Fresh thinking to power your purpose
The Purpose Brief brings you independent insight and place-based content aiming to unpack the stories of people, ideas and institutions that are responding to big challenges. Our content is sourced primarily here in the Vale of York and North Yorkshire.
It is, first and foremost, a hopeful editorial platform with capacity to create positive minded content through story telling. In regular blog posts, essays and podcast episodes we will work with a collective of writers and creative types to bring you stories of impact and social good across five connected themes:
• Generosity : the role of philanthropy, volunteering, community action and charitable giving.
• Politics & Power: the opportunity of devolution and political shifts in the UK. We talk about the currency of trust and the role purpose-led leaders.
• Technology & Business: We respond to the opportunities and threats of AI, the emergence of tech for good and the role of responsible businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Arts & Culture - we reflect on how creativity, identity and belonging are shaped and the role of popular culture in helping us understand the world.
• Place & Heritage - we wander into place and how this is critical to understanding change and the role of our shared histories and heritage in forging partnership and pride.
The Purpose
The Purpose Brief was created as a response for a need to tell a different story.
James Johnston is the editor and host of The Purpose Brief podcast series and the founder of Resolute Purpose which helps organisations to scale their social good and impact through solid strategic advice and creative solutions. He's happy to tell his story any time, but it's one firmly grounded in place and purpose in the North of England.
James has worked across public engagement, philanthropy campaigns and strategic partnerships for large organisations. His professional purpose is to create the right conditions that connect funders, supporters, organisations and communities and he believes passionately in the agency created when organisations are empowered to think differently about their impact.
In the tech driven world, human connection is still demanded at a time when communities want to see more purpose and the currency of trust is high. He is radically hopeful that if organisations can build trust through their stakeholder relationships, this will nurture greater social good to help places and people thrive.