People Inspired By Purpose - Purposely Podcast

Welcome Sarah Vibert, the CEO of the National Council of Volunteer Organisations (NCVO), a charity that has been supporting thousands of voluntary and community sector charities and non-profits in England for over 100 years. Sarah joined NCVO in January 2020 as director of membership and engagement and was later appointed as Chief Executive in early 2022. As a child, Sarah always aspired to lead an organisation, and now she is living her dream. She strives to be a relatable CEO who leads with empathy, transparency, and openness. This is evident in NCVO's commitment to publishing the salaries of its senior leadership team, along with an explanation of why they are paid that amount. According to Sarah, transparency is a critical value for NCVO, as it helps the organisation build trust with its donors and the public. Sarah's personal experience growing up with a younger sibling who was disabled was a driving force behind her decision to work in the charity sector. She feels a strong connection to the mission of organisations like the Epilepsy Society and The Neurological Alliance, which she previously led, as they go beyond her professional responsibilities. Before joining NCVO, Sarah held various roles in the charity sector, including advising the now King of the United Kingdom, then HRH Prince of Wales, on his charitable entities, as well as working for In Kind Direct. She began her career in local government management, including working for the Mayor of London. Despite her busy schedule, Sarah finds time to volunteer for the Parent Teacher Association at her son's primary school. She has also previously served as a trustee for National Voices and The Brain and Spine Foundation. Sarah's unique background and experience make her an asset to NCVO and the wider charity sector. Her leadership style, which emphasizes transparency, empathy, and relatability, sets a positive example for other leaders to follow.

Welcome Crispin Truman OBE, Director of The Rayne Foundation. This grant-making charity supports a wide range of organisations including young people’s mental health, carers of the elderly, providing opportunities for refugees, as well as the arts. Crispin has been dedicated to making a positive difference throughout his career and volunteer work. He held several leadership roles for leading non-profits in heritage, mental health, the countryside, and voluntary roles on the board of a school and charities before joining the foundation as their Director in October 2022. Crispin's academic background includes studying PPE (Philosophy, Politics & Economics BA), and Applied Social Studies (MSc) at Oxford University before starting his professional career as a social worker in London. Crispin did not let personal challenges stop him from achieving academically. He lost his father at a young age and moved to Bristol, where his new school, Ashton Park Comprehensive, did not have a history of Oxbridge entrance. Modestly, Crispin attributes his success at winning a place at Oxford to one of his inspirational teachers, along with the support and encouragement he received from his mother. Alongside his passion for the charity sector, Crispin is also an avid cyclist, riding into work each day in central London. He is a firm believer in the positive impact cycling can have on individual health and reducing our impact on the environment. He Chaired the London Cycling Campaign at the turn of the century, fighting for cyclists' rights and safety. His dedication to the voluntary sector and Civil Society saw him awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) in the 2017 New Year’s Honours List. The Rayne Foundation was founded in 1962 by Lord Rayne, a successful property developer operating in post-war London. The foundation was established with the mission to enhance communities and build bridges that connect people and communities. With a large donation from Lord Rayne's commercial dealings, the foundation has an endowment of close to $100 million today, and each year the charity donates the interest plus any additional increase in capital to causes that match their themes. Crispin's previous roles include CEO of CPRE, the countryside charity, CEO of the Churches Conservation Trust and Revolving Doors Agency. He has chaired and been a trustee of several organisations, including UK and European heritage networks, Rethink Mental Illness, the London Cycling Campaign, and was chair of governors at Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form in London.

Welcome to Derek Bardowell, CEO of Ten Years’ Time, an agency focused on racial justice and social transformation. Derek is also an author, philanthropy commentator, and charity trustee. He has written and published two books, his first book, "No Win Race," explored racism in sport and his second book, "Giving Back: How To Do Good Better," published in 2022, critiqued philanthropy. The book explored new ways of giving that can bring about real and meaningful change, and dramatically increase positive impact. One reader described "Giving Back" as "Important and timely... Deeply felt and illuminating... Essential reading for everyone committed to fairness and equality in life." In this episode of Purposely, Derek shares his career journey that started as a music journalist and his experiences growing up in the UK, where he faced aggressive and direct forms of racism like being spat at in the street, as well as more subtle but damaging forms that affected his confidence and self-esteem. Derek discusses how being a young black man limited his career options, but at the same time, it made him more determined to succeed as a freelance music journalist and work for himself. He transitioned his career to one of purpose and helping young people to reach their full potential, initially in his own area of East London, where he grew up by delivering a 'get into' journalism course. Derek has held various roles in charities, including direct service delivery programs aimed at empowering people and making their lives better. He also worked for the Stephen Lawrence Foundation, a UK charity set up and named after 18-year-old Stephen who was brutally murdered in a race-motivated act of violence in April 1993. Derek's frustration with the funding experience during his years of delivering services led him to switch to the funding sector.  He moved to a charitable foundation and began making decisions about who should receive the funds and for what charitable project. He discusses the disconnect that often exists between those with money and those working to bring about change, and how the scarcity and fragility of funding can negatively impact vulnerable young people who have been bounced around from different social services and arrive at a charity looking for support. Derek's life journey and his professional experiences in the charity sector have informed his writing as well as his thought leadership. He challenges the philanthropy sector, individuals, and organisations to consider their roles and how their behaviours and ways of working may be maintaining or furthering injustice.

Welcome to Purposely with Lucas Patchett co-founder and Executive Director of OrangeSky. OrangeSky is a non-profit organisation founded in October 2014 by two friends Lucas and Nicholas Marchesi in Brisbane, Australia. The organisation provides practical support and help to people experiencing homelessness or unstable housing conditions, including showers and laundry services. Their distinctive orange and white vans provide a non-judgmental space for people to talk and connect with others, and they also invite other service providers to give support. OrangeSky has helped over 30,000 "friends" in 9 years and currently has 36 mobile units, run by a blend of professional staff and volunteers. The mission of OrangeSky has evolved from delivering practical support to one focused on connecting communities to people who are homeless or experiencing unstable housing conditions. Lucas stresses that homelessness could happen to anyone and points to the importance of experienced mentors and advisors, including their parents, in the establishment and growth of OrangeSky. He also emphasises the generosity of people in supporting their cause, whether with their time, money, advice, or wisdom. Overall, OrangeSky is a testament to the power of collaboration and the generosity of people in helping those in need. OrangeSky's services go beyond just practical help. They provide a safe and non-judgmental space for people experiencing homelessness to connect with others and access support. The conversations that occur while using the laundry and shower services can lead to valuable connections with other people going through similar experiences or with other service providers who can provide additional support. OrangeSky has been successful in attracting funders who are tired of backing vague and hard-to-measure engagement projects. Lucas outlines the future for OrangeSky, including better use of technology to deliver positive impact and a specific focus on reducing isolation and loneliness. He also has an eye on organizational stability and the future of OrangeSky being less reliant on him and Nicholas on a day-to-day basis. Lucas emphasises that anyone could experience homelessness and that without a support network, it can be easy to fall on tough times. It is truly remarkable to see young people like Lucas and Nic dedicating their time and energy to helping others in such a meaningful way. It takes a lot of courage and determination to step outside of one's own comfort zone and take action to address a pressing social issue like homelessness. Their commitment to providing practical help and creating connections between homeless individuals and support services is truly inspiring. It just goes to show that even a small group of motivated individuals can make a big difference in their community.

Welcome to Purposely Podcast with John McCarthy, John shares his career journey and his approach to giving as the Manager of the Tindall Foundation. The Foundation was set up by Margaret and Stephen Tindall, the founders of the Warehouse Retail Group, and has donated over $200 million to good causes in New Zealand since its inception in 2004. During the podcast, John also shares details from his past, including the tragic loss of his mother, father and sister. Despite these overwhelming challenges, John is quick to refute any idea that we should feel sorry for him, saying that he has been fortunate in many ways. He believes that his past experiences have helped him to be independent and resilient and have given him a deep desire to make a difference. John's career has focused on social services and philanthropy, and he believes that his past experiences have helped him to empathize with other people's life experiences and challenges. As the Manager of the Tindall Foundation, John is responsible for deploying the funds earned on an annual basis from the endowment that was set up using Margaret's shares. The Foundation focuses on strengthening families and communities, as well as the environment, and uses a wide range of approaches to deploy its funds including direct donations, donations through partners and impact investing and lending. ‘The approach that we take is to try and be as collaborative and as responsive as possible. We recognise that we don't have all the answers and we're always learning from the communities and the organisations that we work with.’ John stresses how open and flexible they try to be as a funder, seeing themselves as a partner rather than just a funder. They are also focused on measuring the impact of their work, both in terms of the outputs that they achieve and the longer-term outcomes that they’re seeking to support. ‘Ultimately, our goal is to contribute to a stronger and more equitable New Zealand, and we're committed to working towards that goal in a way that is responsible, transparent, and accountable.’ John began his career as a social worker focused on improving health outcomes, primarily in Auckland but also spending time in London. Throughout his career, John has tackled challenging and sensitive issues, such as drug and alcohol addiction, as well as sexual abuse, with a particular focus on working with perpetrators. Despite the difficult nature of his work, John remains dedicated to making a positive impact in these areas, and his expertise and experience have proven invaluable in improving the lives of those affected by these issues. Overall, John's story is one of resilience, determination, and a deep desire to make a positive impact on the world. His approach to giving is grounded in his own experiences, and he believes that everyone has the power to make a difference, no matter their past or present circumstances. Episode sponsors: Sponsors: Benevity https://bit.ly/3k4FTE2 The Giving Department https://bit.ly/3KdYWWU

Brian Cavanagh joins Purposely to share what it takes to be an impactful and effective trustee on a charity board or a governance committee. Brian has decades of experience leading Boards in the UK and Ireland that helped him write the book, Governing With Purpose: How to lead a brilliant board. His inspiration for the book came when he unsuccessfully tried to find useful resources for existing or prospective trustees. He found lots of books on corporate governance of the private sector but very little for trustees of 'for purpose' organisations and charities. This obvious gap in the market motivated Brian to write this book so that he could help others to be effective and impactful non-profit trustees. Brian outlines what it takes to be a 'brilliant board' as well as an effective trustee and he describes his ethos around governance. Explaining that the Chair of the Board is responsible for the Board while the CEO is responsible for performance and leadership of the organisation. 'Chairs, trustees and CEOs need to understand each other's roles, respect each other's responsibilities and work together towards a common and agreed mission.' He also gives thoughts on where boards and organisations go wrong and rather than being overly concerned about those headline-hitting organisations, he is more concerned about Boards that are detached from the mission or are in 'cruise mode'. Brian points to organisations that stumble along, doing quite good work and because nothing has gone wrong there seems no need to intervene at Board or exec levels. 'It's about ensuring the culture of performance of ambition for the board for itself. I think the danger is we focus on crisis and we actually need to support our boards to do the right thing'. Brian outlines what is most important for charity boards and the people that operate on them. 'It needs to be led by skilled, committed individuals who also good at governing the organisation.' Brian talks about the intangibles and how important the culture and the day-to-day behaviour of the board, the executive team and the employees is in supporting the vision and the purpose of the charity. 'Do board members challenge each other to be better and how often do they contest opinions, how often do they disagree or debate about the purpose, direction and performance of the charity'. Brian also calls out 'bad behaviour', pointing to people not turning up, not reading the Board papers and people not asking questions or challenging decisions. Brian believes that a strong sense of purpose combined with a solid structure will provide an effective antidote that will stop any bad behaviour, or at least ensure it is stamped out quickly. A strong sense of purpose for why the Board exists, why it includes the people it does and what role will it be performing and what responsibilities will it be taking on in the future. 'So it’s imperative trustees ask themselves, why was the charity set up in the first place?, what is trying to achieve and what is the purpose of the Board they have been asked to join?'. Brian also stresses that it is fundamentally important that people join Boards for the right reasons, 'not just as a favour to a friend’, but rather because they believe in the cause, believe they can contribute by utilising their skills and experience and they have the time and space to commit to the meetings and actions. Brian's book Governing with Purpose is an essential resource for people on Boards or those considering joining a Board. Sponsors:  Benevity https://bit.ly/3k4FTE2 The Giving Department https://bit.ly/3KdYWWU

Rhodri (Rhod) Davies joins Purposely Podcast to share his passion and knowledge on philanthropy and how he started the ‘Why Philanthropy Matters’ a free online platform helping to shape the sector. Rhod is a well-known thinker and commentator on philanthropy and civil society as well as an author and host of the popular Philanthropisms podcast. He is also a Pears Research Fellow in the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, United Kingdom. He was working as an academic researcher when he stumbled across philanthropy, suddenly seeing the sector in a new light full of ‘drama and interest’ and a plausible career option. Since then Rhod has become a defender and advocate of philanthropy and has gone on to play an important role in shaping the movement. ‘One of the things that bugged me is that philanthropy is often written off as if it's some sort of weird, niche concern, even within the wider nonprofit world. To me, it's something that's kind of pretty fundamental to how society works’. One of the things that characterises Rhod’s thought leadership on philanthropy is his skill and willingness to draw on history and what has happened in the past to make sense of the future. ‘History is an endlessly useful resource, when it comes to thinking about philanthropy in the present’. He describes this as a ‘cheap trick’, he uses to try and ensure that people in the sector do not get carried away with one particular approach to giving. He describes how those seemingly, ‘never been thought of before’, ways of doing philanthropy are in fact developed using lessons from the past. One example he points to is the current focus on purpose driven companies, organisations and businesses who are prioritising a combination of purpose, profit and commercial returns. The tendency is that people pass this off as completely new and highly innovative, despite the fact that people have been doing this for centuries. The same can be said for other forms of doing good or delivering impact today. ‘When you look back to history, and how people kind of combined, making money and giving money away, there's all kinds of interesting lessons and useful warnings about things that we might want to make sure that we avoid in the future’. In 2016 Rhod published Public Good by Private Means: How philanthropy shapes Britain, a book tracing the history of philanthropy in Britain and what it tells us about modern generosity. Since then he has been a self-confessed history of philanthropy nerd, and tweets about it far too much at @Philliteracy. A further characteristic of Rhod’s philanthropy thought leadership is his strongly held belief that there is no right or a wrong way of giving and that philanthropists have the ability to draw on different influences as well as their own beliefs and preferences. Rhod is happy to outline his personal preferences and the approach he would take if he had a windfall and was able to be a large scale philanthropist, ‘I would set myself a target of spending it all in 20 years or something like that and I'd make sure I thought about where I invested the money as well as where I gave it. I would also lean towards using a trust based approach that somebody like MacKenzie Scott is taking’. Rhod was formerly Head of Policy at the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), where he created and led the in-house think tank Giving Thought, and also hosted CAF’s popular Giving Thought podcast for over 100 episodes. Rhod graduated from Oxford Uni with a first-class degree in Mathematics and Philosophy. Sponsors: Benevity https://bit.ly/3k4FTE2 The Giving Department https://bit.ly/3KdYWWU

Julia Jackson joins Purposely Podcast to share her career journey and travel experiences that shaped her vision. Time living and working in South America led her to a career focused on sustainability and purpose. Julia also explains her role at Kiwibank and what it means to lead a purpose strategy for a major bank and play a significant role in their B Corp certification. Aged just 22 Julia announced to her parents that she was leaving New Zealand and heading to Latin America to travel and live there. A one-way flight to Buenos Aires was booked and, despite not speaking a word of Spanish, Julia set off on her big adventure. ‘It wasn’t easy, and it was quite hard to make friends. It was quite lonely at times, and I wondered what on earth I was doing there. But it helped to build my resilience and up my tenacity, the experience was absolutely life changing’. Julia talks about the motivations behind the trip, citing her desire to breakout from her bubble and her ‘middle class privilege’ after completing a degree in International Relations at Victoria University in Wellington, NZ. ‘Growing up I had a privileged childhood and I think I was always very conscious of that. My awareness influenced what I studied and my decision to go overseas and travel across Latin America. I wanted to use my privilege to give back and help the community in some way’. Her International Relations degree and the focus on international development was a motivating factor in choosing to travel in Latin America, over the more traditional England and Europe. Her fascination centred on two trends that were developing at the time, the first around environmental sustainability and the second on the self determination of communities, including initiatives like fair trade and the empowerment of people to choose their future direction. ‘I really wanted to see the theory in action, and I could see the potential to revolutionise things for the better’. Julia’s travels coincided with the 2008 global financial crisis, and she found getting employment challenging. After travelling around Chile, Bolivia and Peru she would eventually go on to work in hospitality. However, first she took a volunteer role in Ecuador working in a hostel, initially in the Capital Quito and then in out of the way volcanic regions where they were building a new eco-resort. This was motivated by her desire to put her degree into action particularly the study she had done on sustainability. ‘So, I was building a greenhouse and helping them get the composting systems up and running, and all that sort of stuff. I absolutely loved seeing those systems really come to life’. Julia would eventually move on to Panama and then settle in Guatemala where she met her now husband who immigrated to New Zealand with her in 2011. ‘I met all these amazing indigenous communities that lots of people would never have had the opportunity to meet’ Landing back in New Zealand Julia secured a role working in sales for an insurance company, however, it wasn’t long before she joined a mission focused charity called Sustainable Business Network and she was able to put her studies and her life experiences into action professionally. Julia then joined Kiwibank in 2016 as a corporate social responsibility lead, seven years on she is Head of Purpose and Sustainability. Kiwibank, as far as banks go is in a unique proposition, it is a B Corporation which means it works hard to meet the highest standards of social and environmental impact. ‘It has been amazing to see the number of customers that are choosing Kiwibank because of the (B Corp) certification Sponsors: Benevity https://bit.ly/3k4FTE2 The Giving Department https://bit.ly/3KdYWWU

Alice Montague joins Purposely to share her journey from fundraiser to philanthropy leader. Alice was appointed CEO of the Clare Foundation in May 2022, following three years leading the Nikau Foundation, one of seventeen community foundations based in New Zealand. Founded in 2020 by entrepreneur Anna Stuck, the Clare Foundation will use a ‘spend down’ approach to giving and plans to donate more than $35 million over a ten-year period to charities and initiatives that match their themes and deliver impact. ‘We have four strategic focus areas, amplifying opportunities for women, youth wellbeing, the environment  and oral health. All areas that Anna is particularly passionate about’ Anna chose the name of the Foundation, inspired by women in her family who all share the same name, she wanted the foundation’s name to provide a legacy. While relatively new into the role Alice is clear about the mission and purpose of the foundation, describing their interest in long term transformative change and the ‘complex world of system change’. The challenge for Alice is that the foundation will only exist for 10 years, or at least that’s the plan. They will look to spend down the funds and deliver positive impact as quickly and as effectively as possible. ‘We are looking at that timeframe and the resources we have, trying to work out where that sweet spot is for us and where we can make the greatest change with the resources we have.’ Alice has worked in the charity sector for the last two decades and this wealth of experience is helping to shape her approach and how her team will carry-out their charitable giving. ‘We plan to be a high trust funder and we want to have good relationships with the organisations and people that we fund’ We look back and delve into the reasons why Alice chose the non-profit sector and why a career focused on purpose was always likely. ‘I had a real strong sense of social justice and wanting to contribute.’ Alice also describes herself as an activist and she is constantly looking at how she can do things differently and bring about lasting change. ‘I was always a bit of an activist, and at 17 I remember standing outside of McDonald's in Northridge (UK), handing out flyers to people about the destruction of the rainforest’ We also discuss leadership; she explains her style as collaborative and how she works hard to get the best from her teams. We also discuss how she approaches her relationships with trustees and governance boards of the charities she leads.  Her ‘honesty first’ approach was particularly evident when she interviewed for the role of Executive Director at the Nikau Foundation. ‘I remember them asking me in my interview, one person said… how long do you think you will be here for? and I responded by saying probably about three to four years. One of the Board members looked horrified and another nodded and said that sounds about right. I said look… I will do everything in my power to achieve what you want in this timeframe’ Alice has held a range of high-profile roles with organisations such as the Red Cross, Experience Wellington, Creative New Zealand and most recently in her role as Executive Director at the Nikau Foundation before taking the reins at the Clare Foundation. Episode sponsor: https://benevity.com/ - Powering purpose driven business 

Frances Benge joins Purposely to share her journey from corporate to nonprofit leadership as CEO of Cure Kids. Frances started her career as a nurse then worked for 30 years in the pharmaceutical sector before being appointed as CEO of Cure Kids in 2015. ‘It wasn't an easy transition, there was a perception that I was this big international bigwig that didn't have any fundraising experience, I had to really prove myself to the team before I think they gave me any credibility’. Frances shares her experience moving from corporate to the charity sector and provides a candid account of the challenges she faced in her first months in the role. ‘Everybody believed in what we were doing, and they were passionate about the cause, but underneath the purpose, there was a lot of dysfunction.’ Did she have any doubts about what she had taken on? At first Frances worried that she may lack the necessary fundraising experience or skills to successfully run a charity. She found her lack of experience ended up being a positive and helped her develop a fresh strategy for the charity. She improved income generation and fundraising capacity and reviewed how the charity used their resources - taking this opportunity to cut costs. ‘We were able to carve at least half a million dollars’ worth of costs, which sounds incredibly mercenary, but at this stage, the balance between our income and our expenses needed urgent attention. I couldn't hand on heart go to donors and say this huge percentage of your donation is going towards operating costs.’ While the move was challenging at times, Frances was able to successfully make the changes and set the charity on a path to success. Despite those initial doubts, she always fundamentally believed that she was in the right role. Established in 1971, Cure Kids is a registered charity that invests millions of dollars every year into child health research. They find cures and better treatments for serious illnesses and health conditions that are affecting children in New Zealand, and around the world. Their work has positively impacted health outcomes for hundreds of thousands of people. These include cystic fibrosis at birth, maternal outcomes (like sleeping on your side in pregnancy), and the prevention of sudden unexpected death in infancy. Cure Kids also advocate for children and children’s health, so that greater resources and focus is placed on services and health outcomes. Frances has developed a strong public voice when it comes to children’s health and regularly speaks to the media, to government and at key events. A good example is how she shone a light on children’s health both during and after the global pandemic. For more than a year, an extraordinary public spotlight has been cast upon the incredible work of health scientists, epidemiologists, and vaccinologists in the face of a global pandemic. While Cure Kids and Frances agreed that this level of focus has been necessary, she stressed that we were not doing enough for children and that this was reflected by poor health outcomes for children, especially in New Zealand where we have some of the worse statistics relating to mortality. ‘I would just love to see New Zealand child health stats be turned around so that we aren’t ashamed of the statistics that we've got. I think the only way that we can do that is by really addressing the core issues that prevent our children from having lived healthy lives with bright futures’ Frances is looking forward to leading Cure Kids into the future and she is determined to ensure better outcomes for children.