copilot

You're leading change and that can be challenging. That's where I come in - to bolster you with action and pace. I'm not a coach, I'm a co-. Let me lighten your load.

With outsourced senior support you could get more vital stuff done - at the speed and standard you need, but without the lengthy oversight.

In the past few years it's been my absolute pleasure to support social sector leaders with their challenges, changes, opportunities and innovations. No longer in the hot seat myself, I've transitioned joyfully into being a co.

I have a deep and versatile trove of knowledge and skill in leadership, agile operations, philanthropy, impact investing, collaboration and tech-for-good, with an international eye and inclusive lens. I've led and fundraised in startups and nonprofits. I know the sector ecosystem, can get inside new contexts quickly, and walk alongside you as relay, gap fill or co-pilot.

How much is it?

There are two options:

Co-Pilot Monthly costs £800 a month for 2 days, subject to a 3 month initial booking
Co-Pilot On Demand costs £100/hour - please allow an initial 3 hours of discovery

Contracts longer than 6 months are negotiable on fee with at least a 10% discount.

In all cases we'll have an advance 30 - 45 minute free discovery chat, so that we can check I fit the bill.

What could our co-work look like?

Refreshing or simplifying strategy into an actionable path
Creating a specific Case for Support or holistic philanthropy strategy
Elevating your research for storytelling and advocacy impact
Creating some thought leadership collateral
Conducting a skills audit or assessing capacity v goals
Setting and communicating a vision of what good looks
Fresh insight for problem-solving or getting out of 'stuck' or 'spiralling' mode
Brainstorming a digital innovation - internal or external
Recommending agile solutions, whether digitalisation, automation or AI
Creating or uplifting a Communications Plan
Ordering the disorder so that we can plan ahead
Pragmatic guidance when you can't see the wood for the trees

I use an agile approach to start where things are, unblock barriers and leverage levers. I am known to ask a lot of whys and talk a lot about audiences, goals and problems. Ultimately, I'll give you deliverables, tools, methods or a creative boon, and you'll need me less and less as things progress.

"Sarah is a safe pair of hands, a trusted partner, at senior level"

Rose Maruru, CEO, EPIC-Africa

"Well connected across UK philanthropy, Sarah is a sharp thinker, a generous collaborator, and a determined changemaker. If you value bold thinking, compassionate leadership, and someone who bridges charity and commercial worlds with ease, I recommend her without hesitation."
Howard Lake, Fundraising UK

read more recommendations >>

Let's talk

Burning out? Neurodivergent? Brain fog?

Please don't worry. I am becoming adept at supporting different thinking, information processing and work styles as well as recognising and adapting my own. From body doubling to visual cues or brain dumps, I can give you space to think in a way that improves your energy rather than depletes it. I am open to new ways of working so you can always suggest what works for you.

Recent co-piloting assignments:

Often the things I help with have hit an imminent deadline, a skills or headspace block or gap, or simply wouldn't get off the ground at all.

Thought leadership

Ghost wrote long form editorial for a charity CEO, for publication in a leading philanthropy journal.

Re-framed a unique pan-African individual giving research report to ensure structural clarity, honed messages and impactful recommendations for different audiences.

🔸 see Challenging the Myths

Created a 'thinking space/sandbox' for a creative but overwhelmed social enterprise Director.

Digitalisation

Designed a lightweight, low-cost digital resource to showcase and classify social impact infrastructure organisations around the world.

Strategy and Fundraising

Created a helicopter view of the context and organisational health of a small charity needing to re-examine the problem it solves & hone its grant-making outreach.

Wrote a project Case for Support for the CEO of a movements infrastructure organisation.

Create a Business Model Canvas for a new service for a philanthropy organisation.

Refined a techforgood funding pitch for a digital media platform.

Analysis and Writing

Analysed a qualitative survey using AI to speed insights but human metacognition to frame the story as an engaging campaigning piece.

Organising / Planning

Created an organisation Year Plan in Trello to manage cadence and prioritisation across peak and lag times of the year for a campaigning organisation.

Let's talk