SWOT for Success

An integral element of PEF’s approach is ‘applying private equity disciplines to charity’ –identifying the aspects of private equity approaches that help to build strong, results-focused companies and using these approaches to build successful and effective charities.

Part of this approach is to be rigorous in the way we select the charities we invest in. Another is to work closely with management in our portfolio charities to help them achieve their strategic ambitions, so that more young people can achieve their full potential.

In line with the latter approach, we assembled four ‘SWOT teams’ this year to engage with the management teams of our four new portfolio charities, and to finalise the details of PEF’s investment: the work of these teams is critical in ensuring that PEF’s investment is well aligned with the strategic needs of the portfolio charity. Their work is also helping management teams to kick-start the process of transformation, by developing robust 100-day Plans and beginning to mobilise the organisation for change.

Each team is led by the PEF Deal Captain (typically a PEF trustee) who has seen the portfolio charity through the entire diligence and selection process, whilst team members have been drawn from private equity, corporate finance and law. Our thanks go to Deloitte & Touche, Clifford Chance and Ashurst for their generous pro bono contribution of time and expertise on our teams.