Charities Strategy and Impact Report 2021
4.3 Achievement, omissions, measurability, reporting
Key findings
13 per cent of charities recorded a 100 per
cent achievement rate against their aims
across the full assessment period
On average, one in four aims set over the
five-year period was omitted from reporting
in subsequent years
More than 70 per cent of charities provided a
full reporting of at least one aim in every year
reviewed - in most cases, these aims were
also achieved
Just over 50 per cent of aims were reported as
achieved across all charities over the period
Achievement was negatively impacted by
the number of unmeasurable, or vague, aims
initially outlined
Almost 60 per cent of charities set at least
one aim that was deemed unmeasurable
88 per cent of charities set internal aims over
the course of the five-year assessment -
but these were omitted from later reporting
at a very high rate
Setting aims, whatever their ambition, is one
thing. If they are not achieved, there is no
reporting on progress made in doing so, or they
are so vague as to be unmeasurable, then it can
defeat the object. Not all aims will necessarily
be achieved, but being transparent about how
you are doing is important.
Achievement
Approaches to establishing objectives varied considerably
by organisation. Some charities in the largest income tier
outlined a significant number of 'steps' under the umbrella
of a single strategic objective, and others chose to separate
these goals individually.
Regardless of the approach, there was no correlation
between the number of aims set and the reported
achievement rate over time. Indeed, the charity with the
largest number of distinct aims over the period (89) also
reported one of the highest achievement rates.
The median achievement rate was approximately 54
per cent across the sample. This number was negatively
impacted by the number of unmeasurable or vague
aims established, which limited organisations' ability to
demonstrate success.
13 per cent of charities recorded a perfect achievement
rate against their aims across the period. In all but one case,
these charities were operating within a medium or long-term
strategic plan at some point throughout the five years. They
also published distinct strategy documents in addition to
summarising objectives and results within their annual reports.
The lowest rate recorded was zero, in the case of a charity
that abandoned its long-term plan early in the period. It
then experienced an extended delay in producing a revised
and updated strategy.
Omissions
On average, one in four aims set over the five-year period
was omitted from reporting in the succeeding years.
This is based upon the total number of aims set, some of
which were repeatedly stated across multiple years and
consistently omitted in subsequent reporting.
Of the 40 charities, 31 omitted at least one aim from
subsequent reporting. The remaining nine organisations
consistently tracked and openly reported every aim they
set over the period. Eight of them had established medium
and long-term plans and most published distinct strategy
documents in addition to summarising objectives and
results within their annual reports.
Charities will need to change their strategy periodically,
to account for major events such as a global pandemic.
However, they should not omit reporting on previous aims,
they need to give reasons why its no longer an aim.