For the last week or so, one of the main issues in the news has been the Great Horsemeat Scandal! We keep hearing of the latest supermarkets and the latest brands that have been discovered to be selling meat products that contain horsemeat without stating this on the packaging.
My young daughter has been quite concerned about the horsemeat, and we have explained to her a few times that the reason it is in the news is not because it is not safe to eat meat from a horse – many countries eat it in the way that we eat meat from cows, pigs etc – but that we are not being told that it is contained in the food products that we are buying. It is being hidden from us.
It reminded me of the old saying “it does what it says on the tin”! – though in this case it doesn’t.
As I thought about this well worn phrase, I thought that this was an appropriate phrase to consider about our organisations – our charities and churches. Are we “what it says on the tin”? Do we do what people expect us to? Do we provide the services that people expect us to? Do we operate in the way that we are expected to – both by the public and by the Charity Commission?
If the answer to any of these questions (and many similar to them) is no – then we have two options. We either need to write something else on the side of the tin(!), or if what the tin says is what we want to be/achieve, then we need to change the way in which we operate.
We may need to make it easy for people that need what we can offer to recognise us as the place to come – which is about advertising and publicity. We may need to look at the services we offer and add something new and take something away – which will be discovered through communication with current and potential service users and other stakeholders. We may need to look at our internal workings and make changes to ensure that they are in order – and for this we may need some support from others that know what is required.
I can certainly help with the last one – operating effectively and in the ways that would be expected by the public and the Charity Commission. I could provide some guidance about how to find out what services are required and with suggestions regarding advertising and publicity – though don’t ask me to design anything!! If you think I could help, please get in touch by clicking on the ‘Contact Us’ tab at www.cmanagementservices.co.uk.
What I would ask you is to make this a priority – have a look at your organisation. Does it do what it says on the tin? If so, that’s brilliant – keep up the good work!! If not, don’t panic – just consider what you need to do to change your answer – and get in touch if you need some help!!