Strategy for growth
Write Back
August 2024
Write Back is a charity that helps young people improve their confidence and wellbeing through storytelling skills. Founded by Sam Norwood, the organisation runs creative writing workshops that give young people opportunities for self-expression and to have their work published. The charity emerged from Sam's teaching experience and recognition of the transformative power of creative writing for the development and mental health of young people.
Challenge
By early 2024, Write Back faced an important turning point. Director Sam Norwood was juggling teaching responsibilities and running the charity, mostly as a volunteer. Although Write Back had secured funding from The Mercers' Company, the charity lacked a clear strategy to take advantage of this opportunity for growth.
Volunteer Imran Ahmed recalled the situation: "When I first spoke to Sam, it was 'OK, now I've got this funding. We can do something with it. We could hire people, we could put a better foundation in place. But I almost don't know where to start with it.’"
Sam identified the need for greater clarity and reached out for support from Cranfield Trust. As Regional Manager Nicky Everett observed: "Sam had ambitious plans but could see the value of working with a volunteer consultant to develop a business plan with realistic options for growth. This seemed to be the most pressing area requiring specific support.”
Sam explained: "The project focused on strategy and planning because it was sometimes difficult to carve out time for this amidst more hand-to-mouth delivery needs.”
Solution
Nicky Everett took time to understand Write Back's specific needs and challenges. She was careful not to overload Sam given his multiple commitments, but saw potential for a productive, ongoing relationship. Nicky recalled: "I was conscious of not wanting to overload Sam at that point. I knew we could help him in multiple ways, starting with the strategy for growth consultancy project.”
Nicky identified Imran Ahmed as the best volunteer to support Write Back. Imran brought both business experience from Ernst & Young and a strong background in the charity sector, as a trustee, school governor, and founder of a running club charity. This was his first Cranfield Trust project, and he brought exactly the collaborative approach Write Back needed.
Imran explained his approach: "This wasn't about me saying, well, you need to do this or do that, but actually providing a framework to help Sam shape his decision-making. We spoke about where he was currently successful, where he could build out, where he could potentially offer new services. I brought some relatively simple frameworks he could use to help test out where he might invest his effort and time to yield the best likelihood of a good outcome.”
The collaborative way of working proved effective. Imran added: "We'd have discussions, I'd listen to him for quite a bit, and I would play back to him what I thought were the most salient points from a strategy perspective. Sometimes we all get tied up in the detail, and it's useful to have a third party synthesise out of that some important points.”
Sam reflected: "I have been so grateful for Imran's patient, targeted approach. It feels like we are closer to an organisational strategy than we have ever been.”
Imran and Sam collaborated to develop practical options for a three-year strategy. Their approach was flexible, with meetings spaced out to accommodate Sam's busy schedule. Together, they identified achievable priorities for the coming year and turned these into a clear, formal plan, which was approved by the board.
Impact
This project delivered transformational results for Write Back on multiple fronts. The Journey to Excellence assessment showed remarkable improvements: Leadership and Strategic Direction increased by 32 percentage points (from 52% to 84%), with an overall performance improvement of 16 percentage points (from 56% to 72%).
Sam described the fundamental shift: "We now have an implementation plan which reflects a strategy for growth and sustainability across this year. This has taken us from a very reactive place to a much more proactive position. It also means that there is a real strategic focus to the work we are doing and that I know what I need to be doing to advance the aims of the charity.”
The strategic clarity gave Sam confidence and direction in his role as director. He reflected: "The process of going through this project and thinking about our strategy and realistic path to growth has been a real game changer. Support from the Cranfield Trust not only helped us better see the path ahead but also put concrete steps in place to make it a reality.”
Imran noted the practical benefits: "They've been able to grow, reach more youth, and deliver the benefit of that intervention to them. They've been able to scale their efforts. They've now got a couple of part-time employees, so not everything is going through Sam. They've reduced that key person dependency.”
For Write Back's beneficiaries, the impact is far-reaching. By shifting focus from youth centres to schools, the charity can now reach a wider audience. Sam explained: "The hope is that this plan will mean we will be able to access many more young people and broaden our impact.”
Imran emphasised the direct benefits for young people: "From a careers perspective, literacy is an important part of pretty much any career. Through this process, those people benefit in a very tangible way to improve their literacy, but also in self-confidence and esteem. That greater agency can have wider impacts as well. If this is one building block amongst a number of things, then it's going to help them going forwards in their lives, in both personal and career terms."
The success of the strategic planning has already enabled tangible growth. With the Mercers' funding, Write Back has hired new youth workers and seen alumni progress in their creative careers, including one young scriptwriter who recently had their first film shown at the National Film Theatre.
Sam summarised the project's value:
"I feel so much better as a result of having a real meaningful and actionable strategy and could not be more grateful for Imran's patience, care and attention. I am also really thankful to the Cranfield Trust for making such an amazing collaboration possible.”
