People Inspired By Purpose - Purposely Podcast

Ian MacQuillin MCIoF(Dip) is the director of Rogare, which he founded in 2014. He’s recognised as a leading thinker on fundraising ethics Ian featured on Episode #220 of Purposely and was asked about the future of fundraising:  Ian emphasised the need for professionalisation in the sector. He highlighted the importance of transforming fundraising into a fully-fledged profession with structured entry routes and proper training. Ian reflected on the current state where many fundraisers accidentally fall into the profession and stressed that this should change by 2050. He believes that by addressing structural issues and creating a clear path for entry, the profession can attract diverse talent and ensure that individuals are well-prepared and knowledgeable. Ian concluded that the future of fundraising lies in becoming more like a profession, which will enhance its perception and effectiveness. https://www.rogare.net/

In this episode of Purposely, we were delighted to welcome Christie Stuart, the Joint Chief Executive of Big Buddy, a charity dedicated to matching boys without fathers in their lives with positive male role models. Christie shares her journey from sports marketing and communications to leading a charity, driving the mission and services of Big Buddy NZ. One of the standout points from our discussion was the co-leadership model adopted by Big Buddy. Christie and her co-leader, Steve Sobota, have structured their leadership roles to complement each other’s strengths, ensuring that the organisation benefits from their combined expertise. Steve brings two decades of institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of Big Buddy’s delivery programmes, while Christie contributes her marketing and commercial acumen and fresh perspective. This co-leadership approach is focused on helping Big Buddy to thrive, balancing the demands of running a charity with the need to innovate and adapt to changing circumstances. It’s a model that other organisations might find worth exploring, especially in sectors where diverse skill sets can enhance overall effectiveness. Christie’s path to her current role is noteworthy. With a background in sports marketing and events management, she brings a range of experience to Big Buddy. Her career reflects a readiness to embrace new challenges and a dedication to making a difference, both in professional sports and in the not-for-profit sector. Christie candidly discussed how personal experiences and a desire to make a substantial impact drove her to transition from her consultancy work back into a full-time leadership position. Her story underscores the importance and value placed on aligning one's career with personal values and the impact of strong mentorship and community support, a common theme in the charity sector. Big Buddy has been making a profound difference in the lives of boys across Auckland, the Waikato, Tauranga, and Wellington for over two decades. The charity’s core mission is to provide boys without a father or male role model in their lives with a caring and positive male mentor. The charity operates through a meticulously structured process, ensuring that each match between a Big Buddy and a Little Buddy is safe, supportive, and beneficial. Volunteer mentors go through a rigorous screening process, including police checks, interviews, and psych assessments, to ensure they are well-suited to provide guidance and companionship. In addition to the one-on-one mentoring program for boys aged seven to fourteen, Big Buddy has recently introduced a group programme for teenage boys. This new initiative brings together groups of boys with multiple mentors and includes both indoor and outdoor activities, culminating in a camp experience designed to build resilience, confidence, and a sense of community. Christie describes the future of Big Buddy as being guided by a continued focus on its mission and the needs of the communities it serves. The organisation plans to expand its successful group programme to more regions, continually adapting to meet the increasing demand for its services. Through careful planning and the dedicated efforts of its team, Big Buddy aims to broaden its reach and make an even greater impact.

Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Lachlan Keating CEO Deaf Aotearoa. Lachlan discusses his approach to leading a Deaf organisation, emphasising the importance of pushing Deaf representatives to the forefront in media to increase awareness and visibility of sign language. He highlights the need for mission focus, ensuring that fundraising directly benefits the community rather than sustaining the organisation. Keating aims to evolve the organization to the point where it is no longer needed, as Deaf people become self-sufficient. He stresses the importance of leadership, character over skills, and creating an environment where mistakes are learned from and not repeated. Keating also advocates for increasing Deaf representation in leadership roles and maintaining a strong, supportive team Episode transcript sample: Mission creep is something we must be careful about. Our mission is breaking down barriers, which could be broad, so we need to be disciplined in ensuring we stick within our boundaries. Some organisations raise money almost just to fund their own existence. They raise all this money, but what are they achieving for their constituents and community? Transcription link via Otter.ai https://otter.ai/u/mMI-fqi72PywXxhoMrZkQ4pyRyY?utm_source=copy_url

Angela Meyer: Driving Radical Positive Change for Women Welcoming Angela Meyer on Purposely, where she discusses her mission to empower women and build socially conscious businesses that align with her values. Angela Meyer has been a strong advocate for women's empowerment promoting gender equity and financial stability. Raised in a feminist Catholic household in Palmerston North, Angela's early life was rooted in social justice and community involvement. She co-founded Double Denim, a creative agency focused on gender equity, conducting research on women's economic and emotional lives. This led to the creation of Project Gender, addressing safety concerns and advocating for systemic change. One of Angela's key initiatives is Hi Money!, an online course developed with therapist Rachel Davies, aimed at improving women's financial literacy. Angela’s personal journey underscores the importance of economic stability in advocating for change. Angela's work spans consultancy roles in London, Melbourne, and Tokyo, and she co-founded the Ace Lady Network, the Gender Justice Collective, and Project Gender. She led 'Trade Careers' to increase women's participation in trades, reflecting her commitment to gender equity and financial empowerment. Angela talks about having developed clarity about her life and career. Her work continues to emphasise collaboration, humour, creativity, and systemic change, all aimed at empowering women and challenging the status quo. Angela Meyer’s story is an inspiring testament to how passion and purpose can drive meaningful change.

Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Malindi MacLean CET at Outward Bound NZ.

As a key influencer and co-founder of Tanck, Angus Crowther brings a wealth of expertise on engaging governments to help deliver charitable missions. Recently, Angus shared his insights on the Purposely, providing invaluable advice for leaders of social sector organisations. His approach is both strategic and practical, making it essential listening for anyone seeking to navigate the complexities of government engagement. Angus emphasises the importance of viewing government as a partner rather than an adversary. He notes that many charitable organisations take a combative approach, which can be counterproductive. Instead, he advocates for building strong, positive relationships with government officials, public servants, and quasi-government organisations. This partnership approach is crucial for achieving funding, policy change, and legislative support. Angus outlines several effective strategies for engaging with government: Develop a bespoke strategy tailored to your organisation's needs and the specific government stakeholders you are targeting. Focus on building relationships not just with the government, but also with the opposition and public servants. Consistently communicate your message and be assertive, yet not aggressive, in your approach.       Utilise your organisation's connections to the community to support interactions with politicians. One of the key takeaways from Angus's interview is the need for clarity and consistency in messaging. Organisations should articulate their objectives clearly and ensure they are aligned across all levels of engagement. This includes having a unified message when working as part of a coalition and avoiding mixed signals that can undermine your cause. Angus also highlights some common pitfalls to avoid: Relying on lobbyists, which can be expensive and often ineffective for the nuanced issues of the social sector. Being overly aggressive in your approach, which can alienate potential allies and lead to long-term setbacks.    Failing to follow up on initial meetings and engagements, which can diminish your impact and visibility. Throughout the podcast, Angus shares success stories and practical tips from his extensive experience. One notable example is his work with an early year’s organisation, where creative leave-behinds like a jar of honey helped to cement their message with political stakeholders. He also discusses the importance of preparing tailored materials that speak to the specific interests and ideologies of the stakeholders you are engaging with. For a deeper dive into Angus Crowther's insights on effective government engagement, listen to the full interview on the Purposely Podcast. Whether you're a leader of a non-profit, an NGO, or a purpose-led business, this episode is packed with actionable advice that can help you build stronger partnerships with government and achieve your mission. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from one of the leading voices in the field. Tune in and discover how you can leverage government engagement to drive positive social and environmental impact. Angus has been on Purposely Podcast before, previously with Tanck co-founder Neil Pharoah and together they have been helping charitable and ‘for purpose’ organisations successfully engagement Governments since February 2021.

Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Josie Pagani CEO at ChildFund NZ.        The big thing that drives Josie is the desire to 'get some things done' and make a positive difference today. This simple concept drives her approach politically and as a charity leader.   Josie talks about the best way to approach international development: “The Pacific wants to power its own future, and we can be part of that.”       “We're trying to keep that personal connection that (child) sponsorship has, but acknowledge the broader needs of communities.”

Welcoming Jenni Giblin, CEO of FundingHQ to Purposely where she shares her founder journey as well as her expertise on fundraising for charities and for-purpose organisations. Jenni Giblin, CEO of Funding HQ, shares her journey as a founder and her expertise in fundraising for charities and purpose-driven organizations. Living on a dairy and sheep farm in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, Jenni splits her time between her business and advising clients across the country. Married to a farmer and a proud mother of five grown children, Jenni balances her life on the farm, weekends mainly, with her work for clients and leading a business. Funding HQ is a platform that helps build fundraising capability and capacity in a cost-effective way. For Jenni, it’s the culmination of an already highly successful fundraising career, having secured over $215 million for a wide range of New Zealand-based projects. Jenni has extensive knowledge of both the public and private sectors and an intricate understanding of fundraising dynamics in each. Based out of her family farm near Waipukurau in Hawke’s Bay, Funding HQ is a purpose-built online capability-building platform developed to educate, support, and provide structure to not-for-profits, local governments, and community organisations needing to secure funding. The platform provides tools and efficiencies to ensure that the fundraising journey is productive and enjoyable. Using a monthly subscription model, Funding HQ offers end-to-end fundraising support across a wide range of funding streams and for a diverse client base. It ensures that charities and organisations can build their own funding capability successfully, helping them become 'funder ready' and think strategically about the outcomes they deliver in their communities and their compelling case for investment. It's all about providing the 'why'—why they would make an ideal partnership for potential funders. Jenni explains, “We coach and support our members to develop a diversified funding plan where they look for a range of funding partners across central and local government, corporates, businesses, philanthropists, trusts, and community fundraising initiatives.” She has a dedicated team at Funding HQ with successful fundraising experience. “They understand the challenges and frustrations that our members face but have the energy and expertise to provide quality support and advice.” For Jenni, Funding HQ has been her destiny. Generating funding is in her blood. Her first taste came while helping Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule raise $7.5 million in external funding for the Hawke’s Bay Opera House in 2005, followed by a Napier city council contract to secure funding for a new stand at McLean Park. After securing more than $175 million in funding over 16 years for projects across the country and witnessing many organisations struggle to secure funding and unable to afford large consultancy assistance, it was time to put her experience to work and launch Funding HQ. “I wanted to help build fundraising capability and capacity in a way that was accessible and cost-effective,” Jenni explains, “so that a wider range of organisations could learn how to access funding efficiently and remain financially viable.” She believes New Zealand’s funding landscape is uneven, with a large proportion of funds distributed to a small number of charities due to their internal resources to access funds and maintain partnerships. Like any new start-up, limited finance availability means Jenni has been “living on the smell of an oily rag” and allocating all her resources into the business. It’s a platform-based business that required significant development investment, and yes, like many others, getting it off the ground has taken longer, and cost more than originally planned.

Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Ian MacQuillin founder of Rogare - The Fundraising Think Tank. The discussion centre's on the challenges of advocating for fundraising and changing public perceptions about charity overheads and salaries. Despite efforts like the Impact Coalition and Dan Pallotta's Charity Defense Council, misconceptions persist that charities are inefficient. The issue is less about information deficit and more about ideological views on charity operations. The conversation suggests developing a new narrative that values fundraising practices rather than just providing facts. It emphasises engaging critiques with ideological arguments and reframing discussions to highlight the importance of professionalism and effective management in charities.

Welcoming Josie Pagani, CEO of ChildFund New Zealand to Purposely where she shares her charities mission as well as her career journey. From her early days in a working-class village in the Cotswolds to her diverse career spanning political activism, film, and social justice, Josie's path to charity leadership has been anything but conventional. Listen now