County of Gloucestershire Community Foundation
Registered Charity Number: 900239
About the charity
Gloucestershire Community Foundation is here to help strengthen our communities so they can thrive, through inspiring giving and philanthropy, providing grant funding and developing partnerships, along with our role in civic influence and community convening.
What our grant will help to fund
We are delighted you are able to support the launch of year 3 for 2023 of the INVEST Leadership Programme which is made up of two key strands. The INVEST Mentoring Programme links charity leaders with expert mentors; and the INVEST Peer to Peer (P2P) Programme gives charity leaders the opportunity to work through challenges they are having at work, together, using “Action Learning Sets”, a proven method of problem-solving.
The charity sector has faced a challenging period over the last few years, with reduced budgets and increased demand. This puts enormous pressure on charity leaders, already experiencing isolation. Our survey of 100 representative charities in Gloucestershire in 2021 found that areas of support needed include, amongst other areas, key areas of health and wellbeing support for staff and mentoring. The charity sector could be facing a crisis as leaders continue to struggle with the isolation and unique pressures of the job. In January 44% of charity leaders said they had considered quitting during the pandemic as a result of the increased pressures.
We have listened to the needs of charity leaders in Gloucestershire and designed a programme of activity to ensure a strong, sustainable sector able to support the needs of the communities they serve. INVEST provides much-needed support and problem solving, facilitating important conversations within the sector. We have funding to support ten charity leaders, who intern collectively, 1000’s of beneficiaries rely on them and their organisations to keep going, as so often there is no one else, they are a lifeline.
“I found the support from my mentor invaluable when I found myself in a role that was overwhelming. Without her input I would have not realised this or been able to navigate it.”
Feedback from a participant
