Vision, Purpose, Values

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The foundations of a charity are fundamental to its success, operationally and from a fundraising perspective, and yet too often charities ignore these critical components: vision, purpose and values.

In my experience, funders fund vision. Even dedicated programme funders are motivated by a charity’s (and particularly its leaders’) sense of vision – how the world can and will be a better place as a result ofthe charity’s work. 

A charity’s purpose expresses your reason for existing – your “why”. It personalises your vision and informs the strategic outcomes (the ultimate ends on the right hand side of your theory of change) that you seek to deliver as a charity. It also helps to express the limits of your scope and activity – critical in focusing your energies on what you can control.

Values express how you do what you do, arguably just as important as what you do. Values precede activities in any good theory of change: delivering a climbing programme for refugees is one thing, for example, but delivering it with compassion, inclusiveness and a sense of adventure is quite another.

Funders will look for all ofthese foundational components – and yet too many charities fundraise by focusing on their programme delivery (their “what”) without focusing on the “why” and the “how”. These elements are also critical to the development of a good theory of change, something that is fundamental to the Adpulsum approach.

We can help you to workshop your vision, purpose and values - taking language that you have probably already developed as you set up your charity but helping you to unleash a richer sense of meaning that will inform and support your organisation's growth and inspire your stakeholders and supporters.

And believe me, the investment is well worth it!