Finance that strengthens communities.

Helping charities, CICs and purpose-led organisations turn financial clarity into stronger governance, better decisions and measurable social value.

Awake works with community organisations at board level and on the ground—strengthening financial controls, making funding visible, building decision-ready reporting and translating impact into evidence that trustees, funders and partners can use.

SOCIAL VALUE MEASUREMENT

We help organisations turn impact into evidence—not just anecdotes. That can mean defining outcomes, building KPIs, attaching financial values where appropriate, and creating a repeatable trail from activity to beneficiary, community and funder outcomes.

Practical approaches can include:

• measuring market value against what people actually pay;

• tracking volunteer time, reach, avoided cost and local economic contribution;

• linking funding to outputs and outcomes;

• combining financial data with beneficiary stories; and

• creating board-ready dashboards that show both money and mission.

GOVERNANCE AND CONTROL

Strong controls are not bureaucracy. They protect scarce funds, give trustees confidence and make organisations more credible with funders, banks and partners.

SPECIALIST CIC ADVICE

We actively advise community interest companies on structure, management information, cashflow, reserves, funding, governance, tax and the balance between commercial sustainability and community purpose.

BLACKPOOL FOOD BANK / THE BIG FOOD PROJECT

Our founder, Paul Harrison, serves as a trustee and Awake supports the organisation with management information, scenario planning, sustainability analysis and strategic options. The aim is practical: help trustees move from reacting to pressure towards evidence-based decisions, stronger controls and a clearer view of risk.

COMMUNITY ASSETS

For one community property organisation, we overhauled banking and controls, strengthened trustee reporting and analysed how each space is used. By comparing market rent with the rent actually charged, we quantified the hidden subsidy provided to tenants—turning community benefit into a figure the board can explain, manage and evidence.

CICs AND PURPOSE-LED ENTERPRISES

Our work with several small to medium sized organisations reflects the breadth of CIC advice we provide: management accounts, cashflow, funding budgets, governance, controls, board reporting and decisions about sustainable growth.

LOCAL INSIGHT AND NATIONAL ATTENTION

Working with Fylde Coast Resilience, we co-authored local insight on measuring value beyond GDP and explored practical ways to capture social value. This work helped bring a leading national financial policy institution to Blackpool, creating space for senior decision-makers to hear directly from local organisations.

The important outcome was not the institution itself, but ensuring that community experience could be seen, measured and heard.

Awake and Plan-it ESG launched the Impact Exchange Network to help charities, CICs, not-for-profits and purpose-led organisations become more resilient, grant-ready and impact-focused.

Our free, fast-paced Blackpool sessions combine expert input, peer learning and practical problem-solving across:

• funding opportunities and tax incentives;

• governance and compliance;

• finance, sustainability and ESG;

• measuring and maximising social impact; and

• storytelling, collaboration and scaling.

Working with Phil Parramore (founder of Plan-IT ESG), we have delivered lectures, masterclasses and consultation sessions that bring finance and ESG together. The purpose is simple: give community leaders useful ideas they can apply immediately, while creating a stronger local network around them.

Purpose deserves professional finance. Awake helps community organisations protect what they have, prove the value they create and build with confidence.