If you have ever found yourself at loggerheads with a colleague, read on. People in organisations fall out all the time, even nice people over silly things! This can even be constructive and helpful, throwing up problems that may not otherwise have been talked about. However, if we are honest, few…
Organisational Development
Those of us who have worked with charities for any length of time will know both the excitement of receiving the grant cheque envelope and the the fear of it either n0t arriving or not containing what you had hoped for. Many smaller organisations can feel like they are existing…
We have just received the first one of the year; the Christmas card that has, as a PS, ‘hope to see you in 2017′. Some people have been sending us a card like this, with virtually the same message in it for many years (with different dates), but somehow that…
I have just run some more workshops for church administrators. One of the many things we talked about was the invisibility of the role. When everything goes well, they all told me that nobody notices what they do, or often notices them. However, when there is a ‘typo’ in the news…
Recent national surveys have painted a fairly bleak picture. Public trust in charities and specifically in fundraisers is falling and this probably does not really surprise us. We have probably all heard. or even offered, criticism of charities and there is a widespread perception that money is wasted or poorly…
I am working with two community-based groups at the moment, both of whom need, for the first time in their history, to raise significant sums of money. This can be intimidating and nerve wracking, but it can also be fun! In both cases, their funding need is not urgent, which does…
As I write this it hardly feels like high summer outside but the date on the post would suggest otherwise. So, in a time where traditionally the living is slightly easier (to misquote the song) how do we use the free time that may be coming 0our way well? Firstly,…
How do you respond to the prospect of a new project in your church or small charity? Running a project well, particularly in smaller organisations without the backing of specialist project managers or other resources can be a challenge. There are books and ‘how to’ guides in abundance but they…
Does your church, charity or group have one of those ‘impossible’ dreams? Would you love to have a new building, develop a new service, ministry or service, or employ a member a new of staff? So many of these dreams never seem come to fruition; but why? Sometimes it is…
I recently ran a one day workshop for church administrators. During the day we spent some time reflecting on how they might best describe the main elements of their role. If you are a church administrator or work with someone who is, I wonder of any of the below descriptions…