppy Owens.
London Recruits for Member Post
Pilotlight London is currently recruiting for a Membership & Business Development Manager to recruit new Pilotlighters.
Fiona Halton on Philanthropy in the FT
Chief Executive of Pilotlight Group, Fiona Halton, provided her perspective on philanthropy in the 3rd January “How to Give It” section of the Financial Times.
Pilotlight Charity Press in The Times
In the December 19, 2008 edition of The Times, Pilotlight partner charity Safeguarding Children Services garnered excellent press coverage, highlighting the charity’s transformation in applying a more business-like mind in its operations. Service Director, Jaci Quennell, offers her first-hand perspective.
Financial Downturn Affects Charities
Pilotlight Group’s Chief Executive, Fiona Halton, was quoted in a recent article in the Financial Times, acknowledging the impact charities are experiencing due to the global financial downturn.
Pilotlight Scotland Strengthens Membership Team
Pilotlight Scotland expands the membership team as the organisation continues to grow.
“Guide to Giving” Third Edition
In the Third Edition of Philanthropy UK’s “Guide to Giving,” Pilotlight London Chief Executive Deborah Xavier offers her perspective on volunteering time, and how to make the most effective impact within the charity sector.
Celebrating 2008 and Looking Ahead
A note from Fiona Halton, Pilotlight Chief Executive
The Pilotlight Effect 2008
Pilotlight Evaluation Manager Dan Ritman’s 2008 Evaluation Report demonstrates that Pilotlight charities go on to achieve amazing results.
Marketing & Comms Skills Needed
Pilotlight London is always looking for new Pilotlighters, but this winter we particularly need people with marketing and communications expertise. These skills are essential for our charities to promote themselves to service users, potential funders and partners, and are most commonly requested by charities undergoing assessment by Pilotlight London.
Pilotlighter Profile: Sally Davis
Pilotlighter Sally Davis has the benefit of drawing on two successful careers as she works with charity partner Ilderton Motor Project. Sally began her career in marketing and advertising, and now coaches senior individuals through career change.
“Becoming a Trustee” Event
Two dozen London Pilotlighters joined us for an experimental evening at Schroders on the 12th November entitled “Becoming a Trustee.” The objective of the event was to provide an introduction to the benefits and challenges of becoming a trustee, and to test whether Pilotlighters would be interested in further events on the subject of governance.
Caux International Conference Series
You may wonder what our dedicated team of Project Managers do when they are not brokering business/charity relationships.
December News in Brief
Read Pilotlight’s latest news.
Looking for a trustee, or thinking of becoming one?
We asked participants at our “Becoming a Trustee” event to tell us whether they would be interested in a matching service for small charities and senior business people looking for trusteeships.
Pilotlight in Spear’s WMS
Philanthropy used to be a matter of throwing cash at a cause and forgetting about it. No longer. Josh Spero on the rise of more creative, entrepreneurial and engaged forms of giving.
EVPA November Newsletter Notes Pilotlight’s Effect
Pilotlight’s impact is reviewed in an article written in the European Venture Philanthropy Association November newsletter.
Exposure in Philanthropy UK Newsletter
Pilotlight is proud to be included in the November edition of Philanthropy UK’s newsletter. The 2008 Evaluation Report highlights are included, demonstrating Pilotlight’s impact on its partner charities.
Pilotlight Featured in The Times
The Times newspaper today features one of our Pilotlight charity partners, Globetown Learning Community. Jackie Barnes, Chief Executive of Globetown, worked with Pilotlighters Mark Evans, Stephen Prior, David Rossington, and Jeffrey Twentyman through the Pilotlight process; Jackie credits Globetown’s success today largely to the help she received from her Pilotlight team. Globetown’s work in Tower Hamlets aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people in their community.
Pilotlight Charities Continue to Grow
A Note From Fiona Halton, Chief Executive of Pilotlight Group
October News in Brief
Read Pilotlight’s latest news.
New Director for Scotland: Chris Horne
Pilotlight is delighted to welcome Chris Horne as the new Director of Pilotlight Scotland. Chris was previously Managing Consultant at Edinburgh-based Head Resourcing.
Trustee Training
by Deborah Xavier, Chief Executive, Pilotlight London
One of the most common challenges facing the small and medium-sized charities and social enterprises we work with at Pilotlight is governance. The first step to establishing an effective Board of Trustees is attracting people with the right mix of skills, and few of the charities we work with have a high enough profile to be able to pick and choose. Neither do they have the time and money to conduct recruitment drives that reach beyond their immediate circles.
Pilotlighter Profile: Holly Cato
Holly Cato is one of Pilotlight London’s most experienced Pilotlighters having worked with our charities since autumn 2003, and has supported charities working in fields as diverse as domestic violence, palliative care and women in secure hospitals. Holly is a branding consultant who specialises in naming brands and companies, and brings a very particular set of skills with relevance to several of our charities as they plan for ambitious growth programmes.
Celebrate World Mental Health Days
Celebrate World Mental Health Days with CoolTan Arts.
Pilotlighter Profile: David Rivington
Profile of London Pilotlighter David Rivington, who brings to our charities the benefits of a varied career which has included jobs as an oil field engineer in jungles and deserts, an internship as a journalist at the Economist and senior business development roles at Apple Computers.
Social enterprise: A new opportunity
Noting that the government has high expectations of social enterprise, Fiona Ramsay of Pilotlight Scotland asks: what can it deliver, and how will it rise to such a challenge?
Pilotlight at No 10 Downing Street
On 13th May Sarah Brown hosted a Pilotlight event at No.10 Downing Street. The event was a great success, with over 90 attendees.
Sculptures by Cooltan Artists
Sculptures about mental health, by people who experience mental health issues, were unveiled on Saturday 4th June.
The work is appearing in the strangest places and is part of the Camberwell Arts Festival and the CoolTan Arts Largactyl Shuffle.
Tender in National Lottery vote
The National Lottery awards a public vote to our partner charity Tender. Every vote counts, so they really appreciate your support.
MBE for founder of Unique
Great news for one of Pilotlight’s partner charities - Unique, the Rare Chromosome Disorder Support Group. The founder of Unique, Edna Knight was made a MBE in the Birthday Honours List 2008. Congratulations from all at Pilotlight.
Piotlight in the Evening Standard
The Evening Standard wrote a wonderful piece on Pilotlight on the 2nd June. Thank you to Katy Emck from our partner charity Fine Cell Work for being involved. The article clearly outlines the Pilotlight process, what business member and charities can gain from the experience and future plans for growth.
Pilotlight Scotland seeks new Director
If you’d like to join our dynamic team in Scotland then please go to our Vacancies page for more details.
Pilotlight Scotland keeps on growing
Pilotlight Scotland is well on its way to achieving its target of 125 members by the end of 2009. We currently have 56 members, including corporate membership from ScottishPower, DHL, Lloyds TSB Scotland, The Student Loans Company, First State, Accenture and HBOS.
Pilotlight is Growing
A Note From Fiona Halton, Chief Executive of Pilotlight
We now have 225 Pilotlighters working with 49 charities in two locations: London and Scotland. We hope to have a Cardiff office open and running by January 2009.
Pilotlight is growing. More importantly, the charities we work with are also growing: a crucial measure of our Pilotlighters’ impact. Charities being Pilotlit by our teams show a 22% rate of growth, as opposed to an average for the voluntary sector of just under 3%. This translates to much-needed services for more people.
Measuring success – Pilotlight’s new report
One of the challenges that Pilotlight shares with its partner charities is the need to evaluate our work. Increasingly funders are asking charities to demonstrate their impact in terms of the difference they make to people’s lives, not just the numbers they work with.
For some in the sector, evaluation is an issue of public accountability. Martin Brookes from New Philanthropy Capital argues that expecting more information from charities about what they achieve will create a healthier sector; “Scrutiny, analysis and assessment of charities are not just desirable, they’re essential.”
Pilotlight Scotland welcomes new Project Manager
Pilotlight Scotland welcomes new project manager, Dehra Orme, to the team. Dehra brings a wealth of third sector experience to the team, having previously worked at Marie Curie and Maggie’s, where she worked in events and corporate fundraising.
Tender and Nivea Funny Women
The NIVEA FUNNY WOMEN event is coming soon! Celebrate International Women’s Day and stand up against violence to women with some of Britain’s finest female comics.
Pilotlighter receives Good Director Honour for Community Involvement
We are delighted that Graham Clempson, European Managing Director at MidOcean Partners, has been awarded a Good Director Honour for his contribution to Social Responsibility and Community Involvement through his work with and support for Pilotlight. We would like to extend our congratulations and sincere thanks to Graham for his continued support.
Pilotlight on BBC 2’s Working Lunch
Working Lunch featured Pilotlight on its ‘Lunch Lessons’ on Friday 1st February. The report includes interviews with Fiona Halton (Pilotlight Chief Executive), Rachel Archer (Director of JusB, Pilotlight partner charity), and Jane French (Pilotlighter and Managing Director, Citigroup).
Fine Cell Work - January Sale Extended
Fine Cell Work’s January sale of cushions, rugs and quilts hand-embroidered in 22 British prisons. Starts January 29th and will continue into February.
