When strategies look the same across organisations due to unseen pressures, we call this 'isomorphic strategy'.  But this tendency towards sameness - and its causes - deserves closer examination, particularly by civil society leaders seeking to deliver impact.

We have discussed the challenge of 'disconfirming evidence' and why it matters in philanthropy. Our new framework guides foundations through a process of understanding and incorporating contrary evidence into their decision-making. It's designed specifically for organisations pursuing systemic change, where traditional evaluation approaches often fall short.

We are delighted to announce the promotions of Ben Randall to Director and Nicola Doyle to Senior Consultant.

All charities need to get their money from somewhere. That money comes with trade-offs. The type of money you raise does not just shape your fundraising, it shapes your whole organisation.

Fundraising strategy and business models shape strategies, organisations and cultures.

Compared to other sectors, philanthropy lacks practices, structures and cultural norms to tackle confirmation bias. In this article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Andy Martin and Kecia Bertermann describe why this is a problem, and an opportunity to do better.

In partnership with the RSPCA and its Animal Futures project, Firetail has developed The WIlberforce Report.

It is essential reading for anyone interested in the intersection of society, technology, and the environment—and the future of the animals with whom we share the planet.

Firetail supported the Mathematical Futures Programme Board of the Royal Society in the delivery of the evidence and generation of the scenario planning for this programme.

We are recruiting. Consulting at Firetail gives you the opportunity to make a positive contribution towards social progress. The deadline for Associate Consultant applications is Friday 16th August 2024.

When philanthropists think about their impact, they should recognise that timing matters. What if the billions being spent on climate philanthropy today were spent in 2007? What will be boring to fund in 2044 that is weird to fund now? What are the opportunities and responsibilities of philanthropy to think about these issues?

The pursuit of fundraising growth can be a daunting challenge for many charities. Trustees and other stakeholders may push fundraising teams to “be more innovative”, but there is no big bang solution. Successful growth strategies focus on changing how the organisation thinks and works.

Sandra Tasić, with a distinguished career in social progress and strategic thinking, joins Firetail as a new Director. Sandra brings deep experience from the Gates Foundation and Booz Allen Hamilton and will support across all of Firetail’s strategy and impact engagements.

If your organisation no longer has a point of view about the future, then you might have a Futures Gap. Discover how identifying and bridging this gap can reignite your mission and reshape your impact.

March is B Corp month. The annual campaign runs through the month, uniting over 8,000 companies across 96 countries and 162 industries to show how the B Corp community is moving business forward. Firetail has been a certified B Corp for just over a year and we’re proud to be a part of a growing global movement.

Our second post on the future of communities. As communities become more fluid, more open, and less 'controllable', charities will need to find new ways of working. We discuss three high-level responses that charities might take: channel, platform and ecosystem.

Changing communities pose a challenge to traditional charities. New groups are more online, self-organising, and diverse, needing tools not directions. To stay relevant and support these communities effectively, charities must change profoundly.

We are proud to announce that we have published our first Impact Report marking a significant milestone in our journey towards social and environmental responsibility. In 2023, Firetail became a B Corp.

The strategic questions that kept coming up in 2023 were about networks and emotions. They were about pace, agency and power. These questions shift the focus of strategy from a single, rational organisation. They ask us to look outwards to the network, and inwards towards the personal.

Firetail has joined 1% for the Planet, the global network of businesses and environmental organisations committed to supporting people and planet. Members of 1% for the Planet pledge to donate at least 1% of their annual revenue to environmental non-profits and related causes.

Firetail is proud to have been appointed for a second time to the Government Office for Science’s (GOS) Futures Framework. We are just one of 35 specialist futures agencies selected to do this work.

This week at the 2023 Women Deliver Conference in Rwanda, The Fred Hollows Foundation launched its new report, “Women Deliver Eye Health: Let’s Reframe Who Leads It”.