With Simon’s help we were able to look at our organisation with “fresh eyes” and guide it through a major transition.
As Chairman of a charity in Leeds, I knew we needed to restructure in order to meet the demands of our funders and the requirements of our new contract.
Many people believe that charities shouldn’t be run like businesses, However, the Officers and I recognised that we did need to be “business-like” in order to survive. We therefore needed an adviser who understood small/medium businesses and who would be both gentle but firm.
Being a member of the Federation of Small Businesses, I did a search and asked my fellow members. Simon was recommended and turned out to be just the person we needed.
Although he had never worked with a charity before, Simon quickly understood the needs of our organisation. He was able to identify some funding for us, and we were quickly able to set to work. Right from the start, he helped set everyone at their ease and begin to think of the charity as a business. They soon understood that targets, key performance indicators, budgets, performance reviews, structure, etc., were urgently needed for us to stay in business. Simon explained how these could benefit both them and the organisation, and that a restructure was nothing to be afraid of.
Regular meetings were held with the Senior Managers to set targets, monitor progress, and deal with any queries or situations which may have occurred.
With Simon’s help and support, we were all able to look at our organisation with “fresh eyes” and guide it through a major transition very smoothly. As a result, we are now in an excellent position to face whatever the future may bring