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Posted by Sarah Brown on 30 Apr '26

The key to success clarity about what good you are doing and how you do it, not your legal status

Whatever you look like do good

This blog celebrates the idea that any organisation — whatever its legal form — can change the world when it is built on purpose, responsibility, and a deep respect for people. Drawing on experiences from a well‑run laundry business to global innovations like the Nokia 1100, and lessons from the rise and fall of Kids Company, it shows that doing good is not the exclusive domain of charities. Businesses, social enterprises, public bodies, and charities alike can transform lives when they combine vision with evidence, values with action, and ambition with integrity. At its heart, the piece is a call to believe that meaningful work, responsible leadership, and clarity of purpose can create real, lasting impact everywhere.

Businesses can do real good

I was always idealistic and wanted to change the world. Despite doing PPE at Oxford, I didn’t find the world of the political parties appealing, so I got a job at Oxfam, but then found I couldn’t afford to take it because the pay was so low.

So, by chance, I got a graduate traineeship at Advance, a laundry services company(now known as Initial) and a subsidiary of a conglomerate, BET. It was my first experience in the corporate world beyond some holiday work at an insurance company. I never stopped my questioning nature and desire to change the world, even as I entered the business.

I was very lucky to learn early in my career that companies providing people with fulfilling work is as world-changing as any charity.

I saw this first in Advance, which was incredibly well run and set a standard that I have rarely found in other companies. At the time, I didn’t know how unusual it was. Not only did all the staff feel valued, trusted and know how they contributed, but they also retained customers long term and made good profits.

My book Winning by Being Good includes many other examples of businesses that are successful and do good. One of my favourite stories is about the impact of the Nokia 1100 phone, not smart, but life-changing for some of the poorest people in the world. (read more here)

Charities need money and may not be the best way of changing the world

Later, when I started to consult to charities, I realised how inspiring and motivational a vision could be but that, if used in isolation, it could also be an excuse for poor treatment, particularly of staff or volunteers – the end justifying the means. In addition, unfortunately, not every charity empowers those they work with and having to rely on charity can reduce people’s self-esteem.

Kids Company, a charity that went bust a decade ago, seemed such a success. It was lead by an inspirational leader, had a vision to change the world for young people in real need and seemed to be working really well. It grew and grew as everyone from prime ministers to youngsters were inspired by the story of what it could and was, apparently, achieving. It went bust having received millions in funding and leaving children unsupported. It was one of the organisations that prompted me to develop my tool the ROC which is the foundation of my book. If Kids Company had been using the Responsible Organisation Charter (c) (ROC), the trustees might have identified some issues to address earlier. For example, Kids Company would have scored high on the leadership section for vision, but reports suggest that the other key parts of leadership wouldn't have scored so well. Behaviour wasn't driven by shared values consistently across the organisation as the concerns on child safeguarding suggest, and there was insufficient focus on action, particularly as problems started to surface. It might have scored high on changing lives, except the rigour of the ROC is that evidence is needed, and exactly how Kids Company changed lives is unclear; it is not known how many young people used the service or how many got qualifications, jobs or avoided prison because of its work.

Without knowing the details, it is hard to know how Kids Company would have scored across all the areas. Obviously, at the end it has failed totally in the relationships section, letting down staff, suppliers, users and funders and the wider community i.e. in being a good citizen.

You can find out more about the story of Kids Company and how I used the ROC to review it here.

Across the sectors doing Good will lead to success, including money whatever your legal structure

First as a manager and director, and then running my own consulting business, I have observed that, while the terms used may differ, the characteristics for success in charities, businesses, social enterprises, and the public sector are the same. Each sector can learn from the others and gain from working with them, and one of my frustrations is that it doesn’t happen enough.

Sitting at the cusp of all these sectors is social enterprise, and I have been involved with setting up and supporting social enterprise development for over thirty years. Some were spin-outs from the public sector, others from charities wanting to generate more income and, more recently, many businesses that think that maybe they are more a social venture. As with established organisational forms, there are good and bad examples.

I am less worried about the legal form or name of the organisation. The critical issue is creating a responsible organisation that has clarity about why it exists and how it will achieve its vision and clearly ranked values.

My book Winning by being Good, I hope, will be my legacy and become significant enough to help other people create responsible organisations that are both financially successful and change the world. Whatever you are running or setting up, the principles in this book should apply and be relevant.

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