Third Sector

All episodes.

333 episodes · showing the newest 200

Budget blues, the future of infrastructure and committee criticism

Nov 6, 2026 30 min

Host Emily Burt is joined by Third Sector colleagues Andy Ricketts and Emily Harle to talk about three significant sector stories from the past month. The team speculate about the future for charity infrastructure, after calls for an independent commission from Acevo, NCVO, the CFG and Navca. Emily rounds up the sector reaction to the Autumn Budget, with charities “disappointed but not surprised” after warm words fail to translate to financial injections. And Andy revisits “the most important story no-one knows about” with the latest update on the dispute between the Charity Commission and the PSO. 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. Subscribe to the Third Sector Podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Making board meetings more effective

Oct 30, 2026 23 min

Third Sector’s Andy Ricketts and Dami Adewale are joined by Jason Parker, chair of the Stroke Association. Jason talks about streamlining the work done by the board he leads and some of the practices he has implemented to keep energy high. He discusses how he prioritises what trustees focus on and how to avoid slipping into micromanagement of the executive. And Jason gives advice on how chairs can ensure they maintain healthy relationships with their chief executives. 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. Subscribe to the Third Sector Podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are charities ready for a Gen-Z workforce?

Oct 23, 2026 37 min

Third Sector editor Emily Burt and senior reporter Emily Harle are joined by Kiran Kaur, the co-founder and chief executive of the social enterprise GirlDreamer. Kiran talks about GirlDreamer’s Dream Fund as it shifts towards a primarily Gen-Z demographic and digital-first ways of demonstrating impact. They discuss the changing professional and personal priorities of Gen Z, and the charity sector’s readiness gap when it comes to valuing the unique skills they can bring both as employees and the next generation of founders and chief executives. And Kiran flags the benefits of the intergenerational workforce learning from each other when it comes to designing new ways of working. 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. Subscribe to the Third Sector Podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the latest major giving trends?

Oct 16, 2026 24 min

Emily Burt is joined by Natalie Pinon, interim chief executive of NPT UK. Natalie describes the increasing willingness among high net worth individuals to talk about charitable giving, and the growing desire to experience the positive impact their wealth can make in their lifetime, rather than as a legacy gift. Emily and Natalie discuss Charities Aid Foundation research that found the majority of wealth advisers wait for clients to raise the topic of charitable giving rather than initiating the conversation, and how to close the confidence gap. Natalie points to the broad range of structures that facilitate major giving, including the advantages of setting up a Donor Advised Fund over a new charitable trust or foundation. 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. Subscribe to the Third Sector Podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ernest Cook Trust’s journey towards place-focused funding

Oct 9, 2026 35 min

Editor Emily Burt is joined by Ed Ikin, chief executive of the Ernest Cook Trust, an educational charity and funder that cares for 9,000 hectares of land across six UK counties and delivers outdoor learning to 4,000 young people every year. They discuss how the history of the trust is shaping its approach to grantmaking, as the organisation begins the process of adopting a place-focused approach to its partnerships. Ed outlines a “proof of concept” for making the organisation’s unique mix of assets fulfil a clear role in its founding goal of providing education. And he emphasises the value of open, respectful communication with charity partners as the trust works through the exploratory stages of shifting its model. 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. Subscribe to the Third Sector Podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reach Volunteering’s reprieve, charities minister confirmed and the RNLI under fire

Oct 2, 2026 34 min

Host Emily Burt is joined by Third Sector colleagues Andy Ricketts and Emily Harle to talk about three significant sector stories from the past month. Two months after the new Prime Minister’s cabinet was announced, Andy explores the career of the newly appointed charities minister and the team discuss the possible outcomes of the finalised DCMS briefs. Emily reflects on the funding intervention that saved Reach Volunteering from closure, weeks after the charity announced it would begin winding down. And the team discuss the escalating far-right rhetoric that has seen RNLI staff and volunteers targeted by “those who would hide behind a balaclava or a keyboard”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why small charities must go beyond ‘buzzword’ funding

Sep 25, 2026 31 min

Editor Emily Burt is joined by Asma Shah, chief executive of You Make It, a charity that exists to empower and advance the professional and personal development of young Black and brown women living in East London. Asma discusses founding You Make It at a time when the importance of lived experience was not recognised by funders, and how operating in survival mode has shaped her approach to leadership. She talks about the ways that funding ‘buzzwords’ can fail to recognise the impact small organisations deliver, and why charities should not shy away from taking an entrepreneurial approach to income generation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The benefits of an annual supporter appreciation day

Sep 18, 2026 28 min

Third Sector editor Emily Burt and deputy editor Andy Ricketts hear from Adam Baker, director of communications and supporter engagement at Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance. Adam talks about the charity’s recent “thankathons”, an annual event where staff and volunteers come together to spend the day saying thank you to people who have donated to the air ambulance. He discusses the benefits of running such an event and highlights some of the lessons the charity has learned from the days so far. He also digs into some of the practicalities of the day and gives his advice for other charities considering running their own thankathon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How important is the return on investment metric in fundraising?

Sep 11, 2026 30 min

Emily Burt and Andy Ricketts hear from the fundraising specialist Caroline Richardson and Paul Courtney, director of fundraising at Children’s Hospice South West. Caroline and Paul discuss how ROI is used in fundraising, and the importance of treating the measurement as one data point in a wider context. And Caroline explains why a decrease in fundraising ROI is not necessarily a bad thing, after her research found a year-on-year decline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professionalising the fundraising sector

Sep 4, 2026 32 min

Senior reporter Emily Harle is joined by Katie Docherty, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. She talks about the significant developments in fundraising over the past five years, the evolution of CIoF’s flagship conference and the need for chief executives and sector leaders to recognise fundraising as a serious profession if they want to grow organisational income. And four years on from her pledge to make the fundraising profession a safer place, Docherty reflects on the need for charities to empower fundraisers to raise the alarm if they feel unsafe, and develop codes of conduct that hold donors accountable for their behaviour. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can Black feminist leadership teach the charity sector?

Aug 21, 2026 32 min

Third Sector editor Emily Burt and senior multimedia reporter Lucinda Rouse are joined by Jules Lynch, founder and chief executive of the Global Girl project. Jules discusses how leading with Black feminist principles empowers her charity to take a collaborative and trust-based approach to developing service offerings, sharing funding and resources. She discusses how the colonial origins of charitable models prevent those with power in the sector from working in meaningful partnership with communities, and why letting go of that power is an uncomfortable but essential step toward driving change in the sector. And Jules argues that, while conversations around decentralising power are beginning to enter the mainstream, change is rarely linear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grantmaking, working with government and encouraging volunteering

Aug 14, 2026 35 min

Matt Hyde, chief executive of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, talks to Third Sector deputy editor Andy Ricketts about volunteering, working with government and the grantmaker's new strategy. Matt discusses the foundation's ambition to ensure everyone in England and Wales is living 'in a good place' and how it hopes to increase overall giving levels to voluntary sector organisations. He talks about working with government and, as a member of the Civil Society Council, what his hopes are for the sector under Andy Burnham's new government. The co-founder of The Big Help Out also sets out what he thinks the charity sector can learn from the volunteering initiative, which this year joined forces with The Big Lunch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The side effects of the Ice Bucket Challenge on the MND Association

Aug 7, 2026 33 min

Third Sector editor Emily Burt and senior multimedia reporter Lucinda Rouse are joined by Tanya Curry, chief executive of the MND Association. Tanya recalls how the MND Association was thrust into the limelight thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge social media phenomenon in the summer of 2014. She describes the effects of the raised profile and £7m cash injection on the charity in the years that followed, and how its systems and processes needed to catch up. She stresses the need to pause and make a plan in the face of pressure to mobilise when everything is considered urgent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Commission critical, Burnham’s DCMS reshuffle and CAF Bank chaos

Jul 31, 2026 30 min

Host Emily Burt is joined by Third Sector colleagues Andy Ricketts and Emily Harle to talk about three significant sector stories from the past month. Andy recounts an “embarrassing misstep” for the Charity Commission, after the regulator was found to have committed a contempt of parliament in seeking to prevent a set of critical reports from being laid before the house. Emily Harle hears from one of the whistleblowers at the heart of the row. The team discuss Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first days in post, including the decision to move the Office for the Impact Economy from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. And Emily reports on the CAF Bank outage that has left thousands of charities unable to pay staff, suppliers and bills. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why every charity should be thinking about operational research

Jul 24, 2026 28 min

Editor Emily Burt and deputy editor Andy Ricketts are joined by Dr Colette Fletcher, executive director of the Operational Research Society, and Rebecca Goldring, performance and partnership area manager at Porchlight. Colette discusses the history of operational research and its current function as one of the world’s “best-kept secrets”: underpinning everything from traffic systems to Chris Whitty’s slide decks during the Covid-19 pandemic. And Rebecca shares how Porchlight has worked in partnership with volunteers at the ORS to transform a disorganised pot of data into a clear and confident narrative for stakeholders. Click here to learn more about the Operational Research Society, or to express your interest in a partnership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How local infrastructure drives a resilient voluntary sector

Jul 17, 2026 27 min

Editor Emily Burt and senior reporter Emily Harle are joined by Maddy Desforges, chief executive of the local infrastructure membership body Navca. They discuss the challenges around funding infrastructure organisations, working with local government and the risks that can come with a broad operational remit. Maddy also shares the opportunities for local charities and infrastructure organisations that may come as an increasing push for devolution seeks to place neighbourhoods and communities at the heart of policymaking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Black Minds Matter UK is future-proofing its work

Jul 10, 2026 35 min

Editor Emily Burt and reporter Dami Adewale are joined by Danielle Bridge, chief executive of Black Minds Matter UK. They discuss BMMUK’s ‘back-to-front’ journey, from a crowdfunded project that received £1.5m in its first six months of existence to a charity that must become sustainable in a world where supporting Black lives is no longer at the top of the political and public agenda. You can listen to the episode below, or wherever you get your podcasts: 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Civil society post-Starmer, charity retail stocktake and the City & Guilds saga

Jul 3, 2026 27 min

Lucinda Rouse is joined by Emily Burt, Dami Adewale and Andy Ricketts to talk about three significant sector stories from the past month. Emily considers the likely consequences for the Civil Society Covenant of Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as Prime Minister and Labour Party leader, and the impact of ever-shorter political cycles on the voluntary sector’s work to address long-term challenges. Andy provides an assessment of the current state of charity retail, after the British Heart Foundation became the latest major charity to announce a raft of store closures. Dami gives an update on the investigations into the sale of the training and awards arm of City & Guilds of London Institute, including the payment of £5m in unsanctioned bonuses. And Lucinda signs off after nearly four years as host of the Third Sector Podcast. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Third Sector conference snapshot

Jul 1, 2026 18 min

Lucinda Rouse hears from some of the speakers at Third Sector’s annual conference, which was held at the Royal Society of Medicine’s 1 Wimpole Street in London on 23 and 24 June. They are: Simon Blake, chief executive of Stonewall; Fadi Itani, chief executive of the Muslim Charities Forum; Kate Lee, chief executive of the NCVO; Emma Pears, chief executive of SELFA Children’s Charity; Dame Julia Unwin, chair of the Charity Commission for England and Wales; governance consultant Penny Wilson; Athar Abidi, head of social at Cancer Research UK; Taahra Ghazi, co-chief executive of ActionAid UK; and Alex Evans, founder of Barely Civil Society. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to solve friction between comms and fundraising teams

Jun 26, 2026 24 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Max Newton (he/him), director of fundraising, marketing and communications at Cerebra, and the digital communications and fundraising specialist Rebs Curtis-Moss (they/them). Rebs outlines the common causes of friction between a charity’s communications and fundraising functions, from perceptions of brand being prioritised over fundraising needs to unrealistic social media engagement goals set by fundraisers. Max stresses the importance of building relationships and developing a good understanding of each team’s respective functions, as well as an acknowledgement that terminology can hold alternative meanings on different sides of the fence. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charities and Reddit

Jun 19, 2026 41 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by the communications and community engagement specialist Jayne Cravens to discuss the opportunities for charities on the social media platform Reddit. Jayne describes the different ways charities can make use of the site, from promoting events to recruiting volunteers. She also explains how organisations can repurpose existing material published elsewhere to gain visibility and improve SEO. Read Jayne’s Nonprofit & NGO guide to using Reddit 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A perspective on being a Jewish charity leader in 2026

Jun 12, 2026 28 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Jo Grose, chief executive of the United Synagogue, to discuss how her charity’s operations have been affected by recent attacks on the UK Jewish community. Jo shares some of the operational adjustments made by the United Synagogue to protect staff, volunteers and service users, and describes the impact of a growing sense of insecurity on the charity’s long-term strategic direction. She explains why she considers the phrasing of some recent statements of solidarity by sector leaders to be problematic, and conversely why Dame Julia Unwin’s first speech as chair of the Charity Commission resonated strongly with her. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reflections on CIoF’s final Fundraising Convention

Jun 10, 2026 19 min

Lucinda Rouse is joined by Andy Ricketts and Emily Harle to discuss their highlights from the final edition of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s Fundraising Convention, which took place in London on 4 and 5 June. Emily chooses a panel discussion that focussed on the need to break down siloes between different fundraising channels. She also shares lessons about brokering successful partnerships with corporate donors. Andy talks about some of the small changes that charities can translate into easy fundraising wins, such as including a heart on fundraising materials to encourage more donations. He also discloses his most memorable convention moments from over the years. Find out more about the Third Sector Conference on 23 and 24 June. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to collect the data you need for impact reporting

Jun 5, 2026 24 min

Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Sarah Derbyshire, chief executive of the orchestral music charity Orchestras Live, to discuss the organisation’s path to data maturity. Sarah explains the importance of having data systems that are designed to show the stories behind the numbers, and how a data audit can help reduce the information collected by charities. She also provides insight into the charity’s income-generating impact measurement tool, the Social Value Engine, which helps other social impact organisations with their evaluation work. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Stonewall’s chief is navigating turbulence

Jun 3, 2026 19 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle discuss snippets from a recent interview Emily conducted with Simon Blake, chief executive of Stonewall. Simon explains how the LGBT rights charity has refined its clarity of purpose with a renewed focus on advocacy, stressing the importance of closed-door meetings over “noisy” tactics. He provides insight into how Stonewall is supporting the mental health and wellbeing of its staff following a restructure, including by taking time to celebrate the charity’s achievements. Find out more about the Third Sector Conference. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawfare, trustee whistleblowing and how Reform UK could affect the voluntary sector

May 29, 2026 27 min

Lucinda Rouse is joined by Third Sector colleagues Emily Harle, Dami Adewale and Andy Ricketts to talk about three significant sector stories from the past month. Emily describes recent cases of so-called “lawfare” affecting Scope and the 10,000 Interns Foundation, both of which have been threatened with legal action on potentially vexatious grounds. Dami provides insight into the resignation of ex-British Psychological Society trustee Nigel MacLennan from his post as chair of Playground Proms, after a tribunal rejected his claim to whistleblowing protections in a dispute with the BPS. And Andy considers why charities working under a Reform UK-led council seem so reluctant to speak about their experiences, and what any future government led by the party could mean for the sector. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What the RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s charity gardens can teach us about philanthropy

May 22, 2026 21 min

Lucinda Rouse visits the RHS Chelsea Flower Show as grantmaker Project Giving Back marks its fifth and final year of supporting “gardens for good causes” at the event. She hears from PGB chief executive Hattie Ghaui about how its approach has encouraged participating charities to experiment and take risks in their public engagement and storytelling. She visits four of the PGB-funded gardens and speaks to Matthew van Duyvenbode, co-chief executive of Trussell; Kit Stoner, chief executive of the Bat Conservation Trust; YoungMinds’ garden designer Charlie Chase and chief executive Abigail Ampofo; and Paul Jackson-Clark, director of fundraising and experience at Parkinson’s UK. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why it’s important to ‘meet people where they are’ to encourage behaviour change

May 15, 2026 35 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Andy Glyde, strategy and insight lead at Bowel Cancer UK, and Phillipa Williams, strategy director at the behaviour change and communications agency Claremont. Andy describes the development process for Bowel Cancer UK’s recent campaign to encourage more people to report symptoms of bowel cancer to their GP. He explains how the campaign sought to bridge the gap between having an awareness of the symptoms and taking action when identified. Phillipa recounts how the campaign trod the line between instilling a sense of urgency to act without causing fear and paralysis in its target audience. She shares her tips for securing board approval for a new campaign or approach. 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. Subscribe to the Third Sector Podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to undertake meaningful anti-racism work

May 8, 2026 36 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Joy Warmington, chief executive of the equality charity Brap. Joy highlights some of the limitations of standard equity, diversity and inclusion approaches and explains why adopting a flexible and responsive mindset is preferable to following an EDI toolkit. She shares her optimism that racism will be eliminated in the future and provides tips for charity leaders seeking to place their anti-racism commitments at the heart of their operations. Listen to The Quiet Revolution. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feminist leadership, conflicts of interest and a legacy boom

May 1, 2026 28 min

Host Lucinda Rouse is joined by Third Sector colleagues Emily Burt, Andy Ricketts and Emily Harle to talk about three significant sector stories from the past month. Emily Harle shares her reflections from an event run by the Women in Charity Network, including the need for female leaders to make space for their more junior counterparts. Emily Burt provides context to Third Sector’s recent findings about legacy trends across 100 major charities. She and Lucinda share clips from a video discussion with Alex McDowell, vice-chair of Remember a Charity, which is included in The Legacy Map. And Andy considers the circumstances surrounding new regulatory guidance on conflicts of interest, after the Charity Commission reported an increase in cases. Listen to When Charity Goes Wrong. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How the British Heart Foundation is tackling a disease of inequality

Apr 24, 2026 30 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation. Charmaine outlines the BHF’s new commitments on equality, diversity and inclusion and explains why they are important in furthering the charity’s mission to fight heart disease. She talks about changes to the organisation’s recruitment process to encourage more diverse applications and explains how the BHF is tackling the low level of female representation in medical and research settings focused on heart health. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Coram has absorbed four charities in a year

Apr 20, 2026 20 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle discuss snippets from a recent interview Emily conducted with Carol Homden, chief executive of the children’s charity Coram. Carol explains the rationale behind the Coram Group’s recent amalgamation with four charities while avoiding duplication and competing processes. She shares her views on the merits of chief executives holding senior board positions to gain an appreciation of governance responsibilities. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why fundraising should be everybody’s business

Apr 17, 2026 30 min

Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Rebecca Fell, chief executive of the refugee support charity the International Care Network, and the fundraising specialist Atul Kumar. Atul puts forward the case for why project managers should play a part in funding bids. He shares his tips on how to write successful proposals for trusts and foundations funding, including the importance of a strong project name. Rebecca explains how ICN approaches fundraising in the absence of any dedicated fundraising staff. She reveals the challenges of fundraising for a cause that is becoming increasingly politicised. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Partnering with peers to get through tough times

Apr 10, 2026 32 min

Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Saskia Lightburn-Ritchie, chief executive of the domestic abuse support charity MyCWA. Saskia recounts how a long-standing commitment to partnership and collaboration, which forms one of the charity’s three key missions, strengthened its ability to execute a £500,000 emergency appeal when it lost a significant council contract. She explains why it is so important to place the domestic abuse survivors the charity supports at the centre of any partnership discussions, and how MyCWA is able to withdraw from negotiations that are not in survivors’ best interests with no hard feelings. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Small charity infrastructure, donation decline and an AI fundraising experiment

Apr 2, 2026 33 min

Lucinda Rouse is joined by Third Sector colleagues Emily Burt and Emily Harle to reflect on three significant sector stories from the past month. Emily Burt shares her perspective on concerns raised by small charity representatives following the news of a restructure at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. Lucinda considers the findings of the Charities Aid Foundation’s UK Giving Report, and asks whether falling levels of individual donations point to the need for a strategic shift in fundraising. And Emily Harle provides details of an experimental AI agent that has raised £500 for a London Marathon runner. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crisis chief on becoming a landlord and why charitable status may lack appeal

Mar 30, 2026 15 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle discuss snippets from a recent interview Emily conducted with Matt Downie, chief executive of the homelessness charity Crisis. Matt provides insight into Crisis’ plan to buy a thousand homes in the next decade and become a landlord for people experiencing homelessness. He shares his view that the voluntary sector is entering a ‘third wave’, which will require businesses and wider society to play a part in solving social problems, and questions the value that charitable status offers to social purpose organisations. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to approach safeguarding concerns

Mar 27, 2026 30 min

**Content warning: This episode contains references to suicide and sexual abuse** Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by safeguarding specialist Joanna Nicolas and Sebastian Rocca, founder and chief executive of the LGBTQI refugee support organisation Micro Rainbow. Joanna identifies some of the most common safeguarding challenges facing voluntary organisations, which principally stem from the power imbalance between a charity’s trustees, staff and volunteers and its service users. Sebastian describes how Micro Rainbow is approaching safeguarding in the face of increasing hostility towards the groups it supports. He explains why he no longer perceives the identification of a safeguarding issue to be a failure on the part of the organisation. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to build new income streams and secure board buy-in for left-field ideas

Mar 20, 2026 33 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Stephen Roberts, chief executive of North Devon Hospice, to discuss the organisation’s response to some of the challenges facing the hospice sector. Stephen explains why the charity is aiming to reduce its dependence on legacies and how it encourages innovation in its fundraising work. He stresses the importance of factoring local need into ideas for new income opportunities, which has led to the opening of a lucrative dog-walking field on land belonging to the hospice. He shares his tactics for gaining trustee approval for new ideas and describes how a focus on positive psychology has improved the culture at North Devon Hospice. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to scale your impact when local authority funding shrinks

Mar 13, 2026 32 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Emma Turner, chief executive of Mind in Croydon. Emma lays bare the operational realities of meeting soaring service demand in the face of cuts to local authority and integrated care system budgets, which form the bulk of Mind in Croydon’s income. She explains how the charity has formed partnerships with other local organisations at the instigation of commissioners, enabling all parties to innovate and find new solutions to collective challenges. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Remembering an HIV charity pioneer

Mar 6, 2026 28 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Richard Angell, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, and Rupert Whitaker, psychiatrist, immunologist and co-founder of the charity. They discuss the legacy of fellow co-founder Martyn Butler, who died on 21 February, remembering the use of his home telephone number as the charity’s first support line in the early 1980s. Rupert shares his memories of Martyn as an organiser and driving force in the organisation’s early days and reflects on the ebbs and flows of their involvement with the THT over 44 years. Richard shares his perspective on the role played by both co-founders in keeping the THT at the cutting edge, rather than falling into the common trap for charity founders of idealising times past. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Schrödinger’s air ambulance, AI summaries and unions for charity workers

Feb 27, 2026 23 min

Host Lucinda Rouse is joined by Third Sector colleagues Emily Burt, Emily Harle and Andy Ricketts to reflect on three significant sector stories from the past month. Emily Burt draws attention to recent cases of charities declining to voluntarily recognise workers’ unions. She questions the likely trajectory for union action in the sector in the face of increasingly challenging working conditions. Andy outlines different ways that charities are attempting to inform AI-generated Google search summaries and explains why this is important. And Emily Harle provides context to regulatory investigations into Stoke Air Ambulance, which advertised free helicopter rides for volunteers and supporters despite having no provision for air transportation at the time. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A whistlestop AI tour for small charities

Feb 20, 2026 30 min

Andy Ricketts and Dami Adewale are joined by John Fitzgerald, digital evolution project manager at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. John describes some of the easy-to-use AI tools that can improve efficiency in working life and shares examples of charities that are already employing them effectively. He warns of data privacy issues associated with using free services and the risk of “buzzword bingo” when AI is leaned on heavily in funding applications. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to raise money through livestreaming

Feb 13, 2026 28 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Emily Cotter, marketing, PR and communications officer at Leeds Mind, and Col Grist, co-founder and creative director of the digital agency Few and Far. Emily provides insight into Leeds Mind’s experience of livestream fundraising as it prepares to host the fourth edition of its Get Together Through Gaming online event in March. Col explains why he considers the UK voluntary sector to be behind the curve in the livestream fundraising space compared with counterparts in the US. He suggests ways that charities can effectively approach and engage established streamers for fundraising purposes. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sector salaries, City & Guilds pay-outs and CIC complaints

Feb 6, 2026 22 min

Lucinda Rouse is joined by Third Sector colleagues Emily Harle, Dami Adewale and Andy Ricketts to reflect on three significant sector stories from the past month. Dami recounts the circumstances surrounding a regulatory inquiry into the sale of City and Guilds’ commercial arm to a Greek-owned certification company. Andy provides his take on the findings of Third Sector’s recent Charity Pay Study, which identifies the sector’s top earners. And Emily assesses the implications of a growing number of complaints about street fundraisers from community interest companies for the reputation of charitable fundraisers more broadly. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What charities can learn from the Salt Path exposé

Jan 30, 2026 22 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Chloe Hadjimatheou, narrative editor at the Observer, who conducted an award-winning exposé of the main characters in the bestselling memoir The Salt Path. Chloe details the steps she took to interrogate some of the assertions made in the book after receiving a tip-off, including the circumstances of an apparent terminal diagnosis. She suggests ways in which charity leaders can work to uncover the truth when claims surrounding prospective celebrity ambassadors seem out of the ordinary, but stresses the importance of approaching the people in question in the first instance. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why two chief executives can be better than one

Jan 26, 2026 18 min

Emily Harle and Emily Burt discuss snippets from a recent interview with Hannah Bond and Taahra Ghazi, the new co-chief executives of ActionAid UK. Hannah speaks of the value of a co-chief executive model in supporting feminist leadership and ensuring the best possible decisions are made for an organisation. Taahra acknowledges the loneliness encountered by many single chief executives and describes the co-chief model as a way of preventing burnout. She also talks about the charity’s anti-racism work, which has included the formation of a dedicated decolonisation unit. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Islamic Relief UK is responding to Islamophobia

Jan 23, 2026 34 min

Emily Burt and Emily Harle are joined by Zia Salik, interim director of Islamic Relief UK, to talk about the rising levels of Islamophobia and racism targeting the charity. Zia describes the measures being taken to support staff in the face of growing online and face-to-face hostility, and the need to plan for an increased risk of attacks during the month of Ramadan. He stresses the need for organisations and people in positions of power to take a public stand against racism and Islamophobia, as well as the value of solidarity and allyship from others in the sector. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Engaging civil servants and politicians to further your charitable mission

Jan 16, 2026 34 min

Emily Harle and Dami Adewale are joined by Madeleine Jennings, head of policy and communications at the Local Trust. Madeleine describes how her team has worked to translate lessons learned from the Local Trust’s ‘Big Local’ programme into actionable government policy. She stresses the importance of forming relationships with civil servants as well as big-name elected representatives, and explains why it is necessary to identify and provide information that is useful to officials. She also describes the logistical steps to securing and facilitating a project visit by a senior government representative. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does 2026 have in store for charities?

Jan 9, 2026 40 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Kate Lee, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, to discuss some of the issues facing the voluntary sector in 2026. These include ensuring financial sustainability and the role of civil society in a world of uncertainty in the face of some big existential questions. Kate also shares her reasons to be optimistic, including the next generation of sector leaders coming up and a growing trend of interrogating impact data to improve organisational efficiency. Register for the free Pounds & Purpose summit here. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How the RNIB has navigated a restructure

Dec 22, 2025 18 min

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle discuss snippets from a recent interview Emily conducted with Matt Stringer, chief executive of the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Matt provides insight into the RNIB’s transformation programme, which concluded in April, and shares his lessons learned from a significant restructure. He reflects on the differences between charity leadership and his previous work in corporate retail and gives his reasons for leaving the organisation this month. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.