When strategies look the same across organisations due to unseen pressures, we call this 'isomorphic strategy'.  But this tendency towards sameness - and its causes - deserves closer examination, particularly by civil society leaders seeking to deliver impact.

We have discussed the challenge of 'disconfirming evidence' and why it matters in philanthropy. Our new framework guides foundations through a process of understanding and incorporating contrary evidence into their decision-making. It's designed specifically for organisations pursuing systemic change, where traditional evaluation approaches often fall short.

Compared to other sectors, philanthropy lacks practices, structures and cultural norms to tackle confirmation bias. In this article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Andy Martin and Kecia Bertermann describe why this is a problem, and an opportunity to do better.

When philanthropists think about their impact, they should recognise that timing matters. What if the billions being spent on climate philanthropy today were spent in 2007? What will be boring to fund in 2044 that is weird to fund now? What are the opportunities and responsibilities of philanthropy to think about these issues?

The pursuit of fundraising growth can be a daunting challenge for many charities. Trustees and other stakeholders may push fundraising teams to “be more innovative”, but there is no big bang solution. Successful growth strategies focus on changing how the organisation thinks and works.

If your organisation no longer has a point of view about the future, then you might have a Futures Gap. Discover how identifying and bridging this gap can reignite your mission and reshape your impact.

Our second post on the future of communities. As communities become more fluid, more open, and less 'controllable', charities will need to find new ways of working. We discuss three high-level responses that charities might take: channel, platform and ecosystem.

Changing communities pose a challenge to traditional charities. New groups are more online, self-organising, and diverse, needing tools not directions. To stay relevant and support these communities effectively, charities must change profoundly.

The strategic questions that kept coming up in 2023 were about networks and emotions. They were about pace, agency and power. These questions shift the focus of strategy from a single, rational organisation. They ask us to look outwards to the network, and inwards towards the personal.

In 2011, the article ‘The Elusive Craft of Evaluating Advocacy’ by political scientists Mark Schmitt and Steven Teles, was published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Whose strategy is it anyway? Under UK charity law, trustee boards are responsible for effective delivery of a charity’s objectives. They set a charity's strategic direction and ensure legal compliance.

“Transformation” must be one of the most over-loaded, over-used terms in discussions about organisations. Countless books, articles, think-pieces, lectures, tweets, conference talks, podcasts (and now ChatGPT answers) all pronounce ‘new’ ways of thinking about transformation, claiming to have finally unlocked the key to success.

A "theory of the state" can be thought of as a clear idea of the society you want, and the role of government in making it happen.

A Theory of Change can be a powerful tool. It can tell the story of how the world can be a better place, what it will take to get there, and how you are going to help make it happen.

Organisational values are powerful tools. They describe who you are and what you stand for. Done right, they provide everyone with a sense of purpose and belonging.

We recently wrote about the death of fundraising and the threat to traditional ideas of charity as people embed ideas of impact and purpose into every aspect of their lives.

Scenario planning is a strategic tool designed to help organisations prepare for a range of possible futures. It is not about predicting the future. Fundamentally, it is about accommodating uncertainty.

Covid-19 has changed the way that we work in an extraordinarily short time. As we enter this new phase, agility and resilience in the face of uncertainty have become the new buzzwords for many leadership teams.

Businesses that are serious about purpose can learn from charities about how to put their values at the heart of their organisation.

When it comes to fundraising income, charities do not compete with other charities. They compete with everything else a person might be trying to do to lead a meaningful life.