The challenge
This large, national charity wanted to transform their complex business and operating model.
Change programmes had already made significant savings and whilst this ensured short term financial stability and laid some foundations for the future, the ambition, driven by the Chair of Trustees and the CEO, was that further transformational change was needed.
It was recognised that the change to date was driven from a BAU perspective, rather than considering who they should be and what they should offer in a rapidly changing future.
Therefore the challenge was to define the future focus and model for the entire charity. Given the future needs of their service users, what would be the most impactful areas that the charity should focus on? What should they start, what should they double down on, and what should they consider exiting? And how does all of this significantly increase their impact and also create a financially sustainable organisation?
The solution
We supported the charity over six months to take a futures focused approach to operating and business model design, working out where and how the charity should focus.
Phase 1 consisted of creating a series of relevant drivers of change from which we then created a series of different futures that we collectively felt were the most likely and the most impactful on the charity. Within these we also explored the different roles that the charity could take in these futures alongside exploring the potential reaction of the ecosystem to any changes.
Phase 2 then focused on understanding the charity’s response to those futures. We developed and explored a range of different models for the charity, with each exploring different roles the charity could take and the implications. Ultimately two were prioritised as the preferred options.
Phase 3 created a business and operating model blueprint for each of the two prioritised models, with each identifying a portfolio of service offerings and outlining the implications on funding models, brand, and capability requirements. These were then turned into a series of Board papers which were discussed by Trustees.
The impact
Trustee and Leadership teams were fully bought into the models with agreement on the recommendation.
Budget was agreed for next steps, including a series of test and learn experiments to start scoping out the new model and to set up a wider transformation programme.
"There was full consensus behind the recommendation, with no show stoppers raised and - most importantly - unanimous comments about the quality of the work, the strength in depth of the team, and the model we have established for how the charity should work....over my long history of Board meetings, this was hands-down the best. And that's testament to you all. But, honestly, I couldn't be prouder or more pleased."
Director of Strategy