“This strategy sets out our ambition to extend the reach and impact of Cranfield Trust over the next four years. Informed by research with charities, volunteers and funders, it builds on our vital core services, including consultancy, mentoring, peer-to-peer support while growing our offer to meet changing needs.

“Our distinctive role remains to provide practical expertise and human judgement for small charities and their leaders, through tailored, relationship-based support they could not otherwise access. As charities navigate growing pressures and uncertainty, this role is more critical than ever.

“Investing in leaders is a core strand of our strategy. Its impact extends far beyond one person, strengthening their team, their organisation and its ability to serve its community. We want more leaders to have the confidence and capability to build effective organisations for the long term, with support that is accessible, practical and responsive to the realities of leading a small charity.

 “We will make it easier for charities to find the right support at the right time, creating clearer pathways and connecting them with skilled volunteers whose experience, insight and generosity enable us to provide the tailored support they value so highly. We will develop and extend our volunteer community and use the insight from their work to help the wider sector understand what makes a lasting difference. Technology will help us reach further and do more, but the human relationships at the heart of our work will remain central to delivering lasting impact.”

Dan Francis, Chief Executive of Cranfield Trust

Cranfield Trust has introduced a new four-year strategy, ‘Right support, right time’  designed to help more small charities access expert support, strengthen leadership and build the resilience needed to navigate an increasingly challenging operating environment.

At a time when support to small charities and community organisations is under threat, the strategy introduces the unique contribution Cranfield Trust can make to address this. Through its network of volunteers, the Trust will offer practical expertise and human judgement at scale for small charities and their leaders, through appropriate and relational support they could not otherwise afford or easily access, helping them make better decisions, strengthen their organisations and increase their impact.

The strategy is informed by Cranfield Trust’s research with charities, funders, volunteers and staff earlier this year, which highlighted a sector under sustained pressure. Alongside concerns about fundraising and financial sustainability, stakeholders identified leadership wellbeing, succession planning, governance, strategy and organisational resilience as significant challenges for small charities.

The research also found strong demand for practical, tailored, human-led support that helps charity leaders make sense of complex challenges, make confident decisions and turn plans into action.

The strategy focuses on four priorities that reflect what charities, leaders and sector stakeholders told us they need most:

  • Supporting stronger charity leadership by helping current and future leaders build the confidence, skills, resilience and connections needed to navigate growing complexity, make informed decisions and lead sustainable organisations
  • Making it easier to access support where it matters most through clearer pathways into consultancy, mentoring, training, peer learning and practical resources, helping busy leaders find the support they need when they need it
  • Sharing insight on what works for small charities by drawing on learning from thousands of charity engagements to help inform funders, policymakers and support organisations about the challenges facing small charities and the approaches that make the greatest difference
  • Expanding the impact of skilled volunteering by creating more opportunities for experienced professionals to share their expertise through consultancy, mentoring, training and sector learning, helping more charities benefit from high-quality support they could not otherwise access.

For leaders, the strategy means greater access to development opportunities, trusted peer networks and practical support to navigate increasingly complex roles. For charities, it aims to make support easier to access and better aligned to organisational needs. For the wider sector, it represents a stronger commitment to sharing evidence and insight about what enables small charities to survive, adapt and thrive.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chair of the Board of Trustees, added,

“Small charities form the very fabric of communities across the UK. Every day they respond to need and improve lives, often with stretched leadership, limited resources, and growing pressures. We know from listening to our clients and partner organisations that what most leaders need most is not more information, but access to trusted expertise, practical support, and sound judgement when it matters most.
“Our new strategy is about meeting that need. By connecting more charities with skilled volunteers and focusing support where it can make the greatest difference, the Cranfield Trust will help even more charity leaders to navigate today's challenges, and strengthen the brilliant organisations they lead that have never been more needed.”