Connecting with purpose for a safer future for women and girls
Rosa is a grant-making charity that funds organisations working to make the UK a fairer, safer place for women and girls. Established 13 years ago, its name is inspired by three women who stood up for gender equality in their time: Rosa Luxemburg, Rosa May Billinghurst and Rosa Parks.
Rosa has witnessed and adapted to numerous changes in women’s rights organisations and the UK funding landscape since its launch. With new CEO, Rebecca Gill, joining the organisation and an expanded board of trustees, the time felt right to refocus Rosa’s strategic direction.
Opportunity to refocus
“I joined the organisation within just a few weeks of the first Covid-19 lockdown,” explains Rebecca. “We had to work rapidly to reconfigure services and respond to what felt like a tsunami in demand. In responding to so much change and competing demand, I felt we were at risk of losing sight of what we’re about. It quickly became clear that there was an opportunity to refocus our strategy.”
Rebecca called on Lucent to help them understand Rosa’s strengths, its place in the market and also to refine their organisational story and value proposition.
“Lucent brought a real understanding of the sector and what we are trying to achieve,” explains Rebecca. “It was really helpful to draw on both Lakshmi and Katherine’s experiences as CEOs of charities in the women’s sector. I felt like I was getting a lot of reflection and they could really ‘get’ us.”
Opening up new avenues
Consultation with staff and trustees helped to gain an understanding of the starting point and to surface key concerns.
“I really valued how Lucent worked with our trustees and staff to draw out issues of concern – and areas of optimism – in a sensitive way,” says Rebecca. “Lucent helped us open up avenues for new conversations within the board about who we are and where we are going.”
A lightbulb moment
A critical part of the process was the “lightbulb moment of realising that we are the only people doing what we do across all four nations of the UK,” says Rebecca. “That gave us the impetus to step in and own that space: we realised we have huge potential to shine and this has given us the confidence to grow.”
There have been added benefits to the project too, with staff reporting an increased sense of motivation and pride. Explains Rebecca: “We now feel like a committed team of staff and trustees who are proud of what we do. It feels like we are navigating in the same direction – and we have agreement on how we need to develop and grow. The board are energised, believe in what we do – and have a great pride in working with Rosa and being a trustee.”
Staying ahead
Rebecca recognises that with the world changing at lightning speed in the grantmaking and women and girls sector, Rosa will need to be nimble in adapting to that change.
“I’m also acutely aware of the level of exhaustion that we are all feeling as a result of the pandemic and the need to be mindful of the wellbeing of staff,” says Rebecca. “But there is a real energy that comes from having much greater confidence and clarity in the role Rosa can play in advancing women’s and girls’ rights in the UK. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Rosa.”
Photo by Shahadat Rahman on Unsplash