Why Honour Lies at the Heart of Acts Trust
Written by Bethan Lloyd:
As a charity working to empower local people to end poverty, we often reflect on the values that guide our work. While we embrace modern approaches to charitable giving and measure our impact through data and outcomes, there’s one traditional value that remains central to everything we do: honour.
Honour often conjures outdated images of shiny-armoured knights on horseback rescuing damsels in distress, but what does honour mean in the context of our daily operations, and why do we hold it in such high regard?
Let’s start with the somewhat obvious: finance. At its core, honour shapes how we handle every penny entrusted to us by our supporters: when someone chooses to support our cause, whether through a significant one-off gift or a monthly donation, they’re placing their faith in us. We honour that trust by ensuring absolute transparency in our financial management. This isn’t just about producing annual reports or meeting regulatory requirements, it’s about going above and beyond to demonstrate that every contribution is used effectively and ethically.
Honour also defines our relationship with the people we serve. We believe that providing assistance should never diminish someone’s dignity: when families come to us during difficult times, we don’t see them as cases to be managed but as neighbours who deserve our utmost respect and support. This mindset influences everything from how we design our services to how we train our staff and volunteers.
In our daily operations, honour manifests in countless small decisions. It’s present when our team members stay late to ensure a project is completed properly rather than taking shortcuts. It’s evidenced in how we acknowledge our mistakes openly and work to correct them. It guides us in speaking up when we advocate for those we serve, even when it would be easier to remain silent.
Being honourable sometimes means making difficult choices. We’ve faced situations where taking the easier path might have brought short-term benefits, but would have compromised our values. Whether it’s declining funding that comes with strings attached that could limit our effectiveness, or speaking up about systemic issues that affect our guests, we choose to prioritise integrity over expediency.
Our commitment to honour extends to how we treat our staff and volunteers. We believe in creating a workplace culture where people can voice concerns without fear, where credit is given where it’s due, and where everyone’s contribution is valued. This internal culture of honour strengthens our organisation and enables us to better serve our community.
Honour also guides how we collaborate with other organisations. In the third sector we’re all working toward similar goals of improving lives and strengthening communities and we believe in being honourable partners – sharing knowledge, supporting fellow charities and local organisations, and maintaining high standards that elevate us all.
What makes honour particularly relevant for us is its connection to our foundation in the Christian faith. Our understanding of honour is deeply rooted in both our faith and our calling to serve others. For us, honour is an expression of our faith in action; it’s about living out the values we profess, treating every person with dignity, and conducting our work in a way that glorifies God. By maintaining high standards of honour, we strive to be faithful stewards of the resources and opportunities God has entrusted to us, working to bring hope and transformation to the communities we serve.
Looking to the future, we see honour becoming even more crucial. As society grapples with complex challenges and changing expectations, having a strong ethical foundation will be ever-more essential. Honour provides us with a compass for navigating these changes while staying true to our mission.
Here at Acts, honour isn’t an abstract concept or a relic of the past – it’s a living value that informs every aspect of our work. It helps us maintain the highest standards of service, build lasting relationships with our supporters, and fulfil our commitment to those we serve. In doing so, it ensures that we remain worthy of the trust placed in us.
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