The past five years have not been easy for charities.
Across the UK, giving is changing, and not always for the better. The latest research from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) highlights a clear and concerning trend: fewer people are giving, and overall donations are beginning to fall. For many organisations, this has created a perfect storm of rising demand, rising costs, and shrinking income.
And yet, at The Joshua Tree, our story over the past five years has been very different.
A period of growth and purpose
Although the charity sector as a whole has faced uncertainty, The Joshua Tree’s story has been positively different.
We have grown our income, staff team, expanded our reach, deepened our impact, and expanded the services we deliver to the children and families we support. This hasn’t happened by chance. It has come from a relentless drive to focus on what matters most: the people at the heart of everything we do.
Every decision we make is shaped by the families we support.
We have placed a stronger emphasis on data collection across the whole charity, not as a reporting exercise, but as a way to understand our impact and improve what we do. This analysis helps us see what is working, where we need to do better, and how we can support families more effectively.
We have made a real commitment to talking to families, listening to their experiences and feedback, and have recently set up a new Family Advisory Board to help strengthen and develop our proposition further.
Bucking the trend
In a climate where giving is under pressure, it would be easy to lower expectations, but instead, we have chosen to raise ours.
The wider research tells us that while fewer people are giving, those who do give are giving more, which places greater responsibility on charities to build trust and demonstrate impact. We have embraced that challenge by diversifying and growing our funding streams.
It’s hard work, but we are committed to our cause and will continue to drive forwards.
Make no mistake, it’s not always plain sailing; as a team, it has been about consistency, showing up every day, delivering for families, supporting one another and doing the little things right with compassion and care.
Focus on Team
If there is one thing that defines The Joshua Tree, it is our people.
The families we support, and our team who stand alongside them. We have reset our culture, which means valuing our team, not just for what they do, but for who they are as individuals and as a collective.
We expect high standards, so we create space and time for their wellbeing and reflection, often investing in personal development and recognising that our impact is only possible by working together.
But we remain grounded to ensure that as the charity develops, it still feels like The Joshua Tree.
Looking ahead: a new strategy
This journey has led us to an important moment.
As we look to the next three years, we are launching a new strategy shaped by everything we have learned previously.
It is built on five pillars:
- Growing and diversifying our income
- Reaching and helping more families
- Expanding and maturing our support
- Building and empowering our team and infrastructure
- Underpinned by financial sustainability
It’s a simple but ambitious strategy that looks forward.
Because while the challenges facing the sector are real, so too is the need. Families continue to rely on organisations like ours at the most difficult times in their lives.
Staying real in a changing world
The next chapter for The Joshua Tree is not about growth for its own sake.
It is about remaining sustainable, being purposeful, and growing in a planned and measured way.
It is about continuing to raise standards, not lowering them; continuing to deliver, not just promise; and continuing to stay true to our values, our people, and our purpose, and those we support.
It won’t be easy; we won’t always get things right, but we will learn from our mistakes and keep getting better.
