News

Latest Pilotlight News

Image
SELFA charity

SELFA's seven-year triumph

23 November 2023

In 2016 SELFA Children's Charity were recipients of a Weston Charity Award, which not only supported the organisation with a core grant of £6,500 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, but also began a period of transformation through the Pilotlight 360 programme.

Image
People swimming

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.

Image
A charity runner in a chicken mask being given a foot rub by another charity runner

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.

Corporate Social Responsibility News

Image
The Conservation Collective charity

100,000 skilled volunteers needed to support the UK’s environmental charities, says Pilotlight

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.

Image
Person in coffee shop

New research highlights the potential £17bn impact of employers developing a ‘workout’ culture that connects employees to the community

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.

Image
Two parents with their son who has disabilities

Pilotlight and Barclays launches its largest cohort of support for charities in a single month

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.

Image
Three people in skiing costumes rehearsing a play

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

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

Image
People hugging

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.

Image
A black women in front of trees looking behind her

‘The traditional definition of a leader has eroded,’ eight women leaders share advice on inclusive leadership

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.

Learning and Development News

Image
A charity runner in a chicken mask being given a foot rub by another charity runner

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.

Image
People swimming

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.

Image
Person in coffee shop

New research highlights the potential £17bn impact of employers developing a ‘workout’ culture that connects employees to the community

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.

Image
Two people laughing on a bench

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.

Charity Trustee News

Image
People swimming

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.

Image
Mixed race woman standing in an office holding a laptop

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.

Image
A group of children running towards the camera

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.

Latest Events