How to create a strategy for charity services

Urgency and vision can be a point of conflict for charities. Short-term pressures mount up while the bigger picture can feel ever distant and out of reach. In services, this can look like going around in circles, always dealing with the symptoms of a problem and never the cause. Particularly during times of crisis and financial pressure, charities can also experience “mission creep”: losing focus and drifting away from their original purpose.

 

So how can charities regain a deep connection with their grander vision while tackling the immediate needs of the present? In this article, we investigate how charities can create an effective strategy for their services, identifying a clear light at the end of the tunnel – and a plan of how to get there.

 

 

Engage relevant stakeholders

 

To create an effective strategy for services, it is vital to involve those who will both be delivering and receiving those services. This ensures that plans will be both fit-for-purpose and realistic, based on the experiences of service users and service delivery staff.

 

 

Know your theory of change

 

A theory of change is a description of the change the charity wants to make and the steps towards making it happen. Creating a solid theory of change helps to strategise on services going forward, because it helps embed the strategy into a larger, longer-term plan and vision.

 

To create a theory of change, work backwards from the biggest impact the charity should make overall, to the conditions that will allow this to happen, to the actions you can take to set up those conditions.

 

It’s key to know the factors that will make the intended outcomes more likely. That might include how others feel about your work, how they engage with it, and whether they take away the intended messages. 

 

If you are creating a Theory of Change or revising an existing one, New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) and the NCVO have useful guides.

 

 

Identify what your users need from a strategy

 

Every charity is at a different stage in the process of achieving its mission, maturing as an organisation, and navigating external circumstances. Therefore, strategies for delivering services will look different for each charity.

 

As NPC notes, charities uncertain of their direction should seek clarity over their core purpose while developing a strategy. Those facing a demanding external environment may instead need to form a detailed roadmap for progress. And for those charities experimenting with new ways of working to better serve their users, it might be best to set a plan and then regularly review the approach to the long-term goal.

 

So before creating a strategy, take stock of the organisation and its services, noting their biggest challenges. That will make it clearer how to proceed.

 

 

Regularly ask strategic questions

 

Many charities are pushed for time and struggle to justify pausing everything to tackle the bigger picture: there are always more immediate concerns to address. Incorporating strategic questions into the usual work week can help charities balance short- and long-term goals and needs, and help to avoid “firefighting” scenarios by establishing a clearer direction with aligned priorities.

 

That means regularly meeting to check progress against long-term ambitions, for example on a weekly or monthly basis. This connects current actions to the long-term mission and gives charities a chance to adjust the direction of work as needed.

 

 

Create a written strategy document

 

Periodically creating a written strategy document can be a chance to reflect more deeply on the future of the charity’s services over a given period of time. It provides an opportunity to officially change things that could be working better. And it means that everyone has one source of truth about the plan going forward.

 

A strategy should be a “living” document, meaning that it is subject to change. External factors, as well as learnings from within the team, can inform the evolution of a strategy over time. As it changes, though, make sure everyone has access and is up to date on the current plan.

 

Here are four important areas to focus on, and some of the questions you might ask:

• Core purpose – What is your core purpose? What concrete things do you want to achieve? What are your top priorities?
• Resources and capabilities – What evidence do you have of impact? Do you have the right skills and experience to achieve your aims? How can you improve your use of digital tools in service delivery?
• External environment – What needs are you addressing right now? How is society changing? What opportunities and threats exist?
• Developing the strategy  – Is leadership up to delivering change and embedding strategy? How will you make your strategy happen? What has worked in the past?

NPC’s report ‘Strategy for Impact’ lists more questions in these categories to guide your charity’s strategic thinking.

 

 

Find out more

 

Our 2025 Reimagining Service Delivery Summit unlocked new perspectives on service delivery and how charities can maximise value to service users. Click here to watch the session recordings for free.

 

Our Reimagining Services Hub features regular articles, podcasts, and webinars to support charities in delivering services. Click here to learn more.