People Inspired By Purpose - Purposely Podcast

Heidi Fisher joined Purposely Podcast to share her founder story with Make An Impact CIC Heidi is a multi-award winning specialist in social enterprise and social impact, she is also a successful podcaster. She received an MBE for Services to Innovation in Social Enterprise and Impact Measurement in the 2020 New Year Honours. Heidi has worked with over 2,100 social enterprises from start-ups to those with over £1 billion of income supporting them to become more sustainable, helping to develop their trading income and to better measure, manage and report their impact. Her vision is a world where all businesses are social enterprises that positively impact people and the planet. Heidi is passionate about leaving a positive legacy for her children and society. What would you change about sector you work in? ‘There's so much confusing language around social enterprise and impact measurement designed to make it sound complicated. However in reality it needs to be brought down to a level where we speak in plain English and we enable people to cut through the complexity and focus on doing things.’ You are highly regarded for your impact measurement work, what is your approach? ‘The common myth is that you need to capture data from everybody and everything. Instead, your data needs to be of a much higher quality and it is best to keep it really simple and focus on just measuring two things and measuring them really well.’ Is there one cause or social enterprise that you are most proud of? ‘I could share hundreds. But I really do I love working with a group of creative women entrepreneurs. I just love them because they are so creative. I know it sounds obvious but they are creating bespoke handbags and hair accessories, clothing, textiles and all these kinds of things. And, and it just boggles my mind how clever and they are in terms of the product ideas that they come up with’ ‘Another one is Social Arcs, they're a charity in London and they work with young people to start up social enterprises. The young people use their lived experience to create their social enterprise. There is also a real value put around that lived experience and they become leaders in their own community.’ Where do you see organisations going wrong on impact measurement? ‘Where I always see organizations going wrong… I use this analogy of a brick wall. If you imagine your charity or social enterprises is a brick wall i.e. business planning, your finances, your marketing, your operational activities, everything sits within that brick wall. What everyone tries to do is build another three layers on the top… that is impact measurement. They make it an additional time consuming process. Instead it needs to go into the existing bricks and be part of everything that already sits there. And if you can integrate it into what you already do, it becomes something that happens much more easily and automatically.’ You are also a successful podcaster, what motivated you to start? ‘It was very much about increasing visibility and raising the profile of Making An Impact. So having a podcast with the most amazing and incredible guests just made a lot of sense. I also like talking as you can probably tell and it just made sense. It has introduced me to so many people that perhaps I would never have had the opportunity to speak to.’ What is your vision for the future? ‘It changes every day but the vision is very much about global growth and doing a huge amount in terms of ever a global network of partners. In terms of not just spreading the social enterprise message, but actually supporting people to have the best and strongest types of social enterprises or charities that they possibly can.’

Guy Ryan, founder and CEO of New Zealand charity Inspiring Stories joined Purposely Podcast to share his founder story Guy talked about the challenges faced by the young people they set out to help: ‘We help young people who have lived with or have overcome significant adversity. They face challenges in their communities including drugs, gangs and violence, sometimes multi- generational welfare dependency. There is also the impacts of colonization and unemployment.’ We also talked about the aims of Inspiring Stories: ‘We set up inspiring stories with a big bold vision to see every young New Zealander unleash their potential to change the world.’ As a young person, I started learning about some of the big social and environmental issues in our world. I found that really confronting. The huge inequality that exists in our world, the challenges around climate change. At the same time, I could see all this incredible creativity, passion potential of young people around me, and I just thought, you know, imagine, if every young New Zealander could unleash their potential to change the world, what would it take to make that happen? ‘To be able to feel like change is possible, more than ever…and having relatable examples of role models and people who are demonstrating incredible leadership and actually driving real change in lots of different circles and then pathways to support them’ Guy Ryan grew up in Granity – a tiny town on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. After finishing High School his passion for adventure and surfing took him to Otago University, where he completed a double degree in Commerce and Design, and then a Masters in Science Communication. It was at University he discovered his passion for entrepreneurship – from trying to build tech company, to creating an adventure festival, to co-founding a film production company and winning international awards for filmmaking. In 2010 he co-directed and produced a film called Carving the Future, a 25-minute documentary about four young New Zealanders taking action on climate change and environmental issues. Building on the lessons of previous ventures and the success of the film Carving the Future, Guy founded Inspiring Stories in 2011, initially winning a ‘World of Difference’ scholarship from the Vodafone New Zealand Foundation. The next few years would become a whirlwind adventure of developing and testing programmes, partnerships, and building the organisation into the phenomenal force it is today. However it wasn’t without it’s challenges: ‘I come from a tiny little rural community, I don't come from any wealth and lacked significant credibility. As a young person with a big bold vision I was trying to knock on doors… it was honestly really challenging. People and organizations wouldn't take me seriously, they wouldn't give us the time of day… not even a chance to share what we were thinking. It took a long time to build street cred, you know, which inevitably can lead to a bit of resourcing and support to make things happen.’ What they do today: Their Festival for the Future attracts 1,200+ people annually. Their Future Leaders programme is changing lives for a diverse range of young people in New Zealand’s rural and provincial communities. Through The Impact Awards, they’ve awarded thiusands to support New Zealand’s most driven and inspiring young social entrepreneurs. https://www.inspiringstories.org.nz/

Muzafar Ali is a former refugee from Afghanistan. He is currently living in Adelaide, where he is a student at the University of South Australia. He is also Program Director at Cisarua Learning. In Afghanistan, Muzafar worked for several United Nations in organisations. His work spanned around disbandment of illegal armed groups and promoting human rights values. It was the nature of his work that took him to remote and unseen parts of Afghanistan, where he saw the authentic beauty, and met villagers where he took most of his photographs. Thus he became one of first generation of you Afghan photographers to show hidden beauty of Afghanistan. His photographs represent vibrance of Afghan people and land. His solo and collaborative photo exhibitions have been organised in Afghanistan, Australia, South Korea, United States, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Canada and Holland. As a refugee, Muzafar co-founded the first refugee-managed school (Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre) in West Java, Indonesia. Muzafar is a passionate refugee advocate. The main area of his work is around 'right and access to education' for refugees. He regularly speaks to Australian communities and institutions, and advocates about refugees and refugee rights. Jolyon has spent much of the last 15 years living and working in Washington DC, Nigeria, Indonesia and Nepal. His latest film, feature documentary 'The Staging Post', helped inspire a refugee-led education revolution in Indonesia and raised over $500,000 to support that community. It was the 13th most successful documentary in Australian cinemas over 2017 and 2018. Other work includes; music videos and a concert film for Thievery Corporation, a one hour documentary for one of the world’s biggest gaming companies, Bethesda Softworks and Aceh - Ten Years After the Tsunami, which is now on permanent display at the Aceh Tsunami Museum. In Nepal, he was on the jury and presented at the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival and Nepal International Film Festival. He is the founder of the Australian Charity, Cisarua Learning. cisarualearning.com lightsoundartfilm.com

Lea Milligan, CEO of MQ Mental Health Research, joined Purposely Podcast to share his story. Lea talks about being appointed CEO during the first COVID-19 UK lockdown, this without the opportunity to meet his Board of Trustees or his team. In fact he still hasn’t met them in person although you will hear how this has him stopped him setting a new and exciting path for the organisation including a new strategy and a new office in New York. Lea, a parent of two young children admits ‘home education looked more like home entertainment in my house during lock-down’. He also draws on the inspiration gets from the Irish and Lion’s rugby international Brian O’Driscoll citing how his hard work, dedication and committment to rugby (his craft) set him apart and made him a world leading player. Lea says ‘it’s all about making the very best of your talents’ and that is something he try’s to do himself. Lea is described as a passionate communicator and collaborator and advocates for a whole mind, body and brain approach to mental health research. His current role sounds like a great fit. He has worked in the charity sector for over 15 years, leading teams and organisations supporting people in the secure estate, community education and prior to joining MQ, served for as the CEO of Mercy Ships UK, an international NGO delivering surgery, medical capacity building and infrastructure development across West Africa. He has overseen multimillion pound fundraising and grants programmes supported by philanthropy and a range of government funding. Notable achievements include launching the Global Surgical Evaluation Centre in partnership with Harvard University, public fundraising campaigns in partnership with the Department for International Development and the publication of a British Medical Journal surgical supplement in support of the Lancet Commission’s findings on the global surgical crisis. https://www.mqmentalhealth.org/home/

Pat Duffy and Alex Wilson joined Purposely Podcast to share their founder story The Giving Block has created a turnkey solution for cryptocurrency donations used by charities around the world. ‘Involved in a nonprofit and want to understand how it could boost your income... or just want to understand cryptocurrency more, this is the perfect episode for you to ’ Mark Longbottom Co founders Pat and Alex first met at University with their friendship developing thanks to their mutual interest in cryptocurrency. Alex was an early adopter while Pat was working in a commercial role for the Lupus Foundation and saw cryptocurrency as a potential earner for his charity. Pat and Alex eventually launched The Giving Block in 2018 after seeing hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin being donated to the few nonprofits that were equipped to accept those donations. With the cryptocurrency bull market of 2017-2018, millions of people around the world made a fortune investing in and trading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether. Because the American tax authority treats cyptocurrency as property, these investors had a huge tax incentive to donate Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies directly to nonprofits. In short, if donated directly to a nonprofit, they would not be liable for capital gains tax and could write it off on their taxes (similar to a stock donation). The problem? Very few nonprofits knew how to accept cryptocurrency donations or were even thinking about this new pool of donors. So Pat and Alex set out to create the only nonprofit specific solution for accepting cryptocurrency donations, Now, donors have over 200 nonprofits to choose from and it's easier than ever to begin accepting cryptocurrency donations. Alex Wilson has a background in management consulting where he worked with Fortune 500 companies to develop strategies around emerging technologies like AI, IoT, blockchain and cryptocurrency. As he went down the cryptocurrency rabbit hole, he began investing in and advising early stage cryptocurrency startups. Pat Duffy began as a federal consultant for pharmaceutical companies, focused on collaboration with nonprofits. He then shifted to the nonprofit sector, focusing on executive leadership and fundraising. Merging his nonprofit experience and passion for Bitcoin trading. https://www.thegivingblock.com/

Jake Stika founder of Canadia nonprofit Next Gen Men joined Purposely Podcast to share his story. ‘I had a really shitty mental health experience in my early 20s and came to understand that it was a masculine script that was harming me and I have been on a unlearning and learning journey, sharing that with people.’ Jake a former athlete and self-confessed jock, struggled with his own mental health. This experience led to unsafe behaviour and a negative view of himself particularly in relation to his own masculinity. Eventually a period of self-reflection as well as therapy helped Jake to understand himself better and offered him more positive thoughts about what it means to be a man. This journey led him to a life of purpose and co founding the charity Next Gen Men focused on gender-based issues related to the social and emotional development of young men. It focuses on the health and well-being of men where boys and men ‘experience less pain and cause less harm’. ‘I've had an eclectic career. You know, I played Semi Pro basketball, until I was the ripe old age of 24. I then retired and came back to Canada and got a job in oil and gas as a business analyst, which, which was just awful. That is when I made the leap. Initially working as part of a start-up ecosystem leading business development and sales for several start-ups. That was part of the catalyst of Next Gen Men.' 'I had been fundraising for the men’s health charity Movember for five years, and they had a call for proposals out for new ideas to change the face of men's health in Canada. I fancied myself as an entrepreneur and here was an idea and a funding opportunity, so we pitched!  Together with a buddy of mine from University, who had lost his brother to suicide and who was working with at risk youth we pitched this idea and we got the funding, $150,000, to three knuckleheads who've never done anything like this before’ Their youth programs teach boys to question gender stereotypes and assumptions. Their work helps build emotional intelligence, giving youth the skills and resilience they need for healthy relationships and positive mental health. How to practice consent, how to be a good friend, how to live with confidence and empathy, their programs engage youth in the big conversations they need to have. Jake was named one of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40, as well as having earned recognition from Ashoka, the British Council, and the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion. He has spoken at the United Nations as part of the Canadian Delegation, and participated in the UN Women Safe Cities Initiative Global Forum. He is also a proud advisor to the Calgary Immigrant Women's Association, Canadian Women & Sport, as well as the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter.

Steve Wickham joined Purposely to share his founder story with the London based Giving Department. Steve shares details on his ‘carpe diem’ moment, pressing go on his dream company and job despite the uncertainty caused by a global financial crisis and challenges presented by a young family. The ‘for purpose’ agency endures to this day successfully enabling for profit companies to support nonprofit ideals. Steve and his team delight in playing a role in a better society. Prior to this he spent 10 years in the charity sector. As a successful fundraiser Steve worked for a number of charities in senior roles including The Prince’s Trust. Steve shares his passion for the trusts work and details on his funding lunches with Lord Young. Steve is also passionate about helping people to enter the ‘Third Sector’ (nonprofit). These experiences have given Steve a deep understanding of how companies and private funders can best support charities, how effective relationships can be developed, where value can be delivered and how the right support can deliver genuine and long-lasting change. More: Steve founded The Giving Department in 2010 with the clear vision of providing expert independent resource to help companies and philanthropists deliver real social impact and achieve their greatest charitable ambitions. Over the subsequent years Steve has developed the business, working with an increasingly wide portfolio of clients from FTSE100 companies to corporate foundations and private HNW philanthropists. Passionate about the sector, Steve is often called to speak on charitable issues and on occasions provides bespoke mentoring to help individuals build capability and impact.

Emma Turner joined Purposely Podcast to share her story Described by others as the doyenne of philanthropy and an expert wealth therapist Emma shares her views on wealth, philanthropy, giving as well as the wider charity sector.  Emma also talks about her incredible career from Conde Nast and Vogue to corporate giving for a respected American finance company and philanthropy services for a leading UK bank. Emma talks about her own personal battles in her late 20s ‘In my late 20’s I flew pretty close to the sun and I got a little torched’ and how this led her to turning her life around and working for a charity helping people going through the same thing. Director of Philanthropy at Barclays Bank with 30 years experience in the field of Philanthropy, she has learnt a lot about giving from all sides of the room. She understands motivation; aspiration; inspiration and frustration in equal measure “every client teaches me something new, so every day is different. You will hear that she is most passionate about 'Smart Giving', mainly because she doesn’t see enough examples of it herself. Her Smart Giving recipe is something she try’s to pass on to clients to ensure they know what to look for when giving and that they ask the right questions in order to get the answers before they give. Emma also talks about her own very personal experience and approach to philanthropy and she is President of her own private family foundation in the USA.

Nina Rauch is founder of the Pink Week campaign and social impact coordinator for Lemonade https://www.lemonade.com/, an insuretech company When Nina Rauch was 16 she founded her own charity, Pink Week, to raise awareness of breast cancer among young people. It is a cause close to her heart. Her mother, Dina Rabinovitch, the former Guardian columnist, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 10. As she got older she realised that young women were not being targeted by breast cancer charities, despite it being the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.  “There was silence on the topic at my all-girls’ school and at my university.” In the four years since its launch, the Pink Week campaign has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds  microdonations (some as small as £3). Nina’s belief that charities’ focus on older donors with greater financial resources has led to a growing generation gap in giving. Thirty years ago, people over 60 gave about a third of UK charity donations. But now more than half of all UK donations are from people over 60. “This gap shouldn’t exist. My generation – Gen Z – is on track to become the largest generation of consumers by 2020, with up to $4bn in spending power in the US alone. There needs to be a radical shift in what non-profit organisations see as their target audience. In 2017, Nina founded her second social enterprise, a refugee organization, and moved to Tel Aviv in July, where she runs Social Impact for Lemonade, an insuretech company.

Bryan de Lottinville, Executive Chairperson at Benevity, joined Purposely Podcast to share his founder story Benevity’s corporate purpose platform connects over 650 companies to 2 million causes in 208 countries and nations. Using 20 languages and 13 currencies they are making doing good around the globe fast, easy and cost-effective. Users of the platform can give to the causes that matter to them and then companies can add matching donations and other types of rewards. The software also facilitates grantmaking, volunteering and positive actions, and embeds social action into customer experiences. Bryan is a 'reformed lawyer' who re-evaluated his career when his daughter asked him what he did for a living. He wanted to make the world a better place and make his daughter proud. He was a self-confessed data geek who saw the need for technology to help global enterprises provide better social and business returns. He tells us how the initial iteration of the software was not quite right, and a drastic rethink was required. In fact those early lessons learnt from the start-up phase enabled Benevity to become a world leader in cloud-based software powering purpose-driven business. Impressively, they are doing this for hundreds of leading global brands including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Nike, SAP while facilitating more than $2 billion annually to good causes. Benevity recently reached unicorn status with a valuation of $1.1 billion, welcoming significant new investment from London-based venture capital firm Hg Capital who recently brought in world-leading impact and sustainability funds, The Rise Foundation and Generation Investment Management. Bryan took this opportunity to stand down as CEO and hand the day to day running of the organisation to Kelly Schmitt who was Benevity’s President and CFO.