Staffordshire Women's Aid (SWA) is a charitable and voluntary organisation that has been providing services for women and children living with, fleeing or recovering from the impact of domestic and sexual abuse since 1976. It does this by providing a refuge, helpline, community outreach, and volunteer and training projects. SWA aim to support and empower women and children towards safer, more independent lives, free from violence and abuse. They also educate and raise awareness on sexual and domestic violence related issues.
Why the Weston Charity Awards?
SWA was finding the current financial environment very challenging, yet demand for its services is increasing. It applied to the awards because it wanted to become more sustainable through building a strong strategy, a business plan and find new ways to generate income.
What we did
Initially looking at creating a business plan, the Pilotlight team delved deeper into how the organisation worked, looking at its social and business objectives, analysing its financial planning, funding and operations. As Dickie James (CEO) commented, “I thought we’d just get tools to work through, instead we got a complete audit of how we operate. The process has been bigger than we thought it would be.” Dickie reported that the board were very impressed with the plan, taking ownership of it and future strategy. Dickie has been well supported by her senior management team, who have frequently attended meetings with her. Frontline staff are now being engaged with the strategy through team workshops, to ensure that change is embedded and that everyone is behind it. Dickie commented: “The board were blown away and the staff team were excited, they were all on board with where we want to go.”
Results
SWA now has a new three-year strategy and is finalising its business plan, complete with integrated financial plan, action plan, revised risk register, fundraising strategy, marketing plan and an evaluation framework that can not only be applied to the organisation but used for staff engagement too.
Dickie commented: “We always wanted a business plan to help sustainability and mitigate risk. The term 'business plan' isn’t very fun and I hadn’t actually appreciated that it’s not just a financial plan for the future. It’s about who we are and where we’re going. The work we’ve done has become transformational, and on a personal level I feel I’ve upped my game.”
Charlotte Almond, Strategy and Business Development Manager commented: “We wouldn’t have got this support anywhere else. Winning the Weston Charity Awards has reinvigorated us. We were stuck in a disempowering funding cycle. We’re back in control, being proactive and moving forward.”
Related Charities
Could your charity be a Weston Charity Awards winner?
If you lead a charity based in the North or Midlands of England, or Wales, you too could be eligible to apply to the Weston Charity Awards.
