As The Joshua Tree approaches its 20th anniversary, we speak with CEO Richard Driffield about how they’re supporting families and the challenges of being a small charity.
Richard, please can you tell us about The Joshua Tree and what you do?
RD: At The Joshua Tree, we support families affected by childhood cancer through emotional health and wellbeing services for the whole family. We support the child and also their parents, carers, siblings, grandparents and friends, that's what makes us unique.
We provide support for however long families need it, whether during treatment or post-treatment, sometimes working with families for up to four years depending on prognosis. Very few charities offer this comprehensive approach for this length of time, away from the hospital setting.
We offer counselling, therapeutic support, play activities, major events, health and fitness and peer support. For example, every Friday, we have families that come together for a boot camp session – it's all about connecting families going through a difficult time.
We currently work across Cheshire, the north west, and north Wales, but we're seeing increasing demand from Shropshire, the Midlands, and even London, as families often can't get this level of support locally.
What do you find most valuable about your roles?
RD: I’m hugely proud to lead The Joshua Tree and it's a privilege to work with the families. Just speaking to families at our centers gives you a real sense of our impact on people's lives. That inspires me to go back upstairs and get that bid written or put plans in place for expanding our support.
At the Joshua Tree it’s all about the families we support, so the growth of the charity, all the decisions I try to make as CEO in terms of strategy, systems, recruitment, it’s all underpinned by supporting the families and what they need, so it's just a privilege to be involved in everything.
Have you faced financial challenges in the past year?
RD: From an income perspective, we've been on a strong growth trajectory, nearly doubling our income over three to four years. Our expenditure is now matching our income as we have invested heavily in family support.
The challenge is that traditional funding sources are shrinking. Trust and grant foundations that supported us for two or three years are reducing their contributions. We've diversified our income streams to put us in a strong position. But, like everyone we're still noticing challenges. We're also entirely reliant on public funding and grants – no government or statutory funding. But we're filling a void, as many charities do, that comes from increased demand and less available funding.
Like everyone in the sector, the employer national insurance rise has significantly impacted us – costing us around £25,000. We're also seeing increases in utility costs, council tax, building maintenance, and supplier costs.
How has recruitment and retention been?
RD: Our recruitment and retention has really improved over the last few years through focused work on culture and collaboration. It's been challenging recruiting to fundraising roles because so many charities are competing for the same talent, but, overall, we've built a strong passionate team here, that really cares about the work we do. We also have a good base of volunteers and really value their contribution to the charity.
What role does finance play in your three-year strategy?
RD: Finance underpins key elements in our strategy, without strong financial systems and sustainable income generation it’s very difficult to plan correctly. We have recently implemented new budget software which will really help with long-term financial planning. We're analysing income streams and trends, and we’re planning future expenditure more strategically.
What advice would you give to other small charities?
RD: Diversify your income as much as possible. If you do that, it gives you a solid foundation to sustain and grow your organisation. Diversification is absolutely crucial.
Creating partnerships with other charities where you can – we've successfully worked in tandem with a range of local and national charities, sharing resources and expertise to enhance our work.
Crucially, focus on strategic financial planning with quality data. Be clear that your data works well for your services and monitor it effectively for future planning.
What are your aims for the next 12 months?
RD: We’ve got three main priorities for the year: developing our new strategy, preparing for our 20th anniversary celebrations, and continuing to reach and support more families who need our help.
Do you have plans for celebrating your 20th anniversary?
RD: We have various initiatives planned. There's a big anniversary fundraising ball in April, we're launching a new strategy, and we'll run different fundraising events throughout the year. Each month will feature different family support activities to promote our work and raise awareness about childhood cancer.
Thanks very much Richard, and best of luck with your 20th anniversary celebrations.
This article was initially published on NCVO's Small Charity Week website. There you can also find several other small charity blogs as well as useful guides and tools to help support your organisation.