Our future plans
Over the next year, we will continue to strengthen our core services, use insight to shape our work, and develop our management support offer.
Looking ahead, we will begin developing a new and ambitious strategy to guide the Trust beyond 2026. This will ensure we continue to meet the changing needs of the charities we serve and remain a strong, sustainable organisation delivering vital support to the sector.
We will begin this process in early 2026, aiming to finalise the new strategy by mid-year. Central to this work will be engagement with our clients, volunteers, funders and supporters. Their insight will help us understand where the greatest need for management support lies and shape our priorities for the years ahead.
The demand for our services, and the learning we gain through our work, already highlight where our future focus may be. Management consultancy remains at the heart of what we do, but we also see growing value in our wider support, including peer to peer and mentoring programmes, which help strengthen leadership and resilience across the sector.
Succession planning has emerged as a significant gap, with strong interest in our work to support emerging leaders. We see this as a vital opportunity to help develop the next generation of charity leaders and build long-term organisational strength.
Digital capability continues to be a challenge for many charities. We recognise the importance of technology and AI in both how charities operate and how we can increase the efficiency of our own work. We are already testing new tools to enhance our support for clients and volunteers, and expect this to be an important focus of our next strategy.
Insight will also remain central to the Trust’s development. Our Journey to Excellence impact framework continues to provide valuable understanding of trends and outcomes. We will build on this, ensuring it stays relevant and supports data-driven learning across our work.
Our volunteers remain at the heart of everything we do. Their professionalism, generosity and commitment make our impact possible and are an ongoing source of inspiration. We will continue to invest in ensuring they have a rewarding and high-quality experience,
supported by strong systems, communication and learning opportunities.
The charities we support are under growing pressure, and the expertise of our volunteers puts Cranfield Trust in a unique position to help. As we look to the future, our goal remains clear: to strengthen leadership and management across the voluntary sector, helping charities to thrive and continue making a difference in their communities.
