As the year winds down and inboxes fall quiet, we’ve been reflecting on the many organisations we’ve had the privilege to work with. You’ve all faced challenges along the way, but your commitment to partnerships has kept you on the right path, and we’re incredibly proud of your successes.
Turtle doves, partridges and gold rings are not in our budget this year, but instead we’d love to give you our 12 wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
1. Health, rest and a little breathing room for you, your family and anyone else who’s limping towards the finish line.
2. A box full of forks for your kitchen so everyone gets to eat their lunch without doing a full-scale cutlery search and rescue first.
3. Knowledge that you’ve done your best and that’s good enough for you, your partners and your beneficiaries.
4. No last-minute requests for freebies from your partners because there is an internal emergency (that was actually just a lack of planning).
5. A moment of gratitude for how much you’ve carried this year because partnerships are equal amounts of skill and emotional labour.
6. The confidence to ask for help when you need it, in partnerships and in December. Pretending you’re fine is wildly overrated.
7. Partners who see you as more than a charity. They value your insights, expertise and leadership, not just your cause.
8. Internal support from your colleagues to deliver the assets from some of your more demanding partners.
9. The freedom to say no more often, whether that is to volunteering requests, internal demands or catch-ups before Christmas. No is a complete sentence.
10. Clear communication from partners. A yes or no to your ideas rather than ghosting or not right now.
11. Partners that bring their whole selves by showing up with their skills, networks, funding and influence.
12. A reminder that what you do matters, especially when it’s hard. You’re building connection, trust and change. Things we need more of in our world.
We are truly grateful to everyone who has allowed us to be part of their partnership journey this year. The last word belongs to a favourite poet, David Whyte:
“the greatest legacy we can leave from our work is not to instil ambition in others…but the passing on of a sense of sheer privilege, of having found a road, a way to follow, and then having been allowed to walk it with others, with all its difficulties and triumphs.”
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful festive season and a happy and peaceful New Year. Looking forward to seeing you in 2026 for some awesome partnerships.