Why invest in improved ways of working?
In our charities, where resources are stretched, and time is precious, embedding improved ways of working might not seem like a top priority. Yet, the “how” of your organisation—how your teams prioritise, collaborate, innovate, and deliver—is crucial to your mission. In fact, getting how you work together right could be the difference between delivering good-enough outcomes and achieving transformational impact.
The “how” of your organisation—how your teams prioritise, collaborate, innovate, and deliver—is crucial to your mission.
Here’s why charity leaders must invest in embedding modern ways of working—not just as something for their teams to implement, but as a philosophy for leadership and culture change that begins at the top.
“How” matters as much as “why” and “what”
Simon Sinek’s Start with Why has deeply influenced organisational thinking over the past 15 years. It rightly emphasises the importance of purpose—defining why you exist then inspiring others with your mission. For charities, this clarity of purpose is often done for us. We’re clear on why we’re here.
But here’s the catch: too often, we jump from “why” to “what” without pausing to think about the “how”. We skip the middle step in Sinek’s famous golden circles altogether.
This plays out in different ways:
- A Fundraising Team might know their ‘why’ – to engage new audiences to raise more for the cause – then leap straight to executing an established campaign idea without considering how to work with Comms and Marketing to deliver wider change.
- A People Team might restructure to reflect a new organisational strategy but carry on operating as they did before, without embedding changes that improve collaboration or empower staff.
Our work with the Fundraising and Comms teams at Refuge is a great example of the impact that focusing on “how” can have, with results like a campaign raising 156% more year on year and a 50%+ increase in the return on investment of advertising spend.
Rushing to deliver outputs without first examining how your teams work together can lead to products that don’t resonate with your audiences, disempowered colleagues, and missed opportunities for efficiencies and impact.
Your biggest investment is in your people
For most charities, staff costs are their single biggest investment. Yet, is enough thought given to maximising this investment by improving how teams work together? Leaders often focus on what their staff are doing—hitting fundraising targets, delivering programmes, or driving advocacy—but spend far less time considering how those outcomes are achieved.
By embedding shared mindsets, behaviours and approaches, like agile, lean and design thinking, you unlock the full potential of your teams. This isn’t about adding more work; it’s about working smarter. It’s about creating environments where Campaigns, Comms, Fundraising and Marketing teams collaborate seamlessly, where teams test ideas quickly and learn what works, and where leaders are equipped to adapt and respond strategically to change.
Strategic collaboration starts at the top
Here’s where charity leaders can fall down: they see better ways of working as something for their teams to implement. Practices like lean and agile are mistakenly viewed as project management tools, not leadership imperatives.
The reality? Organisational agility begins at the top. Leaders who embrace and model modern ways of working create the environment for organisational resilience to thrive. Strategic collaboration isn’t something that happens “below you”—it’s something you embody.
When leaders invest time and energy in improving how their organisations work, they empower their people, foster innovation, and create a culture of accountability. We worked with Prostate Cancer UK to do just that. Without intentional engagement from the leadership team, collaboration practices implemented at a team level would have been unlikely to stick or deliver meaningful change.
When leaders invest time and energy in improving how their organisations work, they empower their people, foster innovation, and create a culture of accountability. We worked with Prostate Cancer UK to do just that. Without intentional engagement from the leadership team, collaboration practices implemented at a team level would have been unlikely to stick or deliver meaningful change.
Practical applications for charity leaders
Embedding new ways of working isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s about finding the right combination of approaches to meet the unique challenges and opportunities within your charity. For example, we worked with Amnesty International UK’s Communications team to apply these tools to the challenges they were facing. As a result, they achieved their best fundraising year ever, without increased resources.
Embedding new ways of working isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s about finding the right combination of approaches to meet the unique challenges and opportunities within your charity.
Here are some more examples of how focusing on ‘how’ teams work can play out in charities:
Restructuring
New reporting lines and team structures alone are unlikely to deliver the results you’re after. Embedding collaborative processes ensures teams can break down silos and work effectively and efficiently in practice.
Product development
New reporting lines and team structures alone are unlikely to deliver the results you’re after. Embedding collaborative processes ensures teams can break down silos and work effectively and efficiently in practice.
Strategic decision-making
Agile ways of working aren’t just for projects. Leaders can use the principles of agile working to prioritise initiatives, respond to changing circumstances, and maintain focus on delivering impact.
Why now?
The charity sector is under immense pressure to deliver more with less. Investing in better ways of working isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. By focusing on how your teams work, you’re not only ensuring they deliver better outcomes but you are also creating a resilient organisation that can adapt to an ever-changing world.
So, charity leaders: don’t just leave this to your teams. Embedding new ways of working isn’t about ticking a box—it’s about transforming your leadership, your culture, and your impact. It starts with you.
Are you ready to embrace the “how”?
