Phase 1: Diagnosis

Process: In the diagnosis phase, we hold interviews with your leadership team, trustees and external stakeholders, and we review your documentation and systems (for example, your strategy, accounts and processes).

We can tailor the diagnosis phase to your organisation’s needs. The key areas we look at are below.

Output: This in-depth analysis of your organisation’s strengths and challenges is presented as a report with our findings and recommendations.

Strategy

Is there a clearly articulated strategy and theory of change, and is there consensus on what that is across the team, trustees and external stakeholders?

Governance

How are decisions made within the organisation? How does the organisation comply with its legal and charitable responsibilities?

Culture

How does it feel to work in the organisation? Are diverse views and experiences welcomed? How do teams communicate? What does staff retention and development look like?

Fundraising

Does the fundraising strategy align with and support the organisational strategy? Is there a sustainable funding model? Is fundraising embedded in the organisation or seen as an add-on? 

Finance

Can the organisation make sound decisions based on their finances? Is there an understanding of where money is coming from and going? Are there sound processes, easy controls and effective reporting?

Project Management

How does the organisation ensure projects are run effectively, on time and within budget? Are they run at a sustainable pace and do they achieve their stated objectives?

Monitoring, Reporting,
Evaluation & Learning

How does the organisation evaluate the impact of its work? Is that easily captured, measured and reported to stakeholders? Is it used to make strategic decisions about the future?

IT

Is technology improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation? Is data management compliant, accurate and does it support relationship development?