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Latest Pilotlight News

Supporting Growth Path to expand

28 August 2024

Growth Path is a registered charity dedicated to helping young people thrive in employment in the construction industry.  Its programme is specifically for young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET).  Growth Path provides accredited entry level qualifications, work experience, and one-to-one support addressing the many barriers preventing NEET young people gaining jobs.

Developing a strategy for Disability Support

28 August 2024

Disability Support - Nottingham is an organisation that has both lived and learnt experiences of disability, care, and age-related needs and the barriers faced by people in these marginalised groups. Disability Support is an information, advice and guidance service for disabled people, older people, and carers.

Innovating data efficiency for VisionPK

15 August 2024

"The system the team implemented is user friendly, allowing all users access to the required information in a timelier manner. The dedicated and friendly project team made the project a pleasurable experience and delivered exactly what was required."

Corporate Social Responsibility News

Green action, not greenwash or greenhush

Ed Mayo | 18 October 2023

Some writers predict that the world cannot avoid an environmental collapse, others that we have it within our power to mitigate the worst effects of climate change and to make the transition to a sustainable economy.

100,000 skilled volunteers needed

9 October 2023

New research from Pilotlight estimates that 100,000 skilled “climate volunteers” are needed to accelerate environmental action in the UK. Published today, the findings reveal an urgent need amongst environmental charities for professional support from skilled volunteers.

The future of work is out

Ed Mayo | 3 November 2022

Now, after lockdown and working from home, it’s trends such as the ‘great resignation’ and the rise of the ‘quiet quitters’, the future of work is here - it is, as they say, just unevenly spread.

Research: £17bn impact of ‘workout’ culture

25 October 2022

New research from Pilotlight highlights the strong demand from the UK workforce for their employers to do more to support skills-based volunteering in the community. The research, published today in a report called 'Give your culture a workout', includes new attitudinal research on the public support for employers to do more in this area and outlines the tangible benefits this would bring for the employers themselves.

Record for charity support from Barclays & Pilotlight

26 September 2022

Pilotlight and our Partner Business Barclays launched 11 projects in September 2022. It’s the biggest cohort of projects launched with a Partner Business in a four-week period yet. The cohort includes Inclusive Leadership and Pilotlight Insight and Pilotlight Direction programmes.

Are we passed the peak of volunteering?

Ed Mayo | 7 July 2022

A wave of informal volunteering helped charities and community groups to play a critical role for communities over the pandemic. Now that the cost of living crisis is hitting home, the role for the voluntary sector is once more key, but this time it is not clear that volunteering - or emergency funding - will be able to help.

A vision for volunteering

Jonas Fathy | 4 July 2022

Last month our Programme Manager Jonas Fathy spoke at the annual general meeting of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on volunteering. Pilotlight had been one of many charities working with the NCVO to develop the Vision for Volunteering, and Jonas had been asked to share Pilotlight’s perspective on the Vision.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion News

Supporting LGBTQIA+ charities at Deloitte

Matias Ilivitzky | 27 February 2024

In this particular edition, the focus was on making a tangible difference in the lives of LGBTQIA+ communities. Also coinciding with LGBTQIA+ History Month, the event brought together around 50 Pilotlighters from Deloitte to work alongside three impactful Partner Charities: The Love Tank, Just Like Us, and Living Free UK. 

Using L&D to accelerate opportunities for diverse staff

Reena Pastakia | 27 June 2023

Diversity and inclusion are key components of any successful business. Not only does a diverse workforce foster a culture of innovation and creativity, but it also allows a company to tap into a wider pool of talent and perspectives.

Walking the talk: our commitment to DEI

Ed Mayo | 11 April 2023

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. 

Inspiring women: Leadership tips for success

Natalie Humby | 8 March 2023

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.

Inclusion on an accelerator

Ed Mayo | 24 November 2022

The shift to new patterns of work coming out of the pandemic is helping to spur a new generation of progressive employment practices. In time, I believe, these will come to define the workplace of the future.

Picking up the pace on diversity

Ed Mayo | 12 April 2022

Whether this is an insight or simply a new cliché in the making, I don’t know but so many areas of personal or organisational development today are described as a ‘journey’ and this feels apt for us. 

Why inclusivity and flexibility go hand in hand

Sally Bailey | 28 September 2021

As I write this, I am probably in the best health I’ve been in for two years. I have an immune system disorder and fibromyalgia. I’ve spent years schlepping on trains, planes and automobiles to attend meetings and visit offices, getting exhausted and exposing myself to infections as I travel.

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion journey

Bruce McCombie | 18 March 2021

As a charity founded to support charities in their efforts to help more people, we share the common goal of tackling social disadvantage in all its

Race and the voluntary sector

Ed Mayo | 25 February 2021

Today we release the 'Learning and Listening for Mutual Action: surfacing and building the evidence base to support Black African, Black Caribbean, Asian and other Minoritised Ethnic led voluntary sector organisations' report that asks the vital question: what are the support needs of organisations led by, for, and with BAME communities?

Leadership News

Embracing change through volunteering

Sarah Cooper | 29 September 2023

Little did I know that a seemingly simple email was about to change my perspective in a big way. It was from Pilotlight. Thanking their ‘Pilotlighters’, both past and present, for their contribution to the skills-based volunteering programmes they run in partnership with Barclays. And whilst reading it, the thought struck me that I actually had a lot to thank Pilotlight for.

When Yes Means No

Diana Squires | 11 July 2023

Something I hear frequently from charity leaders, especially founders, is ‘We can’t say no to someone who needs help!

Five things I have learned coming into the charity sector

Samir Patel | 16 February 2023

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.

Inspiring women: Leadership tips for success

Natalie Humby | 8 March 2023

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.

The traditional definition of a leader has eroded

Mel Whitney-Long | 8 March 2022

At seven years old I was a tree-climbing, dress-hating, future astronaut. Aged 17 not much had changed. From an early age, both of my parents encouraged me to strive for whatever I wanted to be, whatever I wanted to do. It was well into my adolescence before I even stopped to consider that being a girl – or more accurately not being a boy - might be a barrier in my future.

Be a risk-taker and fail forward

Darrell Stenering | 20 October 2021

I have always been close to my mum and my older sister. I would say my mum is an inspiration to me; I always behave in fear of disappointing her; she's anchored me throughout my life.

Women in leadership: tips from the top

Simona Bojare | 8 March 2021

To celebrate International Women's Day today I wanted to share some tips I’ve collated from powerful women leaders at Pilotlight. I feel very fortunate to work alongside many amazing women every day: half of our leadership team is made up of incredible women, our Chair is a woman, and we recently welcomed three new women trustees to our Board

Learning and Development News

How charities can help business embed a values-led culture

Ed Mayo | 7 November 2023

Helping charities as a volunteer is a great way for people to give to the community. This is particularly the case for skilled volunteering – where you are using your workplace or professional skills to make a difference. Seven out of ten charities are looking for support in the form of professional skills, but only four out of ten find it. Charities need skilled support.

Pilotlight’s recipe for developing interpersonal skills in staff

Hagit Amsterdam | 10 October 2023

In today’s fast-paced business environment, having a skilled workforce isn’t enough to guarantee success. Companies invest heavily in training and development programmes to enhance the technical skills, but these hard skills alone are not enough to guarantee success.

Stepping into the learning & development limelight

Tom Leavesley-Matthews | 5 October 2023

As a social enterprise focused on supporting charities, Pilotlight is sometimes perceived as an outlier in the corporate learning and development sector. This year we’ve challenged ourselves to better understand the impact of our programmes on employees and the return on investment for their employers.

Driving business success through investing in your people

Tom Leavesley-Matthews | 31 May 2023

Learning and Talent teams are more focused than ever on employee engagement and retention. So how can business better engage its people and provide compelling learning opportunities that address shifting strategic priorities?

Learning to swim: lessons in leadership

Sam Matthews | 24 January 2023

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.

Research: £17bn impact of ‘workout’ culture

25 October 2022

New research from Pilotlight highlights the strong demand from the UK workforce for their employers to do more to support skills-based volunteering in the community. The research, published today in a report called 'Give your culture a workout', includes new attitudinal research on the public support for employers to do more in this area and outlines the tangible benefits this would bring for the employers themselves.

How to survive and thrive as a charity in a financial crisis

Ed Mayo | 20 July 2022

It is hard to start a charity, but it is also hard to kill one. This is a resilience, characteristic of charities, that we have a purpose that moves people to act, and we have a culture that allows for different forms of participation. In this post, I want to look at three tips for financial resilience for charities.

Growing support for carers both locally and nationally

Kathy Verges | 28 June 2022

When we worked with Kathy Verges in 2010, she was CEO at Crossroads Care Havering, which had a turnover of around £600k. Kathy retired as Chief Officer in January 2022. After a series of mergers Kathy led the charity on to re-brand to create TuVida, which had national reach and a turnover of £14m. She reflects on her work with Pilotlight.

Now is the best time for anyone to learn new skills

Charlie Medcalf | 9 September 2021

There is much to be learnt from the way our children approach the new school year. As Freddie stepped through the classroom door for his taster session, I admired his want to connect with peers, his openness to new experiences and his thirst for learning.

15 tips that could help your charity now

Liora Wulf | 17 December 2020

Since the start of September, 50 senior leaders from Barclays have joined forces with 10 charities from across the UK to address some of the key challenges they are facing as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

Can you add values to your CV?

Ed Mayo | 15 October 2020

We all have the ability to behave with values, just as we are all (or nearly all) born with the ability to sing.

Charity Trustee News

Creating better charity boards

Iain McNicol | 14 November 2023

Governance can be a challenge for charities. It's also often the key to the door that needs to be unlocked before a charity can get to the next stage in its development. Each board faces individual challenges, but over time, we have seen certain trends emerge when exploring the governance of an organisation.

Seeking Leaders with Purpose

Sally Bailey | 17 September 2020

One of the key attributes that I seek in leaders is the ability to bring the outside in to the business – to be able to listen to and engage with a wide range of internal and external audiences that have a stake in the way they operate.

Becoming a better board member

Bruce McCombie | 19 February 2020

Over my time at Pilotlight, I’ve worked with all kinds of charity boards — the good, bad and even the ugly. I’ve also had the delight in seeing many of our Pilotlighters go from working with a charity for the first time, to being inspired enough to become a trustee after participating in one our programmes.

The purposeful leader: how I became the chair of a small charity

Steve Bright | 19 June 2019

I’ve spent my career focused on how to build organisations that engage employees so they give their best. I’ve experienced economic booms and busts, a technological revolution in the way we live and work, and the increased globalisation of business. The consistent theme throughout my 35 year career, is that people give their best when they truly believe in their organisation’s mission.

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