Strong delivery isn't the same as a strong case.
5 On It Foundation in Milton Keynes offers free sport, mentoring and creative activity for children and young people facing disadvantage. The delivery is strong. The demand is real. What was missing was the thread that connects it all: from purpose to programmes, programmes to outcomes, outcomes to evidence, and evidence to the story a funder actually reads.
What we built
We built that thread, in a way the team could pick up and use themselves:
- three connected pathways instead of a list of programmes: Healthy Starts; Positive Pathways; and Access, Leadership and Progression
- a Theory of Change connecting what they do to what changes for young people
- an impact framework, with the evidence gaps RAG-rated so a small team knows where to start on Monday
- an outline case for support, with a strapline they can stand behind: "Free to take part. Built to help young people thrive."
One lesson for any charity
A case that overclaims is worse than no case. We were deliberately honest about what is still emerging, and the case is stronger for it.
Could a funder follow your story from purpose to proof on the first page?
Social Intent helped us step back from the individual programmes we deliver and see the bigger picture of what 5 On It is trying to achieve. The work has given us much greater clarity around our strategy, Theory of Change, impact measurement and how we communicate our value to funders.
5 On It Foundation
