Supporting families through childhood cancer for 20 years

This blog draws on an interview conducted by Charity Finance Group. With thanks to CFG and The Joshua Tree for their time and valuable insights.

A Q&A with The Joshua Tree’s CEO, Richard Driffield

As The Joshua Tree approaches its 20th anniversary, we spoke to CEO Richard Driffield about how the charity supports families, the pressures of being a small organisation, and what lies ahead.   

Tell us about The Joshua Tree and the work you do

At The Joshua Tree, we support families affected by childhood cancer through emotional health and wellbeing services for the whole family. We support the child and also their parents, carers, siblings, grandparents and friends, that's what makes us unique.  

We provide support for however long families need it, whether during treatment or post-treatment, sometimes working with families for up to four years depending on prognosis. Very few charities offer this comprehensive approach for this length of time, away from the hospital setting.  

We offer counselling, therapeutic support, play activities, major events, health and fitness and peer support. For example, every Friday, we have families that come together for a bootcamp session – it's all about helping people connect during a difficult time.  

We currently work across Cheshire, the north west, and north Wales. But we're seeing increasing demand from families further afield – from Shropshire, the Midlands, and even London, as families often can't get this level of support locally.  

How are you marking your 20th anniversary?

We have various initiatives planned. There's a big anniversary fundraising ball in April, we're launching a new strategy, and we'll run different fundraising events throughout the year. Each month will feature different family support activities to promote our work and raise awareness about childhood cancer.  

What do you find most rewarding about your role?

I’m hugely proud to lead The Joshua Tree and it's a privilege to work with the families. Just speaking to families at our centers gives you a real sense of our impact on people's lives. That inspires me to go back upstairs and get that bid written or put plans in place for expanding our support. 

At the Joshua Tree it’s all about the families we support, so the growth of the charity, all the decisions I try to make as CEO in terms of strategy, systems, recruitment, it’s all underpinned by supporting the families and what they need, so it's just a privilege to be involved in everything.    

Has it been a challenging year financially?

From an income perspective, we've been on a strong growth trajectory, nearly doubling our income over three to four years. Our expenditure is now matching our income as we have invested heavily in family support.  

The challenge is that traditional funding sources are shrinking. Trust and grant foundations that supported us for two or three years are reducing their contributions. We've diversified our income streams to put us in a strong position. But, like everyone we're still noticing challenges. We're also entirely reliant on public funding and grants – no government or statutory funding. But we're filling a void, as many charities do, that comes from increased demand and less available funding.  

Like everyone in the sector, the employer national insurance rise has significantly impacted us – costing us around £25,000. We're also seeing increases in utility costs, council tax, building maintenance, and supplier costs.  

How are you approaching recruitment and retention?

We’ve seen a real improvement in recent years by focusing on our culture and how we collaborate as a team. Fundraising roles remain difficult to recruit for – there’s a lot of competition for talent – but overall, we’ve built a strong, passionate team that truly believes in what we do.

We’re also lucky to have a fantastic group of volunteers: their support is invaluable.

What role does finance play in your strategy?

Finance underpins key elements in our strategy. Without strong financial systems and sustainable income, it’s very difficult to plan effectively.

We’ve just rolled out new budget software that will support better long-term planning. We’re analysing trends in income and taking a more strategic approach to future spending.

What are your top priorities for the year ahead?

We’ve got three main priorities for the year: developing our new strategy, preparing for our 20th anniversary celebrations, and continuing to reach and support more families who need our help.  

What advice would you give to other small charities?  

Diversify your income as much as possible. If you do that, it gives you a solid foundation to sustain and grow your organisation.

Look for partnerships with other charities, both localliy and nationally. We’ve had real success sharing expertise and resources with others to improve our offer.

And make sure your financial planning is underpinned by quality data. If your data reflects your services and helps you monitor performance, you’ll be in a much stronger position for the future.