Chief executive of Acevo Sir Stephen Bubb has called for charity leaders to focus “unstintingly” on the impact of their organisations, warning that failing to do so will create a new breed of lumbering "zombie charities".
The Acevo CEO applied his description to charities who are still alive, but lack the energy and focus to deliver against their mission in today’s climate.
Bubb made his comments as the Inspiring Impact programme – an impact-focused collaboration between Acevo, Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF), Building Change Trust; Charities Evaluation Services; Evaluation Support Scotland, NCVO, NPC and Substance – prepared to launch its Leading for Impact report. NPC's Benedict Rickey profiles Inspiring Impact in depth for civilsociety.co.uk here.
The document urges leaders in the voluntary sector to ask themselves how a greater focus on impact could help them achieve more for their beneficiaries.
“Now more than ever, leaders in our sector need to be focussed unstintingly on the impact their organisations have: being clear what they want to achieve, how best to do it, and assessing the degree to which they succeed,” said Sir Stephen.
“As this report makes clear, the benefits can be inspiring. But the opposite is also true: if we do not seize this agenda, I fear we will see a new breed of ‘zombie charities’ – undead, but lacking the focus and vigour to deliver against their mission in straightened times.”
Leading for Impact, which a spokeswoman from Acevo said would be available to the public later this week, insists that charities should see impact as an urgent priority, and that it is now in fact ‘the new normal’, with more than 80 per cent of charities with an income over £1m investing more in it now than they used to, according to the report.
The document also argues that focusing on impact can help CEOs in formulating strategy, and that charities who measure their impact are more financially stable as they are able to form relationships with new funders and become financially resilient.
