Charity Next

Through Charity Next, fast stream civil servants benefit from hands-on experience while host organisations harness civil service talent, working together to deliver strategically significant projects with social impact.  Both secondees and hosts build lasting cross-sector relationships for mutual benefit. On this page: 

• What is Charity Next? 
• How can my organisation host a Charity Next secondee?
• How can I find a Charity Next secondment opportunity? 
• How does Charity Next work? 

What is Charity Next?

Charity Next is a secondment scheme that matches fast stream civil servants with not-for-profit organisations to deliver a six-month project for social good.

Established by The Prince's Charities Foundation in 2008, it’s been run by WIG since 2010. Charity Next has facilitated over 500 secondments and benefited over 200 not-for-profit organisations.

Charity Next works with:

• Specialist Civil Service Fast Streams (commercial, digital data and technology, finance, project delivery, science and engineering, and statistics)
• Generalist Fast Stream
• Not-for-profit host organisations

Become a Charity Next host organisation

As a charity, we understand the challenges faced by not-for-profit organisations.  Becoming a Charity Next host creates the opportunity to tackle a key strategic project, nurture future leadership talent and build productive cross-sector relationships.

You’ll be part of a network of around 300 not-for-profit organisations hosting talented individuals from the civil service.  Previous host organisations include Breast Cancer Now, Plan International and the Worldwide Fund for Nature.

Feedback from host organisations is overwhelmingly positive:

• 100% said that they would apply again to the scheme
• Over 90% said that a key project or service could not have been delivered without a Charity Next resource, leaving a lasting impact on host organisations and their beneficiaries

Benefits for host organisations

Providing a Charity Next secondment supports your organisation’s development. You'll:

• Benefit from the skills, insight and ability of a talented future leader
• Bring fresh perspectives into your organisation to challenge thinking
• Harness the talent and capacity to deliver a key strategic project
• Develop understanding of how government organisations work
• Build lasting relationships across sectors

Hear how host organisations can benefit from a Charity Next secondee: 

Get in touch 

If you're interested in hosting a Charity Next secondee, or would like to find out more about Charity Next, from our Talent team, please do get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Become a Charity Next secondee

Charity Next works in partnership with the Civil Service Fast Stream programme, offering secondments as development opportunities.

The Charity Next host network is made up of around 300 not-for-profit organisations.  Previous secondment hosts have included the NSPCC, Parkinsons UK and the Small Charities Coalition.

Benefits for secondees

A Charity Next secondment supports your professional development. You'll: 

• Gain insight into how the not-for-profit sector works and its relationships with business and government
• Develop your leadership and decision-making skills working on a priority project to benefit society
• Make a positive difference to communities and causes across the UK
• Develop your professional network and build relationships across sectors
• Take knowledge gained in the not-for-profit sector back into government and bring new perspectives to future policy and decision-making

Get in touch 

If you're a Fast Streamer and you're interested in finding a Charity Next secondment, please do speak to your Talent Development Manager or get in touch with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you. 

If you’re interested in secondments but you’re not currently a Civil Service Fast Streamer, please visit our secondments page.

How Charity Next works

Our talent team supports host organisations and secondees throughout the process. 

Every year in Spring and Autumn, we open our application process for Charity Next. We support not-for-profit organisations to develop a six-month secondment opportunity for a Civil Service Fast Streamer to benefit the host organisation and meet the secondee’s developmental needs.

We provide these opportunities to the Civil Service, who match Fast Streamers to host organisations based on skill set, experience, and stated preference.

Once matched, we support the host and secondee throughout the process. We charge each host organisation a one-off brokerage fee once the secondment begins.  Secondees remain employed by the Civil Service, with their salary and other benefits met by the Civil Service.

Contact the talent team

WIG’s team of talent experts can support you to develop new skills and build lasting cross-sector professional networks. To find out more about Charity Next, contact us.