HR solutions for UK charities
Running a charity is hard enough without the “people problems.”
Verdant Purpose will sort your people problems quickly and professionally, so your trustees are reassured and you can get back to your mission.
Work directly with Paul Neal, a Chartered HR professional and charity trustee with a unique understanding of charities and their people.
“We were extremely relieved when Paul understood our situation, and supported us every step of the way.”
Helen Thomas, Chair of Trustees, RSPCA Medway West
“He's like fairy liquid - cutting straight through the crap.”Zoe AbbottsChief Executive, StreetVet
Sound familiar?
When team issues arise, the mission grinds to a halt.
Most small charities have no in-house HR to turn to when something goes wrong. Budgets are tight, and the trustees need to know it is being handled properly.
- A grievance, a tricky exit or a difficult conversation that nobody feels equipped to handle.
- Policies, contracts or pay that are years out of date, and a worry you can't shake about what it might be costing you.
- An HR provider or platform whose advice is vague and clearly was not written for a charity.
- A board that wants reassurance the people side is in safe hands, and a CEO with no time to give it.
How I help
HR services that prevent people problems from becoming bottom-line problems.
I work as the HR person your charity does not have in-house, or alongside the provider you already pay when their advice does not fit. You get clear answers, the steps to act on them, and someone who genuinely understands the sector.
You get me, not a call centre
One person who knows your charity and picks up where you left off, backed by proper process, 20 years of experience and full professional indemnity insurance.
I sort what others avoid
The three-year sickness case, the volunteer who needs to exit, the situation a previous advisor said could not be done. I take on the difficult things, plainly and without drama, and see them through.
Reassurance trustees can see
I have sat on a trustee board for years, so I know what a board needs to feel confident. I get every decision documented, defensible and ready to present, so the people side becomes something you report on with pride.
“Paul was very helpful with benchmarking roles for us as a small local charity. He was professional, knowledgeable and affordable, completing the project quickly and providing regular updates throughout.”Laura MitchellChief Executive, Berkshire Vision
The big firms treat your charity like any other business, and charge you like one too. I don't.
Real outcomes
What that looks like in practice.
Every charity is different, but the pattern is the same: a worrying situation, broken into clear steps, and put right.
A pay rise that stuck
StreetVet's trustees first proposed one-off bonuses. I helped them give the team a lasting 3.5% annual pay rise and competitive benefits instead, for less than they had originally planned to spend.
£20,000 saved on a tribunal
I helped an RSPCA branch resolve a long-running performance problem internally, avoiding an employment tribunal and more than £20,000 in likely legal fees.
Three years, sorted in four months
I resolved a sickness absence case that a charity had been stuck on for three years, and I did it within four months and within the law.
A quarter off recruitment costs
I reworked how a struggling branch recruited, so it hired two long-term staff sooner and cut its recruitment costs by around 25%.
Caught before the money ran out
I worked out that a charity was three months from running out of cash, while the numbers were being hidden, and there was still time to put it right.
A branch that's still open
I helped merge an RSPCA branch that was weeks from closing, so it could keep serving animals across its region.
A valued team member kept
A manager feared a long-serving staff member was burning out and about to walk. I guided a compassionate, compliant way through it, and a temporary change of duties gave them room to recover and stay.
A restructure done with dignity
A board had to restructure to keep the charity viable, with all the difficult conversations that involves. I steered the whole process fairly and lawfully, so it kept its critical people and came through it steady.
£200 a month back to the cause
A branch was losing hours and money to fragmented, expensive HR software. I moved them onto one affordable system and took the admin off their hands, saving around £200 a month for the mission.
“Paul responded quickly and outlined clear, practical steps that gave us confidence in the process from start to finish.”Emily BowenChief Executive, RSPCA Cornwall
Working together
Start small. No lock-in.
You do not have to commit to a big monthly contract to get help. We start with one problem, you only pay for what you need, and you always know exactly what your money is buying.
See where you stand
Start with the free Charity HR Health Check. A few questions, and you get back a clear picture of where your risks are and what to do first.
- Completely free
- No call required
- A practical action plan in return
Sort one problem
Have a specific issue or gap? Get it handled with a one-off piece of work or a ready-made pack, for a small fixed fee. Pay per piece, not a monthly drain.
- Grievances, exits, restructures, contracts and pay
- Trustee and volunteer packs ready to use
- You know the cost before we start
Ongoing support
When you want someone on hand, the Trustee Reassurance plan and an Hours Bank give you steady support whenever something comes up, without overpaying for time you do not use.
- Advice on hand when you need it
- Draw down hours as things arise
- Scales up for bigger or growing charities
Pricing is tailored to your charity and your budget, and we talk it through openly on a free call. Nothing is locked in until you are sure it is right.
Ready-made packs
Practical packs you can use today.
Not ready for a bigger conversation? These are tools I use with charities, ready to download and put to work for a small fixed price.
The Volunteer Pack
£29.97
Five ready-to-use documents that take a volunteer from interested to properly onboarded in under half an hour, with the agreement, code of conduct and safeguarding basics all covered.
Get the Volunteer PackThe Trustee Recruitment Pack
£65.97
Every template, checklist and compliance note you need to recruit trustees properly, from the board skills matrix through to the appointment, treating every candidate with respect.
Get the Trustee PackFree for charities
The Verdant Purpose HR Vault
Each week I share a real story from the charity sector and the practical HR lesson inside it. Signing up also opens the Vault, a growing library of free guides and templates that have already saved other charities hours of work.
You will get roughly six pieces of genuinely useful help for every time I mention something I sell, and you can leave the moment it stops being worth your inbox.
No spam, and your details stay with me. Unsubscribe in one click.
“He supports and challenges in equal measure, and he doesn't shy away from the big issues. It made me feel really reassured.”Amanda WetzChair of Trustees, RSPCA East Kent
About Paul
Hi, I'm Paul.
I have spent more than twenty years in people strategy, culture and the messy human side of organisations, across the public, private and voluntary sectors. Verdant Purpose is where I bring all of that to the charities I care about most.
What makes the difference is that I have been on the other side of the table. I have been an RSPCA trustee for years, so I know what a board needs to see, what keeps a CEO awake, and how much every pound matters when it could be going to the cause instead. I started Verdant Purpose because charities kept coming to me for the kind of help the big firms would not give them without charging the earth.
I am a Chartered HR professional, a Mental Health First Aider and a Suicide First Aider, fully insured and refreshingly unpatronising. I am not here to sell you fear or tie you into a long contract. I am here to be the capable, straight-talking person you can call when the people side gets hard.
Paul Neal, Verdant Purpose HR
“Verdant Purpose delivers pragmatic solutions to complex problems. The calm, down to earth advice gives a practical way through the kind of issues that keep you up at night.”Jenny EdenBranch Manager, RSPCA Brighton & The Heart of Sussex Branch
Let's talk
Let's have a no-pressure chat.
Tell me what is going on with your people, and I will tell you straight whether I can help. No hard sell, no obligation, and no jargon.