As a new member in any team, there is always a lot to take in and, as a new Project Manager at Pilotlight, this is particularly the case. I have recently met many charities doing fantastic and very diverse work for the first time, some at the beginning of their engagement with Pilotlight and others right in the midst of the programme. I’ve learnt about the services that different charities offer and sat in on discussions ranging from analysing the trustee/CEO relationship to creating a strategy for corporate funding. It has been a hugely interesting month. I have already learnt a lot, both about particular organisations and the sector as a whole, but I’m also aware that there is a lot more to learn!
Something that I have found really valuable and enjoyable has been going to visit charities in person. It doesn’t take any sector knowledge, any questioning or scrutinising to feel that you have gained an understanding of the work a charity does and why, once you have been to see them.
I have been to visit three charities so far and most recently to St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. St Ethelburga’s boasts a diverse staff team, an experienced board of trustees and an extraordinary site. Hidden down a narrow passageway just off Bishopsgate, the centre is a tiny oasis of calm within the bustle of the city.
As you enter their site, you first encounter a little courtyard with high walls, over which you can see the tops of the surrounding skyscrapers. Beyond that is perhaps the charity’s most unexpected asset: a Saudi Arabian tent woven from goat hair! Donated by the Co-Exist Foundation in reflection of their support for St Ethelburga’s peaceful aims, it provides a tranquil, neutral environment for group conversations. The main building – a Christian church that was mostly destroyed by an IRA bomb in 1993 and still consecrated ground – retains the grand acoustics of a place of worship, but now is used for discussions, project work, events and much more.
We visited St Ethelburga’s for a meeting between the staff, trustees and Pilotlighters, to map out the services the charity delivers and their subsequent outcomes. For me, one of the most thought-provoking parts of the discussion was the tangible/intangible debate. Some of the outcomes of St Ethelburga’s programmes are very palpable, such as young people developing their leadership skills by running community projects. Others are less so, such as a deeper awareness of the connection with others through engaging with the St Ethelburga’s site and approach. Are both of these direct and intentional outcomes? Is one type of outcome more valuable because it is easier to define and measure? Different members of the group naturally had different answers and it was an interesting example of the importance of interpretation and viewpoint.
It has been fantastic to visit St Ethelburga’s and other charities during my first few weeks at Pilotlight. Seeing the sites – how they resonate with the charities’ aims and ethos, how the staff fit in to their environment – has given me a chance to look at organisations in a more involved way. While observing a charity with objectivity is vital to any discussion about strategy, it has also been invaluable to get that subjective perspective; it helps me to understand not only how an organisation runs, but how it feels.