· Charities
will be assessing their working practices post-COVID, to see if anything can be
learned from changes which have in many cases, been forced upon them. What were we forced to change? How did we respond/adapt?
How was working from home? What aspects can we retain for the benefit of:
1. our
efficiency,
2. our
staff health and welfare and
3. the
environment?
· Charities
will be reappraising their requirement for premises in the changed world we are
waking up to.
1. Do we
have the right space on the right commercial terms for the way we will operate
in future?
2. In an
ideal scenario, what space and agreement would suit us best?
3. Is
what we have, an asset or a rather large millstone?
· Charities
will be looking beyond the short-term, virus-created recession and asking:
1. What does
our business plan tell us about the “container” we will need, to put our charity
in (its premises) and how will that need to change with time?”
2. How
far into the future can we look and say “this is what we will need”? That I call the business horizon.
Try this analogy as a helpful
way to view your premises. Think of them
as you would a key member of staff. They
will be benefitting the charity by what they do, every day. They are the “right fit” for the charity in
terms of appearance and presentation, and they are trained and resourced to be
most efficient. They are looked after
and nurtured to maintain that positive contribution and paid/rewarded
accordingly.
Do you look upon your premises
in that way? As an asset to the charity making
a positive contribution, not a rather distasteful overhead sucking on the
cashflow? Which way do you look upon your employees?
Jim Culverwell FRICS is an independent commercial property
adviser with over 36 years’ experience in the sector, which he employs to
assist charities and businesses large and small in their property
dealings. Jim offers charities and
not-for-profit organisations discounted fees to encourage them to seek advice.
Culverwell Consulting
M: 07785953759
E: jim@CulverwellConsulting.co.uk
W: www.CulverwellConsulting.co.uk