Agencies for Good

Agencies for Good (AfG) began in the pandemic with a simple, vital ambition: to connect people across the public and charity sectors during an emergency. As the immediate crisis faded, the network successfully shifted to driving collaboration between agencies and freelancers in the ‘for good’ space.

We at William Joseph have been involved with AfG since its early days, and we believe the way an agency is run (and who runs it) matters just as much as the work it delivers.

This year, that shared belief led to a new, ambitious phase for the community. AfG is shifting its focus to actively helping to build better agencies; ones that are truly inclusive, sustainable, and driven by explicit, shared values.

The Challenge: Building a truly equitable space

To understand what was holding the community back and what its next chapter should look like, AfG commissioned a piece of deep listening and research. Crucially, this work was led by researchers who are currently underrepresented within the network.

The findings were illuminating and confirmed a core truth: AfG has to be better than the discriminatory ecosystem it is part of to build a diverse and equitable community. The research revealed key areas for change:

• Exclusion before Engagement: People from underrepresented groups were excluding themselves from the space because it did not yet feel welcoming or safe enough.

• Vague Values: The idea of being ‘for good’ felt vague and untested, leaving people unsure if they truly belonged or how to engage authentically.

• The Missing Narrative: Many members, despite caring deeply about social justice, admitted they lacked the confidence or clarity to lead discussions on topics like racial justice, trans rights, or disability.

• Transactional Feeling: The purely Slack-based nature of the community could feel cold and impersonal for those seeking genuine peer support.

This represents a huge opportunity: to move beyond surface-level commitments and actively support a more equitable agency culture.

Our support for the next chapter

In response, a new, compensated working group has been formed and is comprised of both long-term members and new voices with vital lived experience.

William Joseph is supporting this work, which directly aligns with our Workers and Community goals of building capabilities and fostering inclusion. The new working group is co-designing answers to big questions, such as:

• What does “for good” truly mean in practice, moving beyond a simple marketing strapline?

• How can the space become a more vibrant and self-organising community?

• What kinds of content and events will help people feel included and supported?

This action is being backed by funding that supports members to host new events in recognition that inclusion must be resourced, not just reliant on goodwill. The new approach will test ways to connect people, including identity-led networking spaces and skill-sharing events focused on anti-oppressive research and equitable business models.

Agencies for Good has the power to drive long-term change in how the sector operates. We are proud to be working collaboratively to ensure the community models the trust, equity, and clarity we want to see in all agencies we partner with.