A look back at some of the weak signals we have captured during projects over the years. An assessment of which became defining trends, which we underestimated, and which faded or reversed.

Interactive chart: how much the UK's best-known charities raise in donations and legacies for every pound they spend on fundraising, by cause area, and how far that return has fallen. Charity Commission and OSCR data, 2021 to 2024.

Interactive chart: how much the largest charities in England and Wales rely on donations and legacies, and what they spend to raise them. Charity Commission data, 2021 to 2024.

Sport attracts capital, status and ambition. It rarely attracts strategic philanthropic intent. That gap represents both a risk and a significant, largely untapped opportunity.

Charity trustees bring valuable skills, experience, networks and perspectives to the organisations they serve. The trustee dividend is the strategic value this collective contribution should create for the charity. Too often, that dividend is under-realised because a busy board is not always an effective one. The strongest boards use their time to challenge assumptions, stretch ambition and shape better decisions.

A Theory of Change is not a one-time exercise. It should be live, relevant and useful to your organisation.  A live Theory of Change helps leaders decide where to focus, what to stop doing, which assumptions carry the greatest risk, and where evidence should shape future choices.

What might everyday life look like in 2046? RCA architecture students answered through artefacts, prototypes and film

At a time when many institutions are struggling to build trust, participation and shared purpose, sport retains attention, loyalty and place-based identity.

We are delighted to announce that Ben Randall has been appointed as CEO of Firetail, with Andy Martin stepping into the role of Executive Chair,

Becoming a B Corp has had three unexpected but practical benefits.

A write-up of Firetail’s latest webinar, focusing on transformation with Firetail Partners Ethan Kline and Kate Barlow

We are pleased to share our 2025 impact report, marking Firetail’s 20th year in business.

Facing pressure to do something about AI at your organisation? Here are our key takeaways from a conversation with Patricia O’Hagan MBE, CEO of Core Systems and member of Matrix, The Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel.

Sport is huge—and it’s only getting bigger. But beyond goals and glory, something more interesting is happening: clubs, athletes and leagues are realising the commercial and social power of purpose.

Our latest Firetail webinar explored how sport can drive meaningful social change. Joined by Frances Milner, CEO of the Leeds United Foundation, we discussed what happens when a club decides its badge can stand for more than football.

What might the world look like in 10 years? Is it useful to dedicate time to imagining the future when you’re in the middle of a crisis? How do you make Futures Thinking ‘stick?’

Last week, we talked about how leaders of social impact organisations can galvanise support for this kind of work. Here are 6 insights from the session.

We work a lot with partners. As well as bringing specialist sector skills and knowledge, they offer us fresh perspectives to any given project. More importantly, we love working with them and share their desire to deliver positive social change.

Some reflections (and some merch) to mark Firetail’s 20th anniversary.

A common missing element in futures work is the connection to strategy. At its core, strategy is about choices—what to do and what not to do. Futures thinking strengthens this choice-making capacity by providing context for decisions and revealing their implications across different possible futures.

Innovation funds blend investment savvy with social purpose. In this Firetail webinar recap, Jim Clifford OBE and Kirsten Hopkins explain how these funds accelerate impact, recycle capital, and build learning networks—while warning of common pitfalls—and share first-step models for charities, foundations, and corporates.

In last week’s Lunch & Learn webinar, Andy Martin was pleased to be joined by John Hitchin, the Co-Founder of Stories of Change for a presentation and discussion of how to better connect, evaluation, learning, and strategy.

John presented four frameworks during the session, which you can use to help your organisation interrogate what impact you are trying to measure, the relationship between strategy and performance systems, and the importance of time and the maturity of what you are evaluating.