Business mentors for charities

Today’s Guardian features an organisation called Pilotlight, which aims to take the commercial skills of business to charities. It introduces companies to small charities to help them to continue growing and become sustainable enterprises.

While charities have the expertise to respond to the needs of their beneficiaries, they often lack the support and skills needed to develop their own infrastructures.

Businesses or individuals can offer their business know-how through becoming a member of Pilotlight, committing three hours per month. The organisation then identifies a charity that will benefit from their particular skills, bringing them together.

Pat Fulker, former HR director for National Grid, was a ‘Pilotlighter’. He found the experience of applying his corporate skills to help a charity develop and move forward “very rewarding”.