Case Studies Archives - The Melting Pot

Winchburgh Development Trust

Helping a board build a shared understanding of sustainability and focus on activities with potential to grow revenue and sustain mission.

What We Did

We facilitated a board sustainability session for Winchburgh Development Trust, helping the board build a shared understanding of what sustainability means for the Trust and a practical framework for deciding where to focus their energy. The session introduced five dimensions of sustainability, people, networks, finance, environment and social impact, and introduced practical tools that the organisation can use to measure their activities against to understand their sustainability.

The clearest outcome was agreement that the Trust was trying to do too much, and a shift towards narrowing focus to four or five key activities with real potential to grow revenue and sustain mission.

How We Did It

We facilitated the session with the Board, working together to develop a shared and practical definition of sustainability across five dimensions, rather than treating it as a purely financial question.

We introduced a practical tool to support decision-making and encourage honest discussion about where the Trust’s energy and resources were currently being invested, and the financial and social return this was generating.

We guided the Board towards agreement on narrowing its focus to four or five priority activities and clarified the Board’s role in supporting the Development Manager to take this work forward.

What Did Participants Say

“I wanted an external voice, because as the one making the recommendation, I worried the directors might not really hear it from me. The Melting Pot got that straight away. The fun, informal approach was exactly right, it’s a lot to ask volunteers to give up three hours of an evening, and the environment they created was relaxed enough that some of our directors were properly meeting each other for the first time. The next morning, one of our directors was already proposing we build bird boxes to sell at the farmers’ market. That’s the shift from grant-seeking to profit-generating thinking we needed.”

– Leigh Lauder, Development Manager

Women’s Support Project

Creating space for a team to reconnect, reflect on change and shape how they wanted to work together going forward.

What We Did

We spent one-to-one time with the project manager to understand the team’s context and history, including the individual pressures each person had been carrying.

We designed a day around a deliberate emotional arc, using our innovation tools to create space for the team to reconnect and build trust before going deeper into exploring where they had been and where they wanted to get to.

We opened with warm-up activities and structured reflection to help people reconnect and gently surface differences in working styles. We then moved into exercises that explored what had helped the team cope and what could still undermine trust going forward.

We took the team away from their usual surroundings, giving them the opportunity to reset, reflect and switch off from the day-to-day.

How We Did It

We designed and facilitated a session for the senior team using our social innovation tools, creating space for them to step away from the day-to-day, honestly surface risks and priorities, and look ahead at what needed to be put in place to support the organisation’s growth and strategic aims.

We then pulled out the key themes from the session and worked with the Senior Leadership Team to develop three scenarios: best case, worst case and current case. This also included considering wider risks and their potential implications.

We developed the findings into a full report for the Board and team, bringing together the narrative from the session, a clear scenario summary and three core recommendations.

What Did Participants Say

“The Women’s Support Project were really pleased to work with The Melting Pot recently; we benefited from Helen’s experience in creating a staff development day that felt well-paced, responsive and considered as we explored what periods of change and organisational development meant for us individually and as a small charity in the Violence Against Women sector”

– Helen Provan, Strategic Manager

JustRight Scotland

Supporting a senior team through leadership change to build a shared financial and operational picture for the future.

What We Did

When JustRight Scotland, a human rights legal charity, faced a period of leadership change ahead of a new CEO’s arrival, we supported the senior team to build a clear, shared financial and operational picture for the years ahead. The work centred on developing three costed scenarios, best, medium and worst case, so the Board and incoming CEO could start with a well understood position rather than an unspoken one.

The work centred on developing three costed scenarios, best, medium and worst case, so the Board and incoming CEO could start with a well understood position rather than an unspoken one.

This came together through a facilitated session with the organisation’s Directors, COO and Finance Manager, followed by a set of Board-ready documents translating what came out of that session into scenario planning, narrative and recommendations.

How We Did It

We developed the findings into a full report for the Board and team, bringing together the narrative from the session, a clear scenario summary and three core recommendations.

The Robertson Trust

Creating space for leaders to reflect, learn together and build personal and organisational resilience.

What We Did

Rather than offering quick fixes or definitive answers, the programme with The Robertson Trust created a space where leaders can reflect, experiment, learn from each other and adapt. Participants worked together over eight months, co-designing their learning journey around their real experiences, challenges and changing needs.

How We Did It

To build resilience, we created regular time and space for leaders to step away from the pressures of their day-to-day work and reflect. Bringing people together in similar leadership positions so they could share experiences, challenges and ideas in a supportive and non-competitive environment. Rather than following a fixed programme, the participants helped shape what they learned based on their needs and the issues they were facing. They explored real challenges around leadership, organisational sustainability, relationships, power, workload and uncertainty.

What Did Participants Say

“Having ‘time out’ with like-minded and same-purpose organisations and people has been invaluable. Having a safe and open space to be honest, knowing you will get honest feedback, has made some hard choices easier.”

– Participant from The Robertson Trust

Changeworks: Mindset

Building commercial confidence to help a growing organisation achieve bold climate ambitions.

What We Did

Designed and delivered a bespoke learning programme to help colleagues across Changeworks build confidence in networking, relationship building and consultative sales. The programme equipped staff from across the organisation with the skills to have stronger commercial conversations that support growth and long-term impact.

How We Did It

Working closely with Changeworks’ leadership team, we co-designed a series of interactive workshops, coaching sessions, accountability check-ins and practical sales labs. The programme evolved alongside participants’ needs, bringing together colleagues from different teams to learn collaboratively while developing a consultative, people-centred approach to business development.

What Did Participants Say

“I’ve realised how applicable this is across so many different areas – just to communicate and engage with colleagues and partners. It’s opened up my idea of what sales is and what it looks like.”

– Hazel Anderson, Senior Project Officer, Changeworks

Social Enterprise Scotland

Supporting a growing membership organisation to strengthen its impact and sustainability.

What We Did

Worked with Social Enterprise Scotland to review and strengthen its membership model, exploring how the organisation could evolve its offer, improve long-term sustainability, and continue delivering value to a rapidly growing membership.

How We Did It

Using a social innovation and co-design approach, we facilitated focus groups, one-to-one interviews and internal workshops with staff, members and regional networks across Scotland. We combined these insights with our deep understanding of the social enterprise sector to develop a practical roadmap, complete with clear recommendations, examples and actions that the team could begin implementing immediately.

What Did Participants Say

“It’s given me much more of a vision for what the future membership offer could look like – and the steps for how we get there. It’s also helpful to have practical examples alongside the recommendations, to see what that looks like in practice.”

– Kim Wallace, Deputy CEO, Social Enterprise Scotland

Law Society of Scotland

A leadership programme that shifted culture across an entire organisation.

What We Did

Designed a bespoke multi-cohort leadership programme tackling real organisational challenges, including breaking down barriers between teams and embedding change management and leadership thinking at every level.

How We Did It

Working closely with the Law Society’s Learning and Development team, we matched our consultants’ expertise to the cohort’s specific needs. We built strong relationships with participants over the first year and, having developed a deep understanding of the challenges they faced, refined and improved the programme for a second run in 2026.

What Did Participants Say

“The training was well researched, and the trainer brought a lot of theoretical concepts into real life examples. The training allowed us to reflect on our own styles of working and work practically towards objectives for positive leadership in the future.”

– Scott Dick, Law Society of Scotland

Changeworks: Networking

A fresh perspective on networking that changed how a team builds relationships.

What We Did

Designed an accessible and engaging introduction to networking, facilitating a mindset shift that allowed staff to feel more confident in how they spoke about Changeworks externally.

How We Did It

We began by getting under the skin of the business alongside the Head of Business Development, drawing on our own experience of navigating similar strategic transitions in Scotland’s social enterprise sector. Working with participants, we helped each person unlock their own motivation and turn it into a compelling, authentic story for external clients.

What Did Participants Say

“The Melting Pot’s methods and insights were valuable in reshaping how our team interacts and builds relationships. The alternative approach brought by The Melting Pot Consultancy helped to improve our understanding of networking and building relationships. It challenged our traditional methods and encouraged us to think more positively.”

– Roddy Hamilton, Changeworks

Zero Tolerance

A strategic review that opened up new directions for income generation.

What We Did

Conducted a review and options appraisal covering both staffing experience and opportunities for diversifying income generation.

How We Did It

We spent time with staff and the Board to understand Zero Tolerance’s unique position in the landscape, as well as the competitive environment and potential new markets. We then brought in four associates from different sectors, each contributing specific expertise to different parts of the project, allowing a genuinely diverse range of options.

What Did Participants Say

“I co-designed and facilitated ZTS’s team day in May. As with all organisations, time together as a team, away from the office, is precious and can often be overlooked in its value in growing and supporting working relationships. I was struck by how thoughtful and caring the management team were about the shape and feel of the day. In the room, I remember there was openness to speak about the challenges facing the organisation as well as a lot of commitment and appreciation for one another. They were a great team to work with.”

– Keira Oliver, Associate of The Melting Pot