Third Sector Podcast

Lucinda and Alina are joined by Kat Dixon, outgoing director of partnerships at Catch22, whose team tripled the charity’s voluntary income in the space of four and a half years.Kat talks about the need to strategise and think deeply when forming and executing partnerships with forward-thinking corporate organisations, such as Microsoft and TikTok, in order to successfully link social and business aims.She provides insight into the growth of her team, bringing in talent from outside the sector and gaining internal buy-in. She also gives her perspective on ways in which women can be better supported in the fundraising space. News editor Steven Downes provides analysis on two of the week’s top stories, namely the growth of Muslim charities and the rebrand of the music therapy charity, Nordoff & Robbins.  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 additional information.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.Read the transcript. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda and Andy are joined by James Oakes, chief international officer at Omaze, and Paul McKenzie, director of engagement at the Teenage Cancer Trust.James describes Omaze’s business model as a for-profit organiser of high-value prize draws, with a proportion of its profits shared with selected charity partners. He outlines what the company looks for in a charity partner and addresses some of the concerns about the model, including its potential to encourage gambling.Paul explains how the Teenage Cancer Trust benefitted from being Omaze’s first charitable partner in the UK, with sums raised from two campaigns far exceeding expectations. He highlights the value of the exposure the charity received and provides advice for other voluntary organisations looking to get involved.Also in the episode, news editor Steven Downes shares his thoughts on the voluntary sector’s top stories of the week, from a high-paying new role at the Wellcome Trust to a move by two charities to fully remote working.And Andy provides details of the upcoming launch of Third Sector TV, featuring a live interview with the head of the Charity Commission at 11am on 2 March.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.Read the transcript. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Keith Valentine, chief executive of Fight for Sight, to look behind the scenes of the sight loss research charity’s ongoing merger with the Vision Foundation.Keith describes how the merger was motivated by a quest for growth, responding to the absence of a national funder that combined scientific research with service delivery for visually impaired people.He talks about the operational practicalities of bringing two organisations together, as well as his personal experience of being the only visually impaired chief executive working in the national sight loss sector.The interview is preceded by a discussion on the findings of the recently published Good Merger Index, which revealed a sharp dip in the number of charity mergers in the past year. And Third Sector’s news editor, Steven Downes, provides analysis on his top stories of the week, from Islamic Relief’s response to the Turkey-Syria earthquake to the fake football ticket sale by scammers impersonating the Sick Children’s Trust.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.Read the transcript. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Campbell Chalmers, strategic engagement lead for the third sector at the RNIB and Joseph Howes, chief executive of the grant-making charity Buttle UK, to discuss how voluntary organisations can benefit from working together. Joseph talks about Buttle’s experience of joining groupings such as the End Child Poverty coalition. He stresses the importance of taking time to build trust between organisations and drive long term change.Campbell describes the need for persistence and maintaining focus on the desired outcome of a collaboration, along with other lessons from the RNIB’s work to galvanise the sight loss sector during the pandemic. This has included changes in internal culture.The episode also features news analysis from Third Sector’s news editor, Steven Downes, and an appearance from acting editor Andy Ricketts to plug the upcoming launch of Third Sector TV.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.Read the transcript. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Stephanie Draper, chief executive of Bond, to talk about issues affecting the international development sector.Stephanie describes the impact of funding cuts on international development charities at a time of intensifying humanitarian crises. She suggests ways in which UK-focused charities can work with their international counterparts in campaigning to protect democratic rights and freedoms and promote local community-led decision-making. Also in the episode, Russ travels to Petworth in West Sussex to speak to Hilary McGrady, director general of the National Trust. They discuss redundancies, her optimism about the ever-increasing need for voluntary organisations and the future of the organisation she leads. Charity Changed My Life features the story of Razia Yazid Mohamed, a resident of the Kirandongo refugee settlement in Uganda who has received valuable leadership training from ActionAid.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! Click here to record a voice message like Razia’s, or email lucinda.rouse@haymarket.com for additional guidance.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.Read the transcript. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda and Alina are joined by Lord Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet secretary and chair of Pro Bono Economics, to discuss the findings and recommendations contained in the recently released final report from the Law Family Commission on Civil Society.O'Donnell talks about the need for civil society to be involved in discussions and decision-making alongside the government and private sector. He outlines the profile of the ideal candidate for a proposed “philanthropy champion” and calls on charities to be more efficient while quantifying the benefits of their services to society.The Good News Bulletin features the story of a Cartier watch, worth £10,000, which was found in a bag of donations at the British Heart Foundation in Hounslow.Read the full transcript.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda and Alina are joined by Ian MacQuillin, director of the fundraising think tank Rogare, to consider the ethics around accepting monetary gifts from donors with questionable morality.They also talk about the implications of returning donations or other measures to atone for historical wrongdoing, following the Church of England’s recent acknowledgement of its connection to the transatlantic slave trade.Ian stresses the need for charities to have a gift acceptance and refusal policy in place to help decide whether or not it is in the best interests of the organisation and its service users to turn a donation down. He points listeners to relevant guidance from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and the Charity Commission.The Good News Bulletin features a moonlit owl flying display organised by the Hawk Conservancy Trust to raise funds and awareness for conservation issues affecting birds of prey. Tell us what you think of the Third Sector podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda and Russ are joined by the Charity Finance Group’s chief executive, Caron Bradshaw, and special adviser, Pesh Framjee, to talk about how charities can effectively manage their financial reserves in times of stress.Caron maintains that reserves are there to be used, rather than protected, to enable charities to continue fulfilling their mission during periods of financial difficulty. She stresses there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to optimal reserve levels, which should be decided based on an organisation’s individual risk profile.Pesh explains the difference between unrestricted, restricted and designated reserves. He advises organisations to be open and transparent about expenditure to their supporters and stresses the need to communicate strongly about overhead expenditure requirements. Charity Changed My Life features the story of Bobby Bansal, who received invaluable information and support from Movember following two testicular cancer diagnoses.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! Click here to record a voice message like Bobby’s, or email lucinda.rouse@haymarket.com for additional guidance.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda and Andy are joined by Debra Allcock Tyler, chief executive of the Directory of Social Change, to discuss the year ahead in the voluntary sector.Debra provides insight into fundraising, campaigning and governance trends. As organisations who rely on government contracts are likely to be squeezed further in 2023, she emphasises the need to keep asking for funding, attract new volunteers and avoid self-censorship in the face of a hostile climate for campaigning.She believes trustees need to be cognisant of societal pressures affecting their organisation and play a more active role in tackling institutional problems such as racism and homophobia. She also talks about the need to maintain hope, along with her conviction that the human instinct to help others means the voluntary sector cannot fail.Charity Changed My Life is a new addition to the podcast, featuring stories from people who have benefited from charity services. Today, we hear from Gabriel Mallon, whose life has improved tenfold thanks to the Wheelyboat Trust, which provides accessible boats for wheelchair users.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! Click here to record a voice message like Gabriel’s, or email lucinda.rouse@haymarket.com for additional guidance. Subscribe to the Third Sector podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Third Sector team looks back at the top stories of the year in a special festive episode.Acting editor Andy Ricketts is joined by reporters Lucinda Rouse, Russ Hargrave and Alina Martin to discuss the top stories from the voluntary sector in 2022.Lucinda provides a rapid round-up of the year’s charity news before the team discusses their picks in greater depth. These include sexual harassment in fundraising, the publicity around transgender youth support charity Mermaids and overcrowding in the senior ranks of Cats Protection.They also identify recurring trends in the sector’s news, from growing attention on instances of racism to governance problems catching up with charities, as well as the increasing use of social media and user-generated content in fundraising.In lighter news, the team recalls highlights from the Good News Bulletin, from the world’s biggest vampire gathering at Whitby Abbey, organised by English Heritage, to an update on Patrick the miniature therapy pony, who has released a Christmas single.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.