From report to buy-in: lessons in change management in charities | Save the Children

How do you get people in a large organisation to buy into an idea? For most people, the answer is data and evidence. Publish the findings, design a report and let the results speak for themselves. In our experience, the evidence rarely moves people.

What ends up happening instead is that colleagues experience change-fatigue from the latest approach. Arguments pop up over what switching models will cost, resulting in lengthy delays or project cancellations. 

Donors aren’t asking for it and sponsorship conversations end with little to show for it.

Individually, each one can be managed, but together they leave good ideas buried in folders. When we partnered with Save the Children to develop persuasive communications material with updated graphic designs (pitch decks, updated reports, and a video), we started by understanding what the audience needed to hear.

A little bit about Save the Children

Save the Children is a global organisation working to improve children’s lives. It was founded in 1919 in England, and has since gone on to become a worldwide movement with offices in places like Australia, Colombia, Canada and Afghanistan to name a few.

In 2025, Save the Children programmes directly reached 37.8 million children worldwide, delivering critical services in health, nutrition, education, and emergency response to multiple crises and conflicts.

As Restless Stories, we supported two of their projects.

The first was Social Transformation, a model that shifts the work from delivering services to communities to enabling people to change things themselves.

The second was Localisation, which puts power and resources into the hands of local partners and children.

The tie that connected both projects was systemic change: the need to move away from simply delivering the same programmes every year, over and over again. The NGO had to focus on genuine, long-lasting change.

Unlike other projects we’ve worked on, we didn’t create these campaigns. Our role was to help these ideas land with the people who put them into practice.

Step one: understanding the obstacles

We started by working out why the evidence wasn’t having the desired impact. The barriers were obvious from the beginning. Staff were suffering from change fatigue, the costs were unclear, support was limited and donors weren’t putting on any pressure. 

The evidence was convincing, but the problem was that it was written for people who already agreed with the findings.

The crux of the challenge was making it persuasive for people who hadn’t bought in.

Shortening alone it wouldn’t have worked, we needed to prove why these initiatives were the right move and get local teams to see them as the way forward.

Step two: turning a report into a case for change

We built the Social Transformation materials around a simple journey, starting with the challenge, then moving to the solution, proof, objections and next steps.

The package included:

• A short two-page pitch
• A restructured evidence report, shrinking it from 55 pages to 30
• A pitch deck comparing the old to the new ways of working (systemic change here we come!)
• Messaging that made the idea easy to share and repeat

The multiplier effect was the heart of this story, that is to say, no single strategy drives change on its own.

All approaches, be it fostering child leadership, community-led action, behaviour change and systems strengthening all reinforce each other in a virtuous cycle.

The old way might provide training to 100 parents every year, needing a constant influx of resources (people and money). Whereas the new way can change things for thousands if not more and has powerful ripple effects.

This concept was simple enough that everyone could grasp it in seconds.

Step three: being honest about what we don't know

The evidence we had on our hands was strong but it presented some gaps.

Changing social norms may be transformative but it takes an estimated five to seven years, and cost effectiveness wasn’t fully demonstrated yet.

With long-term evidence still emerging, these line items often end up on the backburner at many charities. We had to create a drive - if not an imperative - to do the opposite.

We made honesty and transparency a pillar, addressing the objections head-on by adding new slides to handle common questions and objections. We also offered modular entry points, so teams could start small and transition gradually.

Hard-sell language was off the table here, and the message focused on both emotion and logic (pathos and logos for the Aristotle fans amongst you): here’s what works, what impact it's having, what we’re still learning and how you can start.

Step four: giving each audience a reason to start

In our experience, technical teams, country leadership, fundraisers and donors care about different things. To speak to these audiences directly, the deck included next steps for each.

For example, the donor ask was five to seven year funding horizons, flexible financing and investment in local actors.

Step five: making it practical

For Localisation, the challenge was different. Everyone already understood and agreed with the principle. The issue was making it a reality. To achieve this, we helped package three resources from the Breakthrough Fund pilots: the Localizómetro, Funding with Purpose and Partnering with Children. 

We presented them as a menu. They work best together, but they can also be used on their own. We kept the language non-technical, and presented localisation as a strategic evolution rather than a threat. That framing made a difference to how people responded.

We also combined existing and new documents into one consistent series. That included the short guide for child groups, the booklets, the guide for adult organisations, a glossary and five workbooks. We also helped develop a guidance document capturing the lessons, scaling approach and next steps.

The results

These results come from Save the Children's own evidence:

• 80% of implementers said they would recommend the Social Transformation model to a peer country office
• The Localizómetro reached "ready for global use" status and was presented at the Global Partnerships Community in June
• Its pilots revealed that less than 2% of funding reaches children's groups and community organisations directly, which is now treated as an urgent priority

On a personal level, the best measure for us was the teams' reaction. They were delighted, and felt they couldn't have reached that clarity of presentation any other way.

What we learned

A strong report is only the start of your project because people need a reason to care, a clear picture of what changes and an easy first step.

We emphasised that honesty builds trust and being upfront with your team(s) about what's still unproven makes the case more credible, not less.

When these elements come together, ideas stick with people.

They also become easier to adopt and ultimately, your colleagues spend less time defending change and more time making it happen for the children.

Ready to tell your story?

Your mission deserves more than another campaign lost in the noise. At Restless Stories, we work with our clients to build a science-backed storytelling strategy that inspires hearts, changes minds, and drives real change.

👉 Get in touch with us today to discuss your next creative campaign or charity video project.