What Our Clients Are Actually Finding: The Fractional Difference in Practice

When we talk about fractional support, the conversation usually starts with cost. And cost matters, especially for charities and mission-driven organisations working within tight funding constraints. But cost is not what our clients end up talking about once they have experienced the model.

What they talk about is speed. Capability. And fit.

Clergy Support Trust came to Start Bay Fractional with a specific challenge: they needed to improve the performance of their fundraising systems, including Salesforce, event ticketing and Gift Aid processes, without taking on the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

Here is how they described what happened.

"The fractional model gave us immediate access to excellent, reassuring expertise tailored to our needs, without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire."

Their consultant, John, delivered concrete improvements across fundraising and data infrastructure. He strengthened their Salesforce configuration, enhanced reporting, streamlined event ticketing, reviewed and improved Gift Aid processes, and integrated external platforms into their system and website, creating a more efficient and joined-up workflow for fundraising and supporter engagement.

But what Clergy Support Trust also noted was how John worked.

"His calm manner, integrity, and professionalism meant we immediately felt we were in safe hands and with someone who had the know-how and thorough approach to deliver. He took time to understand our organisation, communicates clearly, and operates with a level of care and respect that has been greatly appreciated by our team."

They have since commissioned a second Start Bay consultant on a separate priority project. That decision tells you more than any testimonial could.

There is an assumption embedded in how most organisations think about fractional or part-time support: that you get a reduced version of the real thing. Fractional time, fractional impact, right?

Our experience, and our clients' experience, is that this assumption is often wrong.

A CEO we work with recently reflected on their fractional leader's first weeks in post. What struck him was not just the quality of the work, but how quickly the consultant had assessed the situation, with a clarity and speed he described as beyond what he had seen at that level.

This is not unusual with genuinely experienced fractional professionals. They have typically done the role before, in multiple different contexts. They are not learning on the job. They arrive already equipped, and the focused nature of the engagement means there is no slow ramp-up, no internal politics to navigate before getting started, no time wasted finding their feet.

The result, when the match is right, is that clients sometimes get more impact per hour than they would from a full-time hire.

Start Bay Fractional is not a marketplace. We do not list consultants and leave organisations to stumble around looking for the right fit.

Every placement is made with care. We stay closely involved in matching to keep risk low and fit high. We are looking for something specific: the right level of experience, the right sector understanding, and the interpersonal qualities that make a fractional engagement actually work. Technical skill alone is not enough. The way someone works matters just as much, particularly when they are coming into an organisation on a time-limited basis and need to build trust quickly.

The Clergy Support Trust testimonial captures this well. John's technical delivery was significant. But it was his manner, calm, rigorous and respectful, that made the organisation feel confident from the start.

Our experience of Start Bay Fractional has been outstanding, responsive, and excellent value for money compared to some other providers. We would confidently recommend Start Bay Fractional to charities seeking specialist support to strengthen their work and we have already commissioned a second Start Bay consultant to work on a separate key project for us. That was from the charity’s Head of External Relations.

If your organisation is facing a capability gap, whether in leadership, fundraising, data, finance or operations, the question worth asking is not just whether you can afford the help you need, but what it is costing you not to have it.

Fractional support exists in that space. Senior expertise, focused on your priorities, for the time and budget you actually have.

If you would like to understand what this might look like in practice, two routes are available on the website: Get Matched or Book a Call. Either works. No pressure, just an honest conversation.

Start Bay Fractional places experienced consultants and senior leaders with charities and mission-driven organisations on a fractional basis. I personally curate all placements.  Visit fractional.org.uk or drop an email to hello@startbay.org