Advice Support Knowledge Information (ASKI)

BLACK-LED COMMUNITY ORGANISATION

CASE STUDY: JOSEPH JEFFERS, CEO of ASKI

Advice Support Knowledge Information (ASKI) is a charity based in South London working across two sites in Croydon and Sutton. With a focus on older people from Black and minoritized ethnic communities, they offer a range of vital community activities and services that are jointly designed and produced by the community including: dance, exercise classes, trips, sewing classes, jewellery marking, singing classes, book club, business, employment and training support, and an intergenerational work placement scheme.

Being an accredited open network centre, they support people to set up their own businesses through an OCN London course they have developed with qualifications in setting up your own business or social enterprise. They are developing their work in Sutton through building a partnership and hub with six other Black and Minority Ethnic-led organisations. 

Through the Pathways2Economic Opportunities Programme (P2E), which is managed by the London Community Foundation, with philanthropic support from JPMorgan Chase, and delivered by ARE and  The Ubele Initiative, ASKI has participated in a package of organisational development support, including workshops, skills-sharing amongst partners, and 1-1 consultancy support, amongst receiving grant funding.

It’s been an interesting process to work with a funder who finally recognises that capacity building along with the grant is essential. For smaller organisations, it is a treat to have the support”

Joseph Jeffers, CEO of ASKI, believes the P2E Programme has helped to strengthen the organisation’s funding applications, as it has helped ASKI to reflect on and better understand their strengths and weaknesses. P2E has also helped not just in delivering programmes, but the capacity-building element has influenced ASKI to think more strategically about their processes, sustainability and how to demonstrate their longer-term planning skills.  

In particular, Joseph states the programme has helped them to develop a robust business plan and encouraged the management team to develop a more long-term funding strategy.  

A lot of funders are not Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic-led and when they ask about the work, they don’t share the same understanding of the challenges a Black-led organisation faces.” 

Through this learning and reflection, ASKI secured £149,000 over three years from the National Lottery Reaching Communities to work across both Croydon sites using their community cafes to provide training and support to get people into employment.  

They’ve also secured £60,000 in core funding from the Mercer’s Charity. Additionally, ASKI received a top up from Thomas Wall Trust for their accredited training for older people and £10,000 from Sport England to pay for their dance and exercise classes for the next year. In terms of longer-term sustainability, the organisation is looking into other sources of income, such as charging for certain services on a sliding scale, obtaining unrestricted income, and a social enterprise element to the two cafes that can generate income for the charity. 

Ultimately, the P2E programme has made clear to Joseph that, as a leader, he does not always need to “fight” to justify the worth of some of his work, as it was clear from the funders what was expected from his organisation, an appreciation of their experiences and mutual understanding.