People Inspired By Purpose - Purposely Podcast

Bill Murphy joins Purposely to share his founder story starting Purpose Capital. Originally from Boston Massachusetts, he is an American that calls New Zealand home, having moved here in the 1980’s with his wife Rose, a New Zealander. Based in the Bay of Plenty, on New Zealand’s North Island, Purpose Capital is an investment fund on a mission to drive social and environmental change. Having raised $22 million so far it is described as a collaboration between the New Zealand business, investment, and philanthropic sectors, bringing capital and expertise to find social and environmental solutions. Bill talks about his determination to make a positive difference to Society and the Planet, formed by his diverse life journey. A range of experiences shaped him to go on and play an active leadership role in spreading and growing impact investing.  Before he launched his own investment fund Bill started out as an accountant and also founded Enterprise Angels, helping start-up entrepreneurs. He launched Purpose Capital in 2019 and has plans to grow the fund significantly and create a legacy for future generations. Bill shares details of the fund’s investment in renewable energy, as well as funding circular business models that embrace a sharing economy. Some interesting projects include, build to rent housing for long-term tenants, solar farms to provide renewable energy and iwi-led open ocean aquaculture. Bill is a proponent of Degrowth, a recent phenomenon that provides an alternative approach to ‘growth at all costs’ capitalism. Bill explains its potential benefits to Society and the environment. The relentless search for growth comes at the expense of more important things. As economies grow, consumption grows, and the earth’s resources are depleted more rapidly than ever. Degrowth is the planned reduction of resource consumption and energy use until it reaches a point where our resources can sustain everyone. In the podcast Bill looks back at his early years and explains how his background was never going to fully define him or limit his ambition. ‘I'm an Irish Catholic archetype from Boston, my father was a policeman and my father's two brothers were firemen so joining the civil service was strongly encouraged. But early on I knew that this path was not for me. For a start I went to University, I started doing yoga and meditating and I became a vegetarian when I was hitchhiking out to California.’ Inspired by the cultural revolution happening in the 1960’s Bill travelled from the Northeast of the United States to California. This period of his life had a profound effect on him and would lay the foundations of his approach to life and his desire to bring about change. ‘Seeing the failure of the 60s protest movements to affect real change informed me. A realisation that we weren't going to be able to achieve change through purely political protest means, we needed to change hearts and minds.’ This led him to want to use finance to make significant change. Bill is excited about the future of Purpose Capital and the part they will play in a more sustainable future. While he clearly loves doing what he does he is looking for someone to succeed him ‘eventually’, someone with the right skills and experience and strong sense of purpose.

Camille Socquet-Clerc joins Purposely to share her journey from digital marketing executive to green investment entrepreneur. Camille, along with Bertrand Caron, are the founders of BLOOM, an online platform helping Australian investors make a financial return and a positive difference to the environment. Camille and Bertrand are also husband and wife, recently returning home to France to tie the knot following the launch of the company. Launched in 2022, BLOOM provides people access to a diverse range of climate solution investments. These include solar and wind farms, energy storage, plus previously difficult-to-access assets like unlisted alternatives, green bonds, clean energy loans and infrastructure projects. Their vision is to make climate investing easy and accessible to all Australians, so that they can own and benefit from the clean energy transition. 'We're dreaming about a world where a carbon free economy allows both people and the planet to thrive.' Camille started work on BLOOM in her spare time in 2019, predominately a side hustle to start with, she describes the different stages of development. This included coming up with the idea, really falling in love with the problem and carrying out research. She diligently studied reports about climate finance, understanding the potential problems and solutions. They formed a community of would-be investors, people who pledged a total of $3 million purely based on the concept.  Amazingly this all happened in less than six months and gave them the confidence to build the platform and take the first steps to applying for a license. Two years on BLOOM has three full time employees, one part time investment manager, an investment committee as well as advisors and mentors. They have close to 200 customers who have invested over $1.6 million AUD and they are now in the running for several industry awards. ' 'I would read about how clean tech was performing and what companies were driving this new sector. I then started to formulate the solution, I interviewed people and did a lot of customer research.' The launch of BLOOM hasn't been straight forward though, with volatile financial markets and the value of green investments hit by the effects of the pandemic and geopolitical events including the war in Ukraine. Despite the challenging financial situation BLOOM has performed better than their benchmark in the short term. Camille, however, is quick to point out that investing with them is a long-term proposition with investors balancing purpose, positive climate impact as well as making a return on their capital. ‘We state very clearly that our investment horizon is seven years because that's how long we believe it will take for the companies and sectors we invest in to deliver impact and positive change' Incredibly, neither Camille or Bertrand had any prior experience working in investment or finance and they learnt on the job. They moved from France, adjusted to living in a foreign land and learnt a new language and culture. Camille is the CEO of start-up and Bertrand is the technology lead. 'I think Australia is a wonderful country, one of the wealthiest countries in the world and somewhere that can have a significant impact on positive climate action.' Camille and Bertrand have been together for over a decade and Camille points to the benefits of launching a company with someone you love, including their ability to communicate effectively, a deep understanding of each other and real trust. 'Overall it is great to be in business together, however, it raises some questions around boundaries. How do we maintain a healthy relationship outside of work?! How do we make time for us as a couple?! Sometimes we worked too hard, and we didn't have enough boundaries when we started.' Exciting times for these two green entrepreneurs!

End of Year Wrap - Episode 119 ­Taking a break from our normal interview format for the latest episode of Purposely and sharing a few insights from our guests. These include; the power of purpose and defining your personal mission The importance of non-linear careers as well as diverse experiences The great post pandemic re-set, purpose first! In 2022  we published 48 episodes with listeners tuning in from across the globe. The first interview of the year was with the CEO of the Wolfson Foundation Paul Ramsbottom OBE in the UK and the last with philanthropy doyenne Jenny Gill who is on the Boards of Vodafone NZ and MAS foundations as well as Prince’s Trust. Our episodes are published weekly (every Monday) along with a related blog (on www.purposelypodcast.com) and newsletter. Massive thank you for listening and sharing, please do not hesitate to reach out if you know someone who would be a good fit for Purposely and don’t forget to hit subscribe on whatever platform you are listening! All the best from Mark & Jon - Team Purposely Sponsors: Benevity https://bit.ly/3k4FTE2 The Giving Department https://bit.ly/3KdYWWU

Jenny Gill joins Purposely to share her career journey leading New Zealand’s largest and most respected charitable foundations as CEO, advisor and Board member. Jenny is one of the pioneers of philanthropy in New Zealand, from her first role in the eighties to now she has led the way for wealthy and generous individuals, foundations and companies, helping them to give more effectively and ensure they make a positive and lasting difference. In 1985 Jenny took on her first role in philanthropy as Executive Director of a private foundation to give away all of its funds over a set period of time. A fairly rare phenomenon in the eighties this type of philanthropy is described as ‘spend down’. The theory being that you donate all of the money you have to a good cause/s as quickly as possible to ensure you make a transformative difference as fast as possible. The organisation or the Foundation is merely a means to an end to deliver effective philanthropy during a specific time period. The Roy McKenzie Foundation with Jenny at the helm donated a total of $7 million over 9 years. “I went to meet him in his office in Wellington and I came out with a job offer, with no job description, no discussion about salary (however) an agreement that I would start work the next day. Well, I went to his office the next day and he handed me a blank pad of paper, a pencil, a copy of the trust deed, a check for a million dollars and said okay, let's go” Jenny describes the role she had as her becoming a ‘philanthrocrat’, a profession helping the generous and wealthy to give effectively and efficiently, in fact she was one of the very first professionals working in this way in New Zealand. Jenny continued to play an instrumental role in philanthropy and in 1990 Jenny and Roy used their experience to start the Association of Grant Givers (now Philanthropy New Zealand). Based on similar organisations overseas it helps to encourage others to give and provides a forum for individuals and organisations to share their experiences with others. Sharing know how and experience at the same time helping people to collaborate on projects to have greater impact. Roy McKenzie was the only surviving son of John McKenzie, two members of one of New Zealand’s richest and most generous families. They owned a chain of general stores in Australia and New Zealand before they were taken over by LD Nathan in 1980. The funds they have donated to good causes over the years come from the wealth generated by those stores as well as through investment firm Rangatira Ltd which was founded in 1937. In 2004 Jenny moved further north to Auckland to take on the role of CEO of Foundation North, known then as the ASB Charitable Foundation it is the largest of the 12 community foundations in New Zealand with almost $3 billion in an endowment with the interest benefitting people and causes in Auckland and across Northland. Jenny and her team were responsible for granting over $50 million to good causes on an annual basis. Jenny enjoyed 16 successful years in charge of Foundation North, deciding to step down in 2019 to spend more time with her family. This proceeded the arrival of the global pandemic and a crucial period for all funders as they responded to the crisis. This was certainly the case for Foundation North and the other community trusts as they responded to COVID-19 and the significant impact the pandemic was having on people living in poverty and on the margins. Jenny talks about being less optimistic these days compared the 'heady days of the 70's' particularly around the effects of climate change and what this will mean for her five grand children. Pointing out that it is much harder for individuals to influence meaningful change compared to past generations. As Jenny's attention shifts to the future of philanthropy and charitable giving she makes it clear that she would like to see more philanthropic money going into addressing climate change and environmental

Kate Markey joined Purposely to share her career journey, becoming one of the most talented and respected leaders in the UK charity sector. As CEO of the London Community Foundation (LCF) she has led the philanthropic response to two major disasters.  Kate led the foundation in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire and through COVID-19, playing a key role in raising and deploying millions of pounds of vital funds, ‘I am so proud of our response and our ability to get donated money to the right causes and people’. We explore Kate's career path and her motivation for swapping journalism for leadership roles, those in the ‘for purpose’ sector. Kate cites her parents as an inspiration, in particular her late mother as a reason why she dedicated her professional life to purpose. ‘I was brought up with a real sense that how I choose to live life will have a positive impact on society’ Kate’s mother had experienced kidney failure as a teenager, but despite the health challenges, she went on to be a parent and have a successful teaching career, eventually becoming a deputy head teacher. ‘The example my mother set made it very clear that we are put on this earth to make a difference’ Kate developed a love for storytelling and the power it has to motivate people to act. A love she developed during her early career as a journalist. As editor of her university newspaper and then as editor of The Big Issue she realised the power it had to influence people to do good. Born in Liverpool Kate went to her home university so that she would be close to her home and her mother. Studying a Bachelor of Arts in communication Kate went on to mainstream journalism and then a career as a social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader. Kate travelled, spending a year living in Venezuela and then developed a love for London. This would see her eventually taking on the role of CEO of the Cities Community Foundation. Kate was first choice for the role based on her unique skills and experience. ‘What excited me about the foundation is the unique role it plays. We are not like traditional foundations, we have an entrepreneurial and ‘fleet of foot’ approach to making a difference’ As we look to the future Kate is keen to understand more about giving in the capital. Specifically how much is donated by Londoners but ends up leaving the city, either by individuals or businesses versus how much stays in the capital to do good. Kate pays tribute to her team and points to their brilliance as the main reason for her success as a leader. ‘I really believe in my team, they have dealt extremely well with every challenge thrown their way in a professional way and with empathy’. LCF is one of 47 community foundations in the UK. Combined they have an endowment of £500 million, they perform the role of fundraiser and grant maker. Originally a North American phenomenon Community Foundations are connectors between local philanthropy and community needs and opportunities. Many convene impactful projects and all are building long-term, reliable funding streams for their local communities by investing and growing the gifts they receive.

Welcoming Maria Ramsay to Purposely to share her career journey from nurse to non-profit leader. Maria shares her innovative approach to philanthropy and the evolution of the Toi Foundation under her leadership. Maria joined the Toi Foundation in 2006, appointed as manager to what was known as the TSB Community Trust. The organisation had evolved from the community bank as one of 12 trusts formed in the 1980's with the aim of supporting communities.  Like many trusts at the time, Toi relied on a transactional and passive approach to grant making. They were often characterised by invisible grant committees approving funding applications behind closed doors, with a simple letter to the unsuccessful applicants.    'This organisation has evolved so much, we've gone from two employees to sixteen, we now have a huge connection into our community that just didn't exist previously. We didn't have very strong relationships with Maori and local iwi, mainly because we just weren't engaging - we do now.'   'While we still fund in a traditional 'mail box' philanthropy way by supporting small grassroots organisations across the region we have evolved and we now do a lot more strategic grant making'.   The change in approach followed an assessment of needs that existed across the region, with a bigger focus on helping people on the margins of society. Maria and the Board hired an external company to carry out some independent research and this lay the foundation for a new strategy and a new way of working. One that was much more focused on working with the community rather than just delivering grants in a passive removed way. The Trust identified those who were in most need of their financial support.    Maria describes the move away from a 'master and servant model' to something very different that she believes will bring about social positive and lasting change. ' It's about walking alongside an organisation and being prepared to fund them over multiple years if required. We will look to form a truly authentic and trusted relationship with the organisation doing the work.' Maria also talks about the move to community building that is becoming more common amongst the 12 community trusts in New Zealand. 'We increasingly look to help with capacity and capability building as well as the service delivery.   Their latest giving initiatives are both intentional as well as strategic; including supporting children in their first 1,000 days of life as well as a participatory form of philanthropy and community support.   'On that theme of engaging with the local community, we will allocate some funds and bring together a group of people to advise and help design a solution to an issue or a problem. The big difference is that they will be the decision makers, so if in the example it is a committee of young people, they will decide what is best for them. So it's about power sharing, really, and putting that back into the hands of the community. They also focus on the environment as stated in their new strategy. 'Supporting the protection, care and resilience of our natural environment to ensure the long-term survival and care of Taranaki whenua.' What is a Community Trust? Ostensibly they are grant making charities that exist to help communities thrive. There are 12 of them across New Zealand covering all regions country including Toi Foundation which covers Taranaki, most western part of the North Island. Combined  they have assets of approximately $3.9 billion and make grants for the benefit of their local communities of over $100 million each year.

Josh Hickford joins Purposely to share his story from chartered accountant to app creating cancer survivor and foundation leader. Taranaki, where Josh was born, is on the western side of New Zealand’s North Island. Set on the coast, it has a strong farming industry alongside a talented creative fraternity with its fair share of artists and galleries. Its people are generous and community minded and inspired by the work of a worldwide network of community foundations, the founding trustees wanted to create an endowment for the region and boost charitable giving locally. Established in 2016 as the Te Karaka Foundation the Board were looking to hire their first CEO in the middle of 2020, someone who would connect with people locally and work with them to superpower the foundation. Enter Taranaki born and bred Josh, a chartered accountant and social entrepreneur, Josh was encouraged to apply for the role by his wife citing his passion for the region as well as his recent experiences of doing good. Josh was the co-founder of Ripple, an online platform that helps to facilitate tailored support for people with cancer. Shortlisted for ‘New Zealander of the Year’, Josh was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2017, it was his own cancer experience that inspired him to set up the platform. ‘I didn't come across anyone my age with same type of cancer. I also wanted to help those sitting alongside the person with cancer who often get forgotten or don’t receive the support they need’. Five years on from his cancer diagnosis Josh was given a clean bill of health. During those years Josh kept pushing his boundaries, entering ironman competitions and featuring on the New Zealand version of the hit reality series Survivor. He applied for the role of CEO of the Te Karaka Foundation. ‘I didn't really have a background in charity apart from the Cancer Society. I've been a chartered accountant, but the whole purpose and why of the job just aligned so much with what I'm about. It was vital that I was able to get in front of the trustees and share my passion’. Bravely Josh delivered some ‘home truths’ to the trustees at the interview and this has led to the rebranding of the Foundation, from Te Karaka to Taranki, a name they believe connects well with the people of the region. ‘I paused and took a deep breath and I told them that the website was pretty mediocre and that the branding was confusing and not that inspiring, but that there was a big opportunity to flip that around and really ramp it up and go from there! What followed was silence and a pause but thankfully the trustees agreed. Everyone just probably relaxed a little bit after that as well and they gave me the role.’ The Foundation is embracing its new vision and looking forward to attracting more philanthropic funds to support the communities of Taranaki.

Ryan Modjeski, Executive Director of Empatico, shares his inspiring journey from creating educational technology at UNICEF to leading a non-profit that fosters global friendships among children. He discusses Empatico's mission to bridge cultural divides through virtual exchanges, highlighting the importance of empathy and understanding. Ryan reflects on his unique path, merging his background in creative writing and gaming to create impactful educational initiatives. His passion for connecting children worldwide underscores the vital role of empathy in building a better future.

Bill Kermode joins Purposely to share his story as inaugural CEO of the NEXT Foundation. His mission to give away a hundred million dollar fortune on behalf of a family committed to making a positive and lasting difference to the planet and people of New Zealand. NEXT is a privately funded charitable foundation which is relatively unique for New Zealand. Rather than being a long-lasting foundation, set up to exist forever using an endowment model, NEXT has a mandate to ‘spend down’ $100 million over 10 years. The money is committed to environmental and educational projects that will benefit future generations of New Zealanders. Bill has led NEXT’s investments as well as providing guidance to the previous philanthropic commitments made by Neal and Annette Plowman. 'They had an ambition for NEXT to leave a legacy of environmental and Educational Excellence for the benefit of future generations of New Zealanders. They wanted to show a way of giving that they hoped would be a model that some others would choose to follow'. The Plowmans made their fortune from a laundry business, founded in 1910 by George Plowman. They successfully grew the business and listed it on the New Zealand Stock Exchange, before privatising the company in 1986, and selling to US firm Alsco in 1998. Bill was appointed NEXT CEO in 2014 by the NEXT Board chaired by Chris Liddell, a successful businessman and advisor to the Plowmans. Bill spent the previous two decades as a founding Director of Direct Capital, New Zealand’s most experienced private company investor, and Director of a number of private companies, including Ryman Healthcare, PF Olsen, NZ Pharmaceuticals, and EziBuy. We discuss Bills move from the investment sector to philanthropy running a charitable foundation and the differences between the two worlds. ‘The biggest difference is around evaluation and measurement, knowing whether you're contributing and making a difference. In the commercial and financial world, there are well established norms and ways of measuring success. However, in the ‘for purpose sector’ it is not so clear and not so clearly defined.’ 2024 will see the end of the ten-year giving term, with currently 80% of the $100 million committed to a number of initiatives and causes focused on the environment and education. We discuss what next for the Plowmans philanthropy and what next for Bill himself. ‘The Plowmans plan to continue their giving and the next iteration of the foundation will be focused specifically on the environment - although I will not lead this, instead I will focus my efforts on the development of a Centre of Strategic Philanthropy.’ Bill and the NEXT team have had approaches from others wanting to learn from their journey and he describes how they have always tried to be supportive of others’ giving.This has led Bill and his team to launch the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy aimed at complementing the work of Philanthropy New Zealand. Helping New Zealand individuals, organisations and families who ‘want to do their giving in a strategic or a business-like way’. ‘It's about bringing likeminded people together to explore how they can make a significant difference to the issues they are passionate about with the potential to collaborate or if not then learn from each other and experts.’ In his spare time, Bill was also the Director of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship from 2016 until 2020, offering global social change-makers a path to New Zealand citizenship through New Zealand’s Global Impact Visa. He is currently Chairman of the Palmerston North BHS Educational Foundation Trust, and a graduate of Massey and Oxford Universities.

Podcaster, author and comedian Rhea Wong joins Purposely to share her fascinating story. Rhea Wong grew up in the Bay Area of San Francisco, relocating to the East Coast of America to start her first non-profit leadership role at 26. Thrown in at the deep end, without experience, Rhea had to learn fast. 'I was like, what? My first two Google searches in the job were, ‘what does an executive director do?’ and the second was, ‘how to fundraise’. I like that I was that clueless.' Fast forward to today, Rhea is one of the leading voices on fundraising for non-profits globally. Her teaching focuses on developing the right mindset, rather than just teaching income generation tactics. Rhea has caught the attention of the fundraising sector for her insightful thinking around mindset, in particular her theory on 'scarcity and abundance' as a common block for any non-profit fundraiser. 'When we come from a place of confidence and expectation that there is enough money out there for us to do our work, and to feel the change that we've seen in the world, we operate on a different level' At first Rhea struggled with fundraising, she was good at it but found it 'joyless'. She examined the mental blocks and negative outlook to try and understand her resistance to fundraising . Rhea reflected on her childhood experiences around money and charity. She remembers vividly an experience that helped shape her, ' I gave a homeless guy a quarter in front of my father and he goes, Oh, so you're so rich. now you can just give money away.' The moment impacting her psyche deeply, the idea that money is scarce and that we have to hold on to it and guard it. Her grandparent’s experience leaving communist China and arriving in the United States with very little money had a significant impact on her parent’s mindset. This had also shaped her own outlook to giving and charity. 'Money stood for stability and security, because that's what they needed when they came to this country, all they had was $20 in their pocket when they arrived.' Over time and following a period of reflection and introspection Rhea developed a for her profession, the joy of making the ask and raising vital funds for good causes started to make sense. This clarity led her on a new career path, from being a fundraiser herself to helping others be better fundraisers. Rhea shares her move from non-profit executive to launching her own business helping others to reach their full potential as fundraisers. Rhea works with individuals and organisations, and she has particular expertise in institutional, corporate and major donor fundraising. Importantly she knows what it’s like to be a successful fundraiser herself raising millions for good causes and she is well placed to coach and advise others. In 2022 Rhea Wong published the book 'Get That Money! The No B******t Guide To Raising More Money For Your Non-Profit'. The book, despite its relatively racy headline, is focused on the importance of relationship-based fundraising and the antithesis of the transactional approach so often used. 'The name of the book was really about getting people's attention. I think it's very aligned with my brand which is pretty irreverent. I'm not a very formal person and I like to make jokes, obviously. I like to not take it so seriously. But it is about how do you really build relationships such that you can get that money honey?' Rhea has also published over 200 episodes of her Podcast Non-profit Lowdown reviewing and recommending the best ideas, resources, tools and tricks to run a non-profit, using her own lived experiences as well as her guests. We delve into her approach to work, her confidence, her drive and how she doesn't take herself too seriously.