Purpose, vision & strategy

The RSA has been a source of ideas, innovation and civic enterprise for over 250 years.

In the light of new challenges and opportunities for the human race our purpose now is to develop and promote new ways of thinking about human fulfilment and social progress.

Our vision is to be a powerful and innovative force.  Bringing together different disciplines and perspectives, we will bring new ideas and urgent and provocative debates to a mass audience.  We will work with partners to generate real progress in our chosen project areas, and through our Fellowship we will be seen as a source of capacity, commitment and innovation in communities from the global to the local.

Underpinning our work are enduring beliefs in human progress, reasoned enquiry, environmental sustainability, and ethical commitment, combined now with a commitment to public participation and social inclusion.

In pursuing these aims we will be led by four values: independence, commitment, honesty and openness.

Our way of working will consist of providing a platform for critical debate and new ideas; working with partners to translate knowledge and progressive thinking into practical change; and inspiring our network of Fellows to be a force for civic innovation and social change.

The RSA Fellowship is a powerful national and international network of accomplished individuals.  Fellows are encouraged actively to engage with all aspects of the RSA’s work and to develop their own local and issue based initiatives.  Fellows bring a wealth of expertise and influence but more than that they bring a shared commitment to the values and working methods of our Society.

The rationale for our research and development projects ranges from those which seek to push the boundaries of thought in areas fundamental to the RSA’s values, to those which develop new multi-disciplinary approaches to those which work directly with practitioners to generate research based innovation and change, for example on prison learning.


Strategic objective and deliverables


Objective

We will live our purpose and achieve our vision by achieving the following strategic objectives and key deliverables.  The foundation for this objective is to build the capacity of the RSA
  • By recruiting and retaining committed and excellent staff
  • By ensuring we have the right infrastructure and systems to be a highly efficient, effective and innovation organisation.

Deliverables

1. Inspiring our growing networks of Fellows to be a force for civic innovation and social change

  • Through innovative new forms of Fellowship engagement
  • By maintaining a rising trend in membership and a low level of attrition
  • By developing a range of powerful Fellow initiatives online, issue based; internationally, nationally and locally.

2. Providing the best platform for new ideas and debate

  • By providing and promoting high quality, influential debate and discourse
  • By making these ideas available through a highly respected Journal and our cutting edge website.

3. Developing a unique, respected, influential research backed development programme

  • All projects to meet key criteria for quality, ambition , clarity, practicality, partnership
  • Programme to contain several headline projects which break through from specialist to a wider audience of practitioners and opinion formers.

4. Being a valued partner in all our activities

  • Working with partners to translate knowledge and progressive thinking into practical change
  • Success in developing strong funding, collaborative and strategic partnerships
  • To be an organisation that is uniquely able to bring together people with different backgrounds, expertise and perspective.

5.Making our HQ even more successful, admired and vibrant

  • Working to ensure that every aspect of the House and its services speaks to the RSA brand and values
  • Developing and implementing ambitious developments such as the redesign of the Great Room.