TESTIMONIALS

Fundraising Feasibility Study

Undoubtedly the best piece of fundraising consultation I have ever received. Working with By the Waves was an absolute joy. The project provided a complete answer to our original brief and the final Board presentation the confidence to Trustees to proceed.

Executive/CEO Support

Leesa Harwood has been my closest adviser and confidante over the last three years.  Our coaching sessions are empowering, energising and a much-needed space for reflection.  We’ve covered so much – strategy, operational delivery, funding, governance and regulation, impact evaluation, the list goes on.  She’s seen it all in the charity sector and her contacts book is second to none.  The thing I love most about Leesa is that she is totally optimistic, can-do and solution-focused – the kind of person every leader needs around them.  You can’t help but leave each session with a sunnier outlook than when you started.  She’s been incredibly generous with her time between sessions.  I trust her judgement 100%.

Coaching

Working with Leesa has been such a transformative experience, not only was she a joy to spend time with, but she challenged me to realise that I was capable of so much more than I had let myself believe. I would not have even thought of applying for my current role without her encouragement and insistence that I was better that I realised! I am more confident and am allowing myself to be more ambitious in my aims as a direct result of her sessions with me. 

Strategic Fundraising Consultancy

We asked By the Waves to examine our funding model and to provide advice on an optimisation and growth strategy. Leesa really got what The 5% Club stands for, and our purpose, and was able to provide sage, realistic and actionable advice on next steps, and – as importantly – areas that should be avoided. The feedback and recommendations will be invaluable!

Strategy Development

I would recommend Leesa and her business without qualification.  She took us on a very well organised journey and was a brilliant facilitator for us.

I and the Board are delighted with her work.  She is really good at asking difficult but necessary questions and in ensuring that all the deliverables have sufficient rigour.

Coaching by the Sea

When I saw Leesa offering coaching by the coast I couldn’t resist! We spent the day walking around Durlston County Park, looking out to sea and talking through everything from my values and priorities to childcare and business planning. Leesa was so accommodating; my husband was on hand so I could feed our 3-month-old daughter when needed.

I am so grateful to Leesa, after our coaching session I felt calmer and much more excited about my return to work post maternity leave. I really appreciated our time together, the energy Leesa brought to the session and the kindness she shared with me.

Leesa is so empowering. She has a brilliant way of helping you to see your career and life from a zoomed-out perspective, so you can reflect and feel proud of how far you have come and get excited and plan for the future. Highly recommend!

Board Governance

Leesa is a skilled facilitator, responsive to live issues as they arise, but focused on the purpose and outcomes of the session to ensure clarity and engagement in the steps towards resolution of thorny issues. Highly recommended. 

Fundraising Coaching & Development

Leesa was open and honest   with all her advice. It was relevant and up to date and helped shape our future focus. The insights were very powerful and relevant to what we requested. I very much hope this work will continue going forward. 

Fundraising Training

Leesa took time to really understand our needs before delivering an excellent, engaging and informative session for our Board of Trustees. The workshop materials provided were really helpful and will be a useful induction resource for new Trustees. Highly recommend. 

Trustee and Staff Away Day

Leesa was a wonderful facilitator. She really took the time to listen to the problems we were experiencing as an organisation and went to great lengths to understand our culture and values before working with us. She helped us to navigate some really challenging topics with ease and provided a safe, contained, and constructive space for everyone to express their views. I really couldn’t recommend her enough. 

Strategy Day Facilitation

Thank you, Leesa, for facilitating our strategy development day. You are 100% the right fit for us – you helped us to find our operational gaps and how to overcome them. You helped us to ask ourselves the right questions and start to think outside the box and think bigger picture over the day to day challenges of running a small charity. 

We look forward to many more strategy days with you! 

Fundraising Presentation & Workshop Session

I came away inspired.  The presentation will ensure that delegates are well placed to contribute to funding conversations in the organisations they work and volunteer in.