Strategy and Vision
Contact – Lifeline Strategy
The Fundraising Strategy developed by Redsocks Consulting set out the strategic direction of Contact in terms of the acquisition of funds over the next three years. It was based on an analysis of; developments and expansion in Contact services and profile, external changes in the economic and political environment, the current fundraising/funding environment, previous fundraising activity within the organization and the need for financial sustainability.
Contact had grown significantly in the previous five year period which changed the nature of the organization and created a significantly increased profile. Contact had expanded its role in Northern Ireland mental health provision by developing its 33 years of experience with young people into the creation and delivery of the Lifeline Service which took into account the needs of all age groups. This significantly altered the core work of the organization and resulted in a strategic shift in direction and the rebranding and reprofiling of its work.
First Housing Aid Support Services
The First Housing Aid Support Services (FHASS) Strategic and Business plan was developed for 2006-2008 and was the culmination of a consultative process which began in September 2005 involving board members, staff and key stakeholders of the organisation including representatives from Supporting People the organisations key stakeholder. The document reflected some changes in emphasis from the previous plan showed the impact of the extension of support services in the previous years – most notably the greater emphasis on the development of business practices to meet the criteria for funding as set out by Supporting People. The main aim of the plan was to build on the progress already made in all areas of their work within the local community and to underpin that progress by the development of good business procedures and practices which met the current and emerging needs of their stakeholders.
Friends of the Cancer Centre
The strategic plan for Friends was seen as a strategic milestone in the sense that the development of the plan was a first for the organisation and it was a recognition of the challenges that lay ahead and a statement of organisational intent to position the charity and its services where they where most needed. Friends required an organisational restructure to make best use of the public donations being received every day. The key challenges were as follows;
- assessing the environment in which we operate;
- determining stakeholders i.e. the people who are important to us;
- assessing stakeholders’ needs and responding to them through appropriately designed services; and
- estimating the cost of those services over the term of this plan as well as any reliable potential income for those services.
The strategic plan also acted as a platform for the launch of other key priorities which supported the provision of services:
- designing communications about Friends for the community that we support;
- re-examining the recruitment of board, staff, and volunteers;
- assigning the implementation of the charity’s plan to specific people; and
- creating a continuous market-testing system to monitor the strategic fit between the programs and services offered to the community.
Tiny Life
TinyLife started out 23 years ago as Northern Ireland Mother and Baby Appeal (Nimba) raising money to provide medical and educational support for families with premature and ill babies. Although in existence for an 18 year period before the name change very few people within Northern Ireland identified Nimba as Northern Ireland’s premature baby charity and as a result it was necessary to change the brand in order to increase brand awareness and ‘popularity’.
The Strategic and Business Plan therefore was driven by the necessity to increase brand awareness and build on the subsequent increase in there income. Redsocks also insured that Tiny Life’s strategy comprised of a clear mission, vision and priorities for the 3 year period and beyond.