Strategy, planning and sustainability in the voluntary sector

Sustainability is about more than just our physical environment. For organisations, it is about operating in a way that enables them to meet their current needs without jeopardising the future needs of people, communities and the planet.   

In a series of articles, we’re exploring different facets of sustainability and how they might apply to the voluntary sector, with examples of best practice and useful resources for organisations to help them on their journey to becoming more sustainable. Here, we focus on strategy and planning.

The link between strategy and sustainability 

Incorporating sustainability into strategy and planning involves a number of considerations. For example:  

Ensuring sustainability objectives are worthwhile, achievable, and evidence-led 
Making decisions based on reliable, relevant data 
Communicating effectively with both internal and external stakeholders 
Reviewing plans regularly and being open to change and challenge 

Measurement and benchmarking are critical in order to ensure that sustainability objectives have meaning and value. Planning effectively for a sustainable future begins with having a detailed understanding of how your current operations and activities impact people, communities and the planet.

For many organisations, bringing in external experts to help measure and benchmark their current activity has helped them to develop a clearer understanding of the kind of changes that would be most beneficial going forward. 

For example, London Marathon Events appointed Environmental Resources Management to help them better understand their environmental impact and ultimately come up with more effective sustainability initiatives. These have included a closed loop plastic bottle recycling project for the London Marathon and a reduction in the number of drinks stations along the marathon route. 

At a strategic level, whatever objectives are set must be achievable. Across the commercial, public and voluntary sectors, there have been examples of organisations setting ambitious sustainability targets and then struggling to implement them, often because their aspiration has not been matched by a coherent strategy, explaining who will be responsible for delivering on the objectives and how they will be resourced and funded.

As with all organisational strategies and plans, putting a robust risk and governance framework in place to support delivery through the mitigation of challenges and optimisation of opportunities will lead to a greater likelihood of successful implementation.

Helpful resources for strategy and planning 

Once objectives and plans are set, it’s important to make sure they are communicated, managed and reviewed, to keep them up to date. Here are some useful resources that might help on your organisation’s journey to incorporating sustainability into your strategy.  

Statisticians for Society

Statisticians for Society is a pro bono scheme run by volunteer statisticians from the Royal Statistical Society. Statisticians for Society helps charitable organisations by providing free, expert data analysis. This can include practical guidance on how to better understand and organise data, and manage databases more effectively. 

Case study: Out There 

Statisticians for Society worked with Out There, a Manchester-based charity that supports families of prisoners. This included reviewing how existing data was used, automating certain processes, and providing technical training so the charity could manage its data more effectively going forward. This has helped the charity with day-to-day operations but has also made funding bids more persuasive and evidence-led.  

Statisticians for Society aims to support smaller charities that would struggle to afford or justify the cost of a full-time statistician. Charities with a turnover of less than £1 million are eligible for help, and can apply by completing an online enquiry form.  

Creating a sustainability and environmental policy

Finding support with creating a sustainable or environmental policy for charities can be a challenge in itself. We’ve found two sites that we hope you find helpful when it comes to creating your own Sustainability or Environmental policy that also includes your charities aims. 

The Charity Excellence Framework has a free policy template available, as well as 50+ Eco friendly ideas. 
Fit for the Future also has a How to Guide specifically for charities and Not-for-Profit organisations

Media and communications support 

Communicating effectively is important in order to deliver on a strategy and to engage with the right audiences. 

Media Trust and CharityComms are two organisations that can support those in the voluntary sector to improve their digital communications skills. Media Trust and CharityComms have partnered with organisations such as Google and Facebook to provide training courses and other resources. They also help to connect volunteers with media industry expertise to organisations looking for support with their communications strategies. 

Our desire to be a responsible and impactful business 

This article series, focusing on different aspects of sustainability, reflects Zurich's purpose - create a brighter future together - and desire to partner with others to drive transformative change, so we can all thrive today and in the future.

Read the entire series

• Sustainability and the role of the voluntary sector
• Supporting organisations to become financially sustainable
• Legal resources to help organisations operate sustainably
• Putting people at the heart of your sustainability strategy
• Repair and reuse - helpful resources to support charities' sustainability goals
• Using technology sustainably - how charities can support digital inclusion

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