Aggie's 5 year Strategy

3 Reflecting

4 Developing

“From the commencement of my work I always felt that nothing we could do for Jack was complete unless we

included the ‘Missus,’ and, if possible, the children.”

Introduction

The extract is taken from Dame Agnes’ My Life amongst the Blue Jackets – it still stands true today, and will tomorrow. The Naval Family has expanded since 1876 and now includes the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The ships, aircraft and submarines have evolved in complexity but the plethora of stresses that come from separated life in the Service of others still exist for sailors, aircrew, marines and, more importantly, their families: the Naval Family is becoming more diverse and geographically displaced. For Aggie’s to continue to Serve them as Dame Agnes would have wished, we need to constantly listen, reflect, and evolve. In producing this new strategy, the Board of Trustees has recognised some of the areas that we need to work harder on in order that Aggie’s can continue to provide support to the whole Naval Family.

Reflecting on the Past Five Years

When we produced our last five-year strategy in 2019, we had no idea of the tumultuous change that was going to be forced upon us and the Naval Family during the global pandemic. Faceto-face contact and the ability to have meaningful conversations was cut. For the first time, our deployed sailors, aircrew, and marines, operating from the relative safety bubble of our ships, were struggling to understand the risk to their families not themselves: in a complete reversal, their loved ones were the ones in harm’s way. Like so many charities and organisations, Aggie’s had to adapt how it communicated with its beneficiaries; the age of the digital and online conversations was thrust upon us. Throughout and since the end of the global pandemic, Aggie’s has continued to support the Naval Family.

Since 2019 Aggie’s has grown the network of Pastoral Workers from 29 to 39 and the number of sites it operates from 16 to 20 with the inclusion of the Defence School of Logistics and Administration at Worthy Down, RM Chivenor as well and Community Waves teams in Portsmouth and Plymouth. The shift to increased operations outside of the wire was a specific focus during the last five years and built upon our experience in Helensburgh and the Ark project in Plymouth.

Meanwhile, Storybook Waves recordings continue to have a positive impact on the lives of service children and, consequently, on both the nondeployed parent and, indirectly, the deployed parent. Aggie’s continues to lead Portsmouth Military Kids, an organisation which helps schools use the Service Pupil Premium effectively for the benefit of the children. Aggie’s is also contributing to the Gosport and Fareham Multi-Academy Trust which has a high proportion of service children, and Aggie Weston’s is now collaborating with Future Fit to establish supportive activities for naval children in the Plymouth area.

Strategically the Board of Trustees has actively managed the Charity’s investments, moving the portfolio to Cazenove Capital and appointing new auditors. The Board of Trustees continues to evolve but recognises that greater diversity, including deep specialists, are required. The Board continues to meet three times a year, but now alternate meetings are preceded by a prayer day which enables the Board to focus on particular areas. A key area during these prayer days has been a review of the charity’s vision and values which form a key part of the 2024-2029 Strategy

Developing our 2024-2029 Strategy

Aggie’s Mission

The promotion of the efficiency of the Royal Navy and the advancement of the Christian faith.

The challenge of the modern world means that not only the operating pattern of the Royal Navy, including the Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, is adapting, and innovating but their family model is also changing. More of its people are at higher readiness and forward based around the globe and more families live away from traditional base port areas. Aggie’s stated charitable object, our mission, remains the promotion of the efficiency of the Royal Navy and the advancement of the Christian faith.

Aggie’s Vision

That all serving members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and their families live life to the fullest measure and know the value that Jesus places on them.

Since 1876, Aggie’s has continued to evolve but the purpose of Aggie’s has remained the same: That all serving members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and their families live life to the fullest measure and know the value that Jesus places on them.

Aggie’s Values

Inclusive – Aggie’s treats all members of the Royal Navy (Including the Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary) and their families with respect and dignity.

Safe and Welcoming – Aggie’s provides a safe and welcoming, hospitable space: Aggie’s listens; it does not judge; is not part of the chain of command.

Motivated by the love of Jesus –Aggie’s staff live out their faith by showing care and compassion for those of all faiths and none.

It is essential that as a charity, especially a Christian charity, we know what we have been called to be like, in other words our values. As a Board we have spent considerable time reflecting and praying on this and believe that Aggie’s is: Inclusive, Safe and Welcoming and Motivated by the love of Jesus.

Aggie’s Strategic Objectives

Support to Personnel in training in order to reduce the numbers withdrawn from training;

Support to Personnel who are experiencing stress in order to reduce the numbers becoming medically non-deployable;

Support to Personnel weighed down by family, financial or practical issues in order to restore their efficiency;

Support to Families through testing times, particularly during lengthy deployments, in order to reduce the numbers resigning from the Royal Navy early due to family reasons.

The efficiency of the Royal Navy that we strive to promote continues to be undermined when the Naval Family is unhappy, when it is weighed down by problems which distract and may, if left unchecked, lead to: personnel leaving ships or submarines on deployment; leaving the Service; or a family breakdown. Aggie’s can help but we need to understand the need and the impact that we are having.

How we operate

Aggie’s employs two key types of Pastoral Workers supported by volunteers. First, those who operate inside Naval establishments integrating their efforts with the work of Naval Chaplaincy Service to maximise impact. Secondly, and while working alongside their colleagues inside the wire, a smaller but growing group of Pastoral Workers who provide pastoral support to the Naval Family outside the bases.

Our relationship with the Naval Chaplaincy Service (NCS) has evolved over the years in response to the need. For over 125 years, the Royal Sailors’ Rests were largely independent of the NCS. However, with the of the closure of ‘Rests’ and the establishment of ‘Havens’ within Naval Establishments, the relationship with the NCS has grown and matured over the years but it is only one relationship Aggie Weston’s has. The Board of Trustees will continue to monitor the point of need within, and out with Naval establishments, and its relationship with the NCS so that we continue to promote the efficiency of the Royal Navy and the advancement of the Christian faith.

Our Executive team and Pastoral Workers work closely with a range of other charities and organisations. In doing so, the Board are very keen that Aggie’s does not duplicate support already available but provides a safe and welcoming environment where we can listen and help: collaboration is key, duplication is inefficient.

Aggie’s funds its work through a combination of investments gained from the sale of the Royal Sailors’ Rests (about two thirds) and grants, donations, and sponsorship from a range of strategic partners. At present there is an additional source of funding which comes from the Dashwood Trust. This trust manages a small portfolio of properties in Balham which was gifted to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Blind Veterans, the RNLI and Aggie’s. As properties are sold the funds are shared amongst the four beneficiary charities. Our strategy currently is to use these funds to increase the endowment investment portfolio (and hence income) rather than use these funds to reduce the in-year deficit.

The Next Five Years

As a Board we have identified the following key areas that we need to improve. We need to better Understand the problems faced by the Naval Family, increase the Capacity of our Pastoral Workers as well as their geographic Reach to support the Naval Family. We also need a more Sustainable fiscal foundation to improve our overall Impact for the generations to come. Finally, we must ensure that the Governance structures are in place to deliver our ambition.

Our challenges, ambition and the way we will deliver. In response to the challenges that we face – understanding, capacity, reach, sustainability, impact and governance – we have laid out our ambitions for the next five years and how we intend to achieve them. We will not be dogmatic and working closely with the Executive, the Board of Trustees will constantly review progress, veering and hauling resource as required. If areas are not working then the Board will stop, listen, pray and set a new direction. It is a living plan motivated by the Love of Jesus.

Understand Capacity

Our Challenge. With a dispersed Naval Family, it is becoming increasingly challenging to understand their needs.

Our ambition. To reflect the needs of the modern Naval Family, not our perceived perception of need.

We will achieve this by... Working closely with other charities and organisations, as well as our Pastoral Workers, we will ask the families, listen to their concerns, and identify the areas where Aggie’s can make a difference. We recognise that this is going to be difficult; many families feel over-surveyed, and we need to approach this task with empathy.

Our challenge. With limited resource, it is essential that our Pastoral Workers, maximise their time having pastoral conversations generated through activities not just organising activities.

Our ambition. That all Pastoral Workers are aided in their day-to-day work by a wider team of volunteers who enable them to have more, and better quality, pastoral conversations with all our beneficiaries. We will also increase our Pastoral Worker footprint in the areas of greatest need.

We will achieve this by... Recruiting and training more volunteers to support our current Pastoral Teams operating within the wire and in the local naval communities;

Increasing our support where deemed necessary with an initial focus on Phase 1 and 2 Training Establishments;

Engage with Industrial partners to form strategic relationships with Aggie’s to fund additional Pastoral Workers.

Reach

Our challenge. Over the past two decades more Naval families have decided to live away from traditional base port areas, closer to wider family support, providing greater stability for working partners and children’s schooling. Despite this stability, many of the pressures of Naval life continue to stress relationships and impact on the efficiency of the Service. Our challenge is to reach all the Royal Navy, wherever they are.

Our ambition is to reach more of the Naval Family by creating a network of regional Pastoral Workers across the United Kingdom to support the beneficiaries wherever they choose to live.

We will achieve this by... As part of a trial, establishing Aggie’s Community Teams in other Neighbourhoods (ACTioN) to engage with those Naval families living away from traditional base port areas;

We will engage with Local Authorities, Schools and Military Organisations to identify and interact with Naval Families, to understand their needs. This will enable us to target appropriate and relevant activities towards them, thus creating a pathway to the dispersed communities. We will consider innovative ways of engaging with these groups to best meet their needs and achieve our ambition in a cost effective and efficient way;

We will identify the five most appropriate Naval Family clusters outside of fifty miles of the current Naval bases, to prioritise the initial target area for the trial and then the subsequent expansion of our reach to dispersed beneficiary clusters.

Sustainability

Impact

Our challenge. To remain fit for the future, Aggie’s needs a more diverse range of supporters who will allow us to continue and expand our support to the Naval Family.

Our ambition. To ensure our long-term fiscal sustainability by securing the support needed to keep us strong and taking steps to ensure our activities and organisation are fit for the future.

We will achieve this by... With the aid of specialist external advisors, we will develop a fundraising strategy which diversifies funding streams and allows growth to support increase of capacity and reach;

We will recruit a fundraising specialist to the Executive with an aim of increasing annual funding by £250,000 by 2029;

We will use the proceeds from the Dashwood Trust to increase annual income, most probably by increasing the size of our investment portfolio although we have not discounted the possibility of renting out the properties on the open market in order to boost monthly income.

Our challenge. The work of Aggie’s is often confused and misunderstood. Aggie’s provides safe and welcoming spaces, Aggie’s listens without judgement and is not part of the chain of command. We must adapt our communications strategy to ensure that all stakeholders understand our role and the impact that we have on the lives of our beneficiaries.

Our ambition. That beneficiaries, staff and donors have a clear understanding of what Aggie’s does and the impact that it has daily on the lives of our beneficiaries.

We will achieve this by... Developing our Communications and Marketing Strategy, including Stakeholder Engagement, to support all audiences: beneficiaries, staff, and donors;

Defining better metrics for measuring impact to underpin the Communications Strategy;

Governance

Our challenge. To ensure that both the Board of Trustees and the Executive remain sufficiently diverse and have the capacity to deliver the level of ambition outlined in this Strategy.

Our ambition. That the Board of Trustees and Executive evolve to provide the correct level of Governance, Leadership and Management in support of this Strategy.

We will achieve this by... Diversifying the Board of Trustees to include specialists in Marketing and Communications, Fundraising and Legal.

Conducting a Functional review of the Executive to ensure that they have suitable specialists with the capacity to deliver and with clear divisions of responsibility.

Providing our Pastoral Workers and Volunteers with more effective tools to engage with the modern Naval Family.

Aggie’s 2024 Strategy –

How it all fits together

It is essential that there is a coherent thread running through internal and external reporting which will now focus on the six key areas identified in this strategy: Governance, Understanding, Capacity, Reach, Sustainability and Impact.

Our new Communications and Marketing Strategy will provide the wrap and provide the coherence of all our activities while the fundraising strategy will cut across as the key enabler.

Our Annual Aggie’s Impact Report, Making a Difference, will continue to articulate how we are helping the Naval Family and provide the introduction to our capstone Annual Report.

Aggie’s Governance Structure

The emphasis that this Strategy is placing on REACH is going to require a change in the size and shape of the Executive so that our new ACTioN initiative gets the correct level of leadership and management. This will be underpinned by the recruitment of a fundraising specialist into the Executive which will allow capacity to be released in other staff members as well as provide the fiscal headroom to deliver the level of ambition the Board have set. Our “alongside” relationship with the Naval Chaplaincy Service is established through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Chaplain of the Fleet and Aggies’ Chief Executive Officer.

Board of Trustees

Function: Governance

Executive

Functions: Leadership and Management, Operations, HR, Finance, Fundraising, Communications and Marketing Chaplaincy Team

Chaplain of The Fleet

Aggie’s Annual Trustee

Governance Cycle

This strategy has set our vision for the next five years. Advised by the overall state of investments and fundraising efforts, the Board will set its priorities for the next financial year through the Aggie’s Annual Plan which will drive the Budget considerations which we will agree and set in March. The focus will then shift to the preparation, and agreement, of the Annual Report in July for submission to the Charity Commission in July. We will listen to our external advisors, Cazenove Capital and Gibson Whitter, our auditors.

November Trustee Meeting

Agree Annual Plan

Impact Report

March Trustee Meeting Set Annual Budget

July Trustee Meeting Finalise Annual Report

Investment Manager’s Annual Report

External Auditors

The period covered by this Strategy will see the 150th Anniversary of the establishment of Dame Agnes Weston’s Royal Charity For The Naval Service. During that period the Charity has evolved to meet the challenges of the day but in everything that it has done it has always been motivated by the love of Jesus. As we look to the future, this motivation has never been stronger and all that we do continues to be “For the Glory of God and the Good of the Service” and we will continue to remain “Faithfully alongside the Naval Family – wherever they reside.”

Our Mission Promotion of the efficiency of the Royal Navy and the advancement of the Christian faith.

Our Vision

We Support everyone including

That all serving members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and their families live life to the fullest measure and know the value that Jesus places on them.