What Pilotlight does

Pilotlight is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1996, that operates structured skills-based volunteering programmes connecting senior business professionals with small and medium-sized UK charities. Its core products are Pilotlight 360 (an eight-month intensive pairing charity leaders with expert business coaches), Pilotlight Impact Day (a one-day team-based intensive for solving a defined charity challenge), and Pilotlight Insight (a three-month programme targeted at environmental charities). The organisation also delivers the Weston Charity Awards in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation, which combines an unrestricted £6,500 grant with access to Pilotlight 360 for selected charities in the Midlands, North of England and Wales.

The business model rests on a two-sided value proposition. On the demand side, charities receive strategic guidance, leadership coaching and access to senior business expertise at no cost, typically funded through the Weston Charity Awards or via bespoke corporate sponsorship. On the supply side, corporate partners (Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Linklaters and others) pay for or sponsor participation in order to develop employee leadership skills, meet CSR objectives and access third-party-validated impact data (Pro Bono Economics has reported £1.50-£3.60 of business benefits per £1 spent). Reported 2024 activity reached 1,259 business professionals supporting 142 unique charities across 162 projects, with cumulative impact exceeding 1,000 charities and 10,000 professionals since inception.

Operationally, Pilotlight is headquartered in London (with a secondary London site), operates exclusively across the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, the Midlands and the North of England), and does not run a proprietary technology platform. Distribution is direct: bespoke partnership agreements with corporates and a competitive annual awards programme for charities. Leadership transitioned in late 2025, with Lisa Pearce succeeding Ed Mayo as CEO on 1 November 2025 alongside the appointment of five new trustees drawn from senior commercial backgrounds (EY, JPMorgan, Dentsu, Amazon, Canva).

Name

Pilotlight

Legal name

Pilotlight

Website

https://pilotlight.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pilotlight is a UK charity, founded in 1996, that runs structured skills-based volunteering programmes pairing senior business professionals from corporate partners (Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Linklaters) with small and medium-sized UK charities to deliver strategic and leadership support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with businesses (Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Linklaters) who pay for or sponsor Pilotlight programmes to develop their employees' skills while supporting charities.
2. Garfield Weston Foundation: The Garfield Weston Foundation provides funding as part of the Weston Charity Awards partnership, contributing £6,500 unrestricted grants to each winning charity plus programme support.
3. Trusts & Foundations: Funding from charitable trusts and foundations to support operations and programme delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pilotlight is a UK charity that connects senior business professionals with charity leaders through structured skills-based volunteering programmes. Its core offerings include the 8-month Pilotlight 360 coaching programme, the one-day Pilotlight Impact Day, the three-month Pilotlight Insight programme (focused on environmental charities), and the Weston Charity Awards delivered with the Garfield Weston Foundation. Services are funded by corporate partnerships and foundation grants, with charities receiving support either free of charge via the awards or through bespoke corporate-sponsored engagements.

Product overview

Pilotlight is a charity facilitating partnerships between business and charities through skills-based volunteering programmes. The core offerings include: Pilotlight 360 (an intensive 8-month leadership development programme), Pilotlight Impact Day (a one-day intensive team-based problem-solving event), and Pilotlight Insight (a three-month strategy support programme for environmental charities). The Weston Charity Awards provides grant funding combined with access to Pilotlight 360 coaching for selected charities across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pilotlight 360

Quantifiable outcome

• 48% average income increase for charities two years after Pilotlight 360
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Business AgeminorOthers · 1 January 2025Media partnership for publishing articles on skills-based volunteering and cross-sector collaboration.
• LinklaterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to support the UK's first social impact programme for climate action. Linklaters provides skilled volunteers through Pilotlight Impact Day and Pilotlight Insight programmes to support environmental charities.
• Garfield Weston FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Partnership to deliver the Weston Charity Awards supporting charities in Midlands, North England, and Wales. Foundation provides £6,500 unrestricted grants per winning charity plus programme funding.
• Morgan StanleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201410+ year partnership with Morgan Stanley to develop pro bono support programmes for employees across London and Glasgow.
• BarclayscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 199615+ year partnership with Barclays developing programmes that enhance staff skills while helping charities tackle strategic challenges. Barclays teams participate in Pilotlight 360 and Impact Days.
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership as part of Deloitte's societal impact initiative '5 Million Futures'. Deloitte employees participate in Pilotlight Impact Days and skills-based volunteering programmes supporting charities.
• Pro Bono EconomicsminorOthersResearch partnership producing impact reports on workplace volunteering, demonstrating £1.50-£3.60 return per £1 spent on skills-based volunteering programmes.
• UK Pro Bono AssociationminorOthersNetwork of skilled volunteering organisations co-founded by Ed Mayo, including Pilotlight, Cranfield Trust, Reach, and others supporting 8,300 voluntary organisations.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sported: UK charity supporting grassroots sport organisations through corporate volunteer partnerships and capacity-building programmes. Operates a comparable partnership-driven model, focused on the sports charity sub-sector.
• Reach Volunteering: UK charity that matches skilled professionals with charity board and volunteer roles. Direct peer in the skills-based volunteering space, with similar corporate–charity brokering and pro bono focus.
• Cranfield Trust: UK charity providing senior business volunteers and consultancy support to small and medium charities; co-founded the UK Pro Bono Association alongside Pilotlight. Directly comparable in mission, target audience, and skills-based volunteering delivery model.
• Small Charities Coalition: UK charity supporting small charities with resources, training, and advocacy. Direct peer serving the same small-to-medium UK charity segment that Pilotlight supports through its 360 programme.

Emerging players

• Pro Bono Economics: UK charity providing pro bono economic analysis to other charities and producing impact research that underpins volunteering ROI claims. An existing research partner of Pilotlight with overlapping mission on demonstrating charity impact.
• Generation UK: UK charity providing skills training and employment programmes in partnership with employers. Adjacent player in the corporate-skills-charity nexus with similar employer-engagement and outcome-measurement dynamics.
• CAST (Centre for Acceleration of Social Technology): UK charity helping charities and social enterprises use digital technology more effectively. Emerging player intersecting with Pilotlight on capacity-building for the charity sector.

Broad incumbents

• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): Umbrella body for the UK voluntary sector, representing and supporting charities nationwide. Broader incumbent in the same ecosystem, with overlapping reach into the same charity and corporate audiences.
• Charities Aid Foundation: Major UK charity helping individuals, companies, and charities make charitable giving more effective. Comparable in cross-sector facilitation, including corporate giving programmes and grantmaking infrastructure.
• Impetus: UK charity that supports other charities and social enterprises with funding, talent, and evidence to scale impact. Comparable cross-sector support model connecting business resources with charity outcomes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pilotlightuk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pilotlight