MS Society of Canada

The challenge

MS Society of Canada asked NPC to review its work. The aim was to provide an independent perspective and assessment of MS Society’s effectiveness in order to inform its strategy and planning. We made our analysis using NPC’s guide ‘What makes a good charity’ which splits understanding a charity into four broad pillars; purpose, impact practice, people and finance and operations.

The approach

For this assessment we reviewed documentation sent by the charity, we interviewed a cross-section of staff in Canada including volunteers, members of the executive team, staff members in managerial and entry positions as well as external stakeholders. We supplemented these inputs with visits to different regions, and a board meeting observation to further understand the dynamics of the organisation. While we sought inputs from staff and volunteers at a national and local level, the findings were intended to provide a broad view of the Society’s effectiveness. The Society has supported this work with further user research and staff consultations across the regions.

The result

Since producing the report and presenting the main findings to senior leadership and trustees, the charity has used our findings to refine its strategic plan and implementation. It has also actioned a number of recommendations around its organisational structure and impact measurement practices. Feedback from the team indicated that our work was particularly helpful in highlighting the need for the Society to better understand and articulate their desired outcomes and how to measure its impact.