7 things big charities do really well...and 3 things they don’t!

“Every advantage is temporary" - Katerina Stoykova Klemer

If you’re just starting out running a social enterprise, community group or small charity, it’s easy to believe that bigger organisations have all the power, and that you’ve got a long way to go. But not everything becomes easier as your organisation grows. Here are seven things big charities do really well, and three things they don’t, intended to give you both some standards to aspire to, plus highlight some advantages you may be unaware you have right now.

7 things big charities do really well

1. They take themselves seriously

Many national and international charities have a similar environment to global corporations. They may appear to have a very ‘corporate’ approach to the way they’re run. They have a Senior Leadership Team, a HR department, and watertight governance; making sure everything is done properly, legally, and fairly. They are structured and stable. They have systems and processes in place, for everything. They act professionally, attract a high calibre of applicants for their roles and they invest in specialists to ensure they are competing at the highest level.

2. They measure their impact

They have a long-term vision of the social or environmental impact they want to make, and they track every step along the way. They know how many people they support each day, week, month and year. They have a clear understanding of the difference they make, either to people’s lives or to the cause they are championing. They accurately measure the difference they make. They ask the right questions and evaluate their processes with a view to constantly improving. They see the bigger picture and can evidence that in the longer term, they will have contributed significantly to real progress.

3. They build relationships

Successful organisations understand that developing relationships with both supporters and beneficiaries is the key to success. They prioritise this above and before asking for money. They understand that fundraising is a long game, and they engage potential donors from the perspective that it is a mutually beneficial arrangement. CEOs and trustees of successful charities often have personal and professional connections to political leaders, policy makers, funders and philanthropists. In this way they lead by example and the whole staff team is encouraged to build relationships at every level.

4. They value their people

While it’s widely accepted that the charity sector pays less than its private and public sector counterparts, longstanding and ambitious charities understand that valuing and investing in its staff is paramount to long term success. From attractive role descriptions, competitive annual leave, opportunities for career progression, professional staff and volunteer training courses, teambuilding days and invitations to celebration events, a successful charity aims to build a diverse and passionate team of people. And once you’re in and doing well, there’s nothing a growing charity likes more than demonstrating how its supported its own to reach the top.

5. They have clear priorities

You know you’re working for a great organisation when everyone in it can clearly relay who the charity helps and how they help them, list the main projects and services off the top of their head, and know the main objective they are working towards. Successful charities are crystal clear on their why and their how. They don’t try to be everything to everyone. Instead, they aim to be the go-to organisation on a particular issue or solution, and every single action that every member of staff does, points back to that.

6. They are neutral

It’s not easy to tread the fine line between advocating for change and holding to account those in charge, between political ideals and political realities, between your personal opinions and your professional values. The majority of third sector organisations have it written into their governing documents that they must remain impartial, independent and non-political at all times. It takes a lot more effort and professionalism to focus entirely on working towards positive action than on blaming the past for the current situation. Successful charities work hard on articulating their position and carefully navigating the social, economic, and political climate.

7. They are financially sustainable

Successful charities understand that being not-for-profit doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t make a profit, but instead that they use that profit to do more, help more people, and advance their cause. They accurately calculate the cost to run their programmes, services and whole organisation, and make sure that none of their projects run at a loss. They prioritise income generation and they develop a number of diverse income streams, ensuring that they are stable and sustainable in the long term.

...and 3 things they don’t!

1. Decisions take time

Less people equals less red tape. Less processes. Less likely to get stuck awaiting for approval or sign off from your line manager’s manager. There isn’t really another way to put it; things move slowly in large organisations. In contrast, it often feels like they happen in a split second in a smaller one. Be agile, quick on your feet, responsive, flexible, adaptive to the needs of the people or cause you’re trying to help. In turn this will make you easy to work with, on the cutting edge, where all the fun is.

2. Innovation is hard to implement

When trying to start something new or get a new idea off the ground in a large and longstanding organisation, you’ll often come up against a barrier that sounds like, ‘Well, we’ve always done things this way.’ Those systems and processes that keep the professionalism up, keep the branding on track and protect the reputation of a household charity name can also result in a lack of true innovation. Small organisations that are still developing their place in the sector, still growing and changing, have the freedom to pilot new ideas and be willing to fail. If you run a campaign and it’s a flop, chances are not many people will actually notice. Try a new location, work with a different user group, test a new activity. It’s all part of the process of getting really grounded in who you are as an organisation and what you stand for. Do it now, because that willingness to take risks doesn’t last forever.

3. Standing further from the frontline

Very often, charities are set up by a group of passionate and driven individuals, absolutely single-mindedly focused on fixing a problem, creating a solution or helping out in a crisis. For the first few years an organisation can (almost) survive fuelled by this passion alone. Once you start employing staff, branching out, and rotating trustees, the distance between the people who run the charity and the problem it’s set up to solve widens. There is so much power in grassroots groups, those genuinely working on the frontline. Services designed and delivered by people with recent lived experience of that same challenge are more likely to be trusted and taken into the hearts of those they are trying to help.

Rachel x