Making big changes to meet big challenges

With many charities facing serious financial and strategic pressures heading into 2026, leaders need honest assessment, careful management of change and clear communication.

Are you looking forward to 2026 with a sense of excitement, wonder and hope, just itching to get on with the (fully funded) work you have planned to support your beneficiaries, causes and communities? If so, that’s amazing – you can stop reading this and maybe check out some other blogs and articles from DSC here.

If you’re a little less confident in what this year holds, and are anticipating having to respond to potentially existential challenges in the coming months, you’re far from alone. Many charities are caught in a trap of declining income, reduced funding opportunities, rising costs and increased demand, pushing boards and leadership teams to ask really big questions about their future. This blog offers some practical ways to approach those questions – and how DSC can stand alongside you while you do it.

Understanding the real challenges

Before making big decisions, trustees and CEOs need an honest view of where the organisation really is: what impact you’re having, who you are (and aren’t) reaching, how viable your current model is, and what options genuinely exist for the future. That kind of situation assessment is hard to do from the inside, especially when everyone is tired, worried and time-poor.

DSC can help you get that clearer picture through in-house board and leadership away-days, guided governance reviews using tools like the Governance App, and support with impact assessment, evaluation and research to test your assumptions. If you need bespoke evidence to inform big strategic decisions, DSC’s research team can design and deliver strength reviews, surveys and impact evaluations that give trustees something solid to work with. Find out more about our in house services and get in touch here.

Managing technical staffing and structural change

If your assessment points towards restructuring, downsizing or changing how you organise work, the technical HR and structural elements need to be handled carefully and lawfully. Getting redundancies, role changes and new structures wrong can damage trust, invite challenge and distract you from your core purpose.

DSC provides training and publications on people management, HR and employment issues for charities, alongside in-house consultancy to support leadership teams as they navigate difficult structural change. You can bring in DSC experts to help you think through options, support managers stepping into new responsibilities, and offer practical training or exit support for staff whose roles are changing or ending. Find out more about how we can help here.

Handling the human side of big decisions

Even the most technically perfect restructuring can fail if people don’t understand why it’s happening or can’t see their place in what comes next. Clear internal communication, refreshed vision and mission, and meaningful engagement with staff and volunteers become essential in moments of upheaval.

DSC runs courses and provides tailored in-house sessions on governance, leadership, communication and strategy, which can help you reconnect your team with a renewed sense of purpose. Facilitated workshops, whole-team briefings or staff engagement sessions led by DSC trainers can create space for honest conversation, help people process decisions and galvanise the organisation behind a realistic plan.

You’re not alone in facing these pressures – far from it. But there is huge value in getting independent, expert support to help you understand the challenges objectively and put the right things in place so that the big decisions you make in 2026 have the impact you want them to, for the people and communities you exist to serve.