Turning insight into action, together.
Who We Are
We believe meaningful change happens with communities, not just for them. Our purpose is to amplify community voice, unlock potential, and turn innovation into measurable, sustainable outcomes that improve lives and strengthen local economies. We bridge the gap between policy, innovation, and delivery—ensuring every project creates true social, economic, and community value.
Based in the UK • Working across sectors • Driving sustainable change
Our Purpose
Meet the Founder
Richard Nuttall – Founder & Principal Consultant Richard is a seasoned strategic leader with 10 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector and a further 11 years in the corporate world. Holding a Master of Arts in Organisational Change and Development, he specialises in leading complex system change and fostering innovation across the youth, mental health, and VCSE sectors. He brings a proven track record in driving sustainable growth, strategic income generation, and building resilient, funder-ready organisations.
- National Reach & Professional Track Record: As the founding CEO of Shropshire Youth Support Trust (SYST), Richard grew the charity from inception into an organisation with regional and national influence, supporting over 2,000 people and contributing to the creation of over 1,000 jobs. Today, through RN Consulting & Associates Ltd, Richard operates a UK-wide practice, facilitating cross-sector partnerships across the NHS, central government (DWP, DCMS), local authorities, and the VCSE sector to drive system-level change.
- Funding & System Leadership: Richard has personally secured in excess of £1.3m to £1.5m in funding from diverse statutory and trust sources. He sits on multiple strategic boards, including the Youth Employment Group (YEG) and the NHS Integrated Care Board, ensuring his clients benefit from high-level, national policy insights and a deeply connected professional network.
- Advisory & System Leadership Roles: Richard actively shapes regional and national policy through numerous non-executive and advisory positions. He serves as a member of the NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Board, a Panel Member for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and Co-Chair of the Telford & Wrekin VCSE Alliance (formerly COG). Additionally, he chairs the Self-Employment Sub-Group for the national Youth Employment Group (YEG) and holds advisory roles with the Midlands Good Employment Movement, Get Marches Working Strategy & Plan, and the Telford Business Board.
- Values-Led Approach: Richard’s leadership is driven by a profound commitment to early, youth-led support and creating "psychologically safe" cultures. He champions co-production, ensuring that community voices genuinely shape national and local service design.
- Lived Experience: Richard’s motivation is deeply personal and rooted in his own background. He grew up in an underprivileged part of the country within a toxic environment and was in receipt of free school meals. He experienced emotional and physical abuse, and as a teenager, he navigated significant mental health challenges including ADHD, PTSD, and a suicide attempt. This profound lived experience sits quietly in the background of his work, driving his unwavering commitment to championing youth, creating "psychologically safe" cultures for staff and volunteers, and ensuring that early, youth-led support means no young person has to struggle alone.
OUR PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE
Terry Yarnall – Principal Associate Terry brings over 30 years of extensive experience working within and leading the voluntary sector. As a highly experienced CEO, development worker, and trainer, he specialises in helping charities and community groups establish robust governance, secure diverse funding, and evaluate their true social impact.
- VCSE Leadership & Community Assets: As the former CEO of the Sutton Hill Community Trust, Terry successfully led the charity through a major community asset transfer, transforming the "Hub on the Hill" into a thriving community business. He has hands-on experience developing sustainable income streams for community hubs, from care services to community cafés, backed by rigorous business planning and financial forecasting.
- Funding & Capacity Building: Terry has a formidable track record of securing both large contracts and grassroots grants (including from the Big Lottery Fund, Children In Need, and Sport England). He has delivered national fundraising training for major charities such as Streetgames, empowering third-sector organisations across the UK to become more effective at bid writing and income generation.
- Impact Measurement & Inclusion: Qualified in Social Return on Investment (SROI) and Social Accounting, Terry ensures projects can robustly prove their value. He is deeply committed to inclusion, having developed national disability awareness training for the British Disabled Angling Association and led internal quality evaluation for transnational European projects (Codered and RISE) that used innovative digital tools to engage disadvantaged youth, refugees, and migrant workers.
OUR ASSOCIATE NETWORK: THE COLLECTIVE POWER
We operate as a flexible collective. When you engage RN Consulting & Associates, you aren't just getting one consultant; you gain access to a powerhouse network of senior experts who step in when you need high-level capacity.
Combined Network Experience Our wider associate network comprises former CEOs of major charities, Executive Directors of national heritage trusts, and international consultancy specialists. Together, our network brings a combined track record spanning over 100 years across the UK, Australia, the USA, and Europe.
Our associates do not just advise; they have led. Collectively, our network has secured over £950 million in funding, ranging from DWP Prime Contracts and Home Office tenders to multi-million-pound European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes and six-figure corporate sponsorships. They have managed operating budgets of up to £6.8m, led complex mergers, and guided organisations through transformative growth.
What We Do
Consulting & Delivery Expertise:
- Interim Executive Leadership & Change Agency: Providing flexible, senior-level capacity, including Interim CEO, Business Development Director, and other strategic interim roles, to support organisations through transition or scale-up. When acting as an Interim CEO, we serve as a change agent: working closely with the board to run day-to-day operations while strategically assessing and shaping exactly what the organisation needs from its future permanent leadership.
- Thought Leadership & Research: Driving sector-wide change through RN Insight Studio by producing evidence-led policy analysis, briefings, and actionable frameworks that challenge national narratives and bridge the gap between policy and practice
- Funding Strategy & Income Generation: Trusts and foundations fundraising, statutory bid writing, tender management, and corporate sponsorships.
- Strategic Planning & Organisational Development: Board-level advisory, leadership coaching, change management, and governance frameworks.
- Social Value Strategy & Assurance: Turning social value from a tender buzzword into credible, contract-ready commitments. Through the RN Social Value Studio, we help businesses and VCSEs design impact that is auditable, deliverable, and proportionate—ensuring it is designed into delivery, not just bolted on for a bid
- Programme Design, Research & Evaluation: Creating Logic Models, Theories of Change, and Impact Measurement/Evaluation frameworks (including SROI and Social Accounting).
- Co-production & Lived Experience: Ensuring service innovation, cross-system strategy, and delivery are shaped genuinely by youth voice and lived-experience leadership.
SECTORS & EXPERTISE WE CHAMPION
Our network’s deep expertise spans a highly diverse range of sectors, allowing us to connect the dots across complex local systems:
- Youth & Mental Health: Designing early-intervention models, NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) prevention pathways, and youth-led mental health and wellbeing services.
- Employment, Employability & Skills: Deep experience designing welfare-to-work programmes, enterprise support, and inclusive early-talent pathways.
- Community Capacity & Social Value: Supporting Community Asset Transfers, developing local social infrastructure, and navigating VCSE governance and capacity building.
- Sport, Physical Activity & Wellbeing: Using sport and physical activity as an engagement tool for disadvantaged groups, bridging the gap between grassroots sports and statutory health outcomes.
- Heritage, Culture & Visitor Economy: Transforming heritage sites into profitable visitor attractions, securing Lottery (NLHF) and Arts Council funding, and managing local tourism and theatre services.
- Justice & Rehabilitation: Delivering Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS), designing offender rehabilitation programmes, and working directly within custodial settings and youth justice systems.
- Advice & Advocacy: Strategic leadership within the advice sector, focusing on financial sustainability, organisational turnaround, and digital service delivery.
WHO WE WORK WITH
We provide end-to-end consultancy, capacity building, and delivery support to a wide variety of stakeholders across the system:
- VCSE Organisations & Charities: From grassroots community groups to large regional infrastructure bodies.
- Funders & Commissioners: Local Authorities, Combined Authorities, and NHS/Integrated Care Systems (ICSs).
- Education Providers: Schools, Colleges, Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), and Universities.
Employers & Businesses: SMEs and large corporates seeking to build inclusive pathways and deliver robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Social Value.
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OUR METHODOLOGIES
To prove the difference our clients make across these sectors, our network specialises in robust measurement frameworks, including SROI (Social Return on Investment) and Social Accounting. We ensure that the social and economic impact of your work is auditable, deliverable, and proportionate to your funders' needs.
