A Businesslike Charity

The Challenges

The fact that CIPFA is a registered charity but at the same time runs a highly successful commercial arm, IPF, and a significant courses and publications business, might suggest a clash of styles and culture. On the contrary both the charitable and the commercial activities have a great deal in common. The challenge is to ensure that both are efficient, innovative and successful. Increasingly this suggests an emphasis on two key aspects of the organisation - getting the best out of our people (staff and volunteers) and making best use of technology.

Where do we want to be in 2007?

One final hallmark comes into sharp focus in relation to the Institute's efforts to be efficient and businesslike in all of its work:

Hallmark (7) Best Use of Resources An Institute which conducts its business efficiently and makes best use of the resources at its disposal.

Our Strategy

The key components of CIPFA's strategy to manage itself as A Businesslike Charity are:

• to ensure that the Institute invests appropriately in modern technology and organises itself effectively to maximise the returns from those investments;
• to enter, where appropriate, into carefully negotiated strategic partnerships to enable the Institute to meet its objectives and to expand its capacity and markets;
• to ensure that the working conditions of staff are conducive to high motivation and excellent performance;
• to ensure that all staff and volunteers are well informed about all of the Institute's activities and are actively engaged in seeking to improve the quality of the services provided by the Institute;
• to strive continuously to improve the internal management and decision-making arrangements within CIPFA including its various panels, boards and committees.

Progress to Date

Developments under the hallmark 7 banner, since the development strategy's launch in March 2001, have included:

• review and implementation of new decision making structures and governance arrangements;
• completion of a review of the Institute's accommodation needs;
• implementation of a new pay and rewards strategy;
• implementation of new modern information systems within the Institute secretariat;
• significant improvements to the 3 Robert Street premises;
• introduction of a CIPFA intranet;
• re-accreditation for Investors in People.

Ongoing and New Initiatives

A number of the initiatives which are detailed in the action plan which form part of this development strategy are designed to deliver an organisation which is invariably efficient and businesslike in all of its dealings. They include:

• developing strategic partnerships where appropriate to facilitate investment in and development of new and existing products and services, and to open up new markets;
• introducing arrangements for better briefing of staff and sharing of information within the Institute;
• reviewing the Institute's marketing function;
• developing a culture of continuous quality improvement within CIPFA in the short term focusing on specific improvements in process and performance management, and building increased corporate and middle management capacity within the organisation.