ORGANISATION REFERENCE: B

THE ORGANISATION
ORGANISATION DESCRIPTION:
Organisation B has been working for 8 years in its current form, having previously been a
longstanding youth club housed in a 1960s facility. This was destroyed by arson and the current
building was developed on the same site, following a fundamental rethink by the Board and facility
manager. The organisation needed to restore its purpose and develop to address the wider needs
of the community, not just those of younger people. The new building is sited on excellent open
space and sports fields, which the organisation makes good use of.
The site neighbours a housing development and is adjacent to the main road into the town. The
area directly served by the organisation is amongst the most deprived in that county and nationally,
but is something of a small pocket amongst relative affluence. The area has many issues to face
including substance abuse, high offending rates, anti-social behaviour, high unemployment, low
levels of skills and education, and a shrinking service base. The organisation works with a range of
public sector partners to alleviate and address these problems. It has had core funding from the
Tudor Trust, but this ended in October 2014 and has not been replaced.

WHY THE ORGANISATION APPLIED TO THE LSF

The organisation relies partly on sufficient surplus from programme, project and service delivery to
sustain the core staff, ensuring the organisation can continue and develop, but feels it relies too
much on grant funding. Income also comes from room rental, training programmes and from a
small caf (which covers its costs, nothing more). Sports feature heavily in the services and facilities
offered.
In the year prior to application to LSF (2015), the organisation saw significant funding pressures and
draw on reserves that was not sustainable; the organisation was therefore keen to develop a more
sustainable basis through which it could better serve the local community. The manager stumbled
upon the Online Diagnostic Tool and found it helpful. From this grew the awareness that the LSF
could help him and the organisation address its shorter and longer-term development needs.
The reality is that the organisation had not had the time and space in which to fully assess its
current operating model or in which to consider and develop more robust and sustainable
alternatives. They saw the LSF as an opportunity to do vital planning and business development
work.
We were just firefighting, moving quickly from one problem to the next to keep everything going.

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THE LSF PROJECT

WHO WAS INVOLVED AND WHAT WERE THEIR DIFFERENT ROLES?

The organisation is led day to day by a single individual, backed by the trustees (8 are listed on the
web site). This person led the LSF process, working closely with an advisor from Locality, and
reporting to the Board as the plans were developed. Work began in June 2016, informed by the
findings from a community listening initiative being delivered by a Community Organiser, as well as
engagement from the Board through a balanced scorecard activity. The intention was to create an
agile approach to project planning.

WHAT DID THE LSF FUNDED PROJECT DO?

Planning and development work began in June 2016, aiming to run until December, with delivery of
some elements starting alongside this work, but the organisation see a longer-term focus. The
project comprised several linked elements:
Community listening activity led by a Community Organiser, to learn from the community
what matters to them and to enable the organisation to plan services and facilities to meet
these needs. This might develop into a more permanent community forum.
Building a five-year strategic plan with a balanced score card with the Board including financial
planning. The intention was to allow more self-sustained internal business development.
Developing a theory of change, being clearer about what change the organisation is trying to
bring about, establishing a vision and the actions needed to deliver this, with a way of
measuring how effective they are.
Developing a business plan that makes more of the building and surrounding space, increasing
current utilisation from about 65% to a higher level (100% may not be feasible). This would
identify any further investment needs e.g. to make more of the kitchen and caf.
Assessing and developing contract delivery opportunities, if appropriate.

ASPIRATIONS FOR THE LSF PROJECT WHAT SUCCESS WILL LOOK

LIKE IN 6 MONTHS, 12 MONTHS AND 5 YEARS

At the early stages of the project, the evaluators asked the organisation to describe their aspirations
for their LSF project. Summarising the variety of responses from the steering group, there was a
clear message that above all, success of this project would mean that the organisation stays in
business, is bigger and better than ever, and is delivering a better service for its clients, with the
clients at its core.

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The overall aim was to broaden income and service opportunities, relying far less on grant funding.
They noted that they needed to convince funders of the benefits of preventative programmes; they
felt that this was missing at the centre, or at least they perceived that there is a reluctance to fund
this kind of work and invest in development. They planned to structure their work around four
themes: health and wellbeing; community support; sport and leisure; and, education and training.
In six months, success would be making sure the organisation is still trading, that trustees remain
engaged and they can balance books to maintain current delivery levels. They aimed to have a view
on what careful, sustainable development looks like for them. They wanted to deliver opportunities
across their four delivery themes and continue to make a difference.
In the longer term, they wanted a plan in place that sees the organisation growing and diversifying,
with better reserves for investment in more local services. They would also like sufficient resources
to maintain the development capacity that the LSF has given them. An important part of the
strategy was to develop and exploit longer-term services e.g. in partnership with the health
authority and GPs, schools, colleges. They are also assessing contract opportunities that match
local needs, but which are worth doing, such as working with Job Centre Plus (JCP) or the Skills
Agency.

Partway through the At the end of the After 5 years Who for?
project funded project
A strategic A range of ideas for A more diverse and The organisation
development and developing the active organisation staff and trustees.
finance plan in place building, not just for able to invest in The community.
that delivers short- services, but also for further development Delivery partners.
term survival and increasing local leisure and growth, making
longer-term opportunities. full and better use of
investment and the building and
growth. surrounding land.
Complete a balanced A better A clear record that Funders / partners /
score-card exercise understanding of the articulates, internally customers of the
organisations and externally, the centre.
strengths, weaknesses value that the The community.
and opportunities; organisation brings to The organisation
better able to all that it works with. staff and trustees.
measure success
against strategic
goals.
Community Organiser A stronger, more Develop a community The community.
activity current view of forum. Delivery partners.
community need and A track record of The organisation
wants with which to establishing staff and trustees.
develop services and grounded needs in
serve as an evidence- robust consultation
base with partners
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 Partway through the At the end of the After 5 years Who for?
project funded project
they need to work and strong community
with. relationships.

PARTWAY THROUGH THE PROJECT

Seven months into the delivery of the project, the organisation felt that they had achieved the
following successes:
The community caf was now open five days a week, up from one day a week, with a team of
seven people. A paid co-ordinator was in place and they were growing the number of
volunteers and developing a formal training route e.g. customer service, health and safety,
food hygiene. The organisation was now focusing on getting customers from the community
and was consulting with them to see what they wanted. Further plans for developing the
kitchen and caf were underway, including making a training kitchen and larger seating area,
with the aim of generating more revenue and a surplus for the central organisation.
Lots of financial planning had been done, with progressive targets in place.
Detailed business planning had brought helpful clarity e.g. that the physical space needs to be
expanded.
The balanced scorecard exercise had made good progress, covering staffing, revenue, surplus,
theory of change. The impacts of the organisation now and in the future would be captured
through an impact framework, for which they realised a new system was needed.

They were proud of achieving the goals that they had set themselves, particularly the collective
involvement and effort. Also, they were proud that they had been able to keep things going in the
meantime, and that they were motivated to plan and deliver for a more rewarding future, move
away from grant dependency and focus more on addressing needs.
They were then intending to focus on the options and opportunities. They noted that things were
moving fast and might require investment sooner rather than later, but costed plans were needed
first before approaching investors. One possibility identified was sports funding for the caf, as it
borders the pitches. They felt that they had a lot of established funding relationships and track
record to build on.
Also, they were looking at creative ways of gathering and sharing evidence, developing a reporting
template that they could share with stakeholders.
In relation to their facilities and services, they intended to do further development work:
Physical development of the building e.g. extra classrooms and bringing in private sector
tenants. They were talking to architects and developing plans for the building. They were

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 also looking to develop the grounds around the centre. An event was planned with the
community to see what they want done in the building.
Education and training: a prospectus was prepared to share with commissioners for courses
covering catering, grounds and horticulture, youth work, and sports leadership. A cross-skill
framework was developed to underpin the training. They developed links with a learning
partnership, JCP, Connexions, the countys troubled families programme (Together for
Families), Pathways to Employment. They wanted training commissioners to consider the
organisation as a provider. The organisation can provide a range of accredited training but
intended to work with the commissioners to tailor the courses and aim to get them
accredited through ASLAN and/or OCN.

AT THE END OF THE LSF PROJECT

Having now come to the end of the LSF funded project, the organisations feels that they have
achieved the following successes:
All that was planned and more. They feel that they have a positive outlook and make the
most of each opportunity.
Plans are agreed and underway, with many complete. They have full Board sign-off for all
the development work.
They have implemented a pragmatic, segmented marketing plan (which also had some
support from Comic Relief).
They have made three approaches to funders to support a youth education pilot scheme
that will increase the number of young people they work with. They note that developing
this approach was only possible because of support from the LSF programme, providing the
funding that released management time to develop the ideas and relationships with
delivery partners.
They are finding new markets as they understand better the extent and characteristics of
their catchment area. They can identify new partners and ideas for projects that meet the
needs of the people in this area, and to adjust existing work. They are also beginning to
understand better the wider appeal of the centre and the need for its services.
They are developing the caf, which is starting to make a surplus, some of which they are
reinvesting to develop the caf further, and some of which is being used to support the
core costs of the centre. This is an outcome they planned for.
There is a theory of change in place and an impact tool that staff understand and are using,
including with funders and commissioners. The measurement tools are helping them to
improve performance and demonstrate outcomes and impact, often using the words of the
participants, which they think is particularly powerful with funders and delivery partners.

They achieved some things that they didnt expect:

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LSF helped them find time and resource for a mapping exercise to see where the clients are coming
from, including those using the anchor organisations based at the centre, and to understand why
they are using the centre. The exercise shows that they are increasingly acting as a sub-regional
hub, covering a 20-mile radius and sometimes way beyond, for example to a city 180 miles away
because of the quality of one activity they offer. This may shape funding opportunities and
conversations with partners, as their reach is more extensive than they thought.

Reflecting on their achievements, they think that there were some things that really helped them:
It has helped that they are young as an organisation (the original organisation being defunct) and
that they know its characteristics (for example, its strengths, weaknesses and the local needs) very
well. They have a clear vision, they know what they need to do. As an organisation, they think that
success links back to reviewing all their systems and processes, improving them so that they know
the difference they make doing the right things for the right people and going back to their
articles of association and adjusting them accordingly as they learn and grow.
We learned that what we wanted to do was clearly the right thing to do.
They now understand more about themselves, the skills they have and the direction they want to
take. They believe this will benefit the service users and, hopefully, help to make the organisation
more sustainable.
They note that the LSF funding really helped by releasing capacity and encouraging change at the
centre, allowing them to do so many things that it is usually impossible to get money for i.e. time
and space to develop their capacity.
The LSF has allowed funding for change and this has been amazing.
They would not otherwise have the resources to do this. They also report that they had great
support from the advisor organisation, bringing a valuable external perspective and fresh ideas.
They feel that the funds flexibility has been vital, allowing them to set their aims and objectives,
rather than being dictated to by the funder from the outset. LSF has allowed ownership of the aims
by the organisation itself, however they commented that this has also provided a challenge, as they
had to define the change they wanted for themselves.

And there were also some things that hindered what they could achieve:
They report that nothing really got in the way or hindered them; they have had a positive
experience. It was all positive change, they say. This positive attitude has been a distinct feature
of the organisations approach throughout the evaluation. When asked if there was anything they
would do differently, the response is No, it all went smoothly and to plan, although they found
the development of the caf challenging for the organisation. Despite this, they have achieved what
they intended i.e. to offer more from the caf and to start generating a surplus.

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THEIR ASPIRATIONS FOR LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY
The LSF programme is fundamentally about helping organisations to improve their long-term
sustainability. Having now completed their LSF project, this organisation is now feeling more
confident than before. This is because they have a fundamentally positive outlook, but they believe
they can now capture and share evidence-based stories on the outcomes and impacts of their work.
They see this as important to persuading funders and commissioners of their value, and to
attracting resources to support new and better services. They now know that their services are
accessed over a 20-mile radius in what is predominantly a rural county, and that they also attract
service users from across their county and other parts of the region. The organisation volunteers,
workers, managers and trustees all feel they have a strong shared vision and a plan that will help
to deliver that. They believe in the content of the plan and firmly hope that it will deliver greater
sustainability for them i.e. funding for existing and new services that they know are needed locally.
The quote the development of the caf as an example of the positive impact of the LSF work:
Developing the caf is challenging, but it is progressing well. There are more volunteers
involved and they are doing events catering now which generates some revenue e.g.
providing catering childrens birthday parties that is affordable for local people and a good
space to have it in. They are looking at catering physically outside the building to get
income from people using the playing fields led by a volunteer tying it with free sports
activities. The caf has a business plan and is making a surplus that is contributing to the
centres core costs, as well as using some to reinvest in better facilities.
M&S came in last week as part of their local CSR programme. They provided grant-funding
for the caf and six staff for a day to redecorate it, adding plants and other features, and
uniforms for the cafe staff. The organisation sees this as a great joint result and M&S are
now looking to offer work-experience to the young people using the centre.
The organisation feels better prepared to identify and develop opportunities, particularly those that
align with its plans. They feel they are well-prepared for the future, using home-grown talents
and skills with good local knowledge, based on robust evidence and stories. They are capitalising on
the results of the process e.g. growing the community caf and the educational offer. They learned
that what they wanted to do was clearly the right thing to do.
It is too early to tell whether the work they have done with LSF support will deliver significant
longer-term benefit. The organisation has secured other support to continue their development
journey and it does seem that new relationships and opportunities are being generated. For
example, the organisation is building new relationships with a range of agencies that commission
services to support young people. They are attracting other sources of support to help them
develop further and feel that the direction of travel is very much the right one.

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The organisation attributes a lot of their success to date in developing the organisation to the LSF,
because they have had the opportunity to stop fire-fighting and do important development work
that will strengthen the organisation.
They redid the diagnostic tool. They were originally rated as 68% sustainable, with impact
measurement and marketing especially needing more work. They are now rated at 90% plus.

THEIR EXPERIENCE OF THE LSF PROGRAMME

GETTING STARTED WITH LSF

Organisation B worked with one main advisor from Locality, with another local contact providing
help on potential contract opportunities (who they found very helpful too). The funding was late
and this introduced uncertainty, but this settled and all involved became excited and buoyed by the
potential that the programmes investment might release. At this early stage, there was a sense
that the organisation could do more and therefore offer more development opportunities to the
staff, as well as more needed services to the local community, and potentially more job security.
They felt that the Online Diagnostic Tool was vital and a boost to confidence; their score indicated
that the organisation had many strengths on which to build, but also that the timing for
intervention was good.

PARTWAY THROUGH THE PROJECT

At this point, the organisation reported fantastic progress. They noted that first few months had
been spent getting set up, working out what to do and how, working hard in the background, and
that momentum had built up and the effort was now paying off. They were then busy implementing
the plans.
The organisation felt that they had achieved the successes theyd hoped for at this stage. It looked
ambitious at the start but they had exceeded their own expectations. They noted that the
organisation and the adviser had a great working relationship and that the whole team was right
behind the project. The Chief Executive commented that they had all grown through this, which
had not necessarily been expected. There had been lots of co-production between employees,
volunteers, trustees and their adviser e.g. addressing challenging questions about what they do now
and why, looking forward to how things could be different and better.
The adviser noted that he had found the organisation to be always positive. He carried out lots of
work with the Board and staff to keep them all together on the journey, align efforts and build on
strengths. He noted that they had been willing to trust each other to deliver, they could work
through the changes that resulted, and that they were willing to engage.

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The adviser commented There is lots happening over the next couple of months. The programme
has been positive and the icing on the cake will be achieving our plans. LSF has helped to make this
possible, even if it does not all happen in the timeframe of the project.
The organisation also visited another LSF grant recipient which the adviser was also supporting.
Organisation B found this an extremely worthwhile experience which they would recommend to
any future grantees i.e. the opportunity to see and meet a different organisation with similar social
aims and hear how they are making good use of the programme.
Overall the organisation was broadly very satisfied with the programme.

NOW AT THE END OF THE PROJECT

Looking back over the whole period of the LSF funding, the project lead reflected that delivery had
been difficult, but in a good way, because it asked tough questions of them and required rapid
change at all levels of the organisation. It had been enabling. The now feel they are on the cusp
of lots of opportunities e.g. building better relationships with funders and others, pursuing money
in a different way and able to tell a better story of their value.
With the benefit of hindsight, they think that they got the design of their project about right, with
the caveat that it is too early to see significant results, although they are positive about the future.
As has been mentioned, there are already some positive outcomes that they believe will lead to
important and beneficial longer-term impacts.

IN TERMS OF HOW LSF WORKS, THE ORGANISATION REALLY LIKE

All good enabling lots of change and opportunities for the future.
Having time to reflect, plan and develop. Hugely important, would not happen without the
funding.
A chance to reflect on what the organisation currently does e.g. time with the Board to
share learning.
Being trusted and allowed the space to work closely with Locality; the light-touch approach
of the grant management team works well.
Being able to answer the questions in the diagnostic and see the results in a clear and
graphical way.
The chief benefit is releasing time for the centre manager to lead and complete these tasks.
The LSF allows external support and this has been very helpful, leading to internal change
and development. They feel that in some ways that they at the start of the journey, but
they would not be here now without the LSF.
Flexibility has been vital, allowing them to set the aims and objectives, rather than being
dictated by the funder from the outset. LSF has allowed ownership of the aims. This has
also provided a challenge as they had to define the change they wanted for themselves.

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BUT THEY THINK IT WOULD BE BETTER IF
Funding could have been quicker, although it did work out alright.
There was clarity about any potential further monitoring and evaluation work. They
commented that find it hard to believe there are not more forms.
The funder makes it clear what further expectations there might be.
The Online Diagnostic Tool was promoted more effectively. They came across it by chance.
There could be capital available to implement all the plans, either through this or another
signposted programmes. The organisation may need to take risks based on if we build it,
they will come, but this is risky given the nature of funding, which is short-term and
volatile.
They could visit other projects and learn from them, e.g. thematic visits.

THE DIFFERENCE LSF HAS MADE

IN THE EARLY DAYS...

It gave the organisation the ability to create helpful documents, understand the outcomes
from the Community Organiser, understand the business far better e.g. what does or does
not make a surplus and make informed decisions, appeal to funders.
They felt that other organisations and funders looked at the organisation with envy; it gave
them kudos, and they were being taken more seriously, with added status.
The organisation has a vision of being the host for increased range and quality of services to
the local communities more and better partnerships working for mutual benefit. The LSF
process underpinned this partnership principle; they could see how single offer charities
struggle far more.

AND PARTWAY THROUGH THE PROJECT

The organisation reported that they had learned loads about ourselves as an organisation
and understand what we do is the right thing. The team has grown and developed with new
opportunities, no matter what the future holds, and we feel that because of this
programme, we are stronger.

AND HAVING NOW REACHED THE END, THEY SUM UP THEIR EXPERIENCE OF LSF AS
Gratifying. The work now needs to translate into funding. It has been very helpful to reflect on the
LSF process as we have gone along we have realised what a positive experience it has been.

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LEARNING

LEARNING FROM THE EARLY DAYS

At this stage in the project, the organisation project lead noted several different lessons:
That we are well-informed on our financial position we completed the online diagnostic
easily and to complete the application quite quickly also.
That this is very timely we do not want another year like last year.
That the community view us positively.
That there are lots of potential opportunities to increase service provision, revenue and
surplus, with the right investment.
The potential of more and better partnership working.
The further potential of the building as an asset we can use to provide services and create
funding we own to deliver on local priorities.

LEARNING FROM PARTWAY THROUGH THE PROJECT

Reflecting on the process partway through, the business advisor commented, Be positive and open
about a period of change. It needs time and effort; the programme has provided the space to go
through this process and it would not have happened otherwise. You may have to challenge long-
held beliefs that need to be changed, also change your systems.
Other learning was that the attitude of the organisation can make this easier or harder, depending
on how people respond. The centre manager said, Go forward willingly and positively; you will
gain more than you lose. They noted that a strategic plan makes long-term commitments for the
organisation and this can take courage to follow through with.

KEY LESSONS REFLECTING BACK FROM THE END OF THE PROJECT

As a reflection for others, they say:

Make sure that you take all the staff, trustees, volunteers and users along with you. Get their buy-in
and alignment. Foster mutual understanding and provide opportunities for them to learn with each
other. Everyone can have a positive impact and everyone has a valid view, so make sure you listen
to everyone.

THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON THAT THEY WOULD LIKE OTHER ORGANISATIONS IN A SIMILAR
POSITION TO THINK ABOUT IS
It might look daunting, but do it. Big potential allows for further investment, but the LSF
has been very helpful.

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 Be prepared understand your business and to communicate it, however good or bad it
might be.
Dont leave it too late! Desperation is not a good ally, it takes time to make change.
The diagnostic was very useful! Gave manager and trustees something very useful to help
improve the charitys sustainability.
Just do it! It will be a positive experience, regardless.

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