I think I first sat down to write a blog about five years ago. Then I got a bit busy, decided to finish it off tomorrow, one thing led to another and then - well then it was now.
A lot has happened in the last five years of course. The bank bailout, the crash, the bonfire of the quangos, the coalition. We’re all older, definitely a bit more bruised, but hopefully also a little bit wiser than we were back then. And because of that this blog will be quite different from that originally envisaged. My initial purpose was, I’ll be frank, to sell more things to more customers. Consultancy, fundraising, training, mentoring, bid writing, strategy, presentation skills, time management, project management, creativity and innovation - you name it, I had a smart blog post ready to push it to an unsuspecting world. But that world is fundamentally different now. Local authorities have taken a hammering, services have been cut, charities have had to step into the breach and work harder for less. And on a more positive note, we are all more connected and have more on - line resources available than ever before.
This new blog will seek to add value to what we do at MBA by taking advantage of this growing interconnectedness. I talk to a lot of people, all of the time, about the challenges they face and the solutions they employ. I’d like to share some of that thinking. Whether it is about fundraising, governance, strategic planning, becoming more entrepreneurial, earning money, government policy or anything else that crosses my radar - if I think it will help someone, my purpose will be to report upon it, summarise it, suggest it.
posted by Mark Butcher