Our Clients
Since launching in September 2021, we have worked with a variety of incredible charities and non-profit organisations.
We’ve worked with local, national and international charities of all sizes on fundraising and communications strategies, organisational strategies, and governance reviews. Our projects have ranged from co-creating ethical fundraising policies to providing high level strategic support for charities looking to grow their public fundraising. We have provided fundraising training for staff teams and Boards of Trustees as well as leadership coaching and mentoring. We understand the unique challenges facing smaller organisations and have experience of working in resource-poor teams to deliver outstanding results.
Read on for short case studies of our recent projects and hear directly from our clients
Amref Health Africa
Amref Health Africa is Africa’s leading health development organisation, saving and transforming lives in over 40 countries across the continent. Roots + Wings was commissioned to develop an Individual Giving Strategy which would achieve their aims of doubling income from individuals within two years. We scoped the market potential, reviewed sector benchmarks and competitor activity and compiled a strategic plan with a wide range of fundraising activities to spread the cost per acquisition and risk profile. The strategy included a fully phased budget, tactical recommendations, and an implementation timeline to facilitate the charity to operationalise the strategy immediately.
Based on the strategy we developed, the team were able to secure significant investment from their Board to expand their recruitment, retention and upgrade activity and recruit two new members of staff to manage the Individual Giving portfolio. We then went on to implement areas of the Individual Giving Strategy, including setting up their first ever media inserts campaign.
“It’s been a real pleasure to collaborate with Shivonne and Lucy. Throughout, they’ve encouraged us to stretch ourselves, mapping out a concrete plan to help us achieve our ambitions. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and their commitment to the health and rights of women and girls shines through in their approach to each piece of work.”
National Energy Action
Roots + Wings has been working closely with National Energy Action throughout 2023 and 2024. They approached us for help in adapting to increased support from individuals, driven by media attention on fuel poverty.
We worked with the Business and Partnerships team to transform it into a Fundraising and Partnerships team. This involved creating a public fundraising strategy to complement existing income streams. We facilitated a strategy away day for the team to identify key priorities, develop actions plans and communicate the changing needs of the public fundraising team to the rest of the organisation.
Subsequently, we supported the establishment of a new sub-team dedicated to public fundraising. We proposed a new team structure, drafted job descriptions, and aided in the recruitment process. Roots + Wings have provided mentoring and strategic support to the new Fundraising Manager as this new team beds in.
“Having worked with Roots & Wings for the past 18 months, I cannot speak highly enough about the support they have provided to our organisation. Their advice and guidance while setting up a new fundraising team at NEA was invaluable.
They are extremely knowledgeable fundraising professionals who are passionate about supporting charities to not only maximise their income now but to do it in a sustainable way. As people, they are approachable, patient, enthusiastic and just a joy to work with. What they don’t know about fundraising isn’t worth knowing and I have very much enjoyed working with them.”
Lilongwe Wildlife Trust
Lilongwe Wildlife Trust briefed Roots + Wings to review their Individual Giving activity, which had seen significant organic growth during the pandemic, and put forward an investment proposal to grow unrestricted income from this area.
We conducted a competitor analysis exercise, reviewed LWT existing activity and put together a plan for incremental improvements. The team implemented these immediately, which led to an instant increase in appeal income. We then put together three investment scenarios, to support the fundraising team to present their case to senior leadership and secure investment in this area of fundraising.
“Roots + Wings were amazing to work with! They really took the time to understand our needs and context, and their guidance has laid the groundwork for our fundraising strategy going forward. On a personal level, we feel so much more confident about what we’re doing (and not doing) – and why.
They were also really enjoyable to work with – flexible and always able to relate to the various challenges we face. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience – but were also happy to dive into learning new systems with us.
The insights Roots + Wings provided have given us the evidence and confidence we needed to move forward with our fundraising in a way that makes sense for us.”
Rosa
Rosa is a grant-making charity that funds women's and girls' organisations working to make the UK a fairer, safer place. Roots + Wings led a co-creation process for the senior leadership and Board of Trustees to develop an ethical fundraising policy, due diligence procedure and crisis management plan. This included 121 stakeholder interviews allowing all voices to be heard, facilitating a workshop to solicit feedback and build consensus and producing final drafts of all documents for Board approval.
“Working with Roots + Wings was an absolute delight from start to finish. They provided energy, creativity, passion and skilled diligence to guide a complex project from conception through to Board sign off. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with them and wholeheartedly recommend them to other people working in the charity sector. Thank you Lucy and Shivonne!”
Macmillan Cancer Support
Roots + Wings was commissioned by the Philanthropy Lead at Macmillan Cancer Support to design and deliver a half-day training session for their Board of Trustees. The objective of the training was to engage all Trustees with the Better, Bigger, Bolder strategy and ensure they all had the knowledge, experience and confidence to support major gift fundraising. We held 121 informal interviews with attendees to understand their objectives, base-line level of knowledge and concerns around this type of fundraising. We then designed a bespoke training course which included interactive sessions on the role of Trustees in fundraising, how to identify and cultivate prospects, and building meaningful relationships. We ended the session with role play practice of ‘making the ask’.
“Our Board members are all now extremely motivated to support us – so a huge thank you once again. On behalf of all of us in the philanthropy team, thank you so much for all your help, support and expertise. It was a true pleasure to work with the great Roots + Wings team on this important project!”
Daisyhouse Housing Association
Daisyhouse serves women in urgent need of housing support who have experienced multiple traumas in their lives. The pandemic has hit these women the hardest. They have no safety net, no support network and a total lack of resources to get back on their feet. Daisyhouse’s CEO has a bold ambitious vision for growth. Having seen the numbers of women who desperately need the support of Daisyhouse rise significantly following the pandemic, they decided to invest in a Marketing and Communications Manager to raise profile, awareness and build a community of supporters and fundraisers for sustainable income and opportunity growth. Using our knowledge of the sector and the particular attributes the successful candidate would need, we developed the recruitment strategy end-to-end with the aspiration of having the successful candidate in place in good time to maximise end-of-year fundraising opportunities.
“The Board and I were considering creating a new role of Communications and Marketing Manager but were unsure about what we really meant by the role. This is where the formidable duo really supported Daisyhouse. They guided and supported the entire process with such enthusiasm and integrity. I believe that we would not have achieved the excellent result if it were not for Roots and Wings. ”
Global Fund for Women UK
Global Fund for Women is a global feminist funder supporting gender justice movements driving gender equality, equity and justice for all. Its sister organisation, Global Fund for Women UK, commissioned Roots + Wings to develop and facilitate a strategy away day for its Board of Trustees and Executive Director. The purpose of this was to reflect on achievements from its first three years and to articulate its strategic direction for the next three – ensuring it maximises its potential to mobilise more and better resources for gender justice movements. We held 121 interviews with each Trustee, creating a safe space for stakeholders to speak freely and inform the content of the workshop. We then co-designed the agenda and deliverables with the Executive Director. On the day, we facilitated a hybrid workshop to include virtual attendees from Botswana and the US, as well as attendees in the room.
“Roots + Wings was a fantastic thought partner throughout the entire process and really challenged us to develop an agenda which focused on identifying and answering the critical questions. They come from a place of deep knowledge, insight and integrity. This helped create a trusting and inspiring process and space, where the board could really engage and flourish. Shivonne was a fabulous facilitator – centring shared values and aspirations - while also keeping us to time and focussed.”
Halpin Partnership
Halpin Partnership is a top-tier management consultancy for the Higher Education sector. On their four-year anniversary and after surviving the pandemic, the Halpin Team set some ambitious growth targets for their business. Roots + Wings was commissioned by the Halpin Partnership to review their existing marketing and communications activity and develop a strategy to support their growth ambitions. We conducted an exploration phase, with key stakeholders completing a brand questionnaire and informational interviews, followed by an extensive landscape and competitor analysis. The strategy outlined a three-pillar approach and tactical recommendations for implementation. Halpin then asked us back to facilitate three brand and communications training sessions for their staff and Fellows.
“I think your enthusiasm and love of our brand is infectious and especially like the Q&A at the end where you could share your wisdom.”