The Purpose Brief: First Edition

Issue 001 — August 2025

Pour Yourself a Cup of Ambition – Start Your Week With Purpose

What drives you to do the work you do: this week, this year, in the job you’ve landed in?

As you make your way through the Monday to-do list, take a moment to reflect. Pause. Write something down. Ask yourself:

• What is the purpose in the work I do?
• Where can I make the biggest difference this week?

In the age of AI and automation, human purpose will become more important, not less. So ask yourself what’s the wider impact of your work? How does your organisation align with your values? What are you really achieving between 9 and 5 - is it driving change or just bailing out the ship?

If you work in a role centred on impact, change, or social good, then purpose should be your compass. I’ve worked in fundraising for a decent chunk of my career and I've always committed to the causes I was asked to take on, and equally as focused on taking the organisations themselves on a journey: helping them deliver good better. Because you see, you will need talented people who can navigate humans, relationships, hierarchies and work to the mission.

Now, through Resolute Purpose, I support others to do the same by supporting the growth of social good, impact and fundraising.

The Purpose Brief is your free monthly companion: a short dispatch to prompt reflection, share insight, and build momentum for social good across sectors.

I am James Johnston and I will be your first purser through the brief as we grow the audience and connect different people across sectors.

The UK’s Regional Inequality Gap

More than £200 billion is available through philanthropy, grant making, and social investment yet there are regional gaps which must be addressed.

Only 2% of philanthropic giving reaches rural communities. Northern regions consistently receive less support than London and the South East, despite greater need, fewer services, and a long history of underinvestment.

Do you think the system favours visibility, scale, and networks. And are smaller organisations struggling with the social capital to compete? It’s a crowded and competitive space for charities.

But change is coming. Some of the major growth players who have been able to mobilise resource to access funds could be in retreat simply because they cannot afford to scale impact and delivery. I think that creates space for new opportunities for collaborative partnerships, new blended funding models, and smarter approaches to matching need with funding.

We've also got to start talking about generational shifts in wealth - this is coming and has implications for how social good is delivered in future and is why giving or fundraising is going to be such an important focus area.

In future editions of The Purpose Brief, we’ll explore how to shift the dial — looking at practical funding strategies, impact stories, and how the system can be rewired to support the communities that need it most. There's a blog later this week outlining the Geography of Giving.

Changemaker Spotlight: Matty Lewis

Each month, we’ll profile someone making a real difference in the world of social good — someone delivering change amid disruption, challenge, and complexity.

This month’s Changemaker is Matty Lewis, co-founder of Menfulness, a mental health charity for men based in York, UK. What began as a discussion group among friends has become a growing network of support, events, and connection for men who are feeling isolated and struggling with their mental health.

The biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK is suicide. Menfulness, inspired by the loss of a close friend, has created a space built on honesty, humour, and everyday care.

It’s a reminder that social good doesn’t need permission. It needs purpose and partnership. Thank you to Matty for taking on the 001 role.

Corporate Support: Integrated Impact

Across sectors, have you noticed that we use different language for doing good. It could be 'CSR', 'ESG', 'shared value', 'impact investment', 'corporate social responsibility' — but at Resolute Purpose we simply call it Social Good and Impact.

Corporate responsibility is in decline but there are some organisations doing great work. Purpose-led businesses are scattered and not consistent across the country. Who are they? How can they be long-term partners, offering expertise, visibility, convening power and the ability to create a culture of change from within.

But as many charity leaders have told me, Business has to listen and business leaders must help shape this shared vision. I was in a room recently with real estate developers talking about “community” and “regeneration” — but their model centred on investing in retail and high-end apartments. Is that true regeneration?

If you’re a business or leader serious about making a meaningful difference, this is the time to engage. If you’d like to explore how, let’s talk.

Final Word: The Brief Behind the Brief

Two esteemed colleagues asked if The Purpose Brief was like The Pelican Brief — the 90s legal thriller starring Julia Roberts. So I rewatched it again this weekend. Just to check my memories on it.

Based on the John Grisham novel, a university law student exposes a political cover-up involving nature reserves and corruption at the highest levels. She goes on the run because the brief was leaked. 30 years on this sleeper movie holds its own: its political context is spookily pertinent to what is happening in the US today.

But in The Purpose Brief, there are no endangered water birds or huge 90s desktop PC's in public libraries as much as their is no intrigue. We will happily take the 90s aesthetic and, like Julia, grab the files for you, talk you through the intersection of issues impacting progress and shine a spotlight on good work in this space. There ARE good stories to tell, complex societal issues we need to address and impact that is being created through social good and the impact economy. I know you want to hear more about this to inspire you to be a better human professional and good citizen.

I hope you enjoyed your first introductory brief. Existing subscribers, as founders, will have access to exclusive content in the autumn. Please share our email or links to like minded folks.

Have a good rest of week. Thanks for signing up

The Purpose Brief is published by Resolute Purpose.