A leading national charity was operating a number of facilities to assist and support its Community Programmes in a major provincial city. These included a charity shop, coffee shop and day centre, which were required to be financially self-sufficient but were under-performing and proving a burden rather than a benefit. WLP were engaged to conduct a review of the current community programme and facilities to identify & recommend areas for improvement.
The first step was a diagnostic investigation of current facilities, operations, management and staffing provision, budgets and financial performance. We then undertook detailed research of similar facilities to provide benchmark comparisons and investigated local need (both current and projected future) for these kinds of facilities and possible alternative uses.
This enabled us to produce a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) for each facility and use the results to identify areas for improvement. These were presented in a detailed report setting out the findings, conclusions and options, together with practical recommendations for achievable improvements.
As a result, our client has been able to introduce changes which have resulted in sustainable improvements and benefits to their Community Activities.