Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is one of the county's leading conservation charities employing a small team and 450 volunteers. It was founded in 1961 and funded by membership, donations, corporate support and charitable trust grants.

The Trust works to protect and conserve natural habitats for the benefit of Gloucestershire's wildlife and people. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has over 60 Nature Reserves in the county and carries out surveys and research to identify other key sites of conservation importance.

 

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Investors in People journey

Dr Gordon McGlone, OBE, is Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Chief Executive. Gordon approached an Investors in People Centre in 1994 and asked for more information about how Investors in People could work in the charity sector. Working with the Centre, it was quickly identified that Investors in People could help with a number of challenges that the organisation was facing. These included: encouraging ownership and responsibility, improving internal communications
and strengthening business planning.

Gordon worked with an Investors in People Specialist to thoroughly diagnose the organisation’s strengths, areas for improvement and identify potential solutions that would work in an organisation with so many volunteers. Investors in People provided a clear framework for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to use. An action plan was created to enable the organisation to monitor their own progress. When implemented, Gordon submitted the application to be assessed. The Investors in People Specialist completed a thorough and rigorous assessment of the organisation, this included questionnaires and discussions with employees, volunteers and trustees.

The organisation achieved the Investors in People Standard in 1995 and has since been reviewed several times. On each occasion the Investors in People Specialist has provided constructive feedback which the organisation uses to continually improve. During the last assessment, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust received an Investors in People Silver Award for exceeding the requirements of the Standard. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust are now working towards achieving Investors in People Gold Standard.

“We have achieved Silver Standard for two assessments and we are committed to Gold next time; this requires leadership development to lie deep in our organisation something that is strategically spot on.” 
Dr Gordon McGlone OBE, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Chief Executive

“Although the Trust has been an Investor in People organisation since 1995, the Standard is still the
best test of actual people performance.”

Benefits and successes of Investors in People

Meeting the Investors in People Standard has provided Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust with a clear framework which:

helps organisational growth
focuses on the value that staff contribute, leading to delegated authority and increased management capacity
examines business objectives enabling training plans to be introduced, aligned to the business plan
is people focused providing an inclusive approach to the development of business plans, giving ownership of issues and utilisation of skills
helps identify areas for development supporting business growth by strengthening existing practices
can build leadership and management capability and improve future capacity to grow

Gordon said: “Use the exercise as an assessment of how well your organisation really supports and utilises the skills of its people. It is too easy for managers to believe that they are already fully engaging their staff and volunteers; they may say different if they know that their views, opinions and expertise will be respected.”

Support available

If you were inspired by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Investors in People journey and want your business to get involved, contact one of the Lantra Investors in People Specialists who will happily provide a free initial consultation at a time that suits you.

Investors in People really can help you achieve your business objectives and improve the performance of your organisation.