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Consultancy services for the charity and not for profit sector. Strategy Development, fundraising, governance, collaborations and partnerships.
Stay up to date with developments in the sector and our latest thinking on issues affecting charities and social enterprises.
Governance failings have been at the heart of all the high profile (and not so high profile) charity failures and scandals of the last few years and dominance has been a key factor a high proportion of those. This blog explore the issue of dominance in governance and how to avoid it.
Read MoreWhen does a charity registered in England and Wales need to register with the Scottish Charitable regulator OSCR? This blogs explore that question and the issue of cross-border charities in the UK more generally.
Read MoreIn our previous blog we explored the different types of charity merger, a process also usually involved in charity incorporations. Over the last few years more and more charities have incorporated. This blog explores why and what is involved in incorporation.
Read MoreThe recent trend towards consolidation in the charity sector appears to be continuing, even accelerating. Over the last decade or so we have supported many small (and medium-sized) charity mergers of a range of types. This blog briefly explores the types of merger and the importance of getting the merger process right.
Read MoreIn early June 2019 the Fundraising Regulator published the New Code of Fundraising Practice, which it will use in its regulation of the sector from October 2019. And its huge! 117 pages huge including the rulebooks! But don’t panic, it is actually better than the previous code.
Read MoreCharity consortia have continued to be popular with funders and can offer a range of benefits. However, getting a consortium right takes time and money and success is not guaranteed. This article briefly sets out the benefits and disadvantages of consortia and some key issues to grapple with when setting one up.
Read MoreRecent reports on trends in charitable giving by individuals paint a mixed, and at times worrying, picture that charities large and small need to understand and respond to. This blog highlights some of the key issues and what charities should be doing to respond.
Read MoreWe are delighted that Almond Tree Strategic Consulting’s long-standing commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has recently been recognised through both a International CSR Excellence Gold Award and CSR Accreditation. In this article you can read more about our experience and the benefits of CSR.
Read MoreThe NCVO recently published its 2019 UK Civil Society Almanac and it has some interesting insights into trends in the charity sector (based on 2016/17 data). When you dig deeper into the Almanac some interesting trends and insights can be seen. We’ve highlighted just a few in this blog.
Read MoreFundraising using voice activated tools (such as smart speakers) seems to be the next “big thing”. But what is all the fuss about and is the optimism well-placed? Other recent fundraising innovations, while they have added to the mix, haven’t yet proven to be truly disruptive or paradigm shifting. This article briefly explores voice fundraising and reflects on what small and medium-sized charities should be doing to respond to yet another new fundraising technology.
Read MoreFinding your organisation’s authentic voice in fundraising or any other form of communications essential if you are to be successful. But what do we mean by this and how do you find it? This article offers some short reflections on this elusive topic that we hope you find helpful in developing your pitches for funding.
Read MoreI was delighted to co-host an in-depth workshop on income risk, sustainability and diversification at the Charity Finance Group (CFG) Annual Conference 2019, including a practical session for delegates to assess their own charity’s sustainability and income risk profile using a simple tool we have developed. This article briefly explains that tool and how it can benefit charities who use it (including a worked example).
Read MoreOur partners Stone King, who provide specialist HR support, are running a series of fully interactive Mock Disciplinary Hearing in a range of locations throughout June 2019. We are happy to recommend these events to any organisation, whether or not you are currently dealing with disciplinary or related issues.
Read MoreBusiness continuity planning is not just about apocalyptic events such as terrorism, floods and so on. It’s about making sure that your organisation can continue to serve its beneficiaries (and fulfill its obligations to funders) when a major event occurs that might otherwise prevent you from doing so. How well prepared are you to cope in such situations?
Read MoreIn January 2019 the NCVO published Charity Ethical Principles, but how’s does this fit in with the myriad of other publications in recent years on what might broadly be categorised as charity ethics, behavioural governance and/or organisational culture? As well as outlining the principles in the NCVO publication, this short articles aims to give a few pointers on how to navigate this increasingly crowded field or guidance, frameworks and codes.
Read MoreI am delighted to be co-hosting with Helena Wilkinson of Price Bailey Chartered Accountants, an in-depth workshop on income risk, sustainability and diversification at the Charity Finance Group (CFG) Annual Conference 2019 on Thursday 16 May 2019 at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London. CFG19 is aimed at anyone working in a role that relates to charity finance. It has five streams of sessions covering technical updates, strategic insights, and practical workshops and is the perfect opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in charity finance, meet with others in the sector and gain new insights.
Read MoreHaving tried to avoid it for months, we’ve finally caved in and penned a short article on the possible implications of Brexit for small to medium sized charities in the UK. In our view there is unlikely (in any future scenario) to be a major cliff edge of change affecting UK charities as a result of Brexit. The rest is really crystal ball gazing as the uncertainty surrounding the long-term EU/UK relationships continues; but sometimes we need to look into the crystal ball.
Read MoreIn almost every small and medium sized charity I have worked (and some big ones) with risk management has been, and seen to be, a chore; “something we have to do but which adds little value.” But it doesn’t need to be like that. This article provides a mini-guide to simple and effective risk management.
Read MoreAt Almond Tree Strategic Consulting we are passionate about public and voluntary service and we believe that all businesses, whatever their size or sector, should practice Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This blog outlines our view the key principles that make for effective CSR engagement and outlines our own CSR programme by way of example.
Read MoreOver the years we’ve done quite a lot of fundraising for churches and other faith-inspired charities. While many of the same principles apply, there are some important differences to fundraising for purely secular causes. This short article explores some of these differences, offering hints and tips to help faith-based organisations navigate the fundraising world a little more easily.
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