As part of our 30th anniversary '30 Voices' campaign, Mike Pochin, Chief Executive at Dorset Advocacy, shares his experience of working with Cranfield Trust.
Our management consultancy support from Cranfield Trust has focused on issues of governance and financial control, so the impact on service users has not been immediate. However, as a result of the consultancy, we have a much better understanding of the true cost of our work. This has enabled us on the one hand to identify necessary savings, making our continuing work more cost effective and therefore more accessible, whilst on the other hand helping us to wind down work which was no longer sustainable, and therefore placing an unacceptable pressure on staff.
Benefits of working with Cranfield Trust
I have found the Cranfield Trust to be remarkably responsive. We progressed from application to a first meeting with our consultant in a matter of weeks. Our consultant then produced a report within 12 weeks of that first meeting. This responsiveness helped us to commit the necessary priority and resource to the project.
What did you learn from working with Cranfield Trust?
More than I could have imagined! Our consultant helped us to review our governance from our constitution to our Board and Committee Meetings and through to risk management and financial control. The effect has been to give us a much clearer schedule of reporting and assurance, whilst freeing up our decision-making so that it is much more effective.
How has your organisation benefited from Cranfield Trust?
We have improved our constitution, Board meetings, risk reporting and financial control. The assistance of Cranfield Trust has been invaluable.
Why would you recommend others to work with Cranfield Trust?
Without hesitation!
What is special about Cranfield Trust and why does it matter?
To have sourced the consultancy we needed on the open market would have cost us a prohibitive sum – assuming we could have found a suitable consultant at all. Cranfield Trust understood and met our needs in a very short space of time, and I am very grateful indeed for their work.