Having recently completed our support for the 1,000th charity working on poverty in the UK, today, Earth Day, we announce plans for a new programme of capacity building for environmental organisations, starting with a survey of their support needs.
Ed Mayo, chief executive at Pilotlight says projects like the Big Help Out are welcome in their own right for the good that they can do, “but with needs so acute across the voluntary sector, it is vital that this doesn’t obscure the need for more radical action to nurture a more participatory and caring society”.
Over the last year, led by our staff Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, we have run a series of learning events, where colleagues come together to learn from the work and lived experience of our partner charities.
Pilotlight’s PMs are skilled facilitators, cultural translators and experts in charity governance and strategic planning. They create the space in which trust relationships can grow and set the tone for open, honest and respectful communication.
We’re delighted to share that we’ve achieved a Silver Status Award under the Inclusive Employers Standard.
In my current role at Pilotlight, I have the pleasure to work with impact-driven leaders every day, tirelessly doing their bit to tackle society’s biggest challenges. I am proud that 75% of my project portfolio is organisations led by women.
The closure in quick succession of the Small Charities Coalition, the Coalition for Efficiency and now the Foundation for Social Improvement have one thing in common. They were among the few sources of direct support for small charities.
"The Pilotlighters had a gentle way of challenging and pushing us all. Their role in giving us focus has been huge. We couldn’t see a future, but now we feel positive."
When I think of women in leadership roles, I tend to think of Jacina Ardern (Prime Minister of New Zealand) or Michelle Obama (Former First Lady) and the lessons they’ve modelled to the world; kindness, tenacity, assertiveness.
I joined Comic Relief almost two years ago now, at a moment of great change, joining during the pandemic. It was a great personal change. I'd worked at this other agency for a long time, was quite comfortable and then decided to jump in and work on this side of the fence.
You can read about the impact of our programmes in our case studies and Pilotlighter Profiles, but what often gets missed is a little more about who supports this magic to happen. I’d like to introduce you to three of our newest members of the Delivery Team and offer a chance to learn a little more about who they are and how they found their way to Pilotlight.
My first leadership experience was when I was quite young. Soon after leaving university, I found myself leading a small grassroots project in South Africa providing training to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS. I knew very little about running a project, and equally little about leadership. I had the job title of a leader and people to be led but really, I didn’t know what to do.
