Social Value
North Highland helped the UK’s leading anti-racism education charity turn passion into proof, co-creating an impact measurement system that makes its societal contribution visible to funders, partners and policymakers for the first time.
Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) is the UK’s leading anti-racism education charity, working with schools, young people, workplaces and communities to challenge prejudice and promote inclusion. While the charity’s work touched thousands of lives each year, it faced a critical challenge: demonstrating its full impact to funders, policymakers and the wider public. Existing data collection was fragmented, inconsistent across regions and heavily reliant on manual processes, making it difficult to evidence outcomes, secure new funding and drive continuous improvement. With a small team and limited technical capacity, any solution had to be simple, sustainable and easy to maintain.
North Highland partnered with SRtRC on a pro-bono basis to co-create an accessible impact measurement system rooted in the realities of a charity operating with stretched resources. Rather than imposing a complex technical solution, the team began by listening, spending time with educators, administrators and programme managers across all five of SRtRC’s UK offices.
The project was structured around collaborative workshops. Early sessions focused on mapping the day-to-day realities of SRtRC’s work and identifying what truly mattered to staff and stakeholders. Requirements workshops gathered a broad list of potential KPIs, which were then prioritised and simplified into four clear pillars, securing sign-off in a single session.
A deliberate decision was taken to build the solution using Microsoft Excel, Forms and Power Automate, tools the team already knew, rather than more complex platforms. Two “super users” from the charity were involved throughout design, build and testing, ensuring they could maintain the system independently. Comprehensive walkthroughs and user guides supported ongoing use.
Completed in just six weeks, the project delivered 100% of agreed deliverables: a dashboard with over 30 KPIs embedded into a live reporting layer, a streamlined survey tool with automated distribution, reminders and completion tracking, and automated email workflows. For the first time, SRtRC could track, analyse and communicate its reach and outcomes across all UK regions in a single, unified system.
The results have been significant. The charity now saves over eight hours of administrative time each month through automation. Dashboard engagement has grown by 41% year on year, evidencing sustained adoption. Data quality has improved through standardised fields and duplicate flagging, increasing confidence in reporting for funders and stakeholders. The system also combines quantitative KPIs with qualitative testimonials in a central repository, enabling faster creation of reports, case studies and communications materials.
Staff report greater confidence in using data to inform decisions and advocate for change. The ability to showcase real-time impact has strengthened relationships with schools, local authorities and corporate partners, opening doors to new collaborations. SRtRC is now better positioned to influence policy, shape public debate and inspire action at a national level.
This project stands as a model for how pro-bono consulting can deliver lasting value, not only for a single organisation but for society as a whole. By investing in people as well as systems, North Highland has helped ensure that SRtRC can sustain and scale its impact for years to come.
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