A truly partnership approach to making a donor/recipient relationship work
CLARE MADDISON of the Berkeley Foundation writes: Our support for The Change Foundation’s Street Elite project should be seen within the context of how we generally work with charities. The Berkeley Foundation is the independent charitable foundation set up by the Berkeley Group, a FTSE 100 company, in 2011. Berkeley Group provides “core funding” which covers overheads and means - all the foundation’s resources are spent directly on charitable activities.
Berkeley staff raise further money annually through fundraising events and payroll giving. We use all our resources to support organisations, young people and communities to have a positive impact in the areas where the Berkeley Group works.
Frontline charities
We work with expert frontline charities across London, Birmingham and the South of England to drive change across five impact goals: a safe place to call home, journey to employment, health and wellbeing, youth leadership and a resilient voluntary sector. We take a long term relational approach to our funding, building trust-based relationships with the organisations we support.
Our partnerships often evolve and are tailored to the charity’s needs, offering a mix of restricted and unrestricted income, alongside volunteering, pro-bono support and opportunities for learning and networking.
WORKING WITH STREET ELITE. Street Elite was born following a small pilot project we co-funded in 2011 for 24 young people in London, in partnership with The Change Foundation and Lord’s Taverners. The goal was to use sport to reach individuals who weren’t engaging with job centres or other formal systems — such as young offenders, individuals impacted by crime, or the long term unemployed. This wasn’t about achieving quick wins; it was about creating meaningful, lasting change for a group that charities and local authorities weren’t addressing.
The nine-month pilot delivered outstanding results, with a 100% NEET (not in education, employment or training) to EET (education, employment or training) rate, and it inspired the partners to formally launch the programme. The programme’s capacity has gradually increased in scale and today Street Elite supports over 125 young people annually across six London boroughs and Birmingham.
Key role
The Berkeley Foundation has played a key role in enabling this growth by committing over £3.9 million across 18 years, building capacity within the Street Elite team and facilitating work experience placements through the Berkeley Group. We are now renewing the partnership with a commitment of £1.55 million
ASSESSING OUTCOMES. Assessing outcomes is an important matter for us. We focus first and foremost on individual impact, which can’t be communicated through a spreadsheet. At the same time, we do need to have a process for reporting.
We developed a framework for assessing the output of the partnership and have previously commissioned an external evaluation of the programme. The 2019 evaluation conducted by Bean Research found that every £1 invested in Street Elite generated £10.72 in social value through reduced negative health behaviours, increased skills and employment, and supporting participants to become engaged and active young people.
Strong evidence base
Over the years, we’ve built a strong evidence base, which speaks volumes for Street Elite’s impact. This is a key reason for investing in the programme for an additional five years.
LESSON LEARNED. The most important lesson we’ve learned through our work with Street Elite is the value of a patient approach. For those who have been out of work for an extended period, finding the motivation to re-enter the job market can be a daunting challenge. Weeks turn into months, and the barriers to employment only seem to grow. Street Elite offers a beacon of hope, highlighting the value of trusted mentoring relationships over the long term.
NAVJEET SIRA of The Change Foundation and its programme Street Elite writes: Street Elite is a life-changing programme which works with young people who’ve been written off by society - those who face the toughest barriers, have been let down by failing systems, and are often labelled as “hard to reach.” Few invest in these young people because it’s not easy.
But Street Elite thrives where others fall short. We meet these young people where they are, building trust, creating hope and offering opportunities through sport, mentorship and real-world opportunities.
Deep connection
What makes Street Elite stand out is its deep connection to the communities it serves. We understand the vulnerabilities, the intensity of their struggles, and the resilience it takes for them to even consider a different path. Unlike traditional programmes, which try to fit young people into rigid systems, Street Elite adapts, not by ignoring their challenges, but by walking alongside them through it all.
The Berkeley Foundation has been a cornerstone of Street Elite’s journey for 13 years. They didn’t just see the glossy surface; they saw everything: the wins, the struggles, the flaws and the failures. And yet, they partner with us because they also believe in the power of what Street Elite represents. Their commitment isn’t just about financial support; it’s about trust, shared learning and a genuine belief in the young people we work with.
The majority of the funding the Berkeley Foundation provides goes directly into the heart of our work: the people who make it happen. It pays for the salaries of our sport for social change team, a team made up entirely of Street Elite graduates and volunteers.
These are individuals with lived experience, who know first-hand what it’s like to face the challenges our participants are going through. As a testament to the mindset change they’ve undergone, they return to their communities, delivering Street Elite with passion, understanding and authenticity that can’t be taught in any training programme.
Cycle of empowerment
This partnership is about more than funding; it’s about creating a cycle of empowerment. Together, Street Elite and the Berkeley Foundation are proving that when you invest in the young people everyone else forgets, you don’t just change lives, you change communities, and you redefine what’s possible for the next generation.
ADAPTING MINDSETS. Adapting to a donor/recipient relationship has been a journey for Street Elite, particularly in balancing the need for reporting with respect for our participants’ sensitivities. Many of the young people we work with have a deep mistrust of forms, data collection and sharing personal information, understandably so, given their experiences with systems that have let them down. Early on, we approached reporting cautiously, taking time to explain to participants what we were recording and why.
Patience and understanding
The Berkeley Foundation has been instrumental in making this process work. They’ve shown patience and understanding, never pushing for information in ways that could jeopardise the trust we’ve built. Over time, we’ve moved beyond acting as a middleman for seeking consent for storytelling and case studies.
The young people know and trust the foundation team, viewing them as an extension of the Street Elite coach mentors. When the foundation asks for something, they take the time to explain the purpose, allowing participants to make informed decisions about whether to share their stories.
This collaborative approach ensures everyone feels respected and empowered. It has strengthened our relationship with the Berkeley Foundation and helped us align their expectations with our commitment to participant trust and authenticity.
FRONTLINE INPUT. The relationship between Street Elite and the Berkeley Foundation has been built on mutual respect and learning, but we didn’t educate them, Street Elite participants did. The foundation team listened, accepted, and supported the young people’s voices and experiences. They understood that our ways of working are different, shaped by the realities of frontline engagement. This means we may not always have every detail or piece of information ready in time. They’ve shown flexibility, allowing us to revisit and refine as the work unfolds.
Differing perspectives
We have the mindset to meet donor requirements, but our perspectives on what’s possible and what’s important sometimes differ. We approach this openly, sharing our views and finding common ground together.
Impact measurement is particularly challenging because our work creates ripples that go beyond what static, annual data can capture. Explaining impact can be difficult because it’s something they feel, not something they’ve been taught to articulate. We, therefore, focus on immediate, tangible change, while recognising the ongoing nature of our impact.
LESSONS UNDERPINNING THE RENEWED PARTNERSHIP. Our relationship with the Berkeley Foundation has taught us the value of staying true to our purpose while adapting to meet shared goals. We’ve learned to put young people’s experiences at the centre of every decision. Their insights shape how we work because put simply, it must. The more we create space for their voices, the better the outcomes, not just for them, but for the programme itself.
We’ve also learned to be transparent about how we work and what’s realistic. Employment journeys are as varied as the young people themselves, and that means outcomes will differ
Push forward together
With this renewed partnership, we’ll continue to push forward together, aligning our ambitions while staying grounded in what works for the young people we serve. These lessons have strengthened our relationship and will drive even greater impact in the future.
ACCEPTING LARGE DONATIONS. From our experience with Street Elite, here are three key lessons we’d share with other charities accepting large donations:
- Decide on the impact measurement framework together. Don’t do it in isolation, work with your donor to ensure alignment from the beginning.
- Open up your spaces to each other. Experience each other's work cultures as often as you can. It builds understanding and trust.
- Don’t try to impress anyone. When you focus on delivering the outcomes you’ve set out, the work speaks for itself and any power imbalance fades away.
These lessons have shaped our approach and helped build a stronger partnership.
