Third Sector

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Alicia Nagar, head of people, wellbeing and equity at Mental Health First Aid England, and Samantha Stapley, chief operations and people officer at Trussell.Alicia describes the complex mental health challenges faced by people working in the voluntary sector. She outlines the need for a holistic approach to organisational support, with Mental Health First Aiders forming a part.Sam explains how Trussell is responding to the mental health needs of its staff, volunteers and food bank users as the charity grows in response to sky-rocketing demand. She stresses the importance of listening to staff rather than making assumptions about the most valuable forms of support.Charity Changed My Life features the story of Opinya Lilly Okello, whose farming enterprise in northern Uganda has become more profitable since she received training from Feed the Minds through the NGO ACSET Uganda.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your

Lucinda Rouse travels to the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon, to meet the charity’s senior statistician, Stuart Norris, and find out about his pathway to a career in data science.Stuart describes how he combined a background in ecology with his long-standing interest in computers to find his niche in the voluntary sector. He explains how his team combines open source data with internal information to create platforms that are used to inform the charity’s strategic decision-making.He suggests ways in which applicants to data roles can stand out, and stresses the importance of soft skills on top of technical know-how.Lucinda is joined by Third Sector’s editor, Emily Burt, to reflect on the visit. And senior reporter Emily Harle shares snippets from her recent interview with Dan Corry, outgoing chief executive of the think tank NPC.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Ndidi Okezie, chief executive of UK Youth, to discuss the need for the voluntary sector to overcome its siloed approach to solving systemic problems.Ndidi explains how UK Youth is pushing for a more integrated approach to delivering youth services through a new initiative called the Joined Up Institute. She shares her views on the role funders can play in generating action from evidence, and the need for bold leadership to drive an intentional process of learning between charities.Charity Changed My Life features the story of a service user who received support from For Baby’s Sake, a charity that helps families with experience of domestic abuse to give their baby the best start in life.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email lucinda.rouse@haymarket.com for further information.Tell us what you t

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Collette Philip, founder of the anti-racist brand agency Brand by Me, to discuss the findings of its recent audit of anti-racism work by the top 30 charities listed in Third Sector’s Charity Brand Index.Collette explains why adopting a non-racist organisational approach and focusing primarily on diversity and the representation of racialised communities will never go far enough in the fight against systemic racism. She outlines the areas where progress has been slowest and describes ways in which charities can take meaningful action, starting with making a public commitment to anti-racist practice in order to promote accountability.Also in the episode, senior reporter Emily Harle talks about her recent long read, which suggests measures charities can take to enable meaningful contributions from their young trustees.Read Brand by Me’s Dismantle report.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Gemma Peters, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, to discuss the charity’s ‘year of transformation’.Gemma explains how its new strategy will enable Macmillan to better meet the needs of people living with cancer and describes the challenges of managing the accompanying organisational turbulence.She shares her views on the responsibility of larger charities to support their smaller counterparts and warns of the risks of focusing on current need to the detriment of driving longer-term change for good.Charity Changed My Life features the story of Michael, who was saved by the RNLI in Scarborough after a winter swim in the sea went awry.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email lucinda.rouse@haymarket.com for further information.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Clare Mills, deputy chief executive of the Charity Finance Group, and Mike Conroy, director of commercial finance at the banking trade association UK Finance.They start by listening to an account of contrasting experiences with two high street banks by Cat Ross, chief executive of Baby Basics and volunteer director of Rwanda Child.Clare describes recent progress in strengthening the relationship between banks and charity infrastructure bodies, as well as an uptake in digital banking services by charities. She also stresses the need for banks to simplify their administrative requirements.Mike explains why charity customers often present complications to banks, not least due to the varied nature of charity governance structures. He outlines measures to improve communication and understanding on both sides, including a new Voluntary Organisation Banking Guide published by UK Finance.Also in the episode, reporter Dami Adewale talks about his recent long read exploring h

Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Nathan Coyle, senior peace tech adviser at the Austrian Centre for Peace and author of the book Open Data for Everybody: Using Open Data for Social Good.Nathan explains how open data can be used by the voluntary sector to support work in areas including campaigning and influencing, completing grant applications and demonstrating charities’ expertise and openness to collaboration.He cites useful open data sources, from government and police data to 360Giving, and provides pointers to guidance on accessing and using data. These include the Open Data Institute, Open Knowledge Foundation, Open Data Day and Open Data Manchester.Also in the episode, Andy and Lucinda hear from Zoe Amar, founder and director of Zoe Amar Digital, and Anj Handa, founder of Inspiring Women Changemakers. They consider the sector’s response to the recent riots across the UK and suggest tangible actions that charity leaders can take to help tackle the root causes of racism and Islamophobia.Do y

Andy Ricketts and Dami Adewale are joined by Abi Long, executive team manager, and Yusuf Ciftci, head of refugee involvement at the Refugee Council.Abi presents the findings of research conducted by the Refugee Council into barriers encountered by refugees navigating the UK job market. She describes the intersectionality of challenges facing people with different types of lived experience, from homelessness to disability.Yusuf describes his own employment experiences in the voluntary sector after being granted asylum in the UK. He stresses the benefits of utilising the lived experience of staff at all levels and suggests ways of getting more people with lived experience into senior leadership positions.Charity Changed My Life features the story of Stephanie, who receives invaluable support from Zoe’s Place Children Hospice in Liverpool to help care for her daughter, Robyn.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All i

Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts joined by Bekki Wilkins, special events manager at the Willow Foundation, and Sam Dimond, director of the event production company Spotlight Sound. Bekki recounts the challenges of organising events such as the Willow Ball and the London Football Awards in the face of inflated costs and lower corporate ticket sales. She suggests ways of reducing costs through contra deals with suppliers and moving to venues outside London.Sam sheds light on the types of charity approaches that are most appealing to suppliers, stressing the importance of forming long-term relationships and dedicating time to ensuring a supplier fully understands a charity’s mission and event goals.Charity Changed My Life features the story of Jerry, whose participation in a community horticulture programme at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has brought him comfort and inspiration after experiencing homelessness.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity

Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Robyn Mountain Wade, director of income generation at Martin House Children’s Hospice, to find out how the charity recruited major donors for the first time to meet a £21.9m fundraising target.Robyn explains how Martin House engaged local philanthropists by inviting them to events co-hosted by their ambassador and the former England football manager, Gareth Southgate, to tell them about the work of the hospice.She describes the value of giving local businesspeople the agency to host their own fundraising events as well as providing the option of donation pledges while stressing a sense of urgency.Also in the episode, Lucinda and Andy hear from Chris Fairbank, director of communications at the headteachers’ association HMC, about the possible effects on the wider voluntary sector of the government’s plan to scrap VAT and business rates exemptions for independent schools.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your ch

Senior reporters Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Berenice Levenez, director of strategy, technology and transformation at Girlguiding, and Liz Gadd, environmental lead at the think tank NPC.Berenice describes how feedback from members that Girlguiding should be doing more to address the environmental crisis prompted the charity to develop a new environmental strategy.She explains how the strategy was devised and costed and why it includes a target to halve carbon emissions by 2040.Liz stresses the importance of giving service users a sense of agency in responding to the climate crisis. She suggests ways for charities to collaborate in their environmental work and the benefits of doing so.Charity Changed My Life features the story of Darrell, who so valued the support she received from the Weston Park Cancer Charity after being diagnosed with breast cancer that she volunteered to set up an affiliated choir.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your

Lucinda and Emily are joined by Rebecca Linford, senior legal adviser, and Mark Ellis, head of communications, at the whistleblowing support charity Protect.Rebecca describes Protect’s role in the development of a storyline about whistleblowing for the BBC medical drama Casualty. She outlines the scripting process and stresses the need to be clear on timelines to help manage workloads.Mark explains how the charity weighed up the benefits and risks of getting involved, after being approached by the programme’s producers. He describes how Protect measured the impact of its participation in furthering its cause.Also in this episode, Lucinda and Emily speak to Sarah Elliott, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, to consider what’s next for the voluntary sector under the new Labour government.Sarah advises how charities can best establish relationships with new government stakeholders, starting with offers to help achieve Labour’s missions and agenda.Do you have stories of people who

Lucinda and Emily are joined by James Dunbar, chief executive of the poverty reduction charity New Start Highland. James describes how the charity was able to move from being a predominantly grant-receiving organisation to generating three-quarters of its income through trading and contracts.He explains how he identified income-generating opportunities for New Start Highland, from furniture-making to removal services, as well as some of the risks of taking a more commercially-minded approach.He provides pointers for other charities considering taking a similar route and stresses the importance of communication with all stakeholders. Also in the episode, news editor Andy Ricketts joins Lucinda and Emily to consider Labour’s landslide election victory and its implications for the voluntary sector.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Emai

Lucinda and Emily reflect on a recent visit to the RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset, where Lucinda met the charity’s outgoing chief executive, Mark Dowie.Mark identifies the principal challenges of his five-year tenure as having been the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and small boats crossing the Channel. He explains how his corporate background helped him to implement operational efficiencies, and describes measures to increase female representation in the RNLI workforce.Lucinda also meets Daniel Sharp, production and control manager at the All-Weather Lifeboat Centre, for a tour of the charity’s boat-building operations, and heritage archive and research manager Hayley Whiting. Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email lucinda.rouse@haymarket.com for further information.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector

In a session recorded at the Third Sector Conference, Lucinda and Emily are joined by Rhodri Davies, director of Why Philanthropy Matters, to reflect on some of the themes covered in Third Sector’s recent podcast documentary, The End of Charity.These include the rise of influencer philanthropists, such as the YouTube megastar MrBeast, and their potential role in attracting a new, younger support base for charities. They discuss the need for charities to sustain the momentum in tackling historical power imbalances in the voluntary sector, as articulated in an interview clip from series contributor Chilande Kuloba-Warria. They also question the very role of charity in the modern day.Listen to The End of Charity.Read Rhodri’s article in the Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email luc

Lucinda and Emily are joined by David Welch, chief executive of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance, to consider how charities can effectively build trust with their staff, service users and donors. David describes the role trust played in enabling KSS to raise almost double its £1m fundraising target during a six-week emergency campaign. He stresses the importance of open communication and transparency with all stakeholders, in good times and bad.He also outlines the challenges of fundraising for an air ambulance service, and the need to cultivate a sense of relevance as well as raise public awareness and understanding of the vital role it performs.Charity Changed My Life features the story of Helen, whose participation in the Bristol Rovers Community Trust’s football and mental health programme, Rebound with Rovers, has become a highlight of her week.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes i

Lucinda and Andy are joined by Liz Cooke, chief executive of The Hive Avon, and Kevin Barker-Lee, a people partner at Lloyds Banking Group and chair of the charity.Liz outlines the broad range of skilled volunteer support provided to The Hive, from fundraising planning to an annual visit from a florist. She notes that the most valuable skilled support is often short term and requires careful advance planning.Kevin recommends charities make greater use of LinkedIn to recruit volunteers and capitalise on a growing appetite among professionals to provide skills-based support on a voluntary basis.They also discuss the pros and cons of corporate volunteering opportunities and instances when it is better to decline approaches from companies.Also in the episode, senior news reporter Emily Harle shares extracts from a recent interview with Alison Wyman, chief executive of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund, in which she explains how the charity is moving forward from a public spat involving former trustees.Do you have stori

Lucinda and Andy are joined by Denise Hayward, chief executive of Volunteer Now, which supports and promotes volunteering across Northern Ireland, and Margaret Starkie, partnership and communications manager at Volunteer Scotland.In a conversation recorded before the general election announcement, they discuss the trajectory for volunteering in their respective nations, including the impact of short-term funding patterns on charities’ ability to support their volunteers. They outline the need for more government support and suggest ways of attracting cause-driven younger people into volunteering and trustee roles, including better communication about the flexibility of volunteering commitments.Charity Changed My Life features the story of Kyle McIntosh, who received a scholarship and mentorship from the Longford Trust after being released from prison, enabling him to complete a mathematics degree and land a dream job.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better than

Lucinda and Andy discuss the road ahead for charities following Wednesday’s general election announcement.Later in the episode, Lucinda and Emily are joined by the strategy specialist Sharath Jeevan and Hannah Stevens, chief executive of Elect Her. They discuss the importance of inflection moments in planning an organisation’s strategic direction.Then Lucinda travels to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to look around three of the charity gardens sponsored by Project Giving Back. She speaks to Richard Angell, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust; Daniel Magson, director of engagement, marketing and income at Bowel Research UK; Debbie Hoods, head of philanthropy, partnerships & ambassador engagement at Muscular Dystrophy UK; garden designer Ula Maria; and Hattie Ghaui, chief executive of Project Giving Back.Read and listen to Third Sector's pre-election coverage:How can charity campaigners cut through the political noise?How can charities connect with politicians ahead of a general election?The cha

Lucinda and Emily are joined by Paul Streets, chief executive of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, to reflect on more than a decade of working with small charities as he prepares to step down.Paul celebrates the resilience of small charities, likening them to cockroaches for their ability to endure challenging environments, and suggests ways in which funders can step up to better support them. He calls on charities to join forces in advocating for change that transcends cause areas. Charity Changed My Life features the story of Haixia, who received support from the Harbour Project in Swindon while awaiting the outcome of her asylum application.Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email lucinda.rouse@haymarket.com for further information.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us kn