Past Projects

Here are some of the projects I have worked on previously. If anything sparks your interest, get in touch.

A large charity were transforming their business model following the removal of core grant funding, and were concerned that their Board was not operating effectively, and key decisions were being delayed as a result. I led a review of their governance arrangements and highlighted several issues around clarity of strategy, trustee engagement and clear roles and responsibilities. The charity initiated a 6 month change programme as a result and is well on the way to completing its organisational transformation.

A grant giving trust was struggling with its management information. Management accounts were being received 6 weeks post month end and were still inaccurate, leading the trustees to lose confidence in the reports they were receiving and to focus unduly on the detail. I reviewed and redesigned the management accounts process, provided some training to the finance team and introduced more automation and controls. The trustees now receive accurate information within 2 weeks of the month end.

A charity supporting social entrepreneurs was planning to launch an innovative new social finance product and were unsure as to the financial and accounting issues they should be thinking about as part of the set up process. I advised on business, financial and risks, the proposed control environment and accounting treatment, with some changes being made to their proposals as a result. The product has now been launched and is supporting social entrepreneurs throughout the UK.

An education charity had been through a period of rapid change and was unsure about whether their finance arrangements were fit for purpose for the new organisation. They had also struggled to recruit into the finance team in the past. I advised on team structure, roles and required skills, and joined the interview panel for the key head of finance appointment. The team is now functioning effectively and supporting the charity as it delivers on its new strategy.

A charitable foundation were resource constrained in their finance team and were concerned about how they would manage the introduction of the 2015 SORP. I produced a report for the Board summarising the impact of the new accounting standards, highlighting key issues and making recommendations about changes to systems and processes that would allow the new requirements to be dealt with smoothly. The foundation went on to meet their year end timetable and to a trouble-free external audit.

A young charity were concerned that their financial statements were not of high enough quality to support their applications to important new funders. I advised on how they could improve them, helped fix a number of instances where they were not compliant with the current accounting standards and set up systems and processes for reporting on new types of income. Their fundraising applications were successful and their first-year end audit went smoothly.

An international development charity were struggling with morale and quality of delivery in their finance team and needed a new leader. As finance director I set a new team culture, developed the organisation’s first financial strategy, led the team in developing an action plan to implement that strategy and clarified roles, responsibilities, team values and behaviours. Morale improved significantly, and the team began to deliver as a valued partner for the rest of the organisation.

A large charity suffered an unexpected 30% drop in income and were facing questions about their financial sustainability as a result. I led the SMT in producing a financial recovery plan, supported its implementation, produced regular information on progress for trustees and ensured that cashflow was managed carefully throughout. The charity has now fully recovered and is impacting over 2 million beneficiaries a year around the world.

A charity working in Africa had commissioned a professional services firm to build a business plan for their new social enterprise. When they received it, it was unusable as they had not properly understood the business. I travelled to Kenya and spent time with the founder, understanding the business and building a detailed financial model based on realistic assumptions. The charity subsequently received funding for the project from a large US funder and the social enterprise is now operating successfully across Kenya, supporting over 200,000 farmers.

A large charity had formulated an ambitious business plan but were unclear how to monitor success. As Chief Operating Officer I led the process of identifying relevant KPIs, designing and implementing systems to allow these KPIs to be measured and introducing a management dashboard to present the KPIs along with other vital management information. The organisation used this dashboard as a key tool for both the senior management team and the Board as the strategy was successfully implemented.

A charity focussed on the relief of global poverty was lacking funds to implement some vital campaigning work. As Finance Director I instigated a financial review programme looking for efficiencies and ways to generate funds across the organisation. In the finance team alone we generated £80,000 through a review of historical Gift Aid claims and an ongoing benefit of approximately £50,000 per annum through registering for VAT. Overall the programme was successful and sufficient funds were freed up to allow the work to go ahead.

A small charity were considering a potential development deal for their headquarters building and were unsure whether they should go ahead or not. I produced a report for the Board on the financial and operational risks and opportunities involved in the various property options available to them. The Board implemented a much lower risk option as a result, and freed up valuable funds which they were then able to invest in growing and developing the fundraising team.

A medium sized healthcare charity were considering taking over the operations of a smaller organisation. I led on producing a financial due diligence report which highlighted several issues to be considered before proceeding, key post transaction integration matters and the pros and cons of the various ways of conducting the transaction. The transaction went ahead, as the Board felt confident that they had a clear view of the risks and opportunities they were taking on.