Cranfield Trust is the UK’s leading provider of pro bono management support to the voluntary sector. We are an independent charity, focused on welfare causes, and have a strong track record of supporting UK-based charities and non-profit organisations who in turn support the most vulnerable people in our communities. In 2024 we proudly celebrated our 35th anniversary. Supported by our funders and donors, we work with over 1,400 highly skilled commercial sector volunteers to provide high value, independent services and advice to charities across the UK.
We offer a range of free management services to help build successful charities, including management consultancy, mentoring for charity leaders and managers, peer to peer support groups, telephone advice, webinars and online resources covering on a range of management topics.
Our vision is for strong and effective charities that change lives and our society. We are driven by our values; they are what make us unique and shape everything we do:
- We care and connect
- We learn and lead
- We focus on impact
- We meet the moment
- We raise the bar
Our highly motivated and engaged team takes the time to connect with charity leaders, understand their issues and offer strong support. We have a deep and broad understanding of the needs of small-medium size charities and not for profit organisations and our Regional Managers are skilled in diagnosing the support needs of the organisations that contact us.
We have an excellent, national network of volunteer consultants and mentors, many of whom are from the commercial sector. Our Regional Managers generally combine experience of another sector with third sector knowledge.
We offer a professional, bespoke service that is tailored to each individual charity’s specific needs. Charities can choose the right support for them, at the right time, working with us through On Call telephone support for immediate concerns, dip-in-and out online support and learning or longer-term more intensive support.
We have developed a unique impact framework, Journey to Excellence (J2E), designed specifically for charities who have received management consultancy support. J2E helps charities identify organisational development needs at the start of projects and measures development. It is a valuable tool for individual organisations, and is allowing Cranfield Trust to develop some interesting insights into different sectors.
All our services are free, whether it’s intensive management support, short term advice, or online information.
We are well networked in the sector, so are able to refer charities to sources of specialist help – if we can’t help, we know another expert that can.
2023-26 Strategy
Over the past five years, Cranfield Trust has more than doubled in size in terms of the number of charities we support each year. We have a strong and growing reputation, and are respected for the high calibre of support we provide, through our amazing volunteers and staff team across the country.
At present, we are building on our strong foundations – excellent services, successful fundraising, strong volunteer recruitment and effective management – and doing more to use our insight effectively and to explore the development of a national management training programme. This will help to provide vital services and support for organisations and leaders at a time when welfare charities have never been needed more.
As an independent charity, we fundraise to meet 100% of our organisational expenditure. As well as fundraising for core support from funders and donors, we regularly work in partnership with national, regional and local funders to offer grant-funded programmes of support for their grantees and charities within their remit.