I help purpose-led organisations work out what is actually going wrong. Then I help them fix it.
Do work that matters. Work in a way that works.
"Sarah is a breath of fresh air. She's principled, ethical and laser focused."
Sanjay Singh,
Managing Director, ICAS Foundation
"Sarah has become an invaluable strategic partner. She doesn't offer generic consultancy. She becomes part of the team."
Linda Kelly
CEO, Renfrewshire Foodbank
"Sarah has a real gift for turning chaos into clarity."
Sarah McPhie
CEO, Citizens Advice Stockton
I also coach the people doing that work to lead with greater self-trust and stop carrying quite so much of it alone.
I help purpose-led organisations communicate more clearly, build the foundations they need to grow and add experienced capacity when the team is stretched.
Supporting organisations doing extraordinary work
Better work starts with seeing the whole picture.
Often, the two are more connected than they first appear.
What organisations come to me with:
"We need a fundraising strategy and nobody has the time to write one."
"Our comms lead has left and we cannot replace them yet."
"We keep applying for funding and keep not getting it."
"We need to explain what we do more clearly - to funders, and to everyone else."
"We know our communications are not working, but we cannot see why."
Some of that is strategy. Some of it is capacity. Usually it is both, and part of my job is working out which.
I bring nearly two decades of marketing and communications experience, a coach's way of listening and a practical understanding of what it takes to get good work out of the ideas stage and into the world.
I work with purpose-led organisations and the people inside them.
ways to work together
For the organisation and the people making it work.
Get clearer about what matters, then make it happen.
for organisations
Strategic marketing, communications and fundraising for charities and purpose-led organisations.
Sometimes that means working out what is actually going wrong. Sometimes it means having someone senior enough to get it moving.
A single session - Strategy Session
A defined project - Strategic Communications Review, or a focused piece of work
Ongoing support - Strategic Growth Partner
Work and lead differently.
Leadership coaching and development for people who care deeply about their work, but do not want that to mean carrying everything.
Get clearer about what is actually yours to hold, and find a way of working that fits the life you want.
One to one - work out what needs to change, and actually change it
In a group - group programme with others doing the same work
At your own pace - Work by Design - self-paced, start whenever
for people
Nearly 20 years spent helping meaningful work make a greater impact.
I'm Sarah Swaroop, a Chartered Marketer, certified coach and experienced consultant to charities, NGOs and other purpose-led organisations.
My career has taken me from corporate social responsibility to anti-trafficking work in India, then into senior charity marketing and communications roles in the UK. I have led teams and functions, developed communications strategies, gathered stories in communities around the world and helped small organisations build the foundations they need to grow.
Along the way, I became just as interested in how we work and lead as I am in what the work achieves.
Because the work matters enormously. Your one life matters too.
What is actually going wrong, and what I would do about it.
Going Off Script is where I write about what is really going on in small purpose-led organisations, and what I would do about it. Some weeks that is strategy, communications or fundraising. Some weeks it is about the people holding it all together.
Going Off-Script: The Blog
The work matters enormously. Your one life matters too.
I do not believe exhaustion is evidence that you care more.
Purpose-led organisations do better work when they have clear foundations, realistic priorities and people who are trusted to use their judgement. Limited budgets turn into limited capacity, and capacity problems then get treated as personal failings, which is usually where things start to go wrong.
That belief shapes how I consult and how I coach.
"Sarah has made a real difference to Feeding Families. She has brought focus and structure to our fundraising, helped us strengthen our funding pipeline and, importantly, has taken the time to really understand our organisation and where we are trying to go."
Wayne Dobson
CEO, Feeding Families
"She doesn’t just identify funding opportunities. She helps us think strategically about which opportunities are right for us, how we position our work and how funding can support our longer-term ambitions rather than simply chasing the next grant. Sarah is knowledgeable, straightforward, incredibly supportive and great to work with. Sarah has very quickly become someone whose judgement I trust and whose contribution I genuinely value."
A short weekly read, to help you think differently about how you work.
Ideas, observations and practical thinking on strategy, communications, leadership, impact - and building a working life that works for you too.
For people doing work that matters who aren’t interested in doing things a certain way just because that’s how they’ve always been done.
