Finding your Feet

Clarity

THE

PROGRAM

1:1 mentoring and support to guide you every step of the way

your personalised guide to thriving in charity managed settings

Navigating the path of charity management can often be confusing, intricate, demanding and filled with unique challenges. That's why, within the nurturing hug of CLARITY, I've got your back and it's all about YOU.

YOU feeling supported and having someone to turn to in times of need
YOU fulfilling your goals and aspirations
YOU having the confidence to fulfil your role in the charity
YOU creating a setting where you are sustainable and compliant with regulations

THE Clarity PROGRAM

I've been working 1:1 and mentoring clients since the very beginning of Dinky Ones over eight years ago and previously to that in other roles but I never really advertise the fact that it's something I offer and it just kind of happens more than anything else.

It was only recently when a good friend of mine (who also happens to be a very successful business coach) asked me why I didn't use my knowledge and expertise to support and mentor more of you, especially in these frankly hard and dark times for early years, that I gave it considerable thought.

And I couldn't come up with a reason not to!

So I've taken everything that I usually support YOU with, put it all together and the result is CLARITY

who is it for?

THE CLARITY PROGRAM is for everyone in the setting with the responsibility for strategic and operational management decision making. This includes the manager and deputy manager of the setting, along with anyone in a business/administration role with day to day management responsibility and ALL of the trustees/committee members.

The aim is to take a holistic approach to both the setting management and the charity management to ensure YOU are working as one and all singing from the same hymn sheet so to speak.

The package is suitable for parent led unincorporated charities and all CIO's in England and Wales who are registered with The Charity Commission.

WHAT YOU GET

Personalised mentorship that is designed to be unique to YOU with no limits.

Working 1:1 we are going to delve deep into your challenges, explore new opportunities and map out a bespoke journey towards enduring success whilst ensuring legal compliancy and good governance.

Over the course of 12 months senior management/trustees/committee members receive as standard:

An initial on-site visit to your setting to meet together, find out more about your setting, identify areas for growth as well as any for concern and start building the action plan for the year.

Monthly hour long reflect and review online sessions (held via Zoom) to go over the action plan, discuss any issues and check on progress.

You'll get my telephone number and can call me at any time in-between our monthly calls if you have questions and need advice, when problems arise as they inevitably do or even if you're just struggling and need a chat.

I'll deliver my Trustee Roles and Responsibilities workshop to your all of your current trustees/committee members and again to the new ones after your Annual General Meeting.

When it comes to AGM time of the year I'll help you prep for this with letters to go out to parents, an agenda and support with writing reports to ensure that you meet your legal requirements. And if there are any issues with recruiting new trustees we'll deal with that together too.

Business planning and budgeting is fundamental to the success and long term sustainability of the charity so I'll deliver my business planning workshop for those in the setting with financial monitoring responsibilities.

I have a comprehensive library of toolkits and documents to help with the operational, staff, finance and charity management of the business and these are all available to you for use in your setting.

Regular supervision is a legal requirement of the EYFS and for the manager of the setting the responsibility for supervision meetings falls with an appointed trustee. I'll work 1:1 with this person, delivering my supervision for trustees workshop so that they feel confident in this role.

Additional services, such as additional visits to the setting can be added if you require but anything above that listed above will be at an extra cost. Any add on's will be discussed and a cost provided beforehand.

getting it right

Before we start it's hugely important to both YOU and I that we are compatible and can work together.

If I'm to become your mentor and effectively a member of your team for 12 months it is vital that we get on otherwise the whole relationship can be a little awkward!

So the first step is to book a free discovery call with me and we'll have a chat, talk about 'stuff' and YOU can decide if I'm right for you and likewise for me.

Before you get that far though here's some things you should know about me...

I won't take any s**t from anyone! If I'm advising you to do something it's for a good reason and not just for the hell of it. If you want to work with me you'll have to be prepared for some tough talking.

I've got a warped sense of humour and have a tendency to curse (see above but I'll never do so around your children)

BUT

I am good at what I do.

I have vast experience and expertise in supporting charity managed settings.

I'll explain things to you in a non flouncy straight talking way.

So if you're still interested in working with me book that call.

Book A Discovery Call

the investment

standard package

initial payment on sign up

£875

followed by 10 monthly payments

£262.50

Includes everything detailed above. Extras charged separately

still unsure?

Let me tell you the story of how Amanda and I started working together 2 years ago........

Amanda was a very experienced and highly qualified manager of a small, rural, parent committee managed pre-school operating from a village hall in Hertfordshire when she first contacted me through my Charity Managed Settings Facebook group.

Three of her parent committee had resigned and she was, quite understandably, panicking. This meant that she only had two committee members left with no one willing to join and those parents who remained on the committee didn't want to step up and take on the roles of chair and treasurer.

After chatting for a while online I suggested that Amanda book a free 15 minute discovery call where it quickly became apparent that the committee wasn't her only issue. As more time was needed to look at the differing problems in detail we then moved to a Virtual 1:1 session where I talked her through what she needed to do to rectify the committee issues, who to contact at the EYA and the next steps before moving on to the other pressing problems.

Following that session she said she felt perplexed with the enormity of everything, lost and in need of help. "Sally, please help me" she asked and of course I said yes.

After 20 years of advisory and consultancy work I've learnt that charity managed settings can be like a ball of string. You pull it and it slowly starts to unravel with lots of other issues becoming apparent and this was the case with Amanda and her pre-school.

Our first step was to get the committee sorted. I attended a meeting of the parents and gave an overview of the roles and responsibilities and what it means to be a trustee. From that meeting three parents came forward to help who were co-opted onto the committee the next day.

Without going into detail it took a further eight or nine months to sort through the other issues but here are just a few of the things I supported Amanda and the trustees with over the first year:

worked with the three new parents to get their DBS and EY2's completed and submitted to Ofsted;

attended committee meetings and delivered roles and responsibilities training to them all;

provided documents and sat in with the chair person to support and guide her when she did Amanda's first supervision meeting;

supported Amanda with the recruitment of two new staff including attending interviews;

supported the trustees with updating staff contracts;

prep for the AGM and adopting a newer constitution to replace the 1994 version being used;

provided roles and responsibilities training again for the new committee members;

provided emotional support when Amanda's father passed away unexpectedly;

supported the trustees and the business manager with writing a three year business plan and identifying areas for growth.

Two years on I still work with Amanda and the trustees.

They have a solid committee, are financially sustainable and are just beginning the process of converting to a CIO as they've been offered a fantastic building on the site of the local school which will enable them to open longer hours and take more children.

And because a lot of the pressure had been taken off of Amanda's shoulders she was able to focus on what's really important and I'm proud to say they were awarded an Outstanding at their Ofsted inspection in February.

Amanda, the trustees and the senior management team of the pre-school now work as one.

They support one another to be the very best they can be, for the children, their families and the wider community. They all sing from the same hymn sheet. They know what they are doing and why.

In short they have CLARITY.

And that can be YOU too.

Book a discovery call today and let's get acquainted.