Case studies

What a project leaves behind.

One example for each thing you can hand us. For every project: the question the organisation brought, how the team worked on it over eight to ten weeks, what changed, and what still runs once our team has gone.

Which of our programmes create the most lasting change for young people, and what should we stop doing so we can do that well?

The situation

Over ten years, the organisation had added a new programme almost every time a funder asked for one. By the time we met, two and a half full-time staff and 140 volunteer mentors were running twelve programmes, each with its own reporting cycle. The waiting list for one-to-one mentoring kept growing, while two programmes had fewer than ten participants. Everyone felt stretched, but nobody could say with confidence which work mattered most.

What we did

Weeks 1 to 3Understand the portfolio
23 interviews with staff, mentors, former mentees and two funders. For every programme we mapped cost, reach, volunteer hours and the evidence of what it changes for participants.
Weeks 4 to 6Agree on how to decide
Together with the team we defined four criteria: evidence of outcomes, fit with the mission, cost per participant and funding stability. At the midterm, the board scored the whole portfolio against them.
Weeks 7 to 9Plan the transition
A positioning workshop, a one-page strategy and an 18-month roadmap: which programmes merge, which end, how each funder is approached and what happens for current participants.

What changed

12 → 3core programmes, plus one pilot that is reviewed after a year

9 of 12funders agreed to move their support to the core programmes

+40%mentoring places, freed up from coordination work

What lasts

An annual portfolio review, run by the board with the same four criteria
A decision rule for new funding offers: does it fit a core programme?
The one-page strategy, now part of onboarding for staff and mentors

Six months later

The phase-out is on schedule. No participant lost their mentor, and the first new funding offer that didn't fit was politely declined.

How do we build a funding base that survives the loss of any single funder?

The situation

78% of the budget came from one public programme that was up for renewal in 14 months. Donor contacts were spread across six spreadsheets and several inboxes. Fundraising happened in the executive director's evenings, mostly as last-minute applications. The team knew it had to diversify, but had never approached foundations or companies systematically.

What we did

Weeks 1 to 3Make the risk visible
Five years of income analysed by source. 1,200 donor contacts consolidated into one clean list, with a picture of who gives, how often and why.
Weeks 4 to 6Find out who would give
Interviews with nine existing donors and four foundations. From that: three donor segments, what each of them cares about, and a rewritten case for support.
Weeks 7 to 10Build the pipeline
31 foundations and companies researched and prioritised. Application and pitch templates, and the first two applications written together with the team.

What changed

31qualified prospects, prioritised by fit and effort

2foundation applications submitted during the project

<50%target share of the largest funder within three years

What lasts

A free nonprofit CRM, set up and filled with the cleaned donor data
A one-hour pipeline review every quarter, with clear owners
One team member now works on fundraising one day a week, with a plan instead of deadlines

Six months later

One foundation grant is secured, a monthly giving programme has started, and the largest funder's share is down from 78% to 64%.

Why do new volunteers leave after their first shift, and what onboarding can every local group run without extra staff?

The situation

Around 400 people signed up every year, but more than half never came back after their first pick-up. Each of the 14 local groups welcomed people differently, and most of the know-how sat with three long-time coordinators. When one of them was on holiday, new volunteers sometimes waited weeks for a first shift.

What we did

Weeks 1 to 3Follow the volunteer
The journey mapped from sign-up to third shift. A survey of 212 current and former volunteers, and six shifts accompanied in person.
Weeks 4 to 5Design one simple standard
Benchmarks from four comparable organisations. The result: a welcome call within 48 hours, a buddy for the first two shifts and a one-page guide per group.
Weeks 6 to 8Test before rolling out
A four-week pilot with two local groups, adjusted with their feedback, then handed over with a short training for all coordinators.

What changed

45% → 71%of new volunteers returned for a second shift in the pilot groups

14local groups now onboard the same way

3h → 1hcoordinator time per new volunteer

What lasts

Every step documented in a shared drive, so onboarding no longer depends on one person
An onboarding owner in each local group, rotating once a year
A thank-you after the third shift and an annual volunteer evening

Six months later

All 14 groups still use the process. Two groups have added their own improvements to the shared guide.

How can we show what changes for the children, without adding work for teachers and volunteers?

The situation

60 volunteer reading mentors worked with children in 15 primary schools. The organisation could report 3,000 sessions a year, but not whether children were reading better. Funders were starting to ask. Quarterly reporting took four working days and helped nobody decide anything.

What we did

Weeks 1 to 3Agree on what should change
A theory of change built in two workshops with the team and two teachers: from reading sessions to confidence, fluency and enjoyment of reading.
Weeks 4 to 6Measure as little as possible
Four outcome indicators, a five-minute survey for teachers each quarter and a short check-in for mentors. Tested in three schools.
Weeks 7 to 9Make the data useful
A simple spreadsheet dashboard, a reporting template and a first impact report, written together with the team.

What changed

4outcome indicators, tracked every quarter

4 days → ½reporting time per quarter

2funding applications backed by the first impact report

What lasts

A quarterly impact hour where the team reviews the data and adjusts where mentors are placed
The teacher survey is part of every new school partnership agreement
A one-page guide so new staff can run the routine without us

Six months later

The routine runs in all 15 schools. The data showed two schools needed more mentors, and they got them.

From our research

Research for a stronger social sector

The same challenges come up in project after project. In our study Pole Position for Impact we looked at 21 social organisations to find the levers that make the biggest difference.

Read the study Our research

21Social organisations surveyed

5Operating dimensions analysed

24%Collect no systematic impact data

33%Get over 80% of their budget from one source

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