Actions speak louder than words: the importance of evidence-based Values in the Third Sector
When an organisation talks about their ‘Values’, you’d be forgiven for glazing over, switching off or feeling a healthy dose of scepticism. All too often we see organisations claiming to be rooted in positive principles such as integrity or respect, with no demonstrable evidence as to what this looks like in practice.
So, when our team met recently to overhaul our Values as a grassroots charity, we wanted to make sure that we didn’t fall into the trap of choosing some nice words and then moving on without a thought.
Our values are important because, if we are not clear on what we are rooted in:
- How can we ask the public to trust us with their money?
- How can the young people our partner NGO supports in Kenya be confident that we are accountable for our impact?
We decided to keep it simple, and settled on three values that we felt passionate about and could clearly demonstrate.
We are proud to declare that Raising Futures Kenya is:
People-centred – Our organisational culture centres the importance of wellbeing, lived experience and ability to thrive, for all students, staff and anyone working with Raising Futures Kenya.
We evidence this by:
Staff:
- Giving employees 3 days of Wellbeing Leave per year (separate from Sick Leave), so they can plan in or spontaneously take time off for rest or self-care.
- Flexible working options so employees can make work fit around their lives and caring responsibilities.
- Having inclusive recruitment practices such as providing the interview questions ahead of time, not asking for reasons behind gaps in CVs, not demanding a degree, and posting jobs with the best salary we can offer rather than a salary range, so candidates are clear on what salary they will receive from the outset.
Students:
- Asking for consent to use photos, quotes and stories in marketing and communications, including a timeframe for use. Only using photos and stories that show Seed of Hope students in their power – young people in Kenya need opportunities, not ‘saving’.
- Providing free lunches, period packs, child care vouchers and travel expenses support, so there is nothing standing in the way of a young person attending their classes.
- Providing group and one-to-one counselling and wellbeing sessions, so no young person faces trauma alone.
Collaborative – We listen actively, reflect on our own actions, admit to failure, look for opportunities to learn, to act, to be better. We’re happy to share with and learn from individuals and organisations in our work to create the biggest impact.
We evidence this by:
- How we work with our Kenyan-led partner NGO. They are the ‘architects’ and experts behind Seed of Hope, with whom we work to create the best, community-led outcomes for young people in Kenya.
- Our partner NGO delivers training on the Seed of Hope TVET model to other educational and vocational training institutions across Kenya, so they can learn from our evidence-based model.
- Working with organisations such as Pestalozzi International UK and One World Together, to share expertise and best practice.
Bold – We set ambitious targets both within our programmes and for advocating for change within the sector. We strive for meaningful impact, not just good intentions. We are not afraid to speak out and make bold changes.
We evidence this by:
- Writing into our Strategic Plan our commitment to ‘shifting power’ back to Kenya. Our ultimate goal will always be for our UK team to not need to exist.
- Challenging funders to direct their grants directly to our Kenyan partner NGO, cutting us out as the ‘middle-man’, as part of our commitment to working towards truly anti-colonial Third Sector. The biggest grant our charity has ever secured in its history is sent directly to our partner in Kenya.
- Talking directly about the challenges faced by the young people we work with, including gender-based violence.
People-centred, collaborative and bold. These are three words we embody in everything we do at Raising Futures Kenya UK.
If, like us, you’d like to see more transparency and accountability around Values, please comment your thoughts and share this article today!
To learn more about our commitment to these values, take a look at our current Strategic Plan here, and make sure to sign up to our digital newsletter, Seeds of Hope, here.
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