Case Studies

Case Study 1: Governance Overhaul for a Community Mental Health Charity

Service Area: Governance, Risk & Compliance

Challenge

A medium-sized community mental health charity had an outdated governance framework. Policies had not been reviewed in several years, the risk register was incomplete, and trustees lacked confidence in the organisation's compliance posture ahead of an impending Charity Commission inspection. Board morale was low, and there was uncertainty about roles and responsibilities.

Solution

I conducted a full governance audit, identifying gaps across Health & Safety, Safeguarding, GDPR, and Whistleblowing policies. I drafted and ratified updated versions of each, working closely with the Board to ensure they were practical rather than bureaucratic. I produced a concise, usable risk register and facilitated a Board away day to embed the new governance structures, clarify trustee responsibilities, and rebuild collective confidence.

Outcome

  • Board passed all governance checks at the subsequent Charity Commission inspection

  • Risk incidents fell by 25% in the following year

  • Trustees reported increased confidence in their oversight role

  • Governance processes became embedded as routine rather than being reactive

Case Study 2: Implementing a CRM System in a Cautious Small Charity

Service Area: Digital Transformation & Impact Measurement

Challenge

A small national health charity was managing donor relationships, service-user data, and stakeholder communications across disconnected spreadsheets and email lists. The Board of Trustees was cautious about investing in new technology, concerned about cost, disruption, and whether staff would adopt it.

Solution

I produced a full business case demonstrating the cost of inaction could mean lost or reduced donor intelligence, duplicated effort, and missed reporting deadlines, lost opportunities for real time case studies for illustrative purposes for funders and other organisational requirements. This was presented to the Board. After securing approval, I scoped and selected a cloud-based CRM system appropriate for the organisation's size and budget, and managed an external consultant through the implementation. I designed and delivered a comprehensive training programme for all staff, tailoring sessions to each role so that everyone understood how the system supported their specific work.

Outcome

  • CRM adopted by 100% of users within three months

  • Donor intelligence centralised, enabling targeted cultivation and follow-up

  • Reporting to funders became significantly faster and more accurate

  • Staff confidence in using data increased measurably


Case Study 3: Tripling Income Through Service Transformation

Service Area: Interim & Fractional Leadership / Strategic Planning

Challenge

A community mental health charity providing talking therapies was operating on a part-time, self-employed delivery model that was limiting both service quality and organisational sustainability. Income was stagnant, the NHS contract was underperforming, and the senior team lacked a clear plan for growth.

Solution

As CEO, I led and mentored the senior team through a comprehensive change programme, transitioning from a part-time self-employed model to full-time professional service delivery. I redesigned the service to meet NHS quality standards, implemented a quality assurance system based on my prior experience, and took full responsibility for managing the NHS contract — including budgeting, reporting, and relationship management with commissioners. I also diversified income through commercial trading and supplementary fundraising.

Outcome

  • Turnover increased tripled over six years without increasing headcount

  • Became the only regional provider of psychological therapies to achieve NHS Quality Assurance status from the local Clinical Commissioning Group

  • Service-user outcomes improved measurably through consistent, professional delivery

  • Organisation gained financial resilience through diversified income streams