This involved benchmarking the ideal organisational structure for the Old Mutual Foundation against local and international best practice, as well as carrying out an evaluation of the Foundation’s current focus areas, systems and procedures, funding models and monitoring and evaluation methods.

The overarching goal of the project was to use best practice indicators (drawn from the international case studies and a local contextual analysis) and a thorough internal audit, in order to develop a framework and set of tools that will help the Old Mutual Foundation implement its repositioning strategy based on concrete costs and needs. The Old Mutual Foundation is situated within Old Mutual South Africa and therefore the benchmarking also takes into consideration the vision, objectives and values of Old Mutual South Africa.

The methodology  thus involved:

• A review of existing documentation from Old Mutual South Africa and the Old Mutual Foundation – including the Foundation’s repositioning document, Trust Deed, workflow processes, and job descriptions.
• Desktop research into the nature of comparable foundations, locally and internationally.
• Qualitative interviews with representatives from other foundations, former and current OMSA staff members, Foundation staff members and other stakeholders.
• A skills audit within the Foundation.
• On-site observations and a review of the Foundation’s monitoring and evaluation methodologies.

The Foundation feels that Mthente’s audit and benchmarking study are strategically critical if the Foundation is to be relevant in addressing the socio-economic issues of the country and also providing premiere social investment solutions to the Old Mutual Group, and in the future, Old Mutual’s clients. The research outcomes will be used to design the repositioning strategy and structure of the Foundation ensuring the successful achievement of one of the Foundation’s goals, which is to be in the Top 10 companies that uplift communities in South Africa.