Planning in uncertainty

Since April 2020 we’ve reported on leadership during the uncertainty of the pandemic, capturing the experiences of voluntary and community leaders to inform and encourage flexible responses from their funders. As we transition to a ‘new normal’, we wonder – how can organisations be agile in the face of an unpredictable future, and could their funders better support them on this journey?

We draw on the experiences of 23 voluntary and community leaders, for whom we facilitated peer support sessions in June and July 2021. They were from organisations funded by the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention Fund and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund (CYPFEIF & ALEC Fund), administered and coordinated by the Corra Foundation – one of our flexible funders committed to demonstrating more open and trusting practices.

Read on for a summary of how voluntary sector leaders are experiencing and navigating the current political, social and economic context; with ideas and recommendations about what might make a positive difference, including contributions from participants Marguerite Hunter Blair, Chief Executive of Play Scotland, and Eddie McConnell, Chief Executive of Down’s Syndrome Scotland.