When you think of leaders in the UK, who do you think of? What qualities do they have, or don’t have? Perhaps you have a negative view of leaders or great admiration. Either way, leadership is not easy. The social sector needs impactful, confident and inspiring leaders. Firstly there is an opportunity to really change the world for the better. It may be that you are the founder of a local lunch club to reduce isolation among older people, or run a small but national charity that cares about a little-known medical condition. Using an engaged philanthropy approach, The Rank Foundation support, nurture and encourage the social sector leader. We work with many leaders, some known to the wider world and some quietly working away in their corner of the UK. We provide core funding, access to sharing good practice, opportunities to network, help with capacity building the organisation and participation in action learning sets.

Our case studies illustrate the leadership journeys for those people who go the extra mile, or marathon. Leadership certainly is a journey and The Rank Foundation cannot and should not walk all the way with the leader but we have our part to play, as a pebble in the pond, to create a greater impact on the social sector for decades to come