Case Studies: One Family

"One Family had the pleasure of working with Roisin Coughlan at Mantra Strategy throughout 2024. She facilitated sessions with all our staff and Board members, and guided us through a comprehensive process to create our next three-year strategy. Roisin is clear, direct, competent, warm and very easy to work with. Her previous experience in the NGO sector means she can demonstrate genuine understanding, knowledge and passion for the work we are doing. She was a pleasure to work with and we look forward to working with her again throughout 2025 on our upcoming culture review".

Valerie Maher, One Family

Embedding Culture to Future-Proof Impact

Client Background

One Family is Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating. With a strong legacy of social impact, the organisation champions empowerment, representation, and sustainable practices across its services and advocacy work.

The Challenge

As part of their 2025–2027 Strategic Plan, One Family sought to strengthen internal culture to ensure long-term sustainability and team cohesion. Amidst the challenges of hybrid working, there was a recognised need to reconnect team members to the organisation’s mission, improve transparency, and foster a greater sense of belonging.

Our Approach

Mantra Strategy partnered with One Family to co-develop a comprehensive People & Culture Strategy, rooted in a staff survey, team culture workshop, and the organisation’s strategic goal to “Future Proof” its internal capabilities.

Key elements of the engagement included:

  • Interactive Culture Workshop (May 2025): Engaged staff in identifying desired workplace feelings (e.g., supported, confident) versus undesirable ones (e.g., overwhelmed, disconnected), while surfacing cultural barriers and opportunities.

  • Staff-Driven Solutions: Co-designed practical ideas to enhance internal communication, recognition, and connection—ranging from “Virtual Kitchen” Zoom slots to themed in-person connection days.

  • Tailored Strategy Framework: Delivered a six-pillar roadmap addressing psychological safety, recognition, communication, and purpose-alignment. Initiatives included peer-nominated “Values in Practice” awards, leadership visibility actions, wellbeing champions, and a dedicated Culture Steering Group.

Outcomes & Impact

The People & Culture Strategy created a clear path forward, blending short-term engagement wins with systemic culture change.

Feedback from the workshop reflected increased optimism, hope, and a renewed sense of connection—laying a strong foundation for sustainable cultural evolution.