How have you helped the charity/social enterprises?

I have worked with a number of charities and helped them with business plans and making strategic decisions, for example, whether to launch a new service. The work with Suffolk Family Carers was on a totally different scale. We helped with business planning, branding and internal messaging.

With Crossroads Camden, we are helping them through a period of change. The market is changing from providing block contracts to working with the new personalisation agenda.

What have you learned from the experience?

I have learned about the voluntary sector, for example, governance issues, the difference between running a business and running a charity and also the similarities.

What do you think your company has gained from you being a Pilotlighter?

I think my company has gained from my knowledge as I’m now more sensitive to the voluntary sector. We do a lot of work for the government, running services and are increasingly working with the voluntary sector to deliver services.

What would you say to other people thinking about becoming Pilotlighters?

It is a very worthwhile way of using knowledge. You really help people work through changes and you see the impact of your work, which is very satisfying.

You meet interesting people, both other Pilotlighters and the people working for charities. It can be great fun.

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Which charities have you helped?

Tourettes Action: which aims to improve the lives of people affected by Tourettes Syndrome
Albert Kennedy Trust: which supports young, homeless, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender people

What motivated you to get involved with Pilotlight?

My Masters was in aid economics and following that I worked in the field, most impactfully in Rwanda during the war in 1994, building an orphanage founded on sustainable agricultural principles. During that time I saw the good and the not so good of the charitable sector. For many years thereafter I focused on the pursuit of my career and various personal goals.

Whether the coming of a certain age (38 in my case), birth of my first child, reaching a degree of professional freedom or just a frustration at observing but doing nothing about the hardship faced by so many in our society, a couple of years ago I realised that blind giving was neither satisfying nor maximising what I could do to alleviate such problems. I had to get involved, hands on, and try to use whatever talents I had directly.

I wanted to gain exposure to a number of charities, be able to influence them in a truly fundamental – as opposed to single issue or campaign orientated – way and to do so in a structured, measured and managed environment where the time between touch points could be sure to still bring steps forward rather than back sliding.

How have you helped the charity/social enterprises?

I would like to think we have:
• Given them the confidence in their own abilities in many of the more classically business orientated functions of the charity;
• Provided a touchpoint for debate and consensus building between management and trustees;
• Acting as a probing but supportive sounding board;
• Helping the development of the business plans and the implementation plans that sit alongside them.

What have you learned from the experience?

• How much people can achieve through passion and dedication
• To focus more on coaching than directing
• Many lessons in management/board interaction
• How much scope there is to alleviate exclusion and hardship by supporting the many willing people focused on particular issues and therefore that hope not pessimism should prevail.

What has your company gained from the experience?

A more empathic me to the benefit of all others that interface with OBMC, a greater social awareness in what we do and how we do it and some terrific business contacts.

What would you say to others thinking about joining Pilotlight?

It is the best way I know to help charities if you want to do more than just give money;

• Be committed: it is an intimate process involving a lot of trust between the charity and the team and that deserves focus and appropriate prioritisation;

• Be patient: remember this is about building the charities own capacity which requires coaching and support. That is slower but ultimately more impactful than the way we tend to impact our businesses by doing something ourselves or directing others.

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What motivated you to get involved with Pilotlight?

It sounded like a well organised way of working with charities. I had known about it for some time through going into Brunswick’s offices – it seemed like a well-backed charity.

How have you helped the charities and social enterprises?

I’ve worked with six, including Centre of the Cell, Fine Cell Work, Unlock and Safeguarding Children’s Services.
I’m always surprised that charities think that Pilotlighters have helped them so much as it seems like a pretty painless way of helping – there is no blood sweat and tears. It requires skills that many business people have already. We help charities by prompting, nurturing and talking about focus – this seems to be the most consistent theme I’ve come across. Charities usually want to do 500 things but only have the resources to do three or four. This is actually pretty similar to business, so the skills transfer easily.

I’ve also helped with marketing, particularly for Fine Cell Work. It has an amazing, charismatic founder who gets a ridiculous amount done for the size of the charity but they needed to focus their energy. We had some very constructive chats about which activities should be continued.
 
What have you learned from the experience?

It has broadened my experience of the world and made it seem a wider and more interesting place. Working in the City can give you a very narrow focus but through Pilotlight, I’ve learned more about prisons, children who need residential care and mental health issues.
I’ve enjoyed working with founders of charities who are entrepreneurial, risk takers and often over-worked.

The other Pilotlighters on the teams have taught me a lot – I’ve been very fortunate to work with brilliant people, who can follow a thread of conversation and gently but firmly bring it back to the key point. It is a masterclass and I’m not above stealing ideas to help me in my own business. I am now able to adapt my style to different situations, for example, one minute I can be talking to a charity leader working in a tough environment and the next a fixed income trader.

What would you say to other people thinking about becoming Pilotlighters?

Pilotlight provides a very comfortable environment for business people to volunteer their time – meetings start and end on time, they are well organised, with agendas and meeting notes. This is a big selling point. The experience broadens your mind and helps you to develop your own skills.

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I wanted to get involved in some form of Charity work, but was finding it difficult to identify a cause I could fully commit to whilst juggling a busy work and home life.  Pilotlight struck me as a great opportunity to put my skills to good use, hopefully make a real difference to the charity we supported, whilst being realistic about the free time I had available.  I had previously been involved with some 'hand's on' work for a charity which I genuinely enjoyed, but saw Pilotlight as an opportunity to get involved at a more strategic level, adding value, but at the same time learning about the particular challenges the sector faces.

How have you helped the charity/social enterprise you are working with?

The particular charity I was involved with was very well run and added huge value to the local community.  The difficulty they faced was in agreeing their strategic direction at a Board level.  The Pilotlight team helped them think through the various options, living them tools to critically analyse the alternatives, whilst at the same time providing (friendly!) challenge.  Communication was also an issue and the differing views of the management were not always shared which led to a lack of direction.  Through our discussions we were able to open up communication channels and get the Board on the same page strategically.

What have you learned from the experience?

How to think out of the box! Charities face huge challenges that we don't experience in the private sector – principally around financing.  Solutions that may be quick to identify in my day job, can't always be applied in the voluntary sector and it took some time to fully appreciate that.  Having a team of four professionals from different disciplines advising the charity brought some interesting and varied perspectives.

What do you think your company has gained from you being a Pilotlighter?

I am more likely to explore a variety of solutions to a problem and less prone to leap to what I consider to be the most obvious course of action!

What would you say to other people thinking about becoming Pilotlighters?

It is a great opportunity to develop personally and professionally whilst using your skills to benefit others – a win-win scenario!

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Company you work for: I am a self employed Change Project Manager

What motivated you to get involved with Pilotlight?
I had recently left work after 20 years in Financial Services; I knew I wanted to work for myself and wanted a balance of fee paying and not-for profit work. I was keen to get experience of the charity sector as I had little previous experience in this area.

How have you helped the charity you are working with?
I hope by being a good listener and asking questions which helped the charity consider issues that had previously been avoided. I was also able to provide coaching on developing a strategic plan and leave The Junction with a plan they had developed, understood and could continue to build on.

What have you learned from the experience?
Patience! a more facilitative style - not rushing in with solutions but helping others see options and develop their own solutions.

What do you think your company has gained from you being a Pilotlighter?
As I am self-employed I have enjoyed understanding more about the charity sector - I am now a director of a local charity. I have expanded my network and learned some new techniques for developing strategic plans.

What would you say to other people thinking about becoming Pilotlighters?
Go for it! I often say to people considering career moves or facing redundancy - consider the Pilotlight route as an investment of your time and money, which will give you insight into the charity sector, meet some great people and ultimately give something back.

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Company you work for: Artemis Investment Management Ltd

What motivated you to get involved with Pilotlight?
I was keen to participate in the voluntary sector and Pilotlight offered the ideal framework within which I could apply the skills I have picked up through my career.

How have you helped the charity/social enterprise you are working with?
I worked as part of a Pilotlight team with The Junction, a small charity based in Edinburgh, offering a wide range of health related services, education and advice for youngsters in the area. We worked on refining their strategy and marketing message as well as improving the governance framework within which they could move forward in the years to come.

What have you learned from the experience?
I feel I have a far greater appreciation of the workload faced by small charities as they look to achieve their aims with limited resources and funding. That said, charities such as these are testament to what can be achieved through the drive and determination of their founders and staff.

What do you think your company has gained from you being a Pilotlighter?
Working with Pilotlighters from various disciplines has broadened my own approach to problem-solving. The enthusiasm and dedication of the charity team has also rubbed off.

What would you say to other people thinking about becoming Pilotlighters?
I would encourage them to give it a try. It’s a great opportunity to work alongside like-minded people and with deserving charities in a structured manner.  The Pilotlight results speak for themselves.

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[Transcript of a speech given in February 2006]

I met an editor friend the other night and he explained to me how he had just gone through the process of editing a novelist’s first draft of over 1,500 pages into a publishable work of 700 pages. He described this process as being one of refining and refocusing the work without cutting the heart out of it – and that sounded very similar to what Pilotlight has been trying to do with Free at Last.

First impressions

When we had the first Pilotlight meeting with John, two things were immediately obvious. First, it was obvious that he had a huge heart, immense energy and wanted to do everything possible to help everybody – not only in his own community, but in the entire world! Secondly, it was obvious that if we could just get him focussed, there was at the centre of his thought process, a vision and a product that could make the charity truly sustainable and even a beneficiary and part of the government’s policy of outsourcing public sector work to the voluntary sector.

For all of us involved in what is now almost a year’s process, it has been a hard, sometimes emotional, but always rewarding experience.
 
What did the Pilotlighters bring?

Two words, focus and measurement.

Focus – Many Pilotlighters are used to having to focus in their day jobs, and we were able to bring this skill set to John during his work on the operational business plan. At the core of this process, was our crafting of the mission statement. Forget my friend editing 1500 pages down to 700 pages. We edited John’s novel down to 50 words. On one particularly satisfying day, Deborah and I, sat for two hours with John , his staff members and trustees and argued over this statement, but finally came to one that we all agreed summed up the charity. Then we all had a well deserved lunch!

Measurement – Again, many Pilotlighters are used to measuring and being measured on their results. As such, they are used to strict timetables and real evaluation methods. I don’t think that the charitable world is used to either of these factors, but they should be. All of a charity’s stakeholders will want to be able to measure their return on investment , whether it be time or money - and it will be these charities that grow and become sustainable. Pilotlighters definitely help in this process.

What did I gain from my experience?

In most people’s day jobs, the focus that I talked about often becomes a silo – and it has been very beneficial to work on an overall operating plan with Free at Last and the various Pilotlighters. Not only have we talked about an overall vision but we have talked about marketing, property law and government policy. Things like mission statements and balanced scorecards were business school gobbledygook for me then, and now through the Pilotlight experience I realise how important they are in creating and then holding a vision. And then forcing everyone to stick to that vision through the vagaries of the financial year. I have just finished writing an annual business plan for my bank, and even though I say it myself, it is much better than the past.

However, unashamedly what I have gained most is enjoyment. Pilotlight is about meeting people with different backgrounds, different needs and different qualities. With Free at Last, I got the chance to work with John’s youthworkers, who are not incentivised by money like all of the bankers I work with. I even got he chance to visit Nechells in Birmingham, see where John grew up and see the bus where Free at Last had their weekly youth club and disco. All of that does help you in your day job by giving you a different perspective on what makes different people tick, but most importantly, it just makes living more fun.

Samuel Berwick
Chief Executive Officer, Mizuho International

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