Ian Petty to Help U.K. Self Harm Awareness Charity to Develop Their Enterprise

Las Vegas, NV, November 20, 2009 --(PR.com)-- When ActionCOACH founder and CEO Brad Sugars launched the company’s first-ever global pro bono business coaching program for the non-profit and charitable sectors of the economy, SAFA became the obvious choice for U.K. Business Coach Ian Petty.

By enrolling their favorite charities and non-profits into the program, top Business Coaches from around the world are creating a massive impact on this sector, with the collective aim to help it raise an additional $2.5 million from October 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010. The combined value of the service is $1.8 million.

SAFA (Self-harm Awareness for the Furness Area) was established in July 2006 with the commitment to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals who self-harm as well as to those who support them.

Having had personal contact with people who attempted self-harm, Ian is a huge supporter of this cause.

“I have seen firsthand two young individuals driven to the point of attempted or actual self harm and it was amazing to see how with the right support and guidance, they made it through this period,” he said. “Not everyone is as fortunate and the scale of the problem is much larger than many of us realize. The services provided by SAFA are there to help just such people and to educate professionals to identify the signs of people at risk and prevent them from harming themselves.”

According to SAFA Chair, Val Robinson, like many non-profits and charities, fundraising is one of the biggest challenges facing SAFA. However, some other issues seem to take precedence.

“For us, perhaps a bigger issue is the secretive nature of self-harming, the difficulty professionals face regarding this complex issue and the issue and its image in terms of would-be funders,” Val said. “This in turn makes it difficult to recruit and develop qualified and specialized human resources.”

Ian will now help the organization develop a systemized approach to fundraising through grant-assisted programs and foundations.

“I will also be working on a clear vision, mission and culture statement for the team so as to maximize productivity and efficiency,” he said.

Val expects the coaching process to help her team not only focus on fundraising initiatives but also in setting company objectives as well as identifying alternative strategies to promote such a critical, yet “difficult to understand” cause.

Founded by Ann Mills and Cindy Orsich who recognized that when looking at the full spectrum of self-harm, there was provision for drug and alcohol abuse but there were no referral pathways for self-injury or eating disorders.

“There was provision through Self-injury Support (SIS) in Carlisle for self-harmers in North Cumbria so individuals with eating disorders had to travel to Altrincham, Preston or London for specialized treatment,” Val said. “The organization began in order to address this need, and our long-term vision is to become the recognized centre of excellence for counseling, support and training in the field of self-harming in South Cumbria.”

Assisting them in this vision is Ian through the Coaching for a Cause campaign.

“This is an excellent initiative, which is providing the much needed coaching in a sector that is still coming to terms with the phrase ‘enterprise’ and will give it more insight into developing their organizations in becoming more businesslike,” Val said.

Coaching for a Cause is an innovative, new program from ActionCOACH, the world’s number one business and executive coaching firm that makes pro-bono coaching available to charities and non-profits worldwide. To learn more, go to coachingforacause.org or subscribe to RSS news feeds at news.actioncoach.com.

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