Time to Shine is a Leadership Programme established by The Rank Foundation. Since 2011, there have been over 520 Time to Shine leaders. Each leader is employed by a charitable organisation in the UK while participating in residentials, action learning sets and leadership workshops.

 The programme was set up following discussions in 2008 about the impact of the impending recession on charities that The Rank Foundation supported and on young people setting out on their chosen career path. Following an extensive pilot project, based on a volunteering scheme, the Time to Shine Internship Programme was created in 2011. It has developed and grown over the years and in 2019 was re-branded as the Time to Shine Leadership Programme.

The programme has continued to run throughout the covid-19 pandemic and the current cost of living crisis, offering vital support to smaller charities by bridging organisational gaps in times of great uncertainty.  In 2019, The Rank Foundation received a grant of £3m from The National Lottery Community Fund to expand the programme over the next three years and in 2020, a further grant was received from The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to support charities as they emerged from the pandemic.

Time to Shine Impact Film

What is Time to Shine?

Its purpose is twofold:

  • To enable individuals with the right skills mix, talent and work ethic, the opportunity to experience a 12- month paid leadership and development placement in a charity
  • To fill organisational, developmental and skills gaps in smaller charities by identifying a specific piece of work that can be completed in 12-months

The programme aims to develop capacity and bring about sustainable improvements to the charity’s performance whilst boosting employment prospects and building interest in career opportunities within the social sector.

What’s Involved?

The leadership programme incorporates personal development activities for both the Time to Shine (T2S) leader and the line manager, requiring attendance at residential events. The T2S leader will attend Action Learning sets throughout the year and can benefit from additional support provided by an experienced mentor from within the Rank network. Both line manager and T2S leader will have access to RankNet, Rank’s online network, providing further training and development opportunities and sector support.

How Does It Work?

Each year charities are invited to apply, outlining a priority, organisational development gap and what difference a leader would make in addressing this need. Charities are shortlisted and then the charity identifies an individual with the skills and talent to carry out the leadership programme.

Rank and the National Lottery Community Fund interview the line manager and the prospective leader in order to ensure that the organisation is clear about the role and what support structures are in place for the T2S leader

At the start of the programme the line manager and leader are both invited to a launch conference. This is an important activity as it provides the opportunity to share information on Time to Shine and offers a chance for the leaders and line managers to meet and create new support networks.
Each of the leadership programmes is designed specifically around the needs of the charity. The programme does not replace a core function but often offers the opportunity to test new areas of work that may lead to a permanent post or new system (not funded by Rank).

What Does The Leader Do?

The charities and social enterprises address many significant and deep-seated problems in society such as bullying among young people, knife crime, food poverty, loneliness among older people and rural isolation. These organisations face different challenges externally but share similar organisational needs internally such as marketing, PR, fundraising, research, social media and I.T. systems. The Time to Shine Leaders are specifically recruited on merit of their skills set and work ethic, to address these business needs and, over the 12-month period, to improve the host charities capacity to deliver services in the longer term.

Eligibility Criteria

Traditionally organisations are invited to apply for the scheme. These organisations must meet regional and thematic criteria set by The Rank Foundation.

The next programme will commenced in January 2023.

Meet our Time to Shine Leaders for 2023

Sophie Minervini
Sophie MinerviniFundraising Officer
Common Wheel
Cameron McGregor
Cameron McGregorDevelopment Officer
Elgin Youth Development Group
Jane Strutt
Jane StruttRural Development Support Officer
Inspiring Scotland (Thrive Outdoors Fund)
Alex Tresadern
Alex TresadernYouth Information Worker
OPEN Project, Voluntary Action Shetland
Laura MacPherson Zieger
Laura MacPherson ZiegerKnowledge Management 'Assistant'
Social Enterprise Academy
Eilidh Albrecht
Eilidh AlbrechtDevelopment Worker
Wellbeing Works, Dundee
Rachael Brown
Rachael BrownImpact Monitoring Officer
Back on the Map
Connor McLeod
Connor McLeodAssistant Producer
Dark Horse
Stephanie Jones
Stephanie JonesOffice and Anniversary Events Coordinator
Kyra Women’s Project
Nathan Stewart
Nathan StewartClimate Impact and Sustainability 'Intern'
Space2
Eve Sample
Eve SampleForest Coordinator
Stomping Grounds Forest School North East CIC
Danyal Iqbal
Danyal IqbalYouth Voice and Participation Worker
SELFA
Tim Murphy
Tim Murphy
Empowerment
Lee Green
Lee GreenPeer Support Project Coordinator
Dorset Mind
Anni Honkaniemi
Anni HonkaniemiPartnership Coordinator
First Give
Tommy Magnenat Cursate
Tommy Magnenat CursateSocial Enterprise Development Lead
Greenhill YMCA
Libby Adams-Crichton
Libby Adams-CrichtonCommunications Lead
Kissing it Better
Tara Griffin
Tara GriffinEducation and Heritage Officer
London Irish Centre
Adam Dickson
Adam DicksonProject Officer
The Advantage Foundation
Katherine Maki Brown
Katherine Maki BrownSocial Media Executive
The Economist Educational Foundation
Nora Ezzeddine
Nora EzzeddineData and CRM Coordinator
Breaking Barriers
Arif Raihan
Arif RaihanBusiness Administrator
Children and Families Across Borders
Monique Adewoju
Monique AdewojuTrainee Youth Worker
Essex Boys and Girls Clubs
Sabah Heydon
Sabah HeydonLearning and Culture Officer
Oxford Hub
Josh Day
Josh DayProjects Administrator
The Food Foundation
Angel Tunc
Angel TuncData and Impact Officer
TOKKO Ltd.
Naomi Bashford
Naomi BashfordDigital Marketing 'Assistant'
The Country Trust
Michael Abeki
Michael AbekiYouth Outreach Officer
Reclaim
Lara Piercy
Lara PiercyFunding and Communications Officer
Manchester Young Lives
Meg Gower
Meg GowerNon Profit Fundraiser
Project Trust
Andrew Donegan
Andrew DoneganCorporate Partnerships Officer
The Message Trust
Philip Jones
Philip JonesEvent 'Assistant'
Limitless
Laura Heneghan
Laura HeneghanCommunity Engagement Officer
Myst
Rebecca Davies
Rebecca DaviesImpact Innovator
Ethos
Thato Malebye
Thato MalebyeYouth Support Worker
Lifespace Trust
Mariia Rodionova
Mariia RodionovaInclusive Evaluation Lead
Creative Sustainability
Joseph Moreton
Joseph MoretonFundraising 'Assistant'
The Jericho Foundation
Lucia Boyd
Lucia BoydRefugee Training Officer
Welcome Churches
Blake Hughes
Blake HughesSustainability Hub Manager
Y Siop Fach Sero CIC
Chloe Ing
Chloe IngDigital Content Lead
Memory Matters CIC
Anwi Ogen
Anwi OgenEngagement and Outreach Officer
Plymouth Hope
Alisha Keane
Alisha KeaneDigital Marketing Lead
Sound Communities CIC
Gareth Williams
Gareth WilliamsYouth and Community Project Officer
Minehead Eye
Dan Carter
Dan CarterMarketing and Engagement Coordinator
Fotonow CIC
Toby Matthews
Toby MatthewsVolunteer Coordinator
Horatio’s Garden
Chelsea Batt
Chelsea BattMarketing Lead
Iridescent Ideas CIC
Keelin Howard
Keelin HowardYoung Persons Engagement Worker
theGKexperience
Laura Quigley
Laura QuigleyCommunity Connector
Plymouth Social Enterprise Network
Conor Mannion
Conor Mannion
Reaching Higher
Bhabishya Paudel
Bhabishya PaudelRebrand and Comms Assistant
The Rank Foundation
Emily Quick
Emily QuickEmployers Community Lead
Gifted Women
Jasmin Dennis
Jasmin DennisMarketing and Communications Officer
Stiltskin Arts & Theatre CIC
Ela Roszkowska
Ela RoszkowskaData Analyst
Diversity Business Incubator