Skip to Content
TS-BGS-20 Trust & Stewardship Board Governance & Strategy CORE Compliance v2.9.7

"Striving for Good" (Broader Jihad) Framework

Assesses if the organization frames its work as a positive, constructive striving (Jihad al-Bina') for community and societal betterment, emphasizing resilience, justice, and preservation of core values. Rooted in the Maqasid al-Shariah (objectives of Islamic law), this approach reflects the continuous duty of Islah (reform) to advance Maslahah (public interest). For external communications, organizations should prioritize the phrase ‘Striving for Good’ and provide context when using ‘Jihad al‑Binā’’ to avoid misinterpretation.

Basic 1
  • DEFINITIONS: 'Major Project' = budget >£50k OR High Risk OR vulnerable beneficiaries. 'Medium/Large' = Income >£100k OR Staff >10. 'Explicit Reference' = exact phrase in body text or standard footer strapline.
    Definitions Clarification
Good 8
  • Strategic documents, annual reports, or public statements frame the organization's work in terms of positive contribution. SORP reports must include a Public Benefit statement linking activities to identifiable benefit.
    Documentation Important
  • Board minutes, written resolutions, or strategy-day records from the last 18 months reflect discussion and formal adoption of the "Striving for Good" framework.
    Governance Essential
  • A documented process requires that all new major projects include a proposal section linking objectives to the framework, including Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) and CC9 campaigning checks.
    Process Essential
  • Mandatory orientation or annual training for all staff/board covers definition, Maqasid, CC9 boundaries, and safeguarding. Evidence requires a training register with completion rates.
    Training Essential
  • A formal communications strategy that consistently uses this framing while strictly adhering to non-partisan charitable purpose boundaries.
    Stakeholder Engagement High
  • Staff are trained to articulate their work in this positive, constructive manner, linking it to the preservation of dignity (karamah) and public interest (maslahah).
    Excellence High
  • The framework is used to motivate and inspire volunteers and donors, grounded in the concept of 'best of people are those most beneficial to people'.
    Stakeholder Engagement High
  • Maintain a ‘Striving for Good’ lexicon/style guide
    Excellence High
Better 6
  • External communications explicitly reference "Striving for Good" at least quarterly (medium/large) or 2x annually (small). Claims must be substantiated (Fundraising Code/ASA).
    Monitoring Important
  • Leadership performance evaluations include at least one metric related to promoting and implementing the "Striving for Good" framework.
    Performance Essential
  • Risk management includes a ‘community resilience & justice’ component with quarterly review, partner due diligence, and an annual business continuity/resilience exercise.
    Process Essential
  • A communications style guide mandates using ‘Striving for Good’ with a ‘non-partisan/charitable purposes’ rule, pre‑approved press line, and ‘misinterpretation/hostile media’ escalation protocol.
    Communications Essential
  • Adopt a Theory of Change linking maqasid outcomes to KPIs
    Excellence High
  • Run quarterly learning huddles to review impact data and adjust
    Excellence High
Best 1
  • Co-design with beneficiaries and publish an annual ‘Impact & Learning’ brief.
    Excellence High

Related Criteria

TS-BGS-01 Trustee board meetings are scheduled, quorate, and minuted TS-BGS-02 Trustees set direction & strategy TS-BGS-03 Trustees meet statutory reporting TS-BGS-04 Finance represented in decisions TS-BGS-05 Annual board and executive skills-gap analysis conducted and actioned
Version
2.9.7 2025-11-05

Discussion (1)

Administrator 2026-03-07 11:07:44.540664

📋 **Version updated: 1.0.0 → 2.9.7** **Changes:** Updated islamic_references from mizan-297.json

Sign in to post a comment.

Back to Criteria