Many charities are unaware of what their investments are actually returning, what they are truly paying in fees, or whether their financial arrangements are properly aligned to the organisation's mission. Adena Street provides independent financial guidance to change that — without bias, and without conflict.
Adena Street's financial guidance is designed to help charities manage and optimise their financial position — with clarity, independence, and a focus on cost efficiency. The emphasis is always on enabling better financial decisions, so your organisation can concentrate on the mission it exists to pursue.
Many charities are not maximising the return on all their assets — particularly cash held in low-interest accounts. A thorough analysis of your financial position, matched against your short, medium, and long-term requirements, can identify meaningful improvements with manageable risk.
Understanding how your investments have performed — and against what — is a trustee responsibility. Adena Street provides independent performance analysis, benchmarked against recognised indices, so your board can assess whether the current relationship with its investment manager is delivering appropriate results.
Many charities are paying more than they realise. The headline management fee is rarely the full picture — hidden Ongoing Charges Figures (OCF) and fund-level costs can significantly erode returns over time. Adena Street provides a full cost analysis so your board understands exactly what it is paying and why.
When a charity's investment manager is underperforming, overcharging, or no longer the right fit, the process of identifying and evaluating alternatives can feel daunting. Adena Street provides independent tender support — running a structured review of the market and presenting a clear recommendation your board can act on with confidence.
In a typical engagement, Adena Street identifies one or more of three recurring issues. The first is fees that are higher than they appear: a headline management rate that does not include fund-level OCF charges can mean a charity is paying significantly more than its trustees understand. The second is an Investment Policy Statement that exists in name but no longer reflects the current needs or ethical position of the organisation. The third is investment performance that has never been tested against an appropriate benchmark — leaving trustees unable to judge whether the relationship is delivering value.
In each case, the charity is not necessarily being poorly served through any deliberate failing — but the absence of independent oversight means the gaps are never surfaced. An independent review does not require confrontation. In most cases, it leads to a more productive, better-informed relationship with the existing manager, or to a transition that delivers meaningfully better outcomes.
Not all financial guidance is independent. Adena Street has no commercial relationships with investment managers, no in-house products to promote, and no conflicts of interest. That distinction is not a detail — it is the foundation of the value delivered.
Adena Street does not receive commission or referral payments from investment managers or other financial providers. Every recommendation is made entirely on the basis of what is appropriate for your organisation.
Where specialist expertise is required — in investment management, banking, or other areas — Adena Street draws on the whole of the market. Recommendations are based on fit, not on relationship.
Adena Street's explicit aim is to help clients maximise their assets and minimise their costs. In most engagements, the improvements achieved generate savings that more than offset the cost of the work.
All advice and recommendations are documented. Trustees receive clear, written records they can use to demonstrate informed decision-making to auditors, funders, or the Charity Commission.
A no-cost conversation to understand what you currently hold, what it is costing, and what an independent review could deliver for your organisation.