Shelter Scotland have become our latest Symbol Holders, demonstrating commitment to the key Lasting Difference capabilities below.
Impact measurement
Shelter Scotland staff on the campaign trail.
Developing an outcomes framework across the organisation has created a structure for measuring performance against their main strategic themes. The approach has been embedded via a programme (e.g. of workshops and team planning sessions) over the last year. Embedding the approach in this way supported the team’s ambition to describe the difference their work is making, credibly and authentically.
Improvement
Measuring impact like this lets the team identify when they are on the right journey and where to correct course in their activities. Too many charities set strategic goals but change them too often or don’t measure them enough. One of the most striking signs that Shelter aims to make a lasting difference is that it sets out its long-term commitments in a clear 10-year strategy. This is then broken down into three-year strategic plans, the most recent being produced in 2022. In an ever changing world, this provides stability and continuity, being clear about what the organisation believes in – and wants to change.
Involvement
Involvement was a key part of working towards this strategy – and sustainability. Shelter Scotland involved people across the organisation in developing the new strategy. An underpinning principle that everyone should be able to see themselves within the strategic plan.
Gillian Reid-McKee, the Assistant Director for Operations described the benefit of integrating sustainability into strategic planning.
“It keeps us focused on our organisational purpose and ensures that is our north star. The most important element has been to challenge ourselves to only deliver what meets our purpose. This means saying no and it also means stopping things we currently do or reshaping them to ensure they are future-focused.”
As a Symbol Holder, Shelter Scotland join a network of committed organisations with access to peer support and priority places at Lasting Difference events.