Growth is hard right now. If you work in fundraising, engagement or service delivery, you already know this. The challenge isn’t the point here, what we do about it is.
Doing the same things, even doing them better, won’t close the gap between where charities are today and where their missions require them to be.
‘Transformation!’ That's the answer. But is it?
It’s often heralded as such, but ‘transformation’ comes with a reputation.
It’s become synonymous with expensive programmes, painful restructures, new systems that promise everything and deliver little, change that happens to people, not with them.
We don’t think transformation has failed. We think it’s often been done the wrong way.
We believe in transformation to achieve real growth. But transformation done differently.
And we started with ourselves. Transforming what we do with a focus on the future, stripping right back to why we exist and what charities really need from us, finding focus and prioritising.
And why we’re doing the same with our clients. Focusing on what we believe ensures transformation actually achieves growth.
View 1: Starting transformation in the right place
‘Transformation’ often starts with a new system, a restructure, or a culture shift that promises to deliver significant change. Jumping into transformation initiatives can sometimes ignore the need to define the bigger picture behind what that transformation is actually for.
Without clarity on why a charity exists, who it’s there for, and what impact it wants to achieve, transformation becomes project management and activity for its own sake.
These fundamental questions define the purpose and direction that give meaning to the change a charity is trying to achieve. When organisations start with that clarity, every action becomes more intentional. Transformation stops being about fixing what’s broken, and starts being about building what’s possible.
View 2: No single programme creates real transformation
Even with the right purpose in place, transformation can still fall short if it’s treated as a single project or solution. Meaningful transformation doesn’t come from doing one thing better.
Every organisation has its own landscape of strengths, tensions and opportunities. Real change begins with an understanding of how these interact within that unique context, and where growth can most effectively be created.
The challenge, and the opportunity, is to connect the right actions in the right order, so progress in one area fuels momentum in the next.
Transformation can most effectively close the gap between reality and ambition, through connected, continual growth. Pulling the right levers at the right time, in the right order.
View 3 - Transformation has to build for what’s next, not what’s been
The world is changing fast, and so are the needs, expectations and behaviours of the people charities exist to serve. Yet too often, transformation looks backwards, rooted in what worked before, and built on the assumption that the future will follow the same rules.
Annual KPIs keep us stuck in the present, while long term plans pretend the world won’t change. And when it does, they crumble.
Real transformation means holding space for multiple futures at once, building the capacity, mindset and systems to flex, adapt and learn as the world evolves.
It’s about preparing for what might come, not perfecting what’s already been.
View 4 - Transformation is never done
Transformation isn’t a project to complete or a box to tick, it has no finish line. The goal isn’t to win, but to build an organisation that keeps learning, adapting, and growing.
Real transformation is powered by culture and capability, by the trust, curiosity, and courage that let people act, not just plan. When everyone plays their part: trustees backing ambition, leaders modelling openness, and teams building confidence to change how work gets done transformation can make positive change permanent.
Transformation isn’t a milestone; it’s a mindset, a living system that gets stronger the more it’s used.
View 5 - Transformation happens through doing
Big visions are easy to write, but progress happens where ambition can jump delivery hurdles.
Transformation thrives on action, not perfection. It’s about testing, learning, and iterating your way forward, connecting what you do today with the future you want to create.
An experimental approach turns strategy from theory into practice. It builds evidence, momentum and confidence, helping teams see change not as a risk, but as routine.
Here’s a few of examples of projects that have looked at transformation differently;
An International Development charity think differently about fundraising
Transforming a complex business and operating model
Transforming for the future