The Forecast - March 2025
Welcome to The Forecast - our monthly newsletter spotlighting exciting skilled volunteer opportunities and small charity insights.
Identify and coach the UK's best small charity leaders as a Strategic Applicant Consultant!?
Do you have 2-3 days a month??Would you like to share your strategic skills with some of the UK's most exciting small charity leaders and social entrepreneurs? Join us as a freelance Strategic Applicant Consultant.
Consultants are at the frontline of our?assessment process, helping to identify and coach the best charities that qualify for support from The Fore.
Our consultants typically have?over ten?years of experience in strategic leadership positions. The time commitment required is 8-10 days?of remote work over 12 weeks. We?offer full training and?a low-bono model, where consultants are paid per application assessed.
Curious to learn more before applying? Join our info session on 13th March.
Joining us will be Jane Rich,?Founder of Cambridge Community Arts,?a charity we backed in 2022. Jane will share her personal experience of how our Strategic Applicant Consultants have massive impact on small charities with lots of potential.
The Fore's latest insights:? Three key findings of the small charity sector
Our latest Insights Report is here—offering a window?into the achievements and challenges of the small charity sector. Here’s what’s inside:
We spoke to 23 of our portfolio charities in our latest Monitoring and Evaluation round and here’s what we found...
1. Reasons to be cheerful: Financial wins – From strengthening the case for funding by improving impact measurement to finding the confidence to charge for programmes, many of our charities are paving the way to financial resilience.
2. Don’t get lost in the jargon – Charities that communicate their USP clearly stand out to funders and partners.
3. Finding the right person for new roles continues to be tough, but the answer may be close to home – Our charities have found that appointing long-standing volunteers into new paid roles has been invaluable
Our charities scored an impressive 83% average against their stretch targets. Congratulations on another successful year!
Meet the leader ending verbal abuse of children?
Sign up to our next At The Forefront on Friday 21st March at 1-1:45pm, where our CEO, Mary Rose Gunn, speaks to the founder of Words Matter, Jess Bondy. Jess is driving change to end verbal abuse of children by adults in their lives.
From partnering with the World Health Organization & University College London, to speaking at the inaugural meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Parents at the House of Commons, Jess is at the forefront of shaping the conversation on children’s rights at home.
Catch up with the latest episodes here!
Skilled volunteer roles?with small?charities backed by The Fore
To access our full range of pre-vetted?skilled volunteering roles,?apply?to?join?our??Pro Bono Network of experienced professionals?who are looking to share their skills.
Join a charity helping to end verbal abuse of children as a Trustee
Words Matter's mission is to improve children’s mental and physical health by ending verbal abuse of children by adults. Through research, raising awareness and convening experts, Words Matter focuses on prevention to end verbal abuse at its source. They are looking for new trustees, ideally someone with time to dedicate to the charity, that has a strong network and is very interested in their mission.
Email [email protected] to learn more and get involved!
Help with a short research project for an environmental charity saving our coral reefs
The Reef-World Foundation is dedicated to ensuring coral reefs thrive. Coral reefs provide food, employment, and help combat global warming, yet two-thirds have been lost. Led by marine biologists, RWF is tackling this challenge. They are looking for someone to help with identifying sustainability-committed?businesses that could?partner with?Reef-World.
Email [email protected] to learn more and get involved!
IT and finance volunteers needed for charity helping to end verbal abuse of children
Words Matter's mission is to improve children’s mental and physical health by ending verbal abuse of children by adults. Through research, raising awareness and convening experts, Words Matter focuses on prevention to end verbal abuse at its source. They are looking for someone to help with IT in the forms of system, risk, CRM, and ad hoc advice. They are also looking for some additional support with their finances.
Email [email protected] to learn more and get involved!
What we are reading, watching, and listening to this month... ?
New report by the Centre for Social Justice on philanthropic giving across the nation.
2. The Mental Health Crisis in Small Organisation LeadershipFair Collective's new research has found small charity leaders' mental health is at crisis point.
3. The Fore's Brace for Impact Podcast: Philanthropy in a Changing World.?Episode 1.?The Buzz of Doing Good with one of the UK's most renowned leaders and philanthropists,?Sir Ken Olisa OBE.?
Does your company want to engage and develop staff? Let’s explore partnering to facilitate bespoke matchmaking for skilled volunteering?opportunities?via?[email protected]