Client Story: RSPB

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Introduction to the RSPB

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The RSPB — the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds — is the UK’s largest nature conservation charity.
Our mission is to protect birds, wildlife, and the natural environment through scientific research, habitat restoration, advocacy, and public engagement.

We work to conserve species and ecosystems both in the UK and internationally, running around 700 projects across the country and overseas. These range from internal transformation projects—such as HR and finance systems—to major conservation efforts in places like the coasts of Scotland, Tristan da Cunha, and the rainforests of Angola.

Challenges Before Implementing Cora

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Before implementing Cora, our biggest challenge was a lack of visibility across projects. With so much activity happening in different parts of the organization, silos had formed, making it difficult to see the bigger picture.

Like many organizations, we relied heavily on Word and Excel. While we had a framework in place, it was hard to get a clear, consolidated view of all our projects and programs. This made it difficult to prioritize work, allocate resources effectively, and identify risks.

Different teams used various tools and methodologies, leading to inconsistencies in reporting and inefficiencies in how we managed our portfolio. With 700 projects running simultaneously, it was nearly impossible to maintain alignment with our overall strategy.

Additionally, not all projects were directly aligned with our strategic goals. Sometimes, we pursued opportunities based on available funding rather than strategic fit. As a result, risks and issues were often managed in isolation, delaying mitigation efforts.

Why We Chose Cora

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We chose Cora because it allowed us to connect the dots between projects, programs, and portfolios—embedding what we call the “golden thread” that links individual initiatives to our overall mission and strategic goals.

Cora also stood out for its powerful dashboards and reporting capabilities. As a science-driven organization, we rely heavily on evidence and data, so having real-time, accurate information to share with senior leaders was essential.

The system enables us to roll up data through consolidated reporting dashboards and provides a full audit trail of decision-making, ensuring consistency, transparency, and accountability across all projects.

Benefits and Impact

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The biggest benefit of adopting Cora has been improved strategic alignment. We can now measure the percentage of projects contributing directly to specific outcomes, allowing us to quantify our progress toward our 2030 strategy.

This visibility helps us identify gaps, prioritize new work, or even stop projects that no longer align with our goals. The speed and clarity this provides have been game-changing for how we operate and make decisions.

Collaboration and Partnership with Cora

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We work in a highly collaborative way, and that was another reason we chose Cora. From the start, we valued the relationship we built with their team.

Whenever we’ve wanted to explore new ideas or ways of working, Cora has been highly supportive. We feel genuinely empowered through this partnership, which has strengthened our ability to deliver impactful conservation work around the world.