Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Toby Porter, chief executive of Hospice UK, to discuss the charity’s function as a membership platform for a particularly financially strained section of the voluntary sector.

Toby explains how a reset in member relationships has led to hospices alerting Hospice UK to financial and staffing challenges at an earlier stage than previously, enabling his organisation to co-ordinate helpful media coverage at opportune moments.

He identifies workforce challenges as being as significant as funding challenges, and gives his verdict on the Labour government’s interactions with the voluntary sector.

Also in the episode, Lucinda and Andy hear from Richard Litchfield, chief executive of Eastside People, about new research into charities’ approach to environmental, social, governance strategy.

Richard speaks of the importance of ESG in reinforcing public trust for charities, as well as measuring social and environmental credentials for corporate partners in the face of tightening ESG regulations on businesses. 

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Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Danny Sriskandarajah, chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, to discuss his views on the need for charities to understand the economic context of the issues they work to address.

Danny explains why a failure to engage with economic issues has contributed to charities often being treated as an afterthought in government-led discussions about economic growth.

The former Oxfam chief also shares his thoughts about the role of more formalised charities in safeguarding the health of wider civil society, and articulates his distaste for the terms “third sector”, “non-profit” and “non-governmental” to describe civil society.

Also in the episode, Emily shares some of the findings of her recent feature on the use of artificial intelligence in funding applications.

Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email [email protected] for further information.

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Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Tamsyn Hanrahan, director of partnerships and philanthropy at Save the Children UK, and Beth Knight, social sustainability director at Lloyds Banking Group and chair of Save the Children UK’s corporate advisory board.

Tamsyn explains why Save the Children UK decided a corporate advisory board would be of benefit to the charity, and how it went about forming one a year ago, including a rigorous recruitment process for senior executives.

She describes the merits of the board in providing a critical but friendly voice and helping the charity sharpen its pitches to potential new partners. 

Beth talks about the board’s support to Save the Children UK’s operations, including its use of new technology, and how it has helped bridge the cultural divide between the business and charity worlds.

Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email [email protected] for further information.

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Andy Ricketts and Dami Adewale are joined by Kate Lee, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society.

Kate provides insight into the brand work recently undertaken by the charity, with a focus on raising awareness of dementia as well as the charity’s own profile.

She explains how taking a more controversial approach to public messaging, including the charity’s recent ‘Long Goodbye’ advertising campaign, has brought attention to the organisation and coincided with increased donations.

She also talks about the charity’s new strategy, its DEI work and the implications of her personal connection to dementia. 

Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email [email protected] for further information.

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Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, and Wanda Wyporska, chief executive of Safe Passage International, to discuss some of the issues facing the voluntary sector in 2025.

These include ways of engaging with local and national government, addressing the chief executive churn, and effectively balancing learned and lived experience to deliver on charitable purposes.

They share their views on the need for less division within the sector, which is accustomed to a more siloed approach, and more maturity among competing charities to working together.

They also share their reasons to be optimistic for the year ahead, including the prospect of charities using increasing levels of far-right activism as a rallying point to counter racist and prejudiced attitudes.

Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email [email protected] for further information.

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Lucinda Rouse, Andy Ricketts and Emily Harle dissect the leading stories from the voluntary sector in 2024.

Lucinda delivers a speedy round-up of the year’s charity news before the three discuss their selected top stories. 

These include the closure of the British Youth Council and the National Citizen Service, the finding that charities are subsidising government service contracts by £2.4bn a year, and the implications of a new government for the sector.

They share their nominations for the year’s strangest stories, namely the mystery online fundraiser set up for Trussell, the anonymous cash donations to Bristol-based charities, and the most theatrical of trustee disputes at the Actors’ Benevolent Fund.

They reflect on some recurring trends and learnings over the course of the year, from changing social media usage to redundancies and the need to include the right people in discussions about tackling racism.

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Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, to discuss the charity’s approach to fundraising, supporter engagement and advocacy.

Michelle provides insight into the charity’s ongoing data and digital transformation programme: a major investment that aims to personalise supporter engagement and raise the systems surrounding it to the same level as the world-leading research funded by CRUK.

She stresses the importance of promoting innovation and experimentation to deliver the impact articulated in a clear organisational strategy.

Also in the episode, Andy talks about Third Sector’s latest Charity Pay Study, which identifies and ranks the sector’s highest earners using data drawn from charities’ accounts.

Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email [email protected] for further information.

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Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Kirsty MacDonald, deputy principal for advancement at the Royal Academy of Music, to discuss the charity’s ongoing campaign to raise £100m.

Kirsty describes how the academy saw annual fundraising revenues grow from £1.5m to £18m in less than a decade, after investing in necessary systems and infrastructure including research, data and due diligence functions.

She stresses the importance of fostering long-term relationships with major donors, bringing them into the wider academy family using a variety of methods including one-to-one pairings with staff in the fundraising team and beyond.

The episode also features snippets from a recent Third Sector interview with Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK. 

Hilary talks about changing perceptions around dementia, the controversy caused by ARUK’s 2023 advertising campaign and the importance of role models for working mothers.

Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email [email protected] for further information.

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Lucinda Rouse is joined by Paul Watkins, fundraising director at Leeds Hospitals Charity, to reflect on the charity’s delivery of a £6.8m appeal for a new motor neurone disease care centre.  

Paul describes the integral role of the late England rugby league player Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with MND in 2019 and died earlier this year, in mobilising a community of some 17,000 individual supporters, who each donated an average of £35, and colleagues from the rugby world.

Paul emphasises the importance of storytelling in motivating people to donate and explains how the charity, whose largest previous appeal was just £1.2m, was able to adapt to take up an immediate and time-sensitive opportunity.

Also in the episode, Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the RSPCA, joins to talk about the latest report by the Charity Reform Group, which calls for greater representation of charity leaders in national debates.

Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email [email protected] for further information.

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Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Fozia Irfan, director of impact and influence at BBC Children in Need, to reflect on the challenges facing charities and grantmakers in the present funding climate.

Fozia describes the role of funders such as Children in Need to convene networks spread across the UK and create communities of practice to provide more holistic and structural solutions to issues such as child poverty.

She stresses her belief that funders should do more than simply issue grants by using their platform to empower and, where necessary, change public perceptions about the communities they support.

Also in the episode, Emily and Lucinda discuss the mixed reaction to the news that the National Citizen Service programme will close in March 2025.

Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email [email protected] for further information.

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