Leadership: Updating your strategy

The lives of children have changed beyond recognition in the past few years. With rising numbers of children facing poverty and poor mental health, and growing concerns about changing harms online, at Barnardo’s we recognised this was the time to take stock and make sure we’re prepared for what comes next.

As a charity with deep roots in communities across the UK, we’re used to adapting to meet the changing needs of children.

That’s why in March, Barnardo’s launched a new three-year strategy, alongside our first major brand update for decades. Developed alongside children, young people, colleagues, volunteers and supporters, it’s a pivotal moment in our 158-year history. As with any big project, it has been a steep learning curve and we’ve picked up some valuable lessons along the way.

1. Be clear on the “why”. Children and young people are forging their futures against a background of huge uncertainty and disruption. Years of under-investment have left core services increasingly unable to cope with rising levels of need, with many children and families missing out on timely support, leading to poorer outcomes later in life.

Our new strategy sets out how we will deliver on our purpose – Changing Childhoods, Changing Lives – in this new context, by continuing to deliver excellent, inclusive services for those who need our help. In everything we do, we will be guided by children’s voices and experiences. To achieve our ambitions, we must have a brand that resonates with all parts of the Barnardo’s family. This means reaching out to younger and more diverse audiences, and making sure those who have known about us all their lives understand what we do today.

2. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Setting a new strategic direction is a huge responsibility. We need to get it right for the children and young people we support and must channel our resources to areas where they will make the biggest impact. Through the process of designing our new strategy and brand, I’ve learned it’s important to be confident in making choices and to prioritise based on data and insight from colleagues, supporters, partners, children and families. Not everyone is going to agree with the decisions we’ve made, but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong. It is important to be reflective, but ultimately you have to trust in the evidence and the people around you.

There’s also a huge burden of responsibility in rebranding a historic charity like Barnardo’s. We’ve been around for more than 150 years and have had a similar look and feel since the 1960s. Some people feel a strong connection to our old brand. In designing our new brand, we were determined to respect this history and we’ve been careful to balance change with continuity, which is why we’ve kept the colour green while updating to a shade that works just as well on a smartphone as it does on paper.

3. Collaboration is key. It was important to us that our new strategy was developed by, and belonged to, everyone in the Barnardo’s community. Throughout 2023, we spoke to thousands of people including the children, young people and families we support, colleagues and volunteers, and our supporters and partners across government and the NHS. They told us what was important to them. The creation of the new Barnardo’s look and feel involved young people and our colleagues at every stage, as it was vital it resonated with the people we’re trying to reach. Some of the children helped design each of the letters in our logo to reflect their feelings and emotions.

4. Remember it’s not about you. Anyone who has seen our new brand can’t fail to notice it is different from our previous look and feel. Having worked at Barnardo’s for 15 years, I felt an attachment to our old brand and when I was shown some early versions of our new visual identity, I found them quite confronting. I had to leave my personal preferences at the door and tell myself that it’s not for me – it’s for the wider Barnardo’s community.

We now have a brand I’m incredibly proud of and that resonates with different audiences. We knew from the outset we weren’t going to be able to please everyone with our refresh, but I am confident our supporters understand we needed to update the way we look, sound and feel. With public sector finances under increasing strain, it is essential we raise more income and inspire more people from across the UK to support our work. I’m confident our new brand will do that.

5. Demonstrate impact. In a challenging climate, it is important charities can demonstrate the positive impact they make. Commissioners and partners rightly expect this, as do donors and supporters. Most importantly, we need to be accountable to the children and families we support so we can earn and maintain their trust.

Alongside data to show our impact, we are also focused on capturing the voices and experiences of children and young people, so we can speak with confidence when advising decision makers about the change needed to transform their life chances. A central part of our new strategy is an outcomes framework. This is a long-term project designed to help us better understand and measure how we’re delivering on our purpose. We’ll be using this new data and insight to inform our work, making sure we can reach children when, where and how they need us.

• Lynn Perry is chief executive of Barnardo’s