Last week we were invited down to London to attend the prestigious 2019 Charity Governance Awards after being shortlisted within the Improving Impact (26+) category. Charities from all corners of the UK attended in the hope of receiving an award for their hard work and commitment, and we’re truly delighted to announce that we won the award.
YMCA North Tyneside developed a sophisticated strengths-based impact framework enabling staff to target and tailor interventions for service users. Young people are holistically monitored over time using a simple assessment tool, supported by a CRM offering real-time insights and enabling learning and improvement.
As a result, we are better able to assess a young person’s readiness to move into stable accommodation and young people are involved and able to self-assess their own development. Our staff have been able to increase caseloads, and the supported transitions from homelessness into stable accommodation are more successful.
Why we won
The judges were impressed by our ambition, clarity of vision, and willingness to learn from improved data. Recognising that our processes for evaluating and measuring impact were not working, trustees showed strong leadership in helping us change tactics. Trustees helped shape and implement the new CRM and assessment processes, from defining the mission and codifying the objectives, to lending their expertise to staff. Since implementing the CRM and other new processes, the board has shown a healthy appetite for increased risk supported by increased knowledge, recognising weaknesses before they become failures and pursuing more ambitious strategies for growth. That strategy includes working collaboratively with other YMCAs as well as other related organisations in the region, leading by example and also by directly sharing and exporting our methods of success to help other charities survive and thrive.
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