Charity Facilitator

Facilitation & Workshops

Engaging, interactive sessions to inform and inspire your board and team.

When workshops don’t work.

We’ve all been there.  Losing the will to live as the presenter says “next slide please”.

Bored, scrolling our phone under the table or checking emails just to stay awake.

We were looking forward to learning something new, working with colleagues, celebrating our success or tackling our biggest challenges.

But we’ve spent in silence being talked at or watching someone flick through a presentation and now we’re disengaged and uninspired.

Tomorrow, it will be back to business as usual and we’ll have forgotten all about the outcomes, if there even were any.

Surely there’s a better way? 

A Different Approach

It surprises people, but I very rarely use PowerPoint.  We all spend enough time looking at screens.  If you’re going to the trouble of getting everyone in a room, they want to be, well, in the room! 

After discussing your aims for the session, I’ll plan a series of activities which enable us to explore the aims in more detail.

Typically, this involves working together in small groups, sharing our thinking and developing potential solutions and actions. 

I have an impressive collection of coloured notes and pens and, for fun events, I bring quiz buzzers and inflatable musical instruments!

My style is informal, practical and fun – but it gets serious results.

Steve Allman | Charity Coach & Consultant

Team Building Days

Strategy Workshops

Values Workshops

Board Away Days

Impact Workshops

Keynotes & Talks

Kat Lee, CEO, Family Holiday Charity

Kat Lee, CEO, Family Holiday Charity

We recently worked with Steve to explore our ethical framework for fundraising and investment. It’s a potentially challenging topic so I felt a little trepidation but Steve immediately put me at ease.

After introducing the work to the Board he followed up with individual calls with each Trustee to explore their personal perspectives before facilitating a half day workshop to tease out any issues and develop a shared approach.

Steve’s style, use of humour and real world examples encouraged everyone to contribute, question and collaborate. He skilfully managed the workshop to help us reach a conclusion that everyone was comfortable with and both staff and Trustees enjoyed it.

Steve’s report was a focussed summary of what we’d agreed and we are now using it to build our policies and processes. He was a dream to work with and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Steve.

Rob Thacker, Chair of Trustees at Home-Start in Suffolk

Rob Thacker, Chair, Home-Start in Suffolk

Steve ran a really engaging Governance Workshop for our Trustees at Home-Start in Suffolk. We left the day refreshed, re-invigorated and with a plan of action – just what we needed. 

Sometimes a Board of Trustees needs to step away from the usual routine to think and work together. This was a perfect blend of personal thinking time, team activities, teamwork and ultimately establishing a way forward. I heartily recommend Steve.

Sally Russell, CEO of The Cowshed Charity.

Sally Russell, CEO, The Cowshed Charity

Steve’s training at our away day for The Cowshed Charity was an incredible experience.  

His humour, unique ideas, friendliness, and ability to make us think outside the box left a lasting impact on our team. 

Steve created an enjoyable and inclusive environment that empowered us to embrace our strengths and explore new possibilities. 

We are immensely grateful for his exceptional guidance and highly recommend him for transformative training experiences.

Penny Wilson, Getting On Board | Testimonials | Steve Allman

Penny Wilson, Chief Executive, Getting On Board

Steve sat on a panel at a Getting on Board discussion on “Boards behaving badly”. He was funny, hard-hitting, perceptive and entertaining! He has a lovely way of always being the person to cut through the noise and point out how the people involved with charities can do better.

Alan Webb, Assistant Director, Home-Start UK

Alan Webb, Assistant Director, Home-Start UK

Steve worked with us recently as a facilitator on our Learn, Test, Change series for local trustees. 

I find Steve so thoughtful and curious, just as you’d hope a great facilitator to be – he really wants to get the best from working together. 

Steve’s knowledge of our work and the wider sector helped greatly and he brought a sense of perspective and humour to some difficult circumstances. I look forward to when we can work together again.

Emma Clarke, CEO, Weston Park Cancer Charity

Emma Clarke, CEO, Weston Park Cancer Charity

Steve nailed our team away day today. He listened to the brief, developed a great session plan which was engaging and fun and he managed the energy and pace brilliantly. It’s Steve’s experience in the charity sector (he’s been there and got the t-shirt) coupled with his fun and engaging style that made him a perfect fit for us. If you’ve over away days that feel like PowerPoint overload or where you’re expected to build a life raft out of two pencils and a paper clip, then I’d highly recommend a conversation with Steve, you won’t be disappointed.

Sophie Burt, Head of Fundraising & Community Development, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity

Sophie Burt, Head of Fundraising & Community Development, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity

Steve facilitated a charity development day for our small NHS charity. It was a first for us and we were all amazed at how much we achieved in just half a day! It was invaluable to have an outside perspective to draw out conversations and perspectives from the group. Steve worked brilliantly with all the attendees who represented a broad range of roles from within the charity and from the NHS Trust. Our aim by the end of the session was to have worked our way to an agreed Vision for the Charity, which we did! I would highly recommend Steve, we found the day very valuable, energising and have used our feedback report as a jumping off point for further development.

Kate Steele, Chief Executive, SHINE

Kate Steele, Chief Executive, SHINE

Steve ran a great session on internal values and behaviour at our recent staff residential. He was highly professional and very personable from our first point of contact. He listened to what I thought we needed as an organisation, gave suggestions and guidance and shaped the session to achieve our desired outcomes. The session was relaxed, well-planned and extremely productive. Steve managed the room really well, keeping all 55 team members engaged (and smiling) during the 3-hour session. Feedback from staff has been very positive. I would definitely recommend Steve to other charities.

Lindsey Stukalov-Stone, Chair, North Kent Mind

Lindsey Stukalov-Stone, Chair, North Kent Mind

Steve facilitated our board away day at North Kent Mind.  He delivered a dynamic, entertaining and thought-provoking day.  Steve gave his time before, during and after the day.  I felt it was of excellent value and our board came away with concrete actions and plans.  His facilitation is first class and Steve is a very likeable, approachable consultant, who makes people at all levels feel at ease.

Ocean King, Community Executive, CharityJob

Ocean King, Community Executive, CharityJob

Steve kicked off our first-ever event, and it’s safe to say it was an overwhelming success! His talk on “How to Navigate the Minefield of Charity Leadership” was not only engaging but also provided great insights, offering valuable takeaways to our attendees.

Despite the event being virtual, Steve’s presence and energy made it just as engaging as an in-person event, and he had us all laughing at his jokes!

The communication process throughout was seamless, a refreshing change from the challenges often faced when organising and liaising with speakers, and he promptly posted a write-up of his talk on our website.

The feedback we received from his talk was amazing, and I can’t think of a better speaker to have launched our events. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Steve and recommend him to my colleagues every chance I get!

Amy Griffiths, Chief Executive, Citizens Advice Diss & Thetford

Amy Griffiths, Chief Executive, Citizens Advice Diss & Thetford

We really enjoyed our Values Workshop with Steve, he’s a brilliant facilitator and trainer.

Not only was it fun with amazing colourful sticky notes, pens and string but it felt as if everyone’s views and, most importantly, values were listened to and validated.  That’s no mean feat with such a large group and range of people!

This is what I was really keen to achieve when briefing Steve and I really felt like he spent the time listening to me.  The other great thing is that he adapted his plan on the day to meet the additional needs within the group, so we really appreciated that.

I highly recommend Steve and look forward to working with him again soon.

Karen Wilson DL, Chief Executive, Greater Manchester Youth Federation

Karen Wilson DL, Chief Executive, Greater Manchester Youth Federation

Steve has a superb knowledge of all aspects of the charity sector all the way through from volunteering to Chairing the Board of Trustees. 

He is generous with sharing his knowledge and expertise and does so in such a way that you really remember what he says – and the humour that accompanies it.

Steve has just led a strategy development session for us and in a short space of time enabled us to see so many aspects and make decisions that no amount of work over the previous 8 months had achieved. 

Thanks, Steve, you are thoroughly recommended!

Send an Enquiry

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FAQ

I'm interested. What do I need to do next?

Great!  Send the enquiry form above to tell me more about your event and I’ll be in touch soon, usually within 2 working days.  Don’t worry, you’re not committing to anything yet!  We won’t make any firm plans until we’ve spoken about your event and agreed I can help.

Can you travel to us? (The quick answer is Yes!)

Yes.  I’m based in Suffolk, but frequently travel around the UK facilitating workshops and speaking at events.  I don’t charge for travel time as I anticipate it in my flat rate, but I do ask for a contribution towards my travel costs, which we agree in advance.

Do we need to arrange the venue?

Yes.  My clients normally arrange the venue and any refresments and are responsible for letting people know.  Generally, it’s good to have a large space where we can comfortably move around and work in small groups, with natural light and walls we’re allowed to stick paper on.  

It’s usually better if it’s away from your normal place as work as people are less distracted by the daily office routine and more engaged, but if that’s not possible we can agree some sensible ground rules at the start of the day.

What equipment do we need to provide?

I have everything we need to facilitate workshops for groups of all sizes.  If I’m using public transport, I might ask you to provide larger items, if possible, such as a flipchart stand and pads or a projector.

Clients normally arrange the venue and any refreshments (white coffee, no sugar, thanks).  Biscuits are optional, but appreciated.