Charity's restructure is aimed at creating "donor clarity"
Cornerstone has announced a major restructure – separating its fundraising and social care arms.
The charity, which provides care and support services for people with disabilities, says the move could help double its income from donors.
It has set up the Cornerstone Foundation, with the aim of raising philanthropic giving to more than £2 million.
The charity says this division between its fundraising arm and the work it carries out on behalf of local government and health and social care partnerships will provide “donor clarity”.
There was also positive news on the jobs front, with five new roles being created in the foundation.
Cornerstone says it has taken inspiration from international counterparts, particularly from similar care organisations in the United States.
The move its outlined in its new strategic plan, titled Local Cornerstone.
Lisa Duthie, new leader of the Cornerstone Foundation, said: “As we embark on this new journey as an organisation, we felt it was vital to change our approach to fundraising in order to increase charitable income and in turn take a long term view at how we can have a more positive impact on the lives of people we support.
“To do this, we carried out extensive research, looking at our charitable messaging, offering and capability, and this has resulted in the creation of The Cornerstone Foundation as a separate fundraising body, working hand-in-hand with Cornerstone’s care-providing activities.
“An integral part of this change is the desire to continue building long-lasting relationships with supporters and focussing on telling compelling stories to engage and inspire people to donate. To do this we aim to ensure the stories of how Cornerstone makes a difference to the lives of the people we support are told passionately, and frequently, by our team.”
Edel Harris, chief executive of Cornerstone, said: “As an organisation, we are immensely proud of the care we provide and the tangible difference it makes to the lives of the people we support.
“While we will continue to concentrate our efforts on working with health and social care partnerships to deliver great care in the communities which we serve it is no secret that social care budgets are constantly being tightened and in order to meet our charitable purpose of helping the people we support to live a valued life – the life they choose, we rely more and more on generous donations from our loyal supporters.
“The establishment of the Cornerstone Foundation will help us give clarity to potential donors about why they should support Cornerstone by demonstrating the immediate difference they can make to someone’s life in their local community and I hope that groups, individuals and businesses across Scotland are encouraged to continue to support us and the valuable work we do.”
Cornerstone was founded in 1980 and has grown to support more than 2,200 people each year.
