The Thoughtful Charity
- Simon Cook
- Dec 6, 2024
- 2 min read
I love the voluntary sector and have worked in it for over 20 years, starting as a volunteer and helping to co-found a charity in the North East.
As I was starting out, one of the best pieces of advice I received was that you can’t just ‘go after need’ (because the need will always be far greater than we are able to meet ourselves). Because of this, it’s crucial to have a more considered, strategic approach that asks:
What do we believe is important?
Why do we believe that?
What could our role be?
And, having delivered frontline charity services for a couple of decades, I get it - most people working in the voluntary / community sector are understandably extremely focused on delivery and rushed off their feet. Charity folks see people in distress and instinctively respond to help alleviate suffering.
There is absolutely a place for this kind of crisis response. AND, crucially, we can’t remain in that place long-term if we’re to be effective in bringing about lasting change (not least for our own mental health).
To have maximum impact for the most people, the major pitfalls in charitable work are:
Reinventing the wheel / duplicating existing services.
Being territorial / failing to communicate well with one another.
Failing to engage strategically with the causes of systemic inequality.
If we are serious about bringing significant positive change for people, we must avoid this silo working at all costs. And so, as painful as it may be, we need to down our tools momentarily / take a breath and consider:
Who are we trying to help and why?
o It’s crucial to listen to and meaningfully engage people with lived experience of the challenges we’re hoping to tackle.
Who is already working in this area and leading in best practice?
o We must engage with established networks of those who have come before to avoid reinventing the wheel.
Who has the power to bring change?
o Community organisers.
o Community leaders.
o Faith groups.
o A united voluntary / community sector.
o Local councillors.
o MPs.
o Funders.
By being less reactive and more thoughtful, voluntary and community organisations can find clarity and avoid duplication, strengthen existing work, and bring lasting change.