On knowing when to stop – the story of a new beginning

Like many charities working in international development, Motivation began in the UK.  It had committed Founders and a clear mission: to improve the independence of disabled people by enhancing the quality and provision of mobility products and disabled people’s access to them.

Over time, the organisation learnt and grew. It designed sector-leading products that were appropriate for the environment in Africa and Asia, it piloted and implemented projects, and it contributed the knowledge it built to the global sector through advisory bodies and the World Health Organisation’s global best-practice model for wheelchairs and wheelchair services in low-resource settings.

It set up programme teams in India and Africa to deliver mobility and disability inclusion initiatives that helped create lasting change in national systems that had been unable to include disabled people.

This work was funded through UK-based fundraising and underpinned by profits from a social enterprise selling products to a limited but committed market, largely made up of INGOs. And like many INGOs with a UK office, Motivation eventually faced a difficult juncture: its UK cost base began to exceed its sources of unrestricted income, making it increasingly unsustainable. At the same time, the teams in Africa and Asia were funded through restricted grants, meaning job insecurity and little room to respond to locally driven opportunities for growth, collaboration, or innovation.

But these practical challenges paled in comparison to a deeper question – our legitimacy as an international development organisation. To what extent was our work driven by the communities we served? And how well did our structure reflect the values of equity and social justice that defined our mission?

This reflection marked the start of a deliberate process of devolution. We invested in the leadership, skills and autonomy of the teams in Africa and South Asia. We allocated unrestricted funding to create more equitable distribution of resources, terms and conditions.

We knew, and planned, from the outset that this path would ultimately lead to full regional autonomy and governance and, with the end goal clear, we began a major organisational transformation.

The changes touched every person and every part of the organisation: strategy, programme design and implementation, fundraising, digital development, and relationships with our local stakeholders and communities. We elevated community voices, refreshed our brand to reflect their aspirations, and guided donors through the positive transition from centrally held to regionally managed funds.

It was a painful shift for many of the UK team, involving redundancies within a long-established and committed workforce. And for the Africa and Asia teams it meant even more work, more responsibility and new roles – but they were more than ready and able.

Covid slowed progress, but we got through it and had a robust two-year plan for finalising the transition by the end of 2027. And then came 2025, and with it the need to accelerate everything. International aid cuts sharply reduced sales through our social enterprise, both globally and regionally. Significant regional stock holdings from piloting a new model for the social enterprise depleted our cash reserves, and sales volumes were no longer sufficient to cover the our costs.

We explored every short-term mitigation – cost cutting, incentivising sales, tightening budgets – but it became clear that this was not a blip, and reduced sales would continue for the foreseeable future. Faced with this reality, the Board ultimately agreed that Motivation could not continue with the same global structure and that we should move toward UK closure more rapidly, but in the most responsible and dignified way possible.

The decision was tough, but thoughtful and evidence based – the result of conversations with trusted customers and funders, and extensive risk assessment and scenario planning. A dedicated Trustee subgroup and the global leadership team gathered external and professional advice, consulted the Charity Commission and our auditor, reviewed governance documents, ensured continued financial and accounting compliance, and kept meticulous records of significant decisions. Because we were committed to the continuation of our impact, we invested in ensuring regional autonomy – confirming registrations, reviewing governance structures, and managing assets.

In hindsight, we did this well – despite the speed we had to move with – and it has played a major role in safeguarding the legacy of Motivation’s programmes and products for the future.

But beyond the facts and process of the change, what feels most important to share are the lessons I learned about leading change – and the key enablers that make successful transformation possible.

• Build a shared strategic ambition with your Board

I have witnessed many situations where, in times of adversity, the relationship and trust between the Board and the Senior Leadership Team begin to fracture. When that happens, organisational plans unravel, and staff quickly lose confidence in the leadership. As a senior leader, you can lead an unpopular change agenda with your staff – but only if you have the full backing of your Trustees.

For an international development organisation governed from the UK, it is essential that Board members genuinely believe that their ultimate responsibility is to shift power. They must understand that decentralisation is not only the right thing to do, but necessary for sustainable impact. The role of the Chair is especially crucial in this.

I am deeply grateful for the Board at Motivation, and for the wisdom, courage, and forward-looking vision of my Chairs. I could not have led this change or built a lasting legacy without their unwavering support.

•  Build a community of stakeholders around a strategic vision of decentralisation

Since beginning our journey, this ambition has become the drumbeat to our work. All staff contributed and committed to the decentralisation strategy. Donors supported us because we were acutely aware of the fragility of the funding landscape, and sustainability and legacy were fundamental conditions of their investment. Our most significant commercial supplier valued our mission and vision and stuck with us through the toughest times.

This meant that everyone involved knew the path we were on and aligned themselves with that long-term legacy. That shared commitment was vital throughout, but especially in the final stages the transition.

• Once the decision was made to close the UK entity, everything changes

Once the decision to close a registered entity in the UK has been made, there is a particularly painful period in which you can no longer operate as usual, yet you are not able to communicate the closure externally. During this time, normal trading must stop, new funding relationships for the UK cannot be pursued, and all normal payment processes need to be suspended. 

Communication needs to be meticulously planned, with careful consideration of confidentiality and how each stakeholder may react. Despite your best efforts, when the closure is finally announced there will inevitably be creditors, and even the strongest relationships may be tested or put at risk.

• As far as you can, trust stakeholders

We got agreement from the restructuring agent that to have the best possible closure, it would be best to communicate with funders that we had an ongoing agreement with. This is unusual for a commercial closure but in line with good stewardship and accountability as a good charity. We have always been proud of our relationships with donors and supporters, and this strength proved invaluable through this period of challenge.

• Trust your staff

I am incredibly proud of the team and the way they conducted themselves throughout. The restructuring agent warned that, in their experience, once staff become aware that closure is a possibility they can simply down tools. But we knew our people better than that. And we believed that transparency would create accountability and we wanted the UK team to be able to make their own decisions about when the time was right for them to leave.

Within days, every member of staff stepped up. They committed themselves fully to supporting the transition of relationships, information, and training – anything that would help continue the impact on the ground. Their dedication was unwavering.

Private companies can only dream of this level of commitment and loyalty. In the not-for-profit sector, it is only possible when a team truly shares the vision. And when they do, every single person becomes a champion for the mission and legacy.

• Closing up wasn’t giving up

When companies close in the private sector, there is the option for Directors and executives to stop, shut-up shop, and close the doors. Closing the UK office was a practical necessity, but it was also the way to give the Africa and Asia operations the best chance to survive and, in time, thrive.

It is still early days, but with the ongoing support of our donors and the remarkable vision of our manufacturer, we have secured a future which is led closest to its communities, independent and more sustainable.

• Resilience comes from the hardest days

This was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Sharing the news of the UK closure and seeing the impact of that on our team, the loss of jobs in the UK, and the loss of respected colleagues to the whole global team, was incredibly painful, especially knowing how important every individual’s efforts had been to our organisational impact.

It’s a cliché, but true: you never really know how resilient you are until you’re tested. And it’s often in those difficult, deeply uncomfortable moments that creativity and inventiveness emerge. Our team demonstrated both in abundance.

• The timetable to decentralise. How soon is now?

The whole team accomplished an enormous amount at remarkable speed once an immutable timetable was set. One of my Trustees even asked, “If this is how quickly you were able to localise Motivation, why didn’t you do it sooner?”

The truth is that the journey had taken years of planning and building. But could we have done it earlier, before external circumstances forced our hand? Yes, we could have. Many organisations take years to make this shift – perhaps out of caution, or even self-preservation. In hindsight, I wish we had set ourselves a more ambitious timeline from the start.

• Your identity is bigger than your job

Working in our sector – where both heart and mind are constantly engaged – means that work and identity can easily become intertwined. It’s natural for your sense of self to be shaped, even dominated, by your leadership role. Ending your own job is incredibly hard, and I underestimated how empty I would feel without it.

What helped was remembering that everything I had learned, experienced, and achieved across the last nine years – the hard-won impact, the financial stewardship, the moments of progress – were still mine to keep and cherish. And although losing the role felt like losing part of myself, I ultimately realised that I emerged from it a much stronger leader than before.

This is a challenging moment for the entire development sector and standing still is not an option. Even when it is more needed than ever, public scepticism toward aid, development and inclusion is rising, particularly as other global challenges dominate the news and geopolitical shifts weaken long-standing international frameworks. To remain relevant, the sector must – and can – adapt, strengthen its legitimacy, and rebuild governance and relationships from within the communities it serves. Take courage, muster your strength, and make the change. There will never be a better time than now.