This article introduces =mc’s adaptation of Kotter’s change model, redeveloped especially for the ethical sector. Discover the benefits of using this approach, and the pitfalls of not. For those of us in the charity, public and arts and culture sectors, it’s now generally recognised that to stay relevant, to improve results, and to adapt to […]
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One good, workable idea often comes from two others being combined. For example, Johannes Gutenburg, the 15th Century inventor of the printing press, combined the idea of the pressure provided by a wine press, with the idea of the imprint put on coins in the city mint. His printing press with moveable type was a […]
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When I joined =mc as a new consultant one of the first things they asked me to do was to write a blog… So I decided that I needed to learn from my past experience of changing jobs. After all I have done this before First I noticed there are two overriding emotions I have […]
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Dealing with a seemingly never ending to-do list and constant interruptions can seem overwhelming at times – read on to discover ways of thriving in a busy environment with this blog by Yvette Gyles, Director at =mc: Staying productive is tricky. We all have moments in our day when our energy dips, or when […]
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The latest post from our new Learning and Development consultant Yvette Gyles is around what you can do to help out a new colleague. Following on from the post I wrote last week, I’ve been thinking about the support I’ve been getting in my first few days here at =mc. I’ve had great support, and […]
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In this blog, Angela Cluff gives a personal perspective on fundraising appeals, and the impact of statistics versus individual stories on giving. It’s been a busy few days, so good to relax on the sofa, glass of wine in one hand, football on in the background and catching up on Twitter. This caught my eye. […]
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In this blog, =mc’s Director Charlotte Scott shares four ways of ensuring that the learning you’ve invested in is passed on and applied throughout your organisation. If you’ve spent time and money on training and development (or are thinking about doing so), this blog is a must-read! Four Ways to Ensure Learning Transfer Ensuring […]
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In this blog, =mc‘s Principal Learning & Development Consultant Charlotte Scott shares insights on how to engage staff throughout a change process, by first analysing what’s driving the change. How can I engage people in my change? Question: From Charity CEO: We are a growing organisation, and our programme work has grown significantly in the […]
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In this blog, Senior Learning & Development Consultant Laura Slater shares three key ideas for creating a successful career path… How do I build a successful career journey? From Forest Ranger to Learning & Development Consultant in six years is quite a journey. It’s a journey that has taken me to exactly where I want […]
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In this blog =mc‘s Senior L&D consultant Philly Graham shares ideas on why certain projects fail and what you can do to avoid this. Why do projects fail? Depressing though it is, I think we can all say we have been involved in a project that has gone wrong in some shape or form. But […]
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In this blog, =mc‘s Assistant Director Yvette Gyles shares 5 ideas for improving innovation, and how these steps are already helping organisations such as ActionAid. We’re good at coming up with ideas in my organisation – the creative bit – but they never seem to get off the drawing board. Where are we going wrong with our […]
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This blog follows on from a masterclass Bernard Ross and Angela Cluff led at the International Fundraising Congress (IFC) in Holland where they were working with participants to explore a range of new approaches to strategy development. As part of this they were exploring whether a radical ‘blue ocean’ approach could help fundraisers transform their ability […]
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What most holds back a successful change process? There’s lots of stuff published about organisational change and how to do it. But there’s less about why change processes don’t work or fail to gain traction. And this is a big problem both in business and in the world of charities. In a recent survey by […]
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Fundraising is about Influence – winning people over to your point of view. The starting point for influence in a not-for-profit setting should be a personal drive to achieve some wider social good. In part 1 of this this blog we concentrated on the importance of framing and organising your passion or personal motivation to help […]
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Fundraising is about Influence – winning people over to your point of view. The starting point for influence in a not-for-profit setting should be a personal drive to achieve some wider social good. To be an outstandingly successful influencer and fundraiser you need to have a real desire – a passion – for that change. […]
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Some of the most interesting psychological work carried out in the last five to ten years has focused on the issue of so-called multiple intelligences. The basic idea, developed by Harvard-based psychologist Howard Gardner, is simple. We all have access to a number of different ways of processing information, which Gardner has called intelligences. This […]
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Whether you call it a presentation or a pitch, being able to stand up and convince a number of people at the same time to support you is a key skill for anyone keen to display presence. This article explores the key dimensions of presence – what it is and how to perfect it. We […]
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There has been quite a lot written about millennials lately, and their expectations about work and leadership. What a lot of this is saying is that they are somehow special, and therefore problematic, compared to their older, baby-booming colleagues. In this article, =mc Director Yvette Gyles reviews what has been said on the topic, dispels some […]
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The Boston Matrix is one of a series of analysis tools that help you decide the effectiveness of your current fundraising portfolio. It is normally used to assess the relative contribution of various fundraising activities or donor clusters at a particular point in time. But the matrix is enormously flexible and can be used to […]
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The Big Idea Defining strategic direction can be a major challenge for any organisation. Igor Ansoff, US strategy guru, developed a matrix which helps to focus your attention and resources. This matrix, commonly used in commercial settings, has been adapted by =mc to make it relevant to a wide range of not-for-profit organisations. For fundraisers […]
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Transforming results by changing beliefs and behaviours “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” is a famous quote from legendary management consultant and writer Peter Drucker. To be clear he didn’t mean that strategy was unimportant – rather that a powerful and empowering culture was a surer route to organisational success. One of the key goals in […]
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This download is one of a series on new ideas in strategy, based on the book by =mc directors, Bernard Ross and Clare Segal – The Strategy Workout, (Financial Times/Pearson, Autumn 2015). A couple of years ago we were delighted to be asked by UNICEF International to help them develop a case for support. The […]
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This article explains how to use a powerful and simple psychological technique called Anchors to adopt a more positive and flexible approach to any situation. Commonly used in sport they are now popular in management settings to deal with challenging situations. Anchors You may remember the famous experiment of Pavlov, the Russian scientist. Pavlov noticed […]
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Urgent and important In order for people to adopt a radical strategy change they need to feel it’s important and necessary. So you need to think about how you will generate that awareness – and convey that it’s urgent and important. Unfortunately this often involves creating a pain message. A burning platform is a very […]
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This article introduces some key elements of emotional intelligence to help you enhance your performance by being more confident, and in control of your emotional responses to situations in the workplace. What is emotional intelligence? The term Emotional Intelligence (EI) is increasingly well known and often cited as the key to effective workplace relationships. It […]
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NSPCC has an extraordinary achievement behind it – the transformational Full Stop campaign. But they are committed to stepping up to the next level of performance with a new fundraising target and strategy to ensure they deliver on their commitment to children. This case study explains how =mc helped develop an integrated innovation programme- including […]
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The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is one of the most famous theatre companies in the world. They work to connect people around the world with Shakespeare through innovative and distinctive theatre and education. As well as Shakespeare’s work, they also produce bold, ambitious work with living writers, actors and artists. This includes the multiple award-winning […]
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This case study looks at how a tailored version of The Influential Fundraiser programme has helped almost 300 fundraisers have impact in supporter relationships. Fundraisers at The Prince’s Trust and Marie Curie have also benefited from their own bespoke versions of this training, with the programme being delivered 25 times for them collectively. Since its […]
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Driving culture change at Housing & Care 21 Housing & Care 21 are the UK’s largest non-profit care provider and a national leader in providing innovative, affordable housing for older people. Their strong belief that later life should be happy and fulfilling, has lead to them supporting over 28,000 people across the UK with essential […]
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The Manchester Museum is unique. In no other university can you find such an encyclopedic compendium of human creativity from every corner of the globe, alongside evidence of the evolution of the planet over the last 4.6 billion years. Breaking down silos was a key goal and =mc was able to help in a number […]
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Gateway Housing Association is the largest provider of sheltered housing in Tower Hamlets. Their name came about because of their unique role in supporting people in a borough which has, throughout history, been a ‘gateway’ for migrants coming to live and work in London. It also reflects their core belief that decent affordable housing is […]
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Marie Curie is one of the UK’s largest national charities, providing care and support for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. They’ve been carrying out this vital work for over 65 years – and last year alone cared for over 40,000 people across the UK. Challenge In 2015 Marie Curie Cancer Care […]
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Birmingham Hippodrome raises £1m for Stage Appeal with help from =mc The Birmingham Hippodrome started an appeal in Spring 2012 for a major capital appeal to fundraise £1m towards the cost of replacing their 30 year old stage. They had gathered some key customer data and needed some high level expertise help to analyse the […]
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New charity: new donors – setting up a major donor fundraising programme from scratch Formerly British Waterways, the charity Canal & River Trust (CRT) was launched in 2012. It is responsible for maintaining 2,200 miles of historic canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs, as well as museums, archives and a large collection of protected structures. CRT […]
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UNAIDS is the leading UN organisation in the global response to HIV, bringing together the efforts and resources of ten UN system organisations. Across its programmes, partnerships with local NGOs and community based groups are key to successful delivery. Challenge Partners in West and Central Africa have limited resources and are reliant upon a few […]
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What makes us successful? Inside Concern Worldwide’s competency framework Concern Worldwide is an international non-governmental organisation “working for a world where no one lives in fear, poverty or oppression.” Established over 40 years ago it works in over 29 countries. As well as responding to humanitarian emergencies, Concern also provides longer-term assistance in the areas […]
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The Global Development Network (GDN) is a worldwide association of research and policy institutes promoting the generation, sharing and application to policy of multidisciplinary knowledge for the purpose of development. It was founded as a unit in the World Bank a decade ago, and is now an independent International Organisation with headquarters in New […]
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In 2007, the Uganda country office of Frontline AIDS (then known as The International HIV/AIDS Alliance) was a new and growing programme with great potential. In need of a country strategy, but with little time to spare on it, they called on =mc. Two years later, and the Uganda country office was ahead or […]
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Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world’s leading charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research, has a strong base of supporters, many of whom are motivated by their direct affinity with the cause. They also have a major donor fundraising programme, sustained by some highly motivated volunteers. The volunteers are often involved in networking […]
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The South Downs is the UK’s newest National Park, covering a wide variety of landscapes, historic monuments, archeological features and living, working communities. Around 2 million people live within or close to the national park – the highest local population among all the national parks – and day visits reach 46 million a year. […]
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