Local Trust

"The biggest difference is that spend information is more accurate—because it’s easier for people to submit it. That means better data, faster decisions, and less frustration."

About The Local Trust 

Local Trust is a place-based funder that supports 150 communities across England to achieve long-term, resident-led change. Their model demonstrates the power of unrestricted funding with no strings attached.

Since 2012, they’ve delivered the Big Local programme—an ambitious £217 million investment funded by the National Lottery Community Fund—giving £1 million to each community to transform local lives and places.

The Challenge: A Resident-Led Model Needed a Resident-Ready Platform

Local Trust needed a flexible digital system that could reflect the unique relationships in each Big Local area.

Their old system wasn’t scalable, lacked transparency, and created too much admin for staff and grantees.

They wanted to simplify financial reporting, reduce data duplication, and improve how Local Reps and community organisations could interact with the funding team. The goal was a system that worked for everyone—especially those on the ground.

 

"It’s really important to us as a resident-led funder to know people are much happier with how the system works. It helps us exchange timely, accurate information with communities."

— Adam Cross, Big Local Programme Coordinator

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  Pain Points 

The team wanted to work with experts to over come the following issues and pain points:

  • Pain Bullet

    Disconnected Systems and Processes

    • Funding applications and spend data were managed manually or across disconnected systems.

    • Grantees lacked real-time access to their funding information or status updates.

  • Exclamation Bullet

    No Clear Visibility for Reps and Trusted Partners

    • Local Reps and Local Trusted Organisations needed better tools to collaborate with Local Trust.

    • Queries had to go through email or phone, slowing down response times.

  • Pain Bullet

    Heavy Admin Burden for Funding Team

    • The funding team spent too much time processing data, answering questions, and generating reports.

    • Their legacy system didn’t support the complexity of their resident-led model.

     

    "It’s really important to us as a resident-led funder to know people are much happier with how the system works. It helps us exchange timely, accurate information with communities."

    — Adam Cross, Big Local Programme Coordinator

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The Solution: A Resident-Centred Salesforce Platform

Hyphen8 implemented a powerful Salesforce system tailored to Local Trust’s funding structure. Built with Experience Cloud and the Outbound Funds Module, it gave both staff and grantees a transparent and intuitive platform.

From day one, Hyphen8’s Service Design team engaged with all user types to ensure the solution reflected real roles, workflows, and challenges—placing users at the centre of every decision.

Here is what we delivered:

  • Rocket Bullet

    Funding Portal for Local Reps and Trusted Organisations

    • Local Reps can now view funding, submit applications, and communicate directly with Local Trust in real time.

    • Trusted organisations can upload financial data and see funding progress instantly.

  • Rocket Bullet

    Streamlined Grantmaking and Finance

    • Salesforce manages the full funding lifecycle, from application to approval, payment, and reporting.

    • Financial spend reporting is now easier, faster, and more accurate.

  • Rocket Bullet

    Co-Creation and Internal Upskilling

    • Local Trust staff co-designed the solution and trained alongside our consultants.

    • The system is now fully maintainable by the internal team—supporting self-sufficiency.

     

  • Rocket Bullet

    User-Led Design and Testing

    • Extensive journey mapping, workshops, and testing ensured the system met real user needs.

    • Focused on removing friction and building tools people actually wanted to use.

Meet Local Trust, part of Big Local 

The Impact of working with Hyphen8

Big Local areas now managed in one central system
%
Of Local Reps now use the portal to submit funding and communicate with the central team
+
Hours time saved across funding, finance, and community teams thanks to self-service and streamlined processes
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The Impact  

Hyphen8 created the following impacts for The Local Trust which have helped scale their work, impacts and relationships.

  • Smile Bullet

    Resident-Centred Design

    • Built around the needs of Local Reps, trusted organisations, and the communities they serve

    • Improved transparency and trust between funder and grantee

     

  • Tick Bullet

    Operational Efficiency

    • Major reduction in manual admin for staff

    • Easier financial reporting, fewer queries, faster funding cycles

     

  • Smile Bullet

    Scalable, Sustainable System

    • Internal team empowered to manage and develop the platform

    • Flexible enough to support future programmes beyond Big Local

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Making an impact

"The biggest difference is that spend information is more accurate—because it’s easier for people to submit it. That means better data, faster decisions, and less frustration."

— Adam Cross, Big Local Programme Coordinator

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Big Local areas now managed in one central system

Advice for other charities

"Working with Hyphen8 has transformed how we manage and deliver funding.

Their deep understanding of both Salesforce and the nonprofit sector meant they could tailor a solution to our unique needs.

The system is intuitive, reduces admin, and gives us real-time visibility across all Big Local areas.

If you're looking to scale impact, build trust, and save time—Hyphen8 will get you there with confidence and care."

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