AHCC receives 4DW Foundation accreditation

Looking after our people has always been about more than creating a great place to work. At Alder Hey Children’s Charity, it’s a key part of how we build a stronger, more sustainable organisation that can continue making a bigger difference for children and young people.

Our Chief Operating Officer, Sarah Fletcher, recently shared our journey at the Charity Finance Group (CFG) Annual Conference, where she spoke about why putting people at the heart of organisational strategy has become one of the driving forces behind our continued growth.

Sarah said: “Putting people first has never been about lowering expectations – it’s about creating the conditions for people to do their very best work. By building a culture based on trust, wellbeing and flexibility, we’ve shown that supporting our colleagues and delivering outstanding results can go hand in hand. It was a privilege to share our journey with organisations from across the charity sector, and I hope it encourages more conversations about how investing in people can create stronger, more sustainable charities.”

Like many charities, we’ve experienced increasing demand, rising costs and a highly competitive recruitment market. Rather than simply asking our team to do more, we chose to focus on creating an environment where people can perform at their best while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

That commitment began with the development of our Staff Charter, a shared set of principles that encourages openness, flexibility and wellbeing. From supporting flexible working around family life to creating space for honest conversations about workload and mental health, the charter reflects the culture we want to build across the organisation.

These values aren’t separate from our organisational ambitions; they’re woven into them. Championing our people, wellbeing and culture sits alongside our goals for fundraising growth, supporter engagement and long-term sustainability, because we believe that when our people thrive, our charity can too.

In 2024, we became one of the organisations taking part in the UK’s national four-day working week pilot. Using the recognised 100:80:100 model, colleagues moved to a 30-hour working week with no reduction in pay, while maintaining the same levels of service, productivity and impact. Throughout the trial, we carefully monitored key performance indicators, including fundraising income, productivity, staff wellbeing and organisational performance, to ensure the approach delivered for both our team and the charity.

The results exceeded expectations.

Alongside improvements in staff wellbeing, recruitment and retention, we also saw increased productivity and stronger fundraising performance. Since 2019/20, the charity’s income has grown by 102% from £4.7 million to £9.5 million in 2024/25, helping us fund even more life-changing equipment, research, facilities and experiences for children and families at Alder Hey.

Perhaps just as importantly, we saw colleagues return to work feeling more refreshed, energised and creative. Giving people the time and trust to recharge has helped create an environment where new ideas can flourish and teams can continue delivering their best work.

One member of staff said: “Having the extra day has genuinely made a difference to my work-life balance. I come back to work feeling refreshed and more focused, and I feel trusted to manage my time in a way that helps me do my best work. It benefits me personally, but I also think it helps me give more to the charity.”

Our commitment to creating an outstanding workplace has also been recognised nationally. Earlier this year, Alder Hey Children’s Charity was named one of the UK’s Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026 Small Organisation, with particularly strong scores for leadership, wellbeing, employee engagement and workplace culture.

While we’re incredibly proud of this recognition, we see it as a reflection of something much bigger. Investing in our people helps us attract and retain talented colleagues, strengthens our culture and ultimately enables us to have an even greater impact for the children, young people and families who rely on Alder Hey.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges facing the charity sector, but our experience has shown that putting people first isn’t at odds with organisational growth. By supporting our team to do their best work in a way that’s sustainable, we’ve built a stronger charity that’s better equipped to deliver on its mission today and into the future.

Fiona Ashcroft, Chief Executive Officer at Alder Hey Children’s Charity, said:

“Our people are the driving force behind everything we achieve at Alder Hey Children’s Charity. Every fundraiser, every partnership and every pound raised ultimately helps improve the lives of children and young people, and that starts with having a team who feel valued, supported and inspired to do their best work. Creating a positive workplace culture isn’t just good for our colleagues; it’s fundamental to delivering our mission today and ensuring we can continue growing our impact for years to come.”