Ambition and Innovation – Really

Jon Sparkes

Ambition and innovation

• History

• Bit of doom and gloom

• What happens when we get it right

• How it goes horribly wrong

• What’s it going to take

OrganisationsAt work

• GEC telecoms• Derby TEC• Generics Group AG• Cambridgeshire Council• SCOPE• NHS Cornwall• UNICEF• Crisis

Non Exec

• Greenpeace• Routes to Work • Opportunity Links• CIPD• Pentahact• Speaking Up• SeeAbility• ACEVO

About Crisis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOPKi9oePP4

Doom and gloom

• Austerity and the imperfect storm– Cuts to charities– Cuts to services– Greater demand– More competition between charities

• Public confidence

• Lobbying act

Corporate donations& Gifts in Kind

Donations & gifts from individuals1, including Gift Aid

Legacies

Grants from statutory bodies for funding charities or tocharitable intermediaries

Grants from NationalLottery Distributors

Grants & donations fromcharitable trusts & intermediaries

+2.0%

UK voluntary giving income (£bn)

-12.0%+1.4%

10

15

0

20

5

2013e20082007 2009 201220112006 201020052004

2.43.13.9

3.05.82.6

4.44.5

3.04.9

Compared to:

•Politicians 16%•Journalists 22%•Bankers 31%•Clergy 71%•Doctors 90%

2. Threats to independence of voiceOur verdict: this has worsened every year since we have been monitoring independence.The introduction of the Lobbying Act in 2014 is having a chilling impact on campaigning. We have heard of more ‘gagging clauses’ in public service contracts since our previous report. The Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, despite some welcome amendment, has introduced further restrictions on the ability of NGOs to support individuals who seek to overturn poor government decisions through the courts. Ministers, including the Chancellor, have taken an increasingly hostile public stance toward charity campaigning. We heard first hand from the Trussell Trust and Women’s Aid of attacks on the independence of voice of charities that have sought to raise issues with central and local government, and also of examples of ‘self-censorship.’ The Charity Commission is taking a more ambiguous stance on charity campaigning. However, the sector has been strong in arguing against specific threats.

Yet, charities are needed now more than ever …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmhydKkIq30

SeeAbility

SeeAbility• Formerly Royal School for the Blind, became SeeAbility in 1994

• Provides housing and support services for disabled people who are also blind or sight impaired

• Faces severe and ongoing downward pressure on fee rates from local authorities

Their response?• Sticking to their guns on personalisation

• Extending skills to more and more complex support needs

• Increasing appetite for risk to invest in unique and attractive settings for their services

• Creative use of volunteers to supplement the statutory services

• Fundraising to supplement the statutory service, from £0.5m (2014) to £2m (2017)

• Campaigning for the rights of their service users

• Expanding services to children, and building profile

Christie Jane is a young woman with no sight and is autistic with other sensory needs.

Crisis at Christmas• 4300 guests at 12 centres in London, Newcastle and

Edinburgh (980 overnight)• 9800 volunteers, 133,000 volunteer hours• 1087 advice sessions, 300 eye tests, 769 health checks,

393 dental appointments• 32,260 meals, 895 haircuts!• 60,000 video views on Facebook, 12000 additional

petition signatures, launched new research on support for homeless people, 700 media pieces

• Raised over £8.5m in December

Crisis at Christmas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmJQMtzmLVQ

• Ambition• Fundraising • Integrated• Partnership• Friends• Community• Risk

Result

£5m gross (£3.9m in 40 mins)

£3.5 net

Projects throughout Commonwealth

Baby book for every child born in Scotland

UNICEF & Glasgow 2014

UNICEF & Glasgow 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHNfRDGXtMM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rYn-TFZN0Q

UNICEF & Glasgow 2014

Getting it wrong, putting it rightScope 2005

• £10m deficit and getting worse

• Regulatory closure of services

• Threat of Charity Commission inquiry into governance

• Internal fraud

• Services losing money

• Shops losing money

• Poor employer of disabled people

• Weak alliance with disabled people, no alliance with charities

• Pension deficit £20m

• Bank losing patience

Scope 2010• Sustainable surplus

• 85% of services ‘good’ or ‘excellent’

• Charity Commission case study

• Services full cost recovery

• Shops 10th out of 17

• 23% of staff disabled people

• Capacity-building alliance with disabled people & DIAL UK

• Chair of disability charities consortium

• £5m investment from Futurebuilders

Pulling it together• Being chief executive of a big charity is not

the same as a small one – but let me tell you how I spend my day … sending bids, asking for help, balancing the books, talking to the media, fundraising, listening to the team, convincing the trustees, trying new things …

• Hopefully what I have learned is ….

Lessons• Risk / ambition / find friends / stick to the mission

and values whatever it takes• It can go very badly wrong, and putting it right

means more risk• We are needed, we have a duty to deal with the

constraints - and we can• People in charities can achieve anything• People will help