Third Sector Podcast

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.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.

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.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.

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.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.

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.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.