Budding CEO supported on her leadership journey
Mentorship - Family Volunteering Club
“David was brilliant. He had so much insight. He was very interested in the work, very engaged, very insightful and had some great reflections. When I asked for his perspective he gave it but wasn’t pushing his own agenda. He was very kind and thoughtful and followed up with things. It was a great experience.”
Maddy Mills, Founder and CEO, Family Volunteering Club
Background
As an aspect of our sponsorship of the Stephen Lloyd Awards, which recognise innovative charities and social enterprises that have real potential to achieve practical, sustainable social change, we offer some pro bono consultancy to the shortlisted organisations. Family Volunteering Club is one such charity.
They work with other charities around the country to organise volunteering opportunities for children aged 0-9 and their grown-ups; the aim being to help create a society in which every child grows up feeling connected to their local community and understands the positive role they can play in helping change issues that matter to them.
CEO Maddy Mills founded the charity in 2019 and in 2023 took on her leadership role full-time. She wanted to use the offer of Action Planning consultancy to get an experienced and objective view on her plans for Family Volunteering Club as she went on her leadership journey.
Brief
Action Planning’s David Saint was commissioned to mentor Maddy, providing a sounding board for her ideas and offering the benefit of his experience in her decision making.
Process
The mentorship began eight months into Maddy’s tenure as full-time CEO and spanned a period of maternity leave, which meant the seven sessions were spread out from August 2023 to December 2024, taking place more or less monthly via video call.
Maddy came to each session with a subject or issue to chew over with David. Mainly these were practical matters, specific issues that Maddy was trying to solve. For example, she had a recruitment challenge and wanted David’s advice on which of several options she should take. David helped her to make a clear decision.
“A lot of the things we discussed I knew already but I needed another person to help me decide if that was the best route to go,” said Maddy.
Outcome
As a result of the seven sessions Maddy had with David, she developed greater confidence in her role and her decision making. David provided that independent, objective support that charity leaders so often need.
“The sessions with David have shaped the way I’ve made decisions about things,” said Maddy. “If something came up in the future, I feel confident that I could drop him a line and say have you got half an hour?”
Consultant’s insight
Charity leadership is quite a lonely place to be. You hold back from going to the board, or to the people who report in to you, because you don’t want to look like you don’t know what you’re doing. But of course, everybody needs a sounding board, especially when your decisions carry such weight.
Maddy knew what she wanted to do with her charity and had a very good grasp on her role as CEO, but also recognised that she would benefit from having someone objective to bounce her thinking off. As a consultant it was great to be able to offer occasional short and focussed interventions, and to know they were going to make a difference, in the hands of someone who really knew what she was doing and just needed a bit of affirmation.