Lucinda and Emily are joined by James Dunbar, chief executive of the poverty reduction charity New Start Highland. 

James describes how the charity was able to move from being a predominantly grant-receiving organisation to generating three-quarters of its income through trading and contracts.

He explains how he identified income-generating opportunities for New Start Highland, from furniture-making to removal services, as well as some of the risks of taking a more commercially-minded approach.

He provides pointers for other charities considering taking a similar route and stresses the importance of communication with all stakeholders. 

Also in the episode, news editor Andy Ricketts joins Lucinda and Emily to consider Labour’s landslide election victory and its implications for the voluntary sector.

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 and Emily reflect on a recent visit to the RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset, where Lucinda met the charity’s outgoing chief executive, Mark Dowie.

Mark identifies the principal challenges of his five-year tenure as having been the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and small boats crossing the Channel. He explains how his corporate background helped him to implement operational efficiencies, and describes measures to increase female representation in the RNLI workforce.

Lucinda also meets Daniel Sharp, production and control manager at the All-Weather Lifeboat Centre, for a tour of the charity’s boat-building operations, and heritage archive and research manager Hayley Whiting. 

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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In a session recorded at the Third Sector Conference, Lucinda and Emily are joined by Rhodri Davies, director of Why Philanthropy Matters, to reflect on some of the themes covered in Third Sector’s recent podcast documentary, The End of Charity.

These include the rise of influencer philanthropists, such as the YouTube megastar MrBeast, and their potential role in attracting a new, younger support base for charities. 

They discuss the need for charities to sustain the momentum in tackling historical power imbalances in the voluntary sector, as articulated in an interview clip from series contributor Chilande Kuloba-Warria. They also question the very role of charity in the modern day.

Listen to The End of Charity.

Read Rhodri’s article in the Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing.

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 and Emily are joined by David Welch, chief executive of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance, to consider how charities can effectively build trust with their staff, service users and donors. 

David describes the role trust played in enabling KSS to raise almost double its £1m fundraising target during a six-week emergency campaign. He stresses the importance of open communication and transparency with all stakeholders, in good times and bad.

He also outlines the challenges of fundraising for an air ambulance service, and the need to cultivate a sense of relevance as well as raise public awareness and understanding of the vital role it performs.

Charity Changed My Life features the story of Helen, whose participation in the Bristol Rovers Community Trust’s football and mental health programme, Rebound with Rovers, has become a highlight of her week.

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 and Andy are joined by Liz Cooke, chief executive of The Hive Avon, and Kevin Barker-Lee, a people partner at Lloyds Banking Group and chair of the charity.

Liz outlines the broad range of skilled volunteer support provided to The Hive, from fundraising planning to an annual visit from a florist. She notes that the most valuable skilled support is often short term and requires careful advance planning.

Kevin recommends charities make greater use of LinkedIn to recruit volunteers and capitalise on a growing appetite among professionals to provide skills-based support on a voluntary basis.

They also discuss the pros and cons of corporate volunteering opportunities and instances when it is better to decline approaches from companies.

Also in the episode, senior news reporter Emily Harle shares extracts from a recent interview with Alison Wyman, chief executive of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund, in which she explains how the charity is moving forward from a public spat involving former trustees.

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 and Andy are joined by Denise Hayward, chief executive of Volunteer Now, which supports and promotes volunteering across Northern Ireland, and Margaret Starkie, partnership and communications manager at Volunteer Scotland.

In a conversation recorded before the general election announcement, they discuss the trajectory for volunteering in their respective nations, including the impact of short-term funding patterns on charities’ ability to support their volunteers. 

They outline the need for more government support and suggest ways of attracting cause-driven younger people into volunteering and trustee roles, including better communication about the flexibility of volunteering commitments.

Charity Changed My Life features the story of Kyle McIntosh, who received a scholarship and mentorship from the Longford Trust after being released from prison, enabling him to complete a mathematics degree and land a dream job.

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 and Andy discuss the road ahead for charities following Wednesday’s general election announcement.

Later in the episode, Lucinda and Emily are joined by the strategy specialist Sharath Jeevan and Hannah Stevens, chief executive of Elect Her. They discuss the importance of inflection moments in planning an organisation’s strategic direction.

Then Lucinda travels to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to look around three of the charity gardens sponsored by Project Giving Back. 

She speaks to Richard Angell, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust; Daniel Magson, director of engagement, marketing and income at Bowel Research UK; Debbie Hoods, head of philanthropy, partnerships & ambassador engagement at Muscular Dystrophy UK; garden designer Ula Maria; and Hattie Ghaui, chief executive of Project Giving Back.

Read and listen to Third Sector's pre-election coverage:

How can charity campaigners cut through the political noise?

How can charities connect with politicians ahead of a general election?

The challenge of campaigning to a broad public base

How did charity leaders react to Labour's civil society pitch?

The End of Charity: The political chokehold

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.

Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.

Read the transcript.

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Lucinda and Emily are joined by Paul Streets, chief executive of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, to reflect on more than a decade of working with small charities as he prepares to step down.

Paul celebrates the resilience of small charities, likening them to cockroaches for their ability to endure challenging environments, and suggests ways in which funders can step up to better support them. He calls on charities to join forces in advocating for change that transcends cause areas. 

Charity Changed My Life features the story of Haixia, who received support from the Harbour Project in Swindon while awaiting the outcome of her asylum application.

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 and Emily are joined by Fola Komolafe, chief executive of World Vision UK, to discuss the charity’s role in a wider drive to integrate African philanthropists into the established global charitable landscape.

Fola also provides her views on the merits of child sponsorship and the growing recognition of the importance of faith-based charities in delivering programmes in the UK and abroad. 

Charity Changed My Life features the story of a couple whose lives were turned around after the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance came to their rescue in a moment of critical need.

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.

Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.

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Lucinda and Emily are joined by Mary Rose Gunn, founder and chief executive of the small charity funder The Fore, to discuss the challenging funding environment facing small charities.

They start by listening to an account by Jane Evans, chief executive of West Norfolk Carers, about the growing difficulty of securing enough funding to keep the charity afloat.

Mary Rose explains why trusts and foundations have historically erred towards supporting specific projects rather than offering unrestricted funding to small charities. 

She describes how this is shifting with the emergence of a new generation of largely self-made philanthropists and provides tips for small charities seeking to strengthen their funding applications. 

Also in the episode, Debra Allcock Tyler, chief executive of the Directory of Social Change, outlines some of the common pitfalls associated with appointing corporate chairs to charity boards and provides suggestions for overcoming them.

Hear more from Jane Evans in Third Sector’s podcast documentary, The End of Charity: What is a world without charity?

Read Debra Allcock Tyler’s column: Corporate chairs – a blessing or a curse?

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.

Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.

Read the transcript.

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