National Council for Voluntary Organisations

Sustainable Funding Project

Case Study: envision

Key themes U  ndertaking enterprise activity to develop a sustainable income mix R  esearching the market and building on proven success C  reative personalisation of services to a range of audiences I nvolving all components of an organisation to ensure longevity

Sustainable Funding Project Case Study: envision

Summary
Established in 2000 by young people for young people, envision is a national educational charity which challenges the stereotype of the youth as apathetic and disengaged. Eight years on, the organisation has grown from an initial turnover of 8,415 in 2000/01 to an estimated 561,000 in 2008/09. (Note: financial year is August 1 31 July) envision has achieved rapid growth through embracing enterprise activity identifying new markets and tailoring existing products and expertise to a range of audiences. 28% of turnover in 2008/09 has been generated though enterprise activity, up from 10% in 2007/08. Envision recognises that the long term sustainability will be assured through maintaining these enterprise activities. This innovative approach has built on envisions core business - programmes based in schools and colleges - towards offering educational and youth consultancy and working with corporate enterprises to generate unrestricted income. The future looks bright, 3 new offices opening over the next 3 years and targets to generate 50% of income though enterprise activity by the 2013/2014 academic year.

Date
Based on an interview with Rommel O. Moseley Development Manager on 17 February, 2009.

About Envision
Envision is a national education charity, founded in June 2000 by 4 university leavers who asked how can we make the biggest impact? They identified the key to success was to engage 16-19 year olds. Initially, envision worked with 5 schools 10 young people in each. In 2009, envision has expanded to support 1500 young people across England enabling them to design and participate in a range of community projects which build confidence, team work and leadership skills. Envisions mission is to empower young people to realise their capacity to make a difference. The college and schools programmes enables young people to discuss, design and implement their own projects around issues they care about (e.g. climate change, social justice, sustainable development). Envision supports each group in this process. It provides adult community volunteers to help transfer ideas into actions, a web page to document each teams progress and a range of regular events which unite groups and external organisations to share ideas, learn from others and inspire future projects. At the end of the programme, graduates are awarded with a certificate and invited to continue their involvement with envision via decision making, joining the graduate advisory panel, recruitment (paid staff and volunteers), training, coordinating events and campaigns. There are currently 5000 graduates registered as available 2 of which are currently on the envision board of trustees. Its all about the process not the product for envision young people realising their capacity by developing confidence, team work, presentation, project planning skills which they can use in other aspects of their life.

From the beginning...

Initially, envision started through engaging 50 young people in 5 schools across London. Its 4 graduate founders managed all components of the charity and quickly identified that to achieve their mission, aims and objectives, they needed to secure funding. They were concerned that funders might be hesitant to get involved with a new project, though it was proving to be a successful model. Sainsburys Charitable Trust provided the support that enabled program expansion to 10-15 schools and the capacity for envision to plan ahead. This funding removed some of the initial pressure on the organisation, even if it caught the founders a little by surprise... The next step was to address capacity. Universities had provided the majority of volunteers to programmes during 2001/02 envision decided to introduce adult community volunteers

Sustainable Funding Project Case Study: envision

into the fold. This enabled the community to link directly into the programmes. Envision also invited London based third sector organisations and government agencies to be involved. The project grew from strength to strength, with new and full time paid staff joining in the second year. In 2005, the Young Peoples Fund (Big Lottery) wanted to see if the envision model that was empowering London could be transferred to another city - Birmingham envision was born. The consultation process involved over 100 young people in Birmingham, running sessions to identify need and the programme commenced with 10 schools and colleges. Rommel joined another full time manager with the remit of making Birmingham work. It needed to be tailored to the specific needs of the region in particular, aspects around timings and issues across cities. For example in 2005, crime

was a big issue in London but not a top concern in Birmingham. 10 schools and colleges in 2005 (year 1) grew to 26 in 2009 (year 3). 2007 was a major crossroad for envision. As planned, the founders left to pursue other opportunities. Permanent staff also left. In August, 80% of staff were new and due to start delivering core programmes a month later. Getting recruitment right was crucial envision employed qualified staff, some were former teachers and had lots of experience working with young people in a relaxed environment. The team hit the ground running and to this day, are still at envision. A management committee meeting was held in September to seize the opportunities that accompanied change - Rommels first during his first year in management. It was time to take envision to the next level. Our flagship programme was strong we had won awards and been evaluated by external agencies. We knew by doing what

we do best this would continue to grow and indentified the next steps: open a new office, know our markets and secure sustainable funding. In 2007, envisions nontrust and unrestricted funding provided just 10% of income. Rommels next challenge (which he chose to accept...) was to get enterprising. Between April and July 2008, he was to pilot a new educational service with a new business. He started to investigate how envision could engage with corporates, scope out new services whilst also managing the Birmingham office. The other manager was on maternity leave - there was significant pressure on resources and staff turnover. Rommel and his team spent 6 months researching the market, identifying competitors and collaborators and establishing what was viable. You have to know the market from the outset it allows you to create services that are both useful and theres a real need for.

Sustainable Funding Project Case Study: envision

Identifying opportunities enterprise

Envision identified 3 opportunities across their markets which correlated with their mission: educational consultancy, corporate enterprise activity and youth consultancy. Envision had dabbled with both forms of consultancy but never in a strategic or structured way taking phone bookings from existing schools and colleges.

Youth Consultancy
Envision looked at what it had previously delivered to youth outside of schools and the costs involved. We had always been reactionary it was time to start thinking what services we could create based on our experiences and proactively promote these. This includes running debates in parliament and Equality and Human Rights Commission, facilitating discussions and activities to engage youth and collaborative event with other youth consultancies such as Living Streets. The Sainsburys Trust currently fund exploration of this idea and have changed their financial commitment based on the needs of envision. We initially asked for a years funding for research. We sent the first report in July 2008 asking for year 2 funds for delivery. Sainsburys came back offering the same amount for year 3 for social capital, as long as we produced a satisfactory report after year 3. This has put us in a strong position to continue this work and freed up my time. Rommel sees this as the future for envision Its a good product thats not too expensive in a growing market. We have a good reputation and relationships that we can build upon. In 3 months, 20k of unrestricted income has been generated through youth and education consultancy, previously unheard of at envision. Usually this sort of money only comes from funders.

Corporate Engagement Partnerships

Envisions successful corporate enterprise activity (not including corporate donations/sponsors) has been a challenge. This is really difficult for charities we were recommended by New Philanthropy Central (NPC) who is recognised by those in the business sector but not necessarily outside of it. Rommels strategy was to target events with corporate attendance. Envision built corporate involvements with Burberry (through NPC), Packt Publishing and Severn Trent. They get X, envision gets Y and we complement each other rather than compete. Envision runs a successful volunteer project engaging Burberry with young people in London, building the facilitation and presentation skills of their junior staff and graduates. Burberry supports 10 local schools and offer young people access to an external resource team which can support with projects. Envision have leveraged this project with match funding, improving reach and with no cost to Burberry. Another partnership envision has developed is Packt Publishing who sponsor and volunteer in local schools. Envison train Packt employees in-house who then volunteer on behalf of envision in these schools, directly benefitting the local area. Previously Severn Trent had only worked in primary schools when they sat down with envision, discussing how to tackle water education for young people in the Midlands. As a result of this partnership, some water companies are now interested in collaborating, aiming to replicate the model which achieves outcomes for the individual regions and provides envision with sustainable funding.

Educational Consultancy
Envision created Agents for Action a series of flexible, off time table workshops that has generated 3.5k in just 2 months. The key is knowing your market - our product was good and the price was right. We consulted over 50 teachers during 2007 and private competitors were quoting well above what schools could afford and didnt understand their needs. We utilised existing relationships it was about tailoring the content and delivery times. We tested our methods of delivery and then marketed the service to our existing and potential clients. 21 workshops a year are required to meet the income target requests are now just over 40, raising issues around capacity. Envision has encouraged the remaining schools to book ahead for the next academic year (from September 2009). Rommel sees the potential to grow this area but realises more resources are required, Thats where Plan B comes in... envision met with a funder in September 2008 to discuss how to grow this successful model they will be submitting a proposal in April 2009. If successful, the programme will generate a sustainable income plus funds to reinvest back into charity, solving capacity issues and increasing awareness.

Sustainable Funding Project Case Study: envision

The companies would rather work together to improve reach and results this all happened by word of mouth. Rommel recognises that this will be a difficult area to sustain over time given the current economic downturn, noting that it is a time consuming relationship but worth the investment.

Enterprise activity all aboard?

To successfully explore these opportunities, the structure of envision has rapidly evolved. Envision has 19 full paid staff: 9 permanent core staff, 9 interns for 10 months and 1 school support worker that change every year plus 180 volunteers. This includes a Director, Head of Programmes, Development

Manager (aka Rommel), Regional Expansion Manager, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Resources Managers and Regional Managers. nvision has an enterprise team which meets quarterly and conducts individual check ins with head of departments during the quarter reviewing income, targets, funding and project evaluation. Capacity is reviewed across the organisation every 3 months. Delegation and local involvement are to key to our success each program has a manager who oversees delivery, capacity and staffing. Rommel also has an invisible project team which he can call upon when required. This group

of mentors and volunteer experts support envisions enterprise activity. They assisted with developing the first useful business plan for envision which is a CV of the organisation, a marketing tool rather than a static document that sits on the shelf. In 2007/08, there were some discussions between staff and volunteers about undertaking enterprise activity, especially engaging corporates. Everyone agreed to source all the information before making a decision. The Trustees were never anti-trading it was made clear from the beginning this was a source of unrestricted income to ensure our sustainability.

Sustainable Funding Project Case Study: envision

Envisions evolution: the beast, confluence and trophies...

In terms of corporate activity, envision made it clear from the outset they would not compromise their independence to access funds. An ethical investment policy was circulated to the young people on the graduate committee, trustees and staff overcoming the need to revisit this issue with each yearly intake of new interns. The policy established the criteria of suitable matches with corporate partners and provided an understanding of the process throughout the organisation. Rommel presented the first enterprise plan at the first staff away day in 2009 staff broke into workgroups to directly contribute and have been offered long term involvement in the process. We never lose sight of our core programmes but enterprise activity allows us to do so many things that in the past, we havent been able to take on due to our restricted funds. It allows us to be sustainable and reinvest in the organisation, giving back to our core purpose and ensuring we continue to develop. Rommel stresses the importance of getting the balance right, seizing the moment and keeping everyone in the loop, its about understanding your audiences and giving them the right information quickly. We have streamlined who we contact and when, ensuring stronger relationships whilst recognising the range of people we work with. We have also improved our internal processes and communication, introduced new branding and taken a more strategic approach to everything that we do. Enter stage left the beast, an affectionate term given to the mother of all spreadsheets that allows envision to calculate all direct and indirect costs. By entering information from each program into this system, envision can identify costs for absolutely everything from delivery to electricity, to identifying how much a package of programs will cost on a per school basis. The beast has allowed transparency both internally and externally, we can extract information and show the process behind the figures to funders the reasons why they fluctuate per project. It also standardises the process internally, allowing us to share and review information across programs and make informed decisions. Another evolutionary step was confluence a free internet platform that allows envision to link servers and share information in real time. This means that Rommel can be working on a document in Birmingham while someone else views the same information and makes changes in London. No sending files via email, no possibility of working on an outdated version. This makes life so much easier we can share our contacts and leads, manage our targets and workloads and make better informed decisions.

How does the world see envision?

Prior to August 2008, marketing for envision equalled an in-house produced Annual Report. Letterhead and business cards didnt seem overly important - envision thought their programs would sell themselves. The new branding was absolutely necessary, especially as we wanted broaden our work and target corporates. Now we a have solid brand and profile brochures that showcase our mission and values, case studies and a dynamic website. This proves we are serious about our work and good at what we do which is even more important to communicate during the downturn. Then theres the envision trophy cabinet (actually its a window sill...) which holds the Guardian Charity Award 2008, the Young Partners Award 2008 and the Shackleton Award 2008. Envision also was in the top 3 of 120 publically selected organisations in the National Lottery Awards 2008. With this recognition came publicity and momentum, the BBC spent a day with us filming, we featured in the Guardians centrefold and worked with Media Trust all for no cost. Our press contacts improved and we established new relationships. In the last 6 months of 2008, envisions increased profile raised 10k.

We have streamlined who we contact and when, ensuring stronger relationships whilst recognising the range of people we work with.
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Sustainable Funding Project Case Study: envision

On the horizon
The Sainsburys Trust continues to offer ongoing support and envision has been awarded Big Lottery Funding to expand. The organisation requested over 700K to open 3 offices over 3 years (1 each academic year), offering to raise a certain amount of income as part of the fully costed proposal. Rommel is responsible for developing the enterprise capability of each office which is underway in 3 areas across England. Envisions strategy is to establish partnerships in each region well before setting up the physical office. The first will open in May 2009, starting with 15 schools and the target of engaging 150-200 young people. Rommel is confident this target will be exceeded and is looking to diversify envisions markets - working with 7 key partners, corporate and schools which will further add to the quality and services envision can offer. Were not going to run off and say we want to be in 20 companies next year - its about maintaining and nurturing our relationships, selectively targeting those who are aligned with our way of thinking or has a need for our services. Its never going to be about corporate fundraising the graduate committee ensures this! Corporate activity is crucial to envisions continual growth and sustainability. We should, as a sector look closer at corporate business models. We need to change our mindsets. envision has improved due to corporate involvement we are concentrating on using our strengths in different ways. Another opportunity for envision is new media. We plan to go back to our funders and discuss integrating new media channels on

We plan to go back to our funders and discuss integrating new media channels on our website...
our website allowing volunteers and students to interact, making the site more dynamic, user driven and accessible. In terms of recession proofing, envision originally aspired to have 3 months of reserves. In 2007, this was 25k and now a year and a half on, reserves are 120k. Envision will continue to invest in reserves from unrestricted income to ensure growth and sustainability - recently setting up a special account with Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Trustees are investigating interest rates that are generous to charities without risk. The challenge is to have 3 months reserves by 2011/12 when most of envisions guaranteed funding for expansion is over and the recession continues to bite. Rommel is undertaking a Directors Development Program and is looking forward to the future. Enterprise activity currently generates 24.5% of income (in the last year and a half); Rommels target is 40% by 2012/2013, rising to 50% in 2013/2014. I dont think that anyone who is going to take a long term view and plan strategy should do it without having an understanding of how it is on the ground. These existing and new opportunities should enable envision to achieve its target of working with 30 schools and colleges in 2010 and 45 by 2111 across Birmingham, engaging with 2850 young people across England by 2011/12.

Sustainable Funding Project Case Study: envision

Envisions top recession tips Plan for the long term

Having an idea where you want to go provides a starting point. How you get there can be revisited and the plan can change - use your common sense and look around you.

Useful Links Right people with the right skills

Investing in staff is important. Start with a skills audit to identify strengths, opportunities and gaps what additional training and support is required? Do you need outside expertise temporary or permanent? Think about succession planning involve and engage those involved from the beginning they are a key requirement to you sustainability and success. Rommel recommends the Sustainable Funding Project, Business Link and Learning Skills Council. More information about envision is available at www.envision.org.uk Read more about NCVOs Sustainable Funding Project at www.ncvo-vol.org/sfp The Good Guide to Trading: Getting ready for enterprise (June 2009) takes you through the process of launching a successful trading initiative from start to finish order your copy at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/publications

Know your costs

Understanding the full costs (direct and indirect) of projects will ensure your sustainability otherwise, how can you know how much funding is required? Being transparent both internally and for funders enables you to make informed decisions and plan ahead.

Funders and reporting

Look for funders that understand what you want to achieve and use your existing funders to discuss options. If youre starting from scratch, check out Sustainable Funding Projects information or buy the toolkits (Rommel really did say this). Understand your reporting requirements and tailor it to the funder - standardised templates make life easier. Be realistic when setting income targets as its not an overnight success - you wont make a profit in year 1 or 2.

Structure and form: spend time getting it right

Research and know your market, ask what users think about your services and get ideas about how to develop these. Think about the form of what you want to do.

Involve staff in delivery

I dont think we would have got to where we are in youth consultancy and some of the ideas we had for corporate activity without involving everyone. Understand you inter- organisational relationships trading needs everyone onboard to be successful. Its more than the enterprise team understanding the product. Set up an enterprise team AND an invisible project team

The Sustainable Funding Project is an NCVO initiative working in partnership with the Big Lottery Fund and Charity Bank. NCVOs Sustainable Funding Project is the sectors premier provider of tools and resources encouraging and enabling voluntary and community organisations to develop and implement a sustainable income strategy. Visit our website at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/sfp or call us on 020 7520 2519 for further information and to subscribe to our free monthly e-newsletter.