Problem solving and decision making Flashcards
Pass
Can you give an example of how you identified and assessed a particular problem
CONTINUE TO ASSESS AND ADAPT TO MAXIMISE VALUE TO THE ORGANISATION.
S – commercial partnerships are deemed as marketing activities by the charity commission therefore a portion of the income is vatable. To manage this it is common practice for charities to apply a brand licensing fee for use of their branding. We were finding that many corporate partners were pushing back on the fee and even walking away from partnerships. Overtime we were open to negotiation on it and found ourself in a position where our modelling was very inconsistent. The inconsistency put us in a risky position when it comes to financial auditing.
Task – we needed to remove the barrier to protect future partnerships and our charity.
A – I looked at the discrepancies between partnerships to understand the variances and looked at our pipelines to project how much of an issue this would be for us going forward. I knew we didn’t have much commercial activity happening in the upcoming years. This gave us time to gather data from our current partners in the background and invest time into valuing our brand.
R – in the meantime we are gone to a 10% model so it is equitable and inclusive for all partners as it reflects their fundraising activity, protects us from the auditors. This was a proportionate short-term solution. We could focus on cultivating relationships with strategic partners over the next 18 months and slowly chip away at this as we approach our next commercial window which is NHS80 in 4-5 years time.
Example of quick unsupervised decision
S – As a charity we are unofficially cashless but don’t have many cash-less infrastructures in place. Running the fundraising at a corporate partners event we utilsising digital fundraising so we had QR codes and contactless devices. Unbeknownst to us, there was a lot of cash being offered to us. Around 5% of the total funds raised which every penny counts.
T – We hadn’t put provisions in place for collecting cash in terms of things outlined in our cash management policy – designating a person to manage cash, making sure they’re always accompanied, getting it to a bank or the office asap and safely.
A – I knew we couldn’t turn it down so I instead decided on the spot that I would be responsible and my colleague and I could count it together and cash it together. We needed to make this decision quickly. We let people back at the office know we would be doing this. We did encourage them to use the other methods. We will factor it into decision making going forward about our fundraising.
R – we raised an extra 5% of funds for the charity and it was all handled in line. Although it was a quick decision it was thought through and procedures were followed.
