People and Work is a charity working in Wales that seeks to make a difference by promoting the value of education and learning through a programme of community based action research projects. As well as undertaking research for the public and third sectors addressing inequalities in areas such as education, health and employment.
Why Pilotlight?
Dr Sarah Lloyd Jones, the Director, described her hopes for the project as seeking the input of external eyes in to the organisation. Sarah and the Chair wanted support around balancing project work with contract work, what the charity would look like in ten years’ time, targets for growth, and how its business model would need to change for this to be achieved.
What we did
Over the course of the twelve meetings, the team set out to define the clear purpose of People and Work through exploring why it exists, writing and reviewing a three to five-year plan, as well as putting in place a regular review system to ensure the sustainability of its strategy. The process helped to create a sustained approach of bringing the two sides of the organisation together, as well as changing the direction of its work to better work with, and influence, other organisations.
Results
The Pilotlight process helped People & Work’s staff team and board see the synergies between the two sides of its work. The charity has since rebranded, redesigned its website and made a number of changes to its Board including appointing a new Chair.
Director, Dr Sarah Lloyd Jones described the difference the Pilotlight process has made:
“Working with Pilotlight gave us the opportunity to think about where we were going as an organisation and how we might get there. We used the process to have discussions across the organisation which has then shaped a programme of action and change for People and Work over the last two years since the project.”