Some FAQs about Firetail

At Firetail, we work with ambitious organisations to shape strategy, explore futures, and evaluate impact. But before you know how we do it, you may be asking broader questions — questions like the ones we hear every day from charity leaders, foundation staff, researchers, and social change professionals.

This page brings those questions into one place. Whether you’re just starting to explore options or ready to take the next step, we hope this helps.

1. “What Makes a Good Strategy Consultant for a Charity or Foundation?”

A good strategy consultant does more than write a plan. They ask the right questions, facilitate honest conversations, and co-create a clear path forward — one rooted in purpose, evidence, and context.

At Firetail, we bring:

• Deep experience across the charity, philanthropic and research sectors

• Skilled facilitation and stakeholder engagement

• Frameworks tailored to values-led organisations

• A focus on clarity, confidence and commitment

We’ve supported strategic reviews, theory of change processes, organisational restructures and multi-country programme strategies. We have a diverse portfolio of civil society clients.

🡒 Learn more about our strategy work →

2. “How Can We Plan for the Future in a World This Uncertain?”

You’re not alone in asking this. Climate change, technology, politics, demography — the forces shaping our world can feel overwhelming.

That’s why we offer futures thinking as a core part of our work. Firetail’s horizon scanning service helps organisations:

• Identify emerging trends

• Explore scenarios

• Test assumptions

• Make better long-term decisions

We turn uncertainty into strategic insight. Our foresight reports, participative futures thinking and scenario tools support Boards, senior leaders innovation teams and communities of changemakers.

🡒 See how we help clients look ahead →

3. “What Does High-Quality Evaluation Actually Look Like?”

Too many evaluations are done for funders, filed away, and forgotten. We believe good evaluation:

• Helps you learn and improve

• Respects participants’ time and stories

• Is proportionate to the project

• Leads to better decisions

We specialise in:

• Mixed-method evaluation

• Theory-based and developmental evaluation

• Participatory and user-centred approaches

Our team has evaluated research initiatives, public engagement campaigns, global health partnerships and more — from rapid reviews to multi-year, multi-country studies.

🡒 Explore our evaluation services →

4. “Can Someone Help Me Design a Theory of Change?”

Yes. We’ve done it many times with a tried and trusted process.

Our theory of change processes are:

• Collaborative — we work with your team and stakeholders

• Visual — so your ideas can be shared and refined

• Practical — designed to support implementation and evaluation

We’ve worked with international funders, UK charities, research teams, and local organisations to create theories of change that live and breathe in real-world settings.

🡒 See examples and our approach →

5. “I Need Help Facilitating a Board Away Day. Can You Do That?”

Absolutely. Firetail facilitators are experienced in:

• Board strategy sessions

• Cross-team alignment workshops

• Funder-partner reflection sessions

• Impact and learning retreats

We design and run sessions that energise teams, surface tensions, and build consensus — all with a sense of momentum and purpose.

🡒 Book a facilitation consultation →

6. “What Kind of Clients Do You Work With?”

We work across the ecosystem of social change:

• Charities — from grassroots to national

• Foundations — from family philanthropies to global funders

• Research and academic bodies — including public science funders and international institutions

• NGOs and advocacy networks — working across borders and issues

We’re proudly values-driven, sector-aware, and genuinely curious about each client’s world.

🡒 Read more about who we work with →

7. “Are You Independent? Boutique? Scalable?”

Yes, yes, and yes.

Firetail is:

• Independent — privately owned, no investors or affiliations

• Boutique — small enough to care, senior enough to challenge

• Scalable — we use networks, methods and tools to deliver at pace and depth

We’ve grown sustainably over 20 years. We’re trusted by institutions and admired by peers. And we’re still small enough that every project matters.

8. “Are You Hiring? Running Events? Open to Collaborating?”

Yes. You’ll find opportunities to:

• Join the team

• Attend a webinar

• Collaborate as an associate or partner → Contact us

We’re always keen to meet thoughtful collaborators and ambitious clients.

9. “How Do I Stay Updated on What You’re Seeing?”

We offer:

• A regular newsletter with ideas, insight and trends

• Updates on horizon scanning, sector shifts, and strategy tools

• Early access to events, workshops and reports

🡒 Sign up for our newsletter →

10. “Who’s Behind Firetail?”

Firetail was founded by Andy Martin in 2005, and is now a team of strategists, evaluators, facilitators and futures thinkers based in London. We’re united by our belief in social progress — and by our obsession with clarity, rigour and momentum.

🡒 Meet the team →

Still Have Questions?

You’re not alone. That’s why we start every project with a conversation.

🡒 Let’s talk →