Our new trading name and your frequently asked questions.

What is this all about? The short version…

What are we doing?

• We are changing the name that we are known by. The move to ‘The Do Good Charity’ is about helping more people understand who we are and why we exist.
• We are the same charity.
• We have the same mission, values and heritage.
• We are telling our colleagues, the people we support, and key people in the Hospitaller family now. We are not telling people outside of the charity until 15th September 2026.

What is this all about – the longer version…

• The Name

  1. Why are we changing the name?

     For a very simple reason: we want our name to explain our purpose.

     For more than 450 years our mission has been to be of help to people in need. The phrase ‘Do Good’ captures that purpose in plain English. It is a statement of what we do but also an invitation. It is easier for people to understand, easier to remember, and gives us a clearer way to talk about who we are and why we exist.

     The intention is not to become a different organisation, but to express our existing mission more clearly.

  2. Why Do Good?

     We talk about doing good a lot! We have ‘Do Good Day’; John of God said, “Doing good does you good”; we run recruitment campaigns through ‘Good Work’; we have built the ‘Goodness Metric’ and we have ‘The Good Shepherd’ as part of our family. ‘Good’ provides a connection in all that we do.

  3. Why have we chosen this name?

     Because it says what we do.

     When people hear ‘The Do Good Charity’, they immediately understand something about our purpose. It's clear. It's memorable. It's human.

     Most importantly, it reflects what colleagues across the organisation do every day.

     Trustees considered a number of options and concluded that this was the strongest expression of our mission, both now and for the future.

     It also creates an opportunity for more people to recognise the impact that we make every day.

  4. How many other names were considered?

     We considered 94 names, which was reduced to a shortlist of 3 that most closely linked to what we do. After discussion and a vote, trustees selected ‘The Do Good Charity’ as the preferred option.

     Like any important decision, there were different views around the table, but there was a shared recognition that a decision was needed and that we will ‘populate’ the name with meaning through the way we use the name in practice.

  5. Can you explain the difference between our name and our trading name?

     Our name, that is our legal name, is and will remain - Saint John of God Hospitaller Services. This is used very rarely, probably the only place you’ll see in full is the footnote of the annual report.

     Our trading name will change. SJOG is not our legal name it is our current trading name. We started to use the name SJOG as our trading name in 2018. It was a good move at the time and helped us communicate the positive changes we were making to our colleagues in the charity. It served us well, but the world moves on and this is difficult for people outside of the charity when they first come to it,- Is it S.J.O.G? or S-JOG? or SJOG?

     We’re one of 175,000 charities in England and Wales, and we say that we are one of the largest charities you have never heard of. We’d like to change that, and the aim of this name change is to make it as easy as possible for people to engage with us and our purpose.

     SJOG does not explain our purpose, The Do Good Charity is much better explanation, and invitation to get involved!

  6. Why a trading name?

     Because changing the legal name of the charity is a much harder thing to do, and the use of a trading name helps us to achieve the same outcome with less disruption.

     We’re not the first charity to do this, lots of charities operate this way. For instance, ‘Comic relief’ is the trading name of Charity Partners, Mind is the trading name of the National Association for Mental Health, Seeability is the trading name of the Royal School for the Blind. Each one has chosen a name a trading name that more closely talks about their purpose.

• Values and Heritage

  7. Will our values change?

     No. Hospitality, Compassion and Respect remain at the heart of everything we do. They are explicitly retained within the new strategy and remain central to our culture, decision-making and day-to-day practice.

  8. Are we moving away from our heritage?

     This is probably the most important question in the whole document.

     The move to The Do Good Charity is not about leaving our heritage behind. It is about expressing that heritage in a way that is easier for people to understand.

     For over 450 years the work inspired by John of God has been about one thing: doing good. Supporting people. Showing hospitality. Responding to need. Standing alongside people when life is difficult.

     Those things are not changing.

     In many ways, ‘Do Good’ takes us closer to our heritage rather than further away from it. The phrase has deep roots within the Hospitaller tradition and already appears throughout our culture,

     We will continue to speak about John of God. We will continue to celebrate our history.

     We will continue to live our values of Hospitality, Compassion and Respect.

     The name is evolving. The mission is constant.

  9. Are we still connected to the Brothers?

     Yes. Our heritage, inspiration and relationship with the Brothers remain unchanged.

     The move to ‘The Do Good Charity’ is intentionally rooted in the heritage of John of God.

     John of God said, “Doing Good does you good.”

     In Italy the brothers are known as the ‘Do Good Brothers’ (Fatebenefratelli).

     We will align with this by becoming ‘The Do Good Charity’, a different way of expressing that connection but still very connected.

• The changes

  10. What changes will I see every day?

      For the big stuff there will be little change. You will still work with the same colleagues, support the same people, deliver the same services and be guided by the same values. Our website will change, your email address will change, and you’ll start to see changes in: hange, your email address will change and you’ll start to see changes in:

      1. New branding on documents.
      2. Updated presentations and templates.
      3. New signage.
      4. New website branding.
      5. New merchandise as existing stock is replaced.
      6. Updated recruitment materials.
      7. Different language in some communications.

      The overall approach is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. We are deliberately avoiding unnecessary disruption, but we also want to make sure this doesn’t drift on for ever and expect all the changes to happen by the end of March 2027.

  11. How long will we have to make the change?

      A little while, this is not a ‘Friday afternoon announcement and Monday morning everything is different’ type of project.

      We’re telling colleagues internally on 13th August, and we’ve also told the Brothers, HSG, and the religious orders where we provide care homes. We plan to tell the people we serve and families on Monday as they are part of our community.

      We’ll have a big external launch and change to our website and emails on 15th September and then a transition period running through to March 2027.

      That gives us time to:

      1. Update systems
      2. Replace materials sensibly
      3. Avoid waste
      4. Support colleagues
      5. Ensure consistency
      6. Work with you to celebrate the change on 15th September

  12. Will we talk about ourselves differently?

      A little. You are likely to hear us talk more about:

      1. Doing good
      2. Being of help
      3. Impact
      4. Community
      5. Inclusion
      6. Reach
      7. Transformation

      We will continue to talk about our values and our humanity.

      The language may evolve, but the warmth, kindness and purpose that people associate with the charity will remain immediately recognisable.

      There have been new ‘identity guidelines’ created by Karen to explain the new brand and the way we talk about ourselves as The Do Good Charity.

  13. Will my email change?

      Yes. You’ll have a new email address. Instead of yourname@SJOG.org.uk it will become yourname@dogood.org.uk

      But here is the clever bit old addresses will continue to work, and emails sent to previous addresses should still reach the correct person. IT have already been testing this, and considerable work is taking place behind the scenes to make the transition as smooth as possible.

      You will receive clear updates before any changes happen, and we’re not expecting that you will need to do anything.

  14. Do I have to change my LinkedIn account and will you help me?

      If you use LinkedIn professionally, then we would like you to update your profile after launch. The good news is that you won't be left on your own.

      We will provide:

      1. Updated logos
      2. Images and banners
      3. Guidance on what to change
      4. Support for colleagues who are less familiar with LinkedIn

      Our aim is to make it as easy as possible.

  15. Will our other socials change

      Yes, but this is a little different to changing emails. Chantelle is on this and will be able to share information in the coming month.

  16. Will my pay change?

      No. This change has nothing to do with pay, terms and conditions or contracts of employment.

  17. Will my payslip change?

      Potentially yes. Some branding or presentation may change over time, but this does not affect your employment or pay. More information will be provided before any change takes place and this is likely to be one of the last changes we make.

  18. Will we need to invoice differently?

      Eventually, some invoices, purchase orders, quotations and external documents will begin to carry The Do Good Charity branding.

      However, the important thing to remember is that we remain the same legal organisation. We are not creating a new charity or a new company. The legal entity remains St John of God Hospitaller Services Limited.

      For most colleagues, any changes will be handled centrally and we will provide clear guidance well before anything needs to happen. Nobody is expected to work it out for themselves.

  19. Do we have to change our bank details as an organisation?

      No. There are currently no plans to change the organisation's bank accounts as part of this transition.

      We are changing the way we present ourselves publicly, not rebuilding the organisation from scratch. Existing banking arrangements remain in place unless we tell you otherwise. If there are ever changes to banking information, they would be communicated formally through our normal governance and finance processes.

• Practical stuff

  20. Why now?

      There is never a good time to change trading names, but this is timely.

      We’ve been working on our new strategy, since last September, which has three areas that link to our purpose. Do Good, Do More Good and Do it Well. This also echoes the new global governance framework released by the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God.

      Our new strategy is about change. The world around us is changing and we will need to move with it. We remain ambitious for the people we support and to hold on to the really good things we do whilst being more transparent about our purpose. This is all with the aim of reaching more people, and engaging other organisations, more volunteers, more friends and more funders, so that together we can do more good.

  21. How much did this all cost?

      We have good people in house and so we have done the work in house. We haven’t engaged an expensive branding agency to do the work that we can do ourselves.

      Each year we have work that we do on marketing and comms, this year we have replaced that work with the work on the new branding. Karen has worked with our usual graphic designers on this, and the people who usually manage our website are working on updating the website. The structure of our website is good, so the structure will remain the same, but importantly it will feel different once it has been ‘reskinned’ with the new branding.

      There is not a lot of signage in the charity. We are updating some of the signage at the Exchange, but we are not anticipating that our other sites, which are mostly normal homes in normal streets will have signage.

  22. When will this happen?

      Externally, we’ll have the launch of the trading name and the strategy on 15th September 2026, but we’re sharing this with you now a month before it is launched publicly so that we can work together to make this a celebration.

      The plan states that:

      • Internal communication is 13th August 2026.
      • Public launch is 15th September 2026, which is when the website and email addresses will change. It is also the day we launch our Do Good Strategy externally.
      • A transition period running until March 2027 to complete changes across the organisation.
      • Many changes will happen quickly, whilst other internally focussed changes will take place gradually over several months.

  23. Will we get new merch?

      Yes! The current plans include launch materials and colleague packs to support the transition.

      The exact contents are still being finalised, but work is underway on branded materials that help colleagues understand and celebrate the move to The Do Good Charity.

      There was a strong feeling that launch day should feel positive, engaging and a little bit special!

  24. Can I continue to use my old hoody, t-shirt, bag, pen, lanyard or mug?

      Absolutely, at least for a while, though we would like to see this phased out by the end of March 2027. We are not expecting colleagues to throw away perfectly good items on 15th September.

      We’ve tried to take a sensible approach to this, and the transition should be practical, sensible and environmentally responsible.

      Existing merchandise can continue to be used throughout the transition period. Over time, as things naturally wear out or are replaced, you will see more Do Good branded materials appear.

• When and what do we tell other people

  25. What do we tell the people we support?

      The simplest answer is:

      “We are the same organisation, with the same people, values and commitment. Nothing about the support you receive is changing but we are simply using a new public name because we want to reach more people. More people who can benefit from the services we provide, more people who want to support us through volunteering, and fundraising. We think our new trading name will help us to do that.”

      A lot of work is being done to make sure people supported, families and partners receive clear, accessible explanations and these are being shared separately.

  26. Have the Brothers been informed of the change of name?

      Yes. We told the Brothers in the UK, Ireland and in Rome at the same time we told you. They are aware of the proposed change and discussions continue as part of our ongoing relationship.

      We remain part of the wider Hospitaller family, and it is important that we continue to honour that relationship throughout the process.

      We will also share with people in Ireland and Malawi who are part of HSG, to ensure the rationale is properly understood.

  27. Can I tell other people?

      Yes, but let’s keep it to people employed by the organisation until 15th September 2026. For people outside of the charity, we want to work with you to work out who we need to tell. As a general principle, we want colleagues to hear important news directly from us rather than through rumour or social media.

      If you are unsure whether something has been announced publicly, please ask Karen, Chantelle or Paul.

• Organisation / charity structure

  28. Are we still part of HSG?

      Yes, and we remain part of the wider international family connected to the Hospitaller tradition of Saint John of God.

      This change affects our trading identity in the UK and does not alter those wider relationships.

  29. Will we still be a charity?

      Absolutely. This is a change in branding and communications, and a clearer expression of our purpose, not a change to our charitable status.

  30. Will we still have the same charity number?

      Yes. The charity remains the same legal entity and therefore keeps its existing registrations.

  31. Will we still have the same company registration number?

      Yes. There is no proposal to create a different company, but we will add a trading subsidiary. The legal organisation remains unchanged.

  32. Is this a takeover by another organisation?

      No. This is simply a change of trading name. The charity remains the same organisation, with the same board of trustees, leadership team, services, colleagues and mission.

  33. Is this a merger?

      No. We are not merging with anybody. This is a change in how we present ourselves publicly, not a change in ownership or organisational structure.

      We already have Good Shepherd as part of our family. We intend to create a trading subsidiary called ‘The Do Good Consultancy’ with the plan to support other charities to do more good and this will include through sharing ‘The Goodness Metric’.

      We have a lot of good in our family, and the change of our name reflects this.

• More questions?

  34. Where can I find out more information?

      Over the coming months information will be shared through:

      1. Paul’s updates
      2. Workvivo
      3. Colleague briefings
      4. Line manager updates
      5. Launch events
      6. From the Marketing and Communications team

      We know people will have questions and we know that this FAQ will grow as we move through the transition. So, if you want to know something that is not already answered here just ask and we’ll add it to the list.

      Go on ask, if you’re thinking it, I’m sure other people are too!

Click here to download these FAQ's as a pdf

Listen to the Town Hall session with Paul Bott on Workvivo and hear colleagues' questions and Paul's responses. Click here to listen: