Encouraging necessary innovation in charities

Competition for hearts and minds in the charity sector has never been stiffer. While the number of charities has remained relatively constant, there are many more ways in which those charities can reach donors and supporters. Charities have never had it tougher, both in terms of their fundraising and their day to day operations. So the need for charities of all sizes and types to be innovative and bold to stand out amongst supporters and donors has never been greater.

But what is the best of way of achieving this and how can a charity come up with the ideas that will make it stand out, attract fundraising and develop new ways of delivering services?

A major asset for most charities is the people who work with, and for it. This is a knowledgeable and committed group, which can include staff, supporters, trustees and other partners. Capturing the thoughts, ideas and innovations of these people not only provides a stream of ideas, but encourages collaboration and increases engagement amongst an extremely important community for any charity. This can make a significant difference as charities seek to remain strong in a competitive third sector.

Need for ideas and innovation

A failure to innovate, especially in fundraising, means that revenues are going to be impacted. Without revenue, it makes it harder for charities to make the kind of changes they are aiming for, so innovation in the charity sector is critical in allowing charities to achieve their mission.

This means that big ideas are very much in vogue right now. People talk about game changers, being disruptive, ripping up the rule book and other hyperbolic terms when looking for the light bulb moments that will have a genuine impact, whether they work in a business, public sector organisation or charity.

The importance attached to ideas and innovation can be seen by the rise of the innovation officer or creation of innovation teams within charities. These individuals and small teams look to generate the ideas that will help that charity stay ahead of industry trends, and adapt quickly and effectively to change. Charities have different ways of approaching the task of generating ideas and new services, with each charity having different levels of resource, skills and experience.

But one thing is clear: an innovation team or officer is not essential for a charity to be innovative.

Innovation is about people

The truth is that truly disruptive, game changing ideas are few and far between. And while such ideas sometimes occur in a flash of inspiration, more often they need time to develop and grow, with informed stakeholders being able to collaborate on those ideas. Great breakthroughs are usually the result of a collection of small ideas that have come together and developed or merged to become major innovations.

But what’s the best way to go about collaborating on new ideas, in a resource and time pressured charity? The answer lies in empowering staff and volunteers, and in providing them with a platform with which they can submit and discuss ideas. The legacy structure common in many organisations – boss at the top, issuing instructions to the staff – is archaic in 2015. Modern fundraising is much more open, involves collaboration at all levels and operates a much flatter structure.

Anyone who works in a charity is capable of having an idea that contributes to the on-going operations of that organisation and it stands to reason that those people would hold valuable and insightful ideas. Yet charity staff are rarely asked their opinion on things outside their own particular remit.

Creating a culture of innovation in your charity is therefore of paramount importance, and this must begin with the leadership team. As innovation is a top down process, leaders must be willing to work with new ideas and take risks in order to demonstrate to others the benefits of doing the same. Innovation involves taking a collaborative approach toward interaction within and outside the charity, in order to create an open culture of debate for new ideas, so a few considerations from leaders must be taken into account.

This will encourage others to trust that their charity is an environment where they can submit ideas and innovations, and those ideas will be discussed, valued and encouraged. It doesn’t always have to be significant, ground-breaking ideas. Asking for contributions on smaller things such as naming of meeting rooms for example, can be just as inclusive as asking for ideas on strategies, new fundraising tactics or new donor groups to target. There is no reason why staff can’t be consulted about both. The same with donors and volunteers. And don't forget the trustees!

Benefits of collaborative innovation

There are many benefits to be had from looking to capture ideas from staff and other charity stakeholders. A major part of this is in the actual ideas generated, innovations that may improve fundraising or ways in which a charity delivers its services. But involving staff and stakeholders in the future direction of the charity, letting them know their opinions are valued, making them feel they are equal and giving them a platform to be involved in the organisation, also makes compelling encouragement for staff and stakeholders to engage.

It motivates and inspires the workforce, and allows charities to identify and retain the best talent. Employees, and in particular those born after 1990, no longer want to adhere to the traditional workplace structure and, according to the Intelligence Group, millennials prefer a collaborative work culture rather than a competitive one. This research also revealed that whilst many millennials would like to be their own boss, if they did have a boss, they would want that boss to serve more as a coach or mentor.

Meeting younger employees' expectations

This generation will represent 40% of the total working population by 2020. Charities must start attempting to meet these expectations now – or they risk losing talent. By involving employees in the future direction of a charity, they are far more likely to remain engaged, motivated and loyal.

The people who help a charity are, almost without exception, that charity’s greatest asset. The paid staff, trustees and donors, as well as the volunteers who give up their time to support the cause, all empower a charity and make an enormous contribution to its success.

Providing the tools and culture with which they can submit and develop ideas, and ensuring that those ideas are acknowledged, discussed and valued by those who run the charity on a day to day basis can play an enormous role in a charity’s ability to deliver on its mission. Ideas and innovation are truly that important.

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