Impact built on relationships

The challenge

A well-established CIC delivering employment support programmes had grown rapidly but lacked the strategic infrastructure to sustain that growth. Leadership was stretched, governance was informal, and the organisation had no clear plan for the next three years.

Our approach

We worked alongside the leadership team over six months — facilitating a strategic review, clarifying the organisation's theory of change, and co-designing a governance framework that gave the board genuine oversight without slowing down delivery.

The outcome

The organisation entered its next funding cycle with a clear three-year strategy, a strengthened board, and the confidence to pursue larger contracts. Within twelve months they had secured two new local authority partnerships.

The challenge

A social enterprise running mental health peer support programmes wanted to build an evidence base for their model but had no existing relationships with academic institutions and no experience of navigating university partnership processes.

Our approach

We mapped the relevant research landscape, identified three universities with aligned interests, and brokered introductions with the right departments. We then supported both parties through the partnership structuring process — ensuring the collaboration was genuinely mutual and not extractive.

The outcome

A two-year research partnership was established with a Russell Group university. The resulting evidence base has since been used to secure a significant grant and to influence commissioning decisions in two local authority areas.

The challenge

Following a merger, a charitable organisation found that its relationships with the communities it served had become strained. Engagement was low, feedback mechanisms had broken down, and there was a growing disconnect between what the organisation offered and what communities actually needed.

Our approach

We designed and facilitated a community listening programme — working with local residents, community leaders, and frontline staff to surface honest feedback. We then helped the organisation translate those insights into concrete changes to its service model and communication approach.

The outcome

Community engagement increased significantly in the six months following the programme. The organisation redesigned two of its core services based on community input, and reported a marked improvement in trust and participation.

The challenge

A group of small social enterprises identified a significant funding opportunity that none of them could pursue alone. They needed to form a credible consortium quickly — but had no existing relationships with the anchor institutions the funder expected to see involved.

Our approach

We facilitated the consortium formation process, brokered introductions with two anchor institutions (a university and a housing association), and supported the group in developing a shared governance structure and a compelling joint bid narrative.

The outcome

The consortium was awarded the contract — the largest single piece of funding any of the member organisations had ever received. The alliance has since continued beyond the initial contract, taking on further collaborative work.