People Inspired By Purpose - Purposely Podcast

Dan Corry, CEO of London based New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) joined Purposely Podcast to share his leadership story.  NPC is a successful and respected charity think tank, launched 20 years ago by partners of Goldman Sachs. They wanted to shake up and disrupt the sector by focusing on impact measurement and accountability grading. Dan became Chief Executive of NPC in 2011 following a variety of posts in public policy and economics, ‘I feel like everything I did prior was preparing me to be CEO of NPC’. Dan was Head of the Number 10 Policy Unit and Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister Gordon Brown (2007-2010). The 2008 global financial crisis brought about a tumultuous time for the economy, Dan played a crucial financial advisory role in helping the government survive the crisis. During the episode you will hear how ‘late nights and difficult decisions’ played a role in turning things around. Dan has been Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Treasury and has worked as a special adviser to the Secretary of State in the Education Department. He was a Director in the Economics segment of FTI Consulting and ran the New Local Government Network, voted Think Tank of the Year in 2004. Dan is a member of the Early Action Taskforce, which helps make the case for a shift in priorities away from coping with the consequences of social problems towards work that prevents them arising. He is a member of the Advisory Boards for Big Society Capital, Impetus–PEF, and the Centre for Public Scrutiny, as well as a member of the Charity Tax Commission. He is a trustee of St Mungo’s, 19 Princelet Street and of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, and a former member of the Research Committee of the ESRC and of the Greater Manchester Economic Advisory Panel.

Paul Ramsbottom OBE joins Purposely Podcast to share his leadership story. We also touched on how he got his name and what led him to be awarded an Officer of the British Empire.  Paul is CEO of the Wolfson Foundation and has been volunteer founder Chairman of Savannah Education Trust for almost two decades. We discuss the incredible contrast between the two organisations, one a large charitable foundation donating millions of pounds to good causes annually and the other a small effective charity saving young lives in West Africa on a limited annual budget of just over £200k. Paul is passionate about both organisations and wearing two hats , as a funder and fundraiser, has added to his knowledge and ability to  understand the struggle smaller charities have fund their services. Established in 1955 Wolfson Foundation has now passed over £1 billion milestone in terms of grants awarded (over £2 billion in today’s money). The funds have gone to support and promote thousands of remarkable projects across virtually every community in the UK – and within education, science, medicine, heritage, humanities, the arts and health and disability. Paul also shares the fascinating story of the Wolfson family where their success in commerce led them to an impressive philanthropy journey. Paul attended Corpus Christi College, Oxford where he gained a First in modern history. Paul Ramsbottom is Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation and its sister charity, the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust. Paul takes a wider interest in issues relating to philanthropy in the UK as a speaker and writer. He has undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in History from the University of Oxford. Outside of philanthropy, he has an interest in international development which includes founding the Savannah Education Trust - a charity which works in West Africa – and sitting on the Board of Mercy Ships UK. His hometown university, the University of Bedfordshire, awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2013. In January 2020 he was awarded an OBE for services to charity.

Robert Gardner joins Purposely Podcast to share his fascinating story, from a childhood in inflation ravaged Argentina to disrupting the pension industry through his successful start-up ‘Redington’. Rob is currently Director of Investment at St. James’s Place Wealth Management, a highly respected visionary, Rob is leading a responsible investment revolution in wealth management. Rob is responsible for planning, growing and protecting the wealth of over c850,000 clients in the UK and Asia. St. James’s Place manages over c£150 billon of client funds, Rob’s main goal is to ensure that these clients have enough money to live a long and prosperous life, at the same time using this money to be a force for good as delivering financial wellbeing in a‘world worth living in.’ Rob started his career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank working in foreign exchange. Rob then moved to Merrill Lynch where he helped pioneer a way for pension funds to manage their long-term interest rates and inflation risks. In 2006 he resigned to become an entrepreneur and co-founded Redington, “we wanted to do for pensions what Jamie Oliver did for school food”. Redington today is one of the largest investment consultants in the UK, employing over 200 employees in London, Bristol and Beijing. While Rob no longer works at Redington but remains a shareholder in that business. During his time at Redington, Rob also co-founded a charity RedSTART focused on delivering financial education to children across the UK especially those who need it most. Rob talks about his personal commitment to RedSTART’s mission and how they plan to play a key role ‘ in planting the seed for the financial security for young people across the UK. I normally ask my guests about organisational mission but it struck me that you have your own personal mission? ‘Yes that’s right, over the last few years I have used a concept called Ikigai (Japanese philosophy) to decide my personal mission, it mapped what I love doing, what I think I'm good at, what will enable me to make an impact paired with what the world needs. Ideally something I can get paid for and suits my skills - the epicentre of that is financial well being in a world worth living in. So if you look at my career and the things I do, they basically fall under either helping to create financial wellbeing or helping towards ensuring a world worth living in.’ You spent some of your childhood in Argentina? ‘ Yes, my parents were teachers and moved there to take up roles at the end of 1985 when I was seven years old. One of the interesting things about Argentina in that period is that inflation was running at over 30% a month. So imagine being paid and then at the end of the month your spending power is 30% less than it was the month prior. Incredibly prices would change every day and Mum and Dad would get paid a wad of cash and we would then go and do the monthly shop. In the evening, we drove to this house, I don't know if you've ever watched a show called Narcos, this was a scary house big metal bars on the windows and Dobermans in the garden and my dad and one of the other members of staff would go up to change their money into US dollars. Then that night we’d head home with our US dollars and hide them typically in the old 35 millimetre film canisters and hide them around the house. So remember, I'm seven years old, my sister's five, and this is normal and I why are we doing that?! Well, there are two reasons, one was inflation and the second thing is that people didn't trust putting their money in banks.’

Fellow Kiwi Sam Grice joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story with Guardian Angel. Guardian Angel is categorised as a ‘death tech for good’ start-up focused on reducing the stress in the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death by enabling people to coordinate support from family and friends - simplifying the bereavement process. Guardian Angel was founded in 2017 following the unexpected death of Sam’s mother in a road accident. Having been personally exposed to the end-of-life industry, the lack of digital efficiency became evident as he and his family struggled to coordinate the tasks and sudden influx of communications. Sam said, “The support we received from well-meaning family and friends after mum’s accident was amazing. However, managing that support together with organising a funeral and a wake proved immensely difficult during one of the most stressful periods of my life. And I’m not alone. Most of us have or will experience the death of a loved one and face the same issues that I did. Can you give some examples of what Guardian Angel provides? ‘The platform includes a ‘Key times’ function which informs people when they can visit and when the family would like to be alone. The ‘To-Do list’ allows the management of all tasks and ask friends for help. The user can share funeral information privately and it also staggers support, like flower deliveries, so they do not all arrive at once. These are just some of the features it provides. Tell us more about your founder journey? ‘A lot of founder led businesses are linked or triggered by personal events – an ‘aha’ moment following a life experience and the thought ‘Can I improve this and make it better?’. Unfortunately, mine was linked to the death of my mother who was involved in a car accident. I was 27 and my siblings were young as was my mom who was only 60, she wasn’t prepared to leave us, and we had a lot of admin and things to sort.’ ‘We found out how expensive and full of jargon the process was and we didn't know what was going on and there was no one really guiding us.  There’s often no single point of reference and if you're speaking to a lawyer or your insurance broker and a funeral director and it feels fragmented and inefficient. It inspired my idea to help people plan but also manage the chaos that's left behind. If someone isn't prepared, then so often the family doesn't know what to do.’ ‘We've helped over 100,000 people plan for a better managed death and that's a huge accomplishment.  A positive outcome from something that was quite tragic for both myself and my family.’ https://guardianangel.network/

Beth Breeze joins Purposely Podcast to discuss the launch of her book ‘In Defence of Philanthropy’. She is passionate about giving and fundraising and has championed adding academic rigour to the discipline, shining a light on the positive elements of philanthropy. Beth worked as a fundraiser and charity manager for a decade before founding the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent in 2008 where she now leads a team conducting research and teaching courses on philanthropy and fundraising, including an innovative MA Philanthropic Studies. Beth has written and edited five books, including ‘The New Fundraisers: who organises charitable giving in contemporary society?’ (2017), which won the AFP Skystone Research Partners book prize. Her latest book ‘In Defence of Philanthropy’ offers a robust response, based on both theory and extensive evidence, to the critiques against big giving. She has also written a wide range of research reports including ten editions of the annual ‘Coutts Million Pound Donors Report’. How did you get into fundraising and charity? ‘When I left university, all I knew is that I wanted to be useful. I didn't come from a particularly privileged background, so I didn't have a huge sense of what kind of jobs were out there. I only knew about social work and teaching and they're great jobs, but I didn't really think I had the personality or characteristics to do those sorts of roles. Instead, I looked at the charity sector because that seemed another obvious place where you can do good. My first job was as a fundraising officer in a youth homelessness charity called the ‘Cardinal Hume Centre’ in London and I became a fundraising officer rather than any other job because frankly, there's more opportunities in fundraising. I loved the way you could bring together a good organization that needs resources with generous people who have got resources with people who are good people who have got resources, you matchmake them together and the magic happens.’ How do you approach writing? ‘I have two strategies, the first is that I lied to myself a lot and I’d sit down at 10 o'clock at night and I would say to myself that I'm just going to do half an hour and of course what happens is you start writing and you get into it. The hardest bit is starting but once you start, you're glad you did it. Strategy number two is mint chocolates. I am an absolute sucker for dark mint chocolate, and I have boxes of them in my office and whenever my energy starts to flag I just open another box of chocolates then I can keep going for another hour.’ Beth has served as trustee for the Cardinal Hume Centre for young homeless people, as a commissioner on the Commission for the Donor Experience, as publications editor of Philanthropy UK, as a member of the President's advisory council at NCVO; as a member of the Advisory Group of the Charity Tax Commission; and is currently a member of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute Research Committee, Lilly School of Philanthropy, Indiana University, USA. Buy In Defence of Philanthropy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Defence-Philanthropy-Beth-Breeze/dp/1788212614

Kevin Robert Frost joins Purposely Podcast to share his very personal leadership story in the fight against HIV. Kevin has been the CEO of amfAR, The American Foundation for AIDS Research, since 2007, first joining the organisation in September 1994. Kevin is fully committed to the work he does, and vividly remembers the dark days when people were dying in large numbers from AIDS in New York and other parts of the world. Kevin personally knew some of these men and still remembers the horrible stigma caused by fear and bigotry. Fast forward to today and an HIV diagnosis is less likely to be a death sentence thanks to organisations like amfAR and committed, passionate leaders like Kevin. People diagnosed with HIV are less likely to suffer thanks to combination therapies, preventative medicine, and different attitudes towards sexuality. Kevin does stress, however, that things have not changed for everyone and unfortunately in many countries HIV and homophobia can still mean a death sentence. Kevin talks openly about his own journey and why he decided to do something meaningful to fight AIDS and give hope to people diagnosed with HIV. He also discusses his parent’s reaction to his mission and about coming out as a gay man. We talk about the current Coronavirus pandemic and Kevin’s frustration that lessons learnt from the fight against HIV have not saved the world from more pain and suffering. Kevin’s sense of mission is incredibly strong, and you can hear his passion and commitment for his life’s work over three decades. Kevin’s amazing career includes: - February 2010, appointed by President Obama to the Presidential Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), which is charged with providing guidance and recommendations to the administration on the U.S. government's domestic and international HIV/AIDS prevention and research programs. - Served as a member of the international advisory committee for the XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain, - Member of the Scientific Committee for the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada, in August 2006. H - Served on the advisory panels for three U.S. Food and Drug Administration hearings on a new drug application for Chiron Corporation’s ganciclovir implant; a new drug application for Gilead’s cidofovir; and a review of the application for fomivirsen sodium. - Published in The Lancet, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Journal of AIDS (JAIDS), Journal of Infectious Diseases, and The AIDS Reader. As vice president, clinical research and prevention programs at amfAR and later, vice president, global initiatives, Kevin worked extensively in Asia, where he facilitated the development of amfAR’s TREAT Asia program. This network of more than 50 hospitals, community clinics, NGOs, and healthcare facilities works together with civil society in 17 countries to build the capacity necessary for scaling up treatment efforts in the region.

Becky Endicott and Jonathan McCoy join Purposely Podcast to share their founder story about ‘We Are For Good’ from Oklahoma, USA. This is a special episode for me, I am a massive fan of their podcast and their approach, and I launched Purposely at the same time - sharing similar values to them. Heading into our late-night recording I got to ask questions that I had been sitting on for over a year. We talk about the joy of a successful launch and how deciding to take the leap in the first place was ‘most definitely’ a family decision. We talk about how they decided to reject start-up capital and instead bootstrap the platform using their own time and effort as well as their own money. They have worked as consultants in their spare time to keep money coming in to cover living expenses. The good news is that their launch success will mean they can go fulltime in the New Year. The topic of burnout soon comes up with both giving a very candid and honest assessment of how difficult it is to start and grow something at the same time as prioritising other family commitments. So what is We Are For Good? It is a digital kindness community that is working to revolutionize the nonprofit industry through profound compassion, best-in-class education/training, authentic storytelling and crazy good marketing all leading to an #ImpactUprising.’ Becky and Jonathan launched in 2019, they are long time colleagues and close friends, as well as the proudest Oklahomans you will ever meet – they are also ‘American philanthropy royalty’ who really believe in the power of giving and receiving ‘collective good’. We Are For Good has big dreams to revolutionize the nonprofit industry’s professional development through online training and enhanced storytelling. Their vision is to cultivate an ‘Impact Uprising’ aiming to connect more people to philanthropy. Its podcast of the same name debuted at #1 in the USA in the nonprofit category and is frequented by nonprofit colleagues around the world How did it all start Becky? ‘I stumbled upon this graphic design intern who was in a senior year of college, which is John, and I decided to hire him, we just kind of grew up together in nonprofits! We're both ridiculous idealist and we call ourselves marketers disguised as fundraisers. We just have this optimism for the world!” ‘We just loved working together and we ended up having this amazing experience developing and running a revolutionary employee giving campaign at our health care foundation that raised over a million and really cemented our working relationship. 10 years later it's like that million dollar campaign with 1000s of employee donors all over again, except this time it is our company.’

Kirsty Green–Mann joins Purposely Podcast to share her expertise on responsible business.  Kirsty is Head of Corporate Responsibility at Burges Salmon LLP, a Bristol based independent law firm, that thanks to Kirsty’s leadership skills in the field of CSR, has recently won awards for its innovative and impactful approach to responsible business. This is a great episode for anyone involved in strategy build, Kirsty outlines some wonderful steps to ensure success.  I first met Kirsty when we were judges on a dragon’s den style panel assessing innovative and impactful community change projects, projects created and run by disadvantaged young people in Bristol. I know from this experience that Kirsty is passionate about community empowerment, more specifically helping young people to remove barriers to get on in life and be the best versions of themselves. Kirsty has worked in the corporate sector for 20 plus years with a significant amount of that time focused on sustainability and ensuring better work practices along environmental, social and governance lines. Utilising this vast array of experience Kirsty provides some wonderful insights on how to develop and implement a successful responsible business strategy in a corporate setting. You will learn a lot from Kirsty and be impressed with her ability to engage key stakeholders to make a positive difference. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability and an associate member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. Kirsty has responsibility for framing and driving the responsible business agenda, leading on community engagement and social mobility, addressing business and human rights all in a global context applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding framework.

Award winning social entrepreneur Jessica Macpherson joins Purposely Podcast to share her founder story and how she swapped wine selling for life as a social entreprenuer. Jessica has now started a number of successful social enterprises and is best known as the founder of St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums, a much-loved organisation with thousands of volunteers supporting more than 20,000 babies and children each year across Victoria, Australia. Jessica has also inspired and personally supported many other like-minded organisations across Australia and she has received several awards for her community work, including an Order of Australia Medal in 2019. She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2017, was an award winner in the Pro Bono Australia Impact 25, and the recipient of the coveted Golden Hoodie in 2020. In April 2021 she established Blaze Your Trail she founded Blaze Your Trail was established in 2021 by Jessica Macphersons OAM, founder of St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums. Since 2014 Jessica has personally supported more than 200 skilled migrants to secure their first job in Australia. Blaze your Trail provides practical hands-on learning opportunities, mentoring and support to find pathways to employment for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, who are also often parents trying to return to work, and people looking to change their career to technology roles. Without a level of training and support these people would most likely stay in casual and poor paying positions. Their main partner is SASS company Salesforce who Jessica talks highly of and she reminds everyone that they offer their free to small charities and enterprises. 

Cheryl Spain joined Purposely Podcast to share her story and her expertise on giving and philanthropy. Cheryl is the CEO of The Gift Trust, a New  Zealand based donor advised fund focused on helping generous and wealthy donors to give effectively and ensure better outcomes. Cheryl has spent the majority of professional career in the UK and we discuss the differences between the UK and NZ charity sectors as well as touching on her passion for community action and how her work with Groundwork, a federation of charities, impacted positively on the environment as well as the local people in Hertfordshire.  "I fell in love with the UK, fell in love with my husband, which helped as well, who was a Brit, and ended up staying over there for a very long time, having a couple of kids and then came back to New Zealand." We shine a light on what constitutes 'effective philanthropy' and Cheryl provides some insights as well as examples of how a successful donor advised fund works; "We try and connect the right donors with the right charitable organizations. On the face of it giving should be an easy task but actually once people start giving at quite a high level, people find it's not as easy as they thought it would be in the first place. We exist really to help donors to  give more effectively and have a bigger impact and as easily as possible." Cheryl also talks about the rich history of The Gift Trust; The Gift Trust has been operating since 2009 and started when a generous family who had immigrated from the USA to New Zealand were looking for an independent ‘donor-advised-fund’ in NZ and found that there wasn’t a national version here. They started a conversation with some of their  early trustees and this grew into the development of The Gift Trust. Until January 2015 they operated under the name ‘Prometheus Gift Trust’. The Gift Trust was previously an independent member of the Prometheus family which included Prometheus Finance Ltd – a specialist in social finance, providing Kiwis with ethical and sustainable savings and loan choices.  In 2014, Prometheus closed its doors, but The Gift Trust continues in its own right, now completely independently.