Strategy
Just Drop In provides free and friendly services for children and young people from Macclesfield and surrounding areas. The organisation does all it can to provide support to those who need a bit of help in finding their feet or who are struggling with their emotional health and wellbeing. The charity aims to approach everyone’s requirements with the minimum of fuss and work closely with other relevant organisations and stakeholders, offering a fully integrated and supportive hub.
Just Drop In have received an unprecedented increase in demand for its services in the community since the pandemic and in more recent times with the current economic crisis. The Chief Officer recognised the pressures and sometimes complexity of cases and was keen to support the staff to develop assertiveness skills.
Cheshire Connect introduced skill donor, Mark Whitfield to the charity. Mark is one of the founders and business development director for Wurkplace Limited, Human Resources Services.
After working with Mark, the charity has a clear process in place, which provides a tried and tested formula for staff to manage a range of potentially challenging situations, with calmness, clarity of thought, consistency, and effective actions. Staff and volunteers are confidently managing to assess and sign post clients to specialist services and support, when required, in a structured and aligned process and feel more confident in having difficult conversations across a variety of topics, with a range of audiences.
Just Drop In has gained an effective HR and business management methodology and framework to create healthy and positive workplace dynamics. This skill donor’s intervention has delivered benefits of both internal working relationship and also external interactions with the charity’s visitors and general public.
Here is what skill donor, Mark Whitfield, Wurkplace Ltd had to say:
“I had the pleasure of working with CEO Ann Wright recently, where she explained the issues her charity was facing. With my creative and smart approach, I came up with a solution – the idea to use the business model canvas. This innovative tool helped break down the issues and allowed Ann and her team to tackle them head-on. Not only did this solution address their immediate challenges, but it also empowered them to apply the business model in other areas of their charity. It was truly a pleasure working with Ann and witnessing the positive impact our collaboration had on the charity”.
Anne Wright, Charity Leader of Just Drop In was thrilled with the collaboration Cheshire Connect had made with Mark and had this to say:
‘Mark Whitfield was knowledgeable, skilled and had boundless enthusiasm and energy in supporting us. He took time to understand our needs, and by listening to our issues, we came up with a fantastic plan to look at where there were particular systemic challenges in the organisation.
Mark supported our charity in adopting a Business Canvas Logic Model, which not only helped assess the issue at hand (about assertiveness) but also provided a sustainable approach to looking at other issues in the organisation. This meant the match was empowering and only needed to be for a short term, but with long term value.’
Thanks to Cheshire Connect for the match and to Mark for his time and skills.’