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Befriending Networks receive the Symbol!

Congratulations to Befriending Networks for becoming our latest Lasting Difference Symbol Holder. As a UK-wide intermediary organisation, supporting befriending services and projects, they face the challenge of sustaining income across each part of the country. They...

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Grampian champions system change!

There's something happening in Grampian. Long established systems and structures are being changed. Charities and public sector organisations are leading system change by championing community voices and challenging the traditional ways of doing things. These two...

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System capacity and leadership

Wherever you work, you’re part of a wider ecosystem. It’s made up of other people, communities, partners, funders and policy makers. You probably think that things would be better if that system would only change. And whether you work in social care, education,...

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Self-care guide out now!

Sustainable leaders look after themselves and the people around them. If our people and organisations don’t take care of themselves, they can't do their best work for the people, communities and issues they serve. Our new guide takes a fresh approach to sustaining...

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Feedback please

Our Lasting Difference Symbol recognises organisations’ commitment to sustainability and gives us a chance to bring people together to share practice. We think we have a special relationship with our 14 current Symbol Holders. If they’re looking for a bit of support,...

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Succession Planning – update out now!

Succession planning and knowledge management When we started researching sustainable leadership, one thing quickly became clear. Everyone we spoke to had been affected by the sudden loss or departure of a leader. It's a case of when you need to plan for succession,...

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Buy in – or ownership?

Organisational leaders dream of everyone 'buying into' their plans. Wouldn't it be nice if your colleagues just assumed responsibility and accountability, without being told? But what does it mean in practice? Are you really ready for it? It took me two years to find...

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Wish you were here

Our popular postcards are back! The set of 20 original postcards has all but sold out, but they're been so popular over the years that we're now releasing them in a colourful new edition. There are now 40 redesigned postcards, with 20 new provocations and some updated...

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Board succession

Succession is inevitable. Success isn’t. In the last year we’ve all been reminded that it’s not a case of whether you need a succession plan, but when. Successful successions are possible if they are planned early and managed senstively, as this case study from...

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Sustainable governance

New sustainable governance guide published Effective, sustainable boards regularly review their performance, skills and composition. We’ve just published our Sustainable Governance resource to help you do just that. It’s a customisable self-assessment, drawing on...

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Camphill join our symbol holder membership

Camphill School Aberdeen have become our latest Lasting Difference Symbol holder, recognising their commitment to organisational sustainability. This forms part of a wider piece of work for the team as they also review their role in environmental sustainability,...

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Lasting Difference by name…

We're delighted to announce we've now begun formally trading as 'The Lasting Difference consultancy'! The move puts our identity and resources squarely behind our core purpose - and flagship publications. Initially in 2016, the Lasting Difference was just the name of...

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Save the date – system capacity, 3rd November

Understanding system capacity Nov 2021 Our next practice sharing session for Lasting Difference partners and symbol holders will take place online on 3rd November. The theme will be system capacity, something several of our recent research respondents suggested we...

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Our survey says…

This summer we revisited our 2017 research about the ways people use Lasting Difference resources. Once again, a great response and lots of learning! 53 people shared views in an online survey, and 16 one-to-one interviews took place. We’ll publish the full report...

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Effectiveness in international development

Scotland’s International Development Alliance were our first partners in online learning, reaching their members from all over the globe in 2018. Things have developed rapidly in the sector since then, and even more so since their Effectiveness Toolkit was created in...

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Future Pathways show their sustainable approach

Congratulations to our latest Lasting Difference Symbol holders, Future Pathways, a national service who support people who experienced childhood abuse or neglect in Scotland. The team have put sustainability at the heart of what they do, creating a quality assurance...

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Victors of our own success

Update from Graeme Reekie and the Wren and Greyhound directors. This is the hardest blog I’ve had to write, even though I’ve known for a few weeks that it’s been coming. In short, there’s been so much demand for our work since the start of this financial year that...

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Evolving and adapting with our latest symbol holder

We’re delighted to award The Oxygen Works the Lasting Difference Symbol to recognise their commitment to organisational sustainability. The team have used the toolkit as part of their organisational review and made clear decisions about what aspects of their delivery...

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Starcatchers awarded the Lasting Difference Symbol

We’re delighted to announce that Starcatchers, Scotland’s arts and early years organisation, is the latest Lasting Difference Symbol holder. Starcatchers has been connecting with The Lasting Difference over the past three years. This year is a milestone year for...

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NEW: Guide to Managing Capacity

Managing capacity by getting resources to match demand is the number one sustainability challenge for the sector. Our new guide offers fresh, practical ways to think about and take action on managing capacity. Developed during the pandemic, but addressing the...

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*New* Lasting Leadership programme for 2021

Lasting Leadership programme opens for applications We’re offering 12 subsidised places on our transformational Lasting Leadership programme. Focused on the Lasting Leadership guide, it will help participants to: Plan succession and capacity building in their...

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New workshop programme open – and offers!

Bookings are now open for our three core sustainability workshops in May-June: Understanding sustainability in a recovering world Thursday 6th May 10am-12.45pm Developing the five capabilities  Thursday 20th May 10am-12.45pm Following the exit signs: Exit strategies...

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5 years – a lasting difference?

It's now five years since we launched the Lasting Difference toolkit for charity sustainability. Between 2013-2016 when we were developing it, everyone was talking about charity sustainability - but no-one was doing anything about it. Five years, 7000+ organisations,...

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Welcome to our new symbol holder – SIAA

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) are the latest organisation to have been awarded the Lasting Difference Symbol. SIAA joined us for our programme of online Lasting Difference workshops in 2020. The team have been...

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NEW: Sustainable impact guide

Your time and resources are scarce. You want to use them wisely. Focus on what makes an impact. Covid increases the urgency of building capacity, increasing resilience and expanding your reach with limited resources. This is sustainable impact. It's the heart of your...

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The seventh domain of lasting impact:

Communities being better informed, connected and equipped Are the people and issues you support visible and involved in community life? Do awareness raising campaigns have to be done by you alone? What does prevention look like? The six previous domains come together...

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Working with funders

We're often asked if funders recognise and support the core messages in The Lasting Difference. The short answer is: mostly! But it might depend where you work. If you get funding in Scotland - you are definitely funded by organisations that use and support the...

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The year for Lasting Leadership

Well if there was ever a year for a sustainable leadership guide, it was this one! When we launched the Lasting Leadership® guide in February, we knew it was timely. But we couldn't have known how big its themes would become in 2020.   It focuses on succession....

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7 Domains of Sustainable Impact: Part 6

This is Part 6 in a series of 7. Part One is here. Policy and policy makers respond to evidence of changing needs Where did the policies (and funding) you are working to today come from? What do you do with the privileged access to information that you have? Do you...

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