We’ve come a long way since spring this year when we organised a series of roundtables with organisations we’ve supported, partners and other foundations to hear what they had to say about our work. The observations made in these gatherings provided lots of useful insights that have helped both to frame and inform our subsequent strategy discussions (for example, we produced a video interview summarising the key points to share and discuss with our colleagues in Lisbon and Paris).

Our two strategy awaydays held in our headquarters in Lisbon in July really moved us forward. While they confirmed our general direction of travel, they gave us a renewed sense of purpose and team spirit. Thanks to some excellent external facilitation from Andres Roberts they were as much a celebration of how our approach has evolved as they were a critical reflection on what and how we can improve. Four months on, and a lot of discussion, we now have a draft strategy 2014-19 on which we’re consulting.

Our draft strategy 2014-19 proposes a continuation of work begun in 2009. It suggests that in the future we should be even more rigorous in selecting the areas in which we will work, place a greater emphasis on evaluation and learning and on legacy and dissemination. It also seeks to clarify what sort of funder we are: proactive, engaged and supportive and placing a significant emphasis on brokerage, curating relationships by for instance, supporting networks and establishing learning communities or communities of practice.

The draft strategy sets out a proposed framework for how we will operate over the next five years. Our operational plan will complete much needed detail, as will the more specific strategies we will develop for each of our new activity strands (transitions in later life; arts with a social impact and ocean conservation) and on which we have also been consulting. Each will identify the change we are seeking and how we feel that can best be achieved working with partners and the finite resources we have.

Before finalising our draft strategy documents (the UK Branch Strategy, Our Story of Change and Explaining our Strategy we would welcome your input. Five particular questions come to mind although we’d be happy to receive comments on any aspect:

1.- Is it clear and coherent?

2.- Does it adequately describe our distinctiveness?

3.- What does it make you think (or feel) about us?

4.- Are there aspects of it that you’d like to work with us on?

5.- Do you have any specific recommendations about how we might best operate in the future?

I very much look forward to receiving your comments and am extremely grateful to all those who have helped so far.

Andrew Barnett. Director, UK Branch