Through our work and research with charities, we have identified six characteristics that show an organisation has the potential to be resilient. One of which is understanding and communicating your purpose.
Purpose is at the core of your charity's identity, informing every action, programme, and interaction. By starting with your organisation’s ‘why,’ you lay a strong foundation for everything that follows.
Why your purpose matters
Many charities are working in challenging environments, trying to meet increased demands with limited resources. At times like these, your organisation’s purpose can be your compass: guiding your actions and helping you to make strategic decisions, measure your impact, and adapt to change.
A clear and compelling purpose also inspires action. Differentiating you from others, it can better position your organisation to attract and retain supporters and foster internal motivation.
Informed by our work with charities, these are some of the most important steps you can take to define your purpose, use it to shape your charity’s strategy and achieve lasting impact.
1. Develop a clear theory of change
To get started, develop your theory of change. This is where you map out the steps your charity will take to achieve its mission, detailing the activities, inputs, and resources required. It is essential to clarify how your efforts will lead to real change and define the process clearly for your team.
A strong theory of change acts as the foundation for all your decisions, ensuring that everything you do is aligned with your charity’s core purpose. By grounding your actions in a clear framework, you make sure your mission stays focused and on track.
2. Inspire your people
Once you have defined your purpose, you need to find ways to explain and communicate it to your colleagues. It is important that team members understand how their individual contributions add up to what you are trying to achieve. This clarity not only boosts morale but also increases retention, as employees and volunteers are more likely to stay with an organisation where they feel their efforts make a difference.
A strong purpose will also attract passionate, mission-driven individuals to work with you, adding further value through a team that is deeply invested in the charity’s goals.
3. Stay true to your purpose
Mission drift occurs when a charity begins to deviate from its core mission and values. This may start in small subtle ways but can quickly dilute your efforts and confuse both donors and service users. No charity is immune to mission drift, regardless of its size or cause.
To prevent this, continuous assessment is crucial. So, make sure you ask critical questions, regularly, such as:
- Could our external stakeholders identify our mission through our actions?
- How have our recent strategic decisions aligned with our vision and mission?
- Have our employees, users, and supporters contributed to our strategic plans?
4. Make your purpose stand out
In a busy and diverse charitable landscape, many organisations may have similar goals, such as promoting education, fighting poverty, or conserving the environment.
Without a distinct purpose, your charity risks blending into the background, making it harder for you to attract attention and resources. However, a clear, unique purpose that is easy to understand and talk about can serve as a differentiating factor, helping your charity to stand out.
5. Be consistent and transparent
By staying true to your purpose, you build a consistent reputation over time. Transparency, particularly regarding how funds are spent and the impact of various initiatives, enhances your credibility.
Donors are more likely to support charities they trust to remain committed to their mission, as opposed to those that shift focus or lack a coherent purpose.
Similarly, a well-defined purpose fosters long-term engagement, with volunteers and supporters more likely to continue contributing their time, resources, and skills if they feel connected to your cause. In turn, their dedication and commitment can create a ripple effect, amplifying the charity’s message and extending its reach.
6. Stay focused during times of crisis
No charity is immune to challenges, whether they are funding shortfalls, political shifts, or economic downturns. The Covid-19 pandemic was a strong reminder that disruption and change is unavoidable.
Your purpose gives you the flexibility to adapt without losing sight of your charity’s identity or values, when resources may be scarce, and priorities need to shift.
So, use it as your organisation’s foundation, ensuring you to stay focused and pivot effectively while remaining true to your overarching goal.
7. Effectively measure and communicate your purpose
Alongside your mission, your charity’s purpose offers a practical framework for measuring success. You can set specific, measurable goals that align with your mission, making it easier for you to evaluate and demonstrate tangible outcomes.
For example, a charity focused on improving literacy in underserved communities could track and evaluate the number of students who learn to read and/or write each year.
Having a solid evaluation framework in place, rooted in your purpose, provides the grounding for all quantitative and qualitative impact measures. Then, you can promote your success stories, reassuring donors that their contributions are making a meaningful difference.
Conclusion
At a time when need is growing but resources are finite, aligning your charity’s actions with a well-defined purpose provides a resilient foundation for long-term success and route to greater impact.
Building your charity’s resilience
This is one of a series of six articles that give charity leaders ideas on how to build the resilience of their organisations. Read the next article on becoming financially and operationally fit.