CARLEY COACHING IMPACT REPORT
1st December 2022 – 30th November 2023
Our Mission
To help purpose-led leaders to improve their social and environmental impact, through services that; improve health and wellbeing, support the development of personal and professional skills, and foster partnerships and collaborations that lead to better outcomes for people and the planet.
To strive for gender equality, sustainable communities, the preservation of biodiversity, and action that combats climate change.
Our Vision
A society where all people, businesses and organisations contribute to the creation of a fair, equal, and thriving society that cares for and protects the planet and all life.
GOVERNANCE
Stakeholder Engagement
We’re committed to ensuring that our services are effective in helping us to meet our mission goals.
That’s why we want to actively engage and involve our stakeholders in shaping the services that we offer – to ensure they are meeting the needs of our clients and beneficiaries.
During this time we gathered information from our stakeholders about the impact of our services and have developed a stakeholder engagement plan that provides us with a strategy for improving our engagement with stakeholders in the future.
How we engaged with our stakeholders during this time period:
Coaching Services
Our clients completed pre-coaching questionnaires, were encouraged to set overall outcomes and goals, and outcomes for each coaching session. Outcomes were regularly reviewed through discussion and evaluation forms.
We also engaged with peer mentoring and professional supervision to reflect on and gain external feedback on the quality of our service delivery and develop our professional practices; participated in a range of training and educational activities in coaching and sustainability and are working toward industry-recognised qualifications; and attended meetings with industry bodies to keep abreast of developments.
NetZero Networking
We asked all participants to share the outcomes they wanted for the events they attended, held reviews at the end of each event, and asked people to provide feedback and evaluation in person and online in follow-up questionnaires.
We also engaged the services of professional advisers to help us develop and implement a system to engage with health and wellbeing professionals who may be interested in NetZero Networking as a service to support the health and wellbeing or their staff.
Partnership & Impact Projects
We continued to collaborate with other businesses, organisations, and individuals.
Regular meetings with our partners and gathering participant feedback in relation to service delivery have been our primary means of engagement.
For example, during this time period, we delivered a range of cycling events in Faversham, Swale and Thanet in partnership with local providers and businesses and with funding and support from local councils and Cycling UK through their Big Bike Revival initiative.
We also initiated “Treeserve 365” – a partnership project with Amel Sedaoui and promoted through the Climate Coaching Alliance which aimed to help coaches and leaders to feel more informed and empowered about taking practical action on climate change through treeplanting.
We plan to improve the way we share feedback and engage with partners and beneficiaries in the future. We hope that sharing our results with our partners, customers, and beneficiaries will result in higher levels of ownership and engagement with the impact projects we deliver.
About Carley Coaching Ltd
Rachael Carley remains the sole Company Director and owner of Carley Coaching Ltd with all aspects of the running of the company overseen by her.
The business is a company limited by shares, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. It is controlled by its Articles of Association which were amended on the 8th November 2021 to include “Company Objects” and “Stakeholder Interests”.
The amended articles ensure a material positive impact on society and the environment and regard for the interest of all stakeholders in all important decisions.
The articles also commit to the publishing of this annual impact report stating how it has met the objects of the company.
Since being a B Corp Pending company from April 2022, Carley Coaching proudly became a fully certified B Corp in October 2023.
Our Ethics
Carley Coaching has a Code of Conduct / Ethics Policy specifying our expectations in relation to the important principles and general standards. It also provides standards for financial conduct, relationships, gifts & hospitality, and declaration of interests.
Our Financials
Our accounts were prepared by Martha Goeck, of Queen Bee Accountancy and independently reviewed by Cathy Bear FCCA.
Carley Coaching is an early-stage company. During the period of this report, the company received income for its services, grant funding, and loans from company owner, Rachael Carley.
Funds have been used to cover the running costs of the business, the delivery of a range of pilot projects, marketing and promotional activities, and investment in further training and development.
The focus of business throughout this reporting period has continued to be meeting the needs of purpose led leaders, as well as delivering impact projects that deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals that we are focused on addressing.
- Good Health and Wellbeing
- Gender Equality
- Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Climate Action
- Partnerships for the Goals
We continue to use the structure of B Lab’s B Impact Assessment to create this report and to share this on our website along with a summary infographic of our key outcomes.
We publish information about our social and environmental programmes, performance, and the outcomes we have achieved, together with targets for our future performance.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION
Carley Coaching is 100% women-owned and led.
We’re passionate about gender equality and are committed to doing business and working collaboratively with other women-led and owned companies.
We also want to support suppliers of goods and services from underrepresented populations – individuals who may not have had access to economic opportunities due to discrimination, bias, and other societal barriers.
In the year ending 30th Nov 23, we estimate that 38% of spending was with suppliers from underrepresented populations. This was a small increase from 36% in our previous year.
We will continue to monitor supplier diversity among our supply chain and aim to increase our significant spending with women and underrepresented groups to over 50% by December 2024.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Our Geographic Structure & Scope
The majority of our coaching services were delivered online during this timeframe. We worked with clients based in the UK and Europe.
All our outdoor events and experiences were delivered in our local area in Kent, UK.
Investor Ownership
The company is wholly owned by Rachael Carley who qualifies as a non-accredited investor.
Spending on Local Suppliers
We’ve continued to track the extent to which we support our local economy.
In 2012-2022, 20% of our spending was with independently owned, local suppliers. We set a target to increase our use of independent local suppliers to at least 25% by December 2023 and are pleased to report that we achieved and exceeded this with approximately 35% of spending being with independently owned, local suppliers during this period.
Impactful Banking
We banked with Co-operative Bank throughout this reporting period. We chose the Co-operative because it rates highly as an ethical bank.
We know how impactful our financial practices are and want to ensure that this aspect of our business is having a positive impact on society and the environment.
Shortly after this reporting period, we switched back to independently owned, Starling bank as we believe their approach to business is more aligned with our own and B Corp values.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT & GIVING
Our Corporate Citizenship Programmes
During this reporting period we provided community and pro-bono services, advocacy for adopting improved social or environmental policies/performance, partnerships projects, and discounted coaching to individuals from underserved groups.
Our Community, Pro-Bono & Low-cost Services
New Leaf Support Cycling Project – Following on from 2022, we delivered six low cost cycling events with half of the sessions funded through Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival initiative for New Leaf Support – a charity that provides practical and emotional support to victims of domestic abuse in the Sittingbourne area of Kent.
The course was designed to help participants to develop the skills and confidence to make cycling journeys for recreation and everyday travel; to improve health, fitness, and wellbeing through time spent being active outdoors; and, to enjoy spending time with others – through having fun and being part of a group in a safe, social environment.
The project was further supported by Kent County Council through the supply of equipment and Swale Borough Council who provided refurbished bikes.
At the end of the project, participants were able to keep their bikes and equipment.
The 5 course participants rated the project 5/5, having achieved their personal aims, and benefitted from improved cycling skills, increased confidence, improved health and wellbeing.
Individual Performance Coaching & NLP – 48% of coaching services were delivered pro-bono and 23% were delivered a low cost.
Beneficiaries of pro-bono and low cost coaching identified as being purpose-led/mission-driven female entrepreneurs, leaders or activists from minority or underserved groups.
NetZero Networking – The purpose of NetZero Networking is to connect socially and environmentally minded leaders from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors through sustainable, outdoor networking events in Kent.
All events were delivered free or for a small donation and are designed to give people the opportunity to disconnect from technology and spend time enjoying the health and wellbeing benefits of time being active in nature, whilst encouraging the development of partnerships, collaboration, support and the exchange of information on sustainability and other business matters.
Participants are encouraged to travel sustainably, and most events start from locations with good public transport links. We measure and report the carbon footprint of participant travel to events, plant a tree for each new participant and offset the carbon footprint of participant travel. We support local, independently-owned cafes where possible and promote events through Eventbrite, social media and professional networks.
During this reporting period, we ran a total of 8 cycling and walking events. A total of 31 people from 20 organisations participated in the events with some people attending multiple events.
100% of people who responded to our request for feedback and evaluation (58%) rated their event 5 out of 5 with all participants noting the benefit to their health and wellbeing and opportunity to make new connections.
In total, we calculated that NetZero Networking generated 148.57kg CO2e.
This was offset through carbon offsetting initiatives purchased from Carbon Footprint and 31 trees were planted through Ecologi.
Treeserve 365
On 25th March 2023, in partnership with Amel Sedaoui and with support from the Climate Coaching Alliance we launched a 365 day treeplanting challenge for coaches and professionals interested in learning how to take practical action on the climate crisis. A series of monthly online workshops featured activists and tree planting practitioners who shared their knowledge and expertise in a diverse range of topics including permaculture, Miyawaki forests, soil fertility and coaching with trees. The project aimed to educate and inspire others to plant as many trees as possible whilst matching planting activities in the northern hemisphere with planting in developing countries in the southern hemisphere.
Policy Advocacy for Social and Environmental Standards
During this reporting period, we signed up to support the Better Business Act.
Advancing Social and Environmental Performance
We have helped to advance social and environmental performance and behaviour in a number of ways: –
- Our NetZero Networking events provide a forum for people to discuss and learn more about social or environmental challenges and opportunities.
- We share information and resources on social media sites such as LinkedIn.
- Rachael completed sustainability training and attended events, to improve her knowledge of environmental and global sustainability issues. A deeper level of understanding has led to more powerful coaching questions that create awareness, educate and support change at an individual and organisational level. The training has also fed into better business practices for the company.
- Bici at Macknade– Throughout this reporting period we worked in partnership with Stefano Cuomo – CEO, Macknade, run a series of community cycling events at Macknade, Faversham. Many of the events were delivered through Cycling UK’s, “Big Bike Revival” initiative.
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Significant Supplier
Our significant suppliers during this reporting period were training providers, marketing and design services, and office equipment.
Independent Contractor Practices
We employed three, local, independent contractors to help deliver the ‘Big Bike Revival’ project. Canterbury Bike Project, Cycle Chic, and cycle coach/ride leader, Miranda Palmer were contracted for agreed hours and were paid a professional rate for their services.
ENVIRONMENT
Management
Carley Coaching primarily operates online with administration being completed from a home office.
It is our policy that office supplies are eco-friendly and sustainably sourced whenever possible.
For example, when purchasing stationery, we source recycled paper and refillable pens made from recycled/recyclable materials.
Purchases are kept to a minimum, waste is minimized, and we recycle all waste that is generated.
We have become more aware of our energy use and are employing strategies to reduce it.
We have developed a policy for homeworking that includes energy-saving strategies, the use of eco-friendly products and practices such as recycling.
Air & Climate
We are currently not producing any Scope 1 or 2 emissions. However, we are tracking our household energy use and have implemented energy saving devices.
We have measured our Scope 3 emissions and calculated that we generated 6.44 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent during this reporting period.
Our carbon footprint was offset with the purchase of quality carbon offsetting initiatives from Carbon Footprint.
We monitor and record our household energy usage and have switched to a renewable electricity tariff.
Water
As we primarily work from home, we tracked our household water use and have taken steps to reduce this through water saving devices and behaviour change. We continue to monitor and record our usage.
Land & Life
We produce a negligible amount of waste and do not produce any hazardous waste.
We are mindful of our responsibility to prevent, reuse, recycle or recover waste. We have not purchased or disposed of any hazardous waste during this reporting period.
CUSTOMERS
Our Service Impact
The primary aim of Carley Coaching is to provide services that improve the health, wellbeing, and performance of purpose-led leaders and teams, so they can have a greater positive social and environmental impact; and to provide opportunities for leaders to foster partnerships and collaborations that will lead to better outcomes for people and planet.
A further aim of the company is to strive for gender equality, sustainable communities, the preservation of biodiversity, and action that combats climate change.
During this reporting period we worked with a total of 39 organisations and 86 individuals across all our services.
Managing our Impact
Providing impact and creating value for our clients and customers is important to us. We are committed to delivering impactful, professional services that meet the needs of our customers.
To ensure this, our services are delivered by qualified and experienced professionals.
As a minimum, coaches are certified with recognised providers that are accredited by professional bodies such as the International Coaching Federation, European Mentoring and Coaching Council or the Association for Neuro-linguistic Programming.
Outdoor experiences are facilitated by qualified leaders, experienced in the activity being undertaken and the client group they are working with.
Customer Satisfaction
Gaining feedback from our clients is an important and integral part of our operations. We welcome feedback and monitor customer satisfaction. We actively seek input from clients on a session-by-session basis, and through debriefs, reviews, follow-up questionnaires or project evaluation forms.
We gather information at the start and end of sessions/courses to ascertain the outcomes that customers want, and we measure success based on progress towards outcomes.
We aim to achieve 100% customer satisfaction with our services. We did not receive any complaints during this reporting period and the feedback we received verbally and through evaluation forms indicate that 100% of our clients were satisfied with our services and felt that our services helped them to progress towards their desired outcomes.
Data Usage and Privacy
Carley Coaching Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under the Data Protection Act 2018.
Our data protection and privacy policy can be viewed on our website.
Client information is held securely and privately, and we give customers options about how their data will be used.
Our email management and other software used is GDPR compliant.
Support for Underserved/Purpose Driven Enterprises
Our Services
Our services are designed to contribute to the overall positive development of individual health, wellbeing and personal development through outdoor experiences, networking events, performance coaching, and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming).
Coaching & NLP
The success of coaching is related to the effort that the client invests in their own development and the achievement of their self-determined goals.
Clients are encouraged to be ambitious whilst ensuring that the outcomes they seek are realistic and within their control. Clients are also encouraged to consider the wider impact of their goals and the systems they are a part of – to undertake ecology checks.
Outdoor experiences
The success of networking and outdoor events requires for participants to be open to the experience. People are required to self-assess the suitability of events and programmes in relation to their level of ability and the outcomes they are looking for.
We provide opportunities for people to discuss their needs through meetings, emails, information on our website and interactions on social media. This helps potential clients gather information about our services so they can determine the suitability of our services for their needs.
Beneficiaries
During this reporting period, we delivered our services through coaching and outdoor programmes to leaders representing 39 organisations, 3 communities, and a further 86 individuals. This included 30 SMEs/underrepresented leaders and 27 individuals from minority groups.
Management of Outcomes
We take steps to actively engage with our clients and beneficiaries so we can better understand their needs and desired outcomes.
We check in with coaching clients on a session-by-session basis, hold regular reviews and measure long-term outcomes to assess the impact of our services over time.
Coaching and NLP Programmes
During this period, we delivered 44 hours of coaching and NLP to individuals or groups. Most coaching was delivered to individuals online or over the telephone. Overall goals and outcomes for the coaching were defined at the start of the coaching contracts. However, the topics of conversation were always determined by the client at the start of each session, according to presenting challenges or importance of goals or desired outcomes at that moment in time. This approach resulted in the delivery of bespoke coaching and NLP sessions that met the needs of individual clients.
SUMMARY by Founder/ Director, Rachael Carley
2022-2023 was an important year in the development of Carley Coaching.
Throughout the year, there was significant investment in preparing the business for B Corp certification, undertaking training, and delivering a range of services – many of which were free or low-cost to our clients and customers.
We believe that this investment has created stronger foundations for Carley Coaching and enabled us to develop greater knowledge and expertise – improving our ability to deliver more impactful services to clients in the future.
A significant achievement was becoming B Corp™ certified in October. Much time and effort were required to create the systems, policies, practices, and level of ambition that now guide us and help us to measure and report on our ESG commitments.
Our fledgling collaborations have led to stronger partnerships, and we’ve become more confident in the services we deliver.
As we move forward into the future, we’re more focused and committed, with a clearer idea of our mission and vision, who we are serving and how we can best use our skills and expertise to have more impact in the future.
