Purposely Podcast: Recent Episodes
Mark Longbottom
Speaking with people who are making the world a better place
At Purposely Podcast we amplify the stories of inspirational people from across the Globe, founders and leader of nonprofits, charities, for purpose businesses as well social entrepreneurs. They are often inspired by their own experiences.
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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features Wayne Howett CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities sharing how he approaches his organisations mission and how he draws on his own lived experience.
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Welcoming Fiona Luth to Purposely, where she shares her founder story and charitable mission to transform literacy in Fiji. We discuss her motivations for starting and scaling the charity as well as plans for the future.
Fiona Luth founded Fiji Book Drive in 2012, following the loss of her second parent. While in Kadavu, Fiji, she experienced a moment of clarity, realising her desire to create as much positivity in the world as possible. Inspired by Peter and Margaret Long, who run the charity 'Children of Fiji', and conversations with her friend Lavenia Tamani about the lack of books in schools, Fiona became acutely aware of the challenges faced by Fijian students. With English being the compulsory language of instruction in Fiji, Fiona saw an opportunity to make a significant impact.
Upon returning to Australia, Fiona shared her vision of a book drive with her friend Laura Hahn. Laura embraced the idea, offering crucial support through her family's freight forwarding business for the first five years of the initiative.
Since its inception in 2012, Fiji Book Drive has made a remarkable impact, donating over 300,000 books to 194 schools and kindergartens across Fiji. The charity's mission is rooted in the belief that education empowers students and communities, with access to proper resources being key to a quality education. Recognising the abundance of educational materials in Australia, Fiji Book Drive aims to redirect these resources to under-resourced schools in Fiji.
The organisation's primary goal is to improve educational outcomes and life opportunities for Fijian students by increasing access to educational resources, with a focus on literacy. They strive to repurpose books, computers, and other educational materials, transferring them from those who no longer need them to those who do. Additionally, Fiji Book Drive is committed to operating sustainably, keeping resources out of landfills and prioritizing the distribution of durable goods.
Fiji Book Drive is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features Emma Brown CEO of Duke of Edinburgh's International Award New Zealand.
Emma talks about her leadership journey and how she values resilience over everything else when it comes to thriving as a CEO. Emma was diagnosed with breast cancer and decided to keep on working through treatment.
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Welcoming Thomas Smith, CEO of the Halberg Foundation, to Purposely, where he shares his organisation's mission to empower young people with disabilities through sport. The foundation also hosts an annual awards ceremony, a premier event in New Zealand, recognizing and honouring outstanding achievements in sports.
Thomas, or Tom as he is known, offers insights into his life and career journey, which includes his upbringing in the UK and his relocation to New Zealand with his Kiwi wife.
The Halberg Foundation, founded by middle-distance runner and Olympian Sir Murray Halberg ONZ, MBE, has its roots in a transformative moment. Murray's attendance at a sports reporters' function in Canada in 1962 inspired him deeply. As a guest speaker, the Olympic champion runner was moved by the event's true purpose: to help disabled children realise their sporting potential.
Murray Halberg's own athletic achievements, despite facing personal challenges, are remarkable. From winning the gold medal for New Zealand in the 5000 meters at the 1960 Olympics to clinching gold medals in the 3 miles events at the 1958 and 1962 Commonwealth Games, his journey embodies resilience and determination. Despite a severe injury during his youth rugby days that left his left arm withered, Murray's transition to running only seemed to fuel his motivation. Under the guidance of coach Arthur Lydiard, he broke through, winning his first national title on the senior level in 1954.
Tom's upbringing in Cirencester in the Cotswolds and his education in sports management at Hallam University in Sheffield, England, laid the foundation for his career in sports. Reflecting on his early experiences as a personal trainer, Tom underscores how they shaped his approach to disability sports and the limitless possibilities for individuals in this realm.
Prior to his move to New Zealand with his wife and young family, Tom held notable positions in the UK, including involvement in the 2012 Paralympics and roles such as National Partnership Manager for Special Olympics Great Britain, Senior Manager Disability at Sport England, and National Growth Manager Disability at the England & Wales Cricket Board.
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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features Ian Bird CEO of & Community Foundations of Australia (current) & Canada (formerly).
Ian dives into secrets of successful Network Leadership.
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Welcoming Ezekiel Raui, the new Head of the One New Zealand Foundation, to the Purposely Podcast.
Ezekiel shares his organisation's mission as well as his remarkable journey from Head Boy to social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader.Even before his university days, Ezekiel Raui had already stacked up a lifetime's worth of achievements.
As head boy at Taipa College in the Far North of New Zealand, he pioneered a leadership academy and a peer support program, showcasing his early passion for innovation, purpose, and community impact. His initiatives even caught the attention of policymakers, leading him to share his ideas at the Beehive. Not stopping there, Ezekiel was part of a youth delegation to Washington DC, where he attended the historic Tribal Youth Gathering at the White House and had the honor of meeting President Obama.
These early accomplishments set the stage for a series of accolades, including the prestigious Young Achiever of the Year at the 2016 Matariki Awards and the Ngārimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Memorial Scholarship. Ezekiel has also been voted into the Forbes 30 under 30.At the tender age of 26, Ezekiel's dedication to purpose and helping others is palpable. His inspiration stemmed from a profound experience where he discovered that two of his friends were involved in drug activities during school hours because that is what they thought they were destined to do and had no other options in life. This revelation fuelled Ezekiel's determination to make a difference.
Driven by this conviction, he co-founded Tūkotahi, a social enterprise dedicated to providing comprehensive peer support for young individuals navigating mental health challenges. His commitment to social good was further underscored by his selection as one of four New Zealand Māori ambassadors to attend the 2015 Inaugural White House Tribal Leaders Conference, hosted by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.Now at the helm of Te Rourou - One New Zealand Foundation, Ezekiel's vision is clear: to continue the foundation's vital work in supporting marginalized and disadvantaged young people across New Zealand. Established in Aotearoa in 2002, the foundation, the corporate arm of One NZ (formerly Vodafone), operates as a grant-making charity, guided by its own Board of Directors. Over the years, One NZ has invested more than $48 million to support the foundation's initiatives, funding over 1,000 community organisations. Proudly one of the largest corporate philanthropic funders in Aotearoa, the foundation leverages the resources and skills of the One New Zealand team to drive sustainable and measurable change through digital investment, corporate partnerships, operational and communications support, advocacy, and mentoring.Their primary focus thus far has been on empowering young people in Southland, situated at the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island. This strategic approach to philanthropy, initiated before Ezekiel's tenure, reflects the foundation's commitment to making a tangible difference in communities where it matters most and where funding partners were harder to find.Looking ahead, Ezekiel's overarching aspiration for the foundation is ambitious yet grounded in pragmatism. He envisions a future where the foundation serves as a catalyst for lasting change, empowering charities and social impact partners to be effective and sustainable. Regardless of shifts in business dynamics or funding sources, Ezekiel remains steadfast in his belief in the symbiotic relationship between business and philanthropy. By equipping communities with the necessary skills and resources to thrive independently, the foundation ensures that its impact endures long after its direct involvement ceases.
In our conversation with Ezekiel Raui, we glimpse not only the remarkable achievements of a young leader but also the profound impact of purpose-driven initiatives in transforming lives and communities.
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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features Sarah Dann-Hoare CEO of Project Employ.
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Welcoming Kylie Wallace, co founder and CEO of Seedling Giving to Purposely Podcast where she shares their founder journey and her personal career highlights. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mark-longbottom2/message
Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features Sarah Manley CEO of the Sir John Kirwan Foundation.
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Welcome Robyn Scott to Purposely, where she shares her organization's mission and her career and life journey focused on purpose.
Robyn serves as the Executive Director of J R McKenzie Trust, a grant-making foundation established by retailer John McKenzie. John, hailing from Australia, first visited New Zealand in 1909 during a motorcycling holiday. Enchanted by the country's charm and its promise of opportunity, he made the bold decision to relocate his business. His inaugural store in Dunedin marked the genesis of his vision. Driven by the belief that a business should reciprocate its success with those integral to its prosperity, John swiftly founded the J R McKenzie Trust in 1940. Initially, the Trust extended its support to disabled servicemen, the Plunket Society, and children in need.
Fast forward to the present day, the Trust, functioning as a private family foundation with an annual donation of approximately $4 million, remains steadfastly dedicated to social justice. It endeavors to foster a fair and inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand while bolstering charities, 'for purpose' entities, and community-based organizations in effecting positive change. The sustenance of the trust's funding stems from yearly dividends received from Rangatira Investments, a venture established by John McKenzie, renowned for its pioneering contributions to private investment in New Zealand.
Robyn's illustrious career spans over two decades across various sectors, including government, charity, and philanthropy. Her inaugural foray into leadership manifested as the CEO of Fertility New Zealand, a six-year tenure motivated by her personal struggles with infertility. Throughout her stewardship, Robyn spearheaded campaigns advocating for enhanced public funding for fertility treatment and broader access to support services.
Subsequently, Robyn assumed the helm of New Zealand's premier philanthropic institution for nearly a decade, playing an instrumental role in consolidating philanthropy as a formidable and impactful movement in Aotearoa. Philanthropy New Zealand, established in 1990 by the late Sir Roy McKenzie to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the J R McKenzie Trust, serves as a testament to the enduring legacy now overseen by Robyn.
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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features Ah-Leen Rayner CEO of Breast Cancer Foundation NZ. .
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Welcome Wayne Howett to Purposely, where he shares his organisation's mission and his career and life journey. Wayne is the CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities® New Zealand (RMHC NZ), an organisation dedicated to providing practical help and compassionate care to families of hospitalised children.
Wayne has experience of having a sick child and this lived experience led him to the work he does today. His daughter, Claudia, was just eight weeks old when he noticed something amiss while playfully lifting her in the air. Prompted by a concerning observation in her eyes, Wayne's wife took her to the doctor, leading to a swift referral to a specialist. Within a day, they were in consultation with medical experts, indicating the severity of the situation. Two days later, Claudia underwent surgery to remove her right and to treat cancerous tumours in her left eye, diagnosed with bilateral Retinoblastoma.
This marked the beginning of Wayne and his family's challenging medical journey. In their thirties, Wayne and his wife found themselves travelling overseas in pursuit of the best treatment for Claudia. Their journey took them to Miami in the United States, where Wayne, facing the challenge of lacking insurance, ingeniously found ways to cover the mounting medical expenses. This included securing local employment and juggling work responsibilities with caring for their daughter. Despite the immense challenges, the treatment proved successful, and Claudia, now 23, leads a vibrant life. Though she lost her sight due to the treatment, Claudia remains active and joyful, particularly enjoying horse riding, often accompanied by her father, who acts as her guide on the trails.
When presented with the opportunity to lead the Auckland branch and then the combined RMHC nationwide, Wayne recognised himself as an ideal candidate. His firsthand experience of caring for his daughter, combined with his professional expertise honed during his tenure as an audit professional, uniquely positioned him for the role.
The charity Wayne leads supports parents and families navigating the challenges of medical treatment for their children. Wayne has drawn from his own experiences of both domestic and international medical journeys to lead the mission locally in Aotearoa NZ and his lived experience really helps him to empathise with the parents going through their own journeys.
"I've been in that situation personally. And so I know that the day-to-day challenges suddenly become monumental. They're not trivial matters that you can easily brush aside; they become significant hurdles in your mind because you're dealing with this trauma."
Ronald McDonald House Charities worldwide are dedicated to providing practical help and compassionate care to families of sick children. The RMHC team know the importance of empathy, support, and involving families in paediatric healthcare, and this was particularly relevant amidst the challenges posed by the pandemic.
RMHC New Zealand operate on a $12 million annual budget, employs over 130 staff and relies on the dedication of around 400 volunteers. Its facilities, spanning across the country, include Houses in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, alongside Family Rooms in Auckland, Invercargill and Christchurch, and a Family Retreat in Rotorua. This retreat, situated on the shores of Lake Rotorua, serves families whose journeys have been particularly challenging.
Wayne's journey with RMHC began in June 2010 when he was appointed CEO of RMH Auckland Trust. He assumed the role of CEO of RMHC NZ in early 2015, overseeing the amalgamated trusts of RMH Auckland and RMH Wellington, and later the amalgamation of the South Island trust (RMHSI). His tenure includes four years as the first New Zealand representative advising RMHC Global on expansion and network strengthening and latterly on Global Impact Strategy.
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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features philanthropy expert and author Peter Winneke.
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Welcoming Emma Brown, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award, to Purposely, where she shares her organisation's mission and her career journey, from public relations executive to non-profit leader.Emma shares details of her recent cancer diagnosis, how she coped with the news, and how she has navigated work while leading an organisation and receiving treatment.
Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Emma moved to the UK in 2007. Marrying a Brit, they had three boys and settled into London life. In the first decade in London, Emma put her PR skills to work for several top brands, including Debenhams, Weight Watchers, Heineken, and others. In 2017, Emma swapped the corporate world for a role focused on purpose. Partly inspired by her children, she joined The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation as their Head of Communications, later being promoted to Director of Brand and Communication. The Foundation is an international charity supporting young people to find their purpose, place, and passion in the world. The accredited program is active in more than 120 countries, available to all 14 to 24-year-olds with the aim of being inclusive of all backgrounds, locations, cultures, and abilities. The aim is that each young person becomes part of something special while developing their individual interests, skills, and helping them to reach their potential and realize their dreams.
Founded in 1956, the Award highlights the value of Non-Formal Education and Learning. Today, there are consistently over a million young people taking on the Award’s challenge to believe in the power of their potential, make a difference in their community, and take control of their future.
In New Zealand, the International Award was launched in 1963, later rebranded as The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award, reflecting the impact Sir Edmund Hillary had on the Award in New Zealand. Locally, as it is globally, the focus is on helping young people to develop a skill, get physically active, give back to their communities, and take part in an adventure. The Award challenges young people to leave their comfort zones.
Emma has the unique position of having been involved in the Award in both the UK and New Zealand, although she quietly confesses to having started the Award herself as a young person but not completing it. She is passionate about the work they do and the difference they try to make in young lives. Emma points out that they are essentially an education framework that relies on their partner organisations to provide the Award's participants with a quality experience, one that is going to help add value and, in some cases, transform lives. Emma also talks about the uniqueness of the New Zealand Award, particularly in their commitment to biculturalism and upholding the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Leading the Award in her country is a huge privilege for Emma, and her passion for the organisation she leads and her team is palpable. Despite all she has been through since taking on her first CEO role — moving countries, starting afresh in a new city, settling children in schools and buying a house, organising a Royal visit, dealing with breast cancer treatment — Emma is resilient and full of energy, and excited about the future of her organisation and the work they do to help young people reach their full potential and realise their dreams.
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Welcome to Purposely Short, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Kate Brown CEO of Westminster Foundation
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Welcoming Nicola Nation, CEO of The Ākina Foundation, to Purposely, where she shares her personal and career journey as a consultant specialising in procurement across corporate and public sectors and more recently non-profit leadership.
The word Ākina means to encourage or urge onwards in the Māori language, and the foundation is a ‘for purpose’ consultancy that works with social enterprises, businesses, philanthropic organisations, as well as with the Government. Their mission is to enable positive social and environmental outcomes through bespoke services, including strategy development and implementation, as well as finding ways to help organisations build capability around purpose and engage stakeholders in purpose.
Nicola joined the foundation in 2018, initially in a general management role before stepping up to the CEO position three years later.
Born in New Zealand’s capital city Wellington, Nicola describes being a ‘sickly child’ as the result of a blood condition that she would eventually resolve through a successful operation. She took her time to find her voice and strength, but when she did, she found she had a powerful voice and the confidence to question adults and traditional ways of doing things. Nicola recounts a time when she wrote to her priest, advocating that girls should be allowed to be Altar Girls rather than being restricted to less ‘glamorous roles. Despite being unsuccessful with her plea, Nicola remained undeterred and has maintained her approach to question and campaign for positive change.
Growing up in a happy household, Nicola describes her parents as ‘blue-collar workers’ who valued hard work and instilled those values in her from a young age. Nicola loved school and learning, embracing everything school had to offer, from special activities to leadership roles as a student representative. Continuing to university, she studied commerce at Victoria University and secured a graduate role at Deloitte. She made the bold decision to negotiate a delayed start and spent a year exploring Western Europe in London before returning.
Nicola spent three formative years at Deloitte before returning to London in a new role with Westpac, inspired by the 9/11 terrorist tragedy in New York. The role centered on building the UK’s capability to deal with a similar tragedy, a ‘large project with a massive or even unlimited budget’.
Living in London, Nicola, now married, had to be convinced by her Kiwi husband to return to New Zealand. Her first role back home she describes as ‘an epic failure’, an operations role for a start-up lacking cash and miles away from her consultant roles for large multinational corporations and unlimited budgets. It was a harsh experience for Nicola, prompting her to return to her procurement-focused role for a large company. Reflecting on her career, she was keen to explore roles with a clearer focus on purpose and making a positive difference to people and the planet. That’s when the role at The Ākina Foundation came up, and her consulting skills made her the ideal person to help deliver their work, eventually succeeding outgoing CEO Louise Aitken. In her first role as CEO, Nicola received some good advice from the charity's trustees, urging her to make the job her own. Nicola has proven to be a real asset to the foundation and the organisations they serve, particularly around ‘procurement practices to do good and its role in helping to bring about meaningful change. As more and more organisations focus on delivering purpose, organisations like Ākina Foundation and purpose-focused leaders like Nicola become more and more sought after and valued.
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We are delighted to welcome Ian Bird, the new CEO of Community Foundations Australia (CFA), to the Purposely Podcast.
In this episode, Ian shares his vision for the future of Australian community foundations, drawing from his extensive experience as the former CEO of Community Foundations of Canada and his remarkable career as an Olympic hockey player. Interestingly, Ian represented Canada in field hockey at the Australian-hosted Olympics in 2000 in Sydney, as well as in South Korea. Having played hockey from a young age, Ian speaks passionately about his love for the sport and the camaraderie it fosters.
A natural leader, Ian began his career in Vancouver and later founded the first youth Field Hockey club in Quebec, called Chelsea Phoenix Field Hockey, where he also served as the head coach. Under his guidance, the Quebec team achieved multiple national championships.
During his tenure as the CEO of Community Foundations of Canada from 2011 to 2020, Ian Bird proved to be a transformational leader. He oversaw the organization's evolution into a "network of purpose" by fostering collaboration with various sectors and addressing diverse priorities, including reconciliation with Indigenous communities, gender equity, social finance, and evolving patterns in giving.
Ian's primary goal as the CEO of CFA is to expand the reach of community foundations across Australia. Currently, only slightly over half of the Australian population has access to a local community foundation. With more than 40 community foundations already established, Ian aims to build upon the existing strength and vision within the network. He firmly believes that Australian community foundations have the potential to leapfrog ahead in development by incorporating Indigenous peoples' experiences from the start and drawing on the Australian ethos of directness and openness.
Ian Bird is a champion for inclusivity in Australian community foundations. His vision revolves around creating opportunities for those who may not typically participate. He aims to develop a network that ensures all Australians have access to a community foundation, fostering self-determination and empowering communities to generate funding and solutions on the ground. By building a strong network of purpose, community foundations can address local issues and collaborate on challenges that transcend any one community, such as climate change and housing challenges.
Ian draws inspiration from the success of the community foundation movement in Canada, which has a rich history spanning 100 years. He highlights the importance of highly trusted local institutions that allow neighbors to witness and participate in giving. The Canadian experience has shown that having a tangible place to make a gift accelerates the pace of giving and creates a social messaging that encourages more philanthropy. Ian aims to replicate this success in Australia by leveraging existing infrastructure and fostering partnerships with private funders, universities, health authorities, and other civil organizations.
Ian believes that the current moment presents an opportunity for Australians to create a different future by sharing resources and building a true community support infrastructure. By fostering grassroots-driven change and community-based self-determination, Australia can become more resilient and effectively address pressing issues with a fresh perspective. Ian's vision aligns with the shared agenda of political leaders across parliamentary parties, emphasizing the power of collaboration and collective action.
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Welcome to Purposely Short, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Eric Ressler founder of Cosmic a creative agency for social impact organisations and brands.
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Welcome to Purposely Short, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Tracy Clark CEO of Young Gloucestershire
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Welcoming Jon Tanner, a former international hockey player and the co-founder of Coach For Life Foundation to Purposely where he shares his organisation's mission to inspire and educate the next generation of sports coaches.Founded in January 2021, the Coach For Life Foundation aims to elevate the quality of youth sport coaches in New Zealand. Their mission is clear: to inspire and empower coaches to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young athletes. Through fostering a connected and engaged community, they're building a platform for motivated coaches to thrive and excel.
Jon's roots in Hamilton, where he attended St Paul’s Collegiate, laid the foundation for his remarkable trajectory. Armed with a BCom from Otago University, Jon made his mark on the hockey field, representing the Black Sticks Men’s Hockey team in 1982. But his contributions extend far beyond the sports arena.
In the world of finance and community engagement, Jon is a force to be reckoned with. His involvement in various boards and trustee roles, including Momentum Waikato, Cure Parkinson’s NZ, and Hamilton Gardens Development Trust, underscores his commitment to making a difference. Not to mention his instrumental role in fundraising for organizations like the Neuro Research Charitable Trust and the Halberg Trust.
Despite his many achievements in business and philanthropy, Jon's heart remains intertwined with the world of sports, especially hockey. From his successful coaching career to his pivotal role in establishing Midlands Hockey in 1998, Jon's dedication to the sport is unwavering. As a former Hockey New Zealand board member and Founding Chair for the Hockey Foundation, he continues to shape the landscape of New Zealand's sporting community.
For Jon, youth sport coaching holds a special place in his heart. His own enriching experiences as a young athlete, coupled with his belief in the importance of nurturing coaches, drive his passion for this cause. It's a passion that has earned him recognition, including being awarded a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order for his services to hockey.
As Jon Tanner embarks on this new chapter with the Coach For Life Foundation, his journey serves as a beacon of inspiration for us all. Through purpose-driven initiatives and unwavering commitment, Jon is not just shaping the future of sports coaching; he's leaving a lasting legacy of empowerment and transformation.
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Welcome to Purposely Short, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Vicki Cardwell
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Helen Robinson, the Auckland City Missioner, recently shared insights into her career and the Mission's unwavering commitment to helping those in need with Purposely. Rising from the ranks, Helen was promoted to the role of CEO in April 2021, succeeding Chris Farrelly as the Missioner.
Growing up in Johnsonville, Wellington, amongst a family of five, Helen describes her upbringing as one filled with love and warmth. Inspired by her parents' leadership within their community, she embarked on a path dedicated to serving others. With a background in youth development and a law degree under her belt, Helen's journey led her to work internationally in Ethiopia and to obtain a master's degree in social and community leadership, focusing on researching food insecurity.
Currently overseeing 240 staff members across various services including housing, food, health, and social services, Helen acknowledges the immense responsibility she holds. She emphasises the importance of meditation in managing the demands of her role, finding solace in the serene surroundings of her New Lynn home.
Helen's professional journey has been marked by her dedication to addressing social issues in New Zealand. With significant experience in community development, she has worked with marginalised populations and led initiatives to combat homelessness and food insecurity. Her tenure as the General Manager of Social Services at Auckland City Mission saw notable improvements in service delivery, aimed at providing dignified support to those in need.
In addition to her practical work, Helen has contributed to research on food insecurity in New Zealand and played a pivotal role in initiatives like Kore Hiakai, striving towards a food-secure Aotearoa. Her academic background in law and social policy, coupled with her deep understanding of social issues, underscores her commitment to justice and equity.
Founded in response to the aftermath of World War I and the Spanish flu epidemic, Auckland City Mission has a long-standing history of community service devoid of prejudice. From helping individuals battling addiction to offering assistance during the AIDS crisis, the Mission remains steadfast in its ethos of inclusivity.
The recent completion of HomeGround—a $100 million facility—marks a significant milestone in the Mission's journey. Serving as a central community hub, HomeGround provides permanent housing, healthcare services, addiction support, and a welcoming environment for all individuals and families in need.
The profound impact of the Mission's work is evident in the countless individuals and families it assists annually, offering vital services ranging from food assistance to residential care. Guided by Helen's leadership, the Mission remains dedicated to its pursuit of justice and hope amidst the challenges posed by poverty.
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Welcome to Purposely Short, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Derek Bardowell, Author and CEO of philanthropy advice and education company Ten Years’ Time. Derek lays down a challenge to the philanthropy world to embrace meaningful change and redress power imbalances and live up to its meaning - Phil meaning ‘live’ and anthropy meaning ‘humanity’. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mark-longbottom2/message
In a recent episode of the Purposely Podcast, we had the pleasure of hosting Jilly Tyler, CEO of Talking Matters New Zealand, where we posed the fundamental question: "Why does talking matter?"Jilly underscored the critical role of early childhood, especially within the first 1,000 days, in shaping a child's development. Drawing upon international research, she highlighted a striking reality: by the age of four, children encounter significant discrepancies in the number of words they hear, with some exposed to thirty million more words than their peers. This trend is mirrored in New Zealand, where studies reveal a comparable gap, with some children starting school equipped with vocabularies of 6,000 words, while others possess only 3,000.
Driven by these insights, Jilly and her dedicated teams at Talking Matters are committed to developing and implementing initiatives that cultivate linguistically rich environments for infants and toddlers across communities. Their efforts extend to engaging families and community groups, aiming to underscore the pivotal role of communication in child rearing.
Emphasising the remarkable pace of a baby's brain development — forging 700 new connections per second — Jilly highlights the critical window of the first three years, during which eighty percent of the brain's development occurs. She stresses that the quality and quantity of interaction and dialogue during this period profoundly influence a child's path toward educational success and broader life opportunities.
At Talking Matters, an innovative approach integrates education, health, and community organisations, all aligned in communicating the same fundamental message.
"Words are the nourishment for a child's brain, and one of the simplest yet most impactful actions parents can take is engaging in conversations with them," points out Tyler. "The more words a child is exposed to and engages with, the deeper their comprehension of concepts and language structure, thereby enhancing their capacity to learn."
Assuming the role of CEO amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, Jilly Tyler succeeded the organisation's founder, Alison Sutton. Despite their retirement, both Jilly and Alison remain steadfast in their commitment to reshaping systems to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities. Anchored in evidence-based methodologies, their shared mission revolves around effecting positive change in the lives of young individuals.
Jilly's leadership is underpinned by a wealth of experience in early childhood development and education, encompassing teaching, professional development, and educational management. Her tenure in senior positions within central government, overseeing the implementation of early childhood policies in education and health, further enriches her expertise.
Having spearheaded data-driven social innovation projects in collaboration with entities like Ko Awatea, Two Tales, and Toha, Jilly embodies a visionary approach to effecting transformative change in the realm of child development and community welfare.
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Welcome to Purposely Short, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features the key elements of contemporary and successful philanthropy. Guest Stacey Thomas stresses the importance of; - Not doing harm - Putting the people you are wanting to serve at the heart of your decision making, intervention planning and service design’ - To the importance of lived experience or lived expertise, how having people with these is crucial for any charity. Stacey Thomas, a highly regarded philanthropy leader who is making a significant impact in the field of philanthropy. Stacey is the CEO of one of Australia’s oldest private foundations which is embracing its past and its history at the same time ensuring it puts it resources to work for a more equitable future for the people it helps. Stacey serves as a trustee for two philanthropy peak bodies who have recently pledge their commitment to the Voice, a campaign to change the constitution of Australia to ensure a better future for First Nation people. She is also part-time CEO of a start-up community foundation that she is growing and scaling in addition to her other responsibilities.Stacey's primary role is as CEO of The Wyatt Trust, a private charitable foundation established in1886 by Dr. William Wyatt. The Trust has a $100 million endowment and donates approximately $4 million each year to good causes across South Australia, with a focus on supporting South Australians in need in areas such as employment, education, housing, and financial literacy.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mark-longbottom2/message
Liz Greive is the visionary behind Share My Super, a charitable organisation that facilitates donations to support marginalised young people and their families throughout New Zealand. Originally from the Lake District in the United Kingdom, Liz began her career as a social worker, developing a strong sense of justice and a deep passion for helping young people and their families.
Life took Liz on a journey, as she fell in love with her Kiwi husband and moved back and forth between the UK and New Zealand, eventually starting a family and facing the challenges of living off a single income. However, Liz always recognised that the people she helped as a social worker faced even greater hardships.
But Liz's life didn't stand still. Together with her husband, they transformed her family's fortunes and she transitioned from a social worker to a philanthropist, following success in the travel and clothing industries.
As Liz reached retirement age, she received her superannuation (pension money) from the New Zealand government. While this payment is given to almost all New Zealanders, regardless of their means, Liz realized that she didn't need the money. It was at this moment that she had the brilliant idea to start a charity that would enable others in her situation to donate their surplus superannuation payments. This concept would not only benefit the next generation but also supercharge the much-discussed transfer of wealth from the baby boomer generation.
In 2019, Share My Super was officially launched, redirecting surplus superannuation payments from older New Zealanders to charities dedicated to supporting children in need. The charity carefully curates a selection of eleven organizations, allowing donors to choose which charity they want to support. This donor-advised fund ensures that every dollar donated makes a tangible difference in the lives of vulnerable youth.
Liz's commitment to the cause is unwavering. She recently pledged $10 million of her own money to cover all administrative costs, guaranteeing the perpetual operation of the charity. Beyond financial contributions, Liz is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the charity, working closely with her CEO to raise funds and ensure that people's generous donations are put to good use. She also maintains a deep connection with the charities supported by Share My Super, whether it's visiting the offices of Te Pā, an organisation aiding ex-prisoners and their families, or advocating for early intervention programs. Liz's hands-on approach underscores her genuine investment in the well-being of New Zealand's youth. For her, philanthropy is not just about money; it's about building meaningful relationships and creating sustainable change.
Liz Greive has redefined the concept of giving back to society. As Share My Super continues to grow and evolve, one thing remains certain: Liz's legacy will endure as a beacon of hope for generations to come.
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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features Sarah Vibert CEO of National Council of Volunteer Organisations (NCVO), a charity that has been supporting thousands of voluntary and community sector charities and non-profits in England for over 100 years. Episode Highlights
Challenges and secrets to running a successful network or representative organisation:
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You are not going to achieve full consensus across your network so therefore getting agreement on all issues and topics should not be the focus
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Working hard to 'serve a broad church' of members as effectively as you can
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Don't be bland and make sure your organisation stands for something and for important issues
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'Not a regulator, not a think tank but embedded in our members world'
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We are looking to the future at the same time helping charities to step up the existential challenges we / they face
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Importance of taking your members on a journey rather than being instructiveSarah joined NCVO in January 2020 as director of membership and engagement and was later appointed as Chief Executive in early 2022.
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Rich Easton, CEO of the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand, joins Purposely to share his organisation's mission and his remarkable career journey, which took him from corporate project management to leadership roles within the New Zealand charity sector. Additionally, he reveals his passion for the open road and his affinity for owning motorbikes.
Rich's professional journey began in the early 80s in the telecommunications industry, where he worked for British Telecom. This experience profoundly influenced his trajectory, leading to a successful corporate career in telecommunications both in the UK and, more recently, in New Zealand.
Rich's decision to relocate to New Zealand was driven by matters of the heart. While residing in London, he fell in love with his kiwi flatmate's sister, who would later become his wife. This unexpected turn of events prompted Rich to move to Hamilton, a small City south of Auckland, while commuting to Auckland for work in the early 90s.
During this period, Rich began contemplating his career and the possibility of transitioning from the corporate world to the charity sector. Seeking guidance from someone well-versed in the charity sector, he was advised to explore volunteer governance roles. This approach allowed him to gain valuable exposure to the challenges faced by non-profit organisations, with the hope of gaining a competitive advantage for future executive positions. In 2015, Rich joined the Board of Volunteering Auckland, a charity he eventually chaired. This experience also paved the way for board roles with mentoring charity First Foundation and the Make A Wish Foundation, all of which served as excellent preparation for his current role as CEO of the Neurological Foundation.
Established in 1972, the Neurological Foundation of NZ raises funds to support local neuroscientists in conducting research on neurological disorders, along with raising public awareness of neurological conditions. While there are over 700 neurological conditions, Rich emphasises that researchers often focus on areas of research that can attract funding and have the greatest impact. He also highlights that research into specific conditions or disorders can be initiated by individuals affected by those conditions or their loved ones, who work together to raise awareness and funding. Some of the conditions encompass Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, Stroke, Cerebral Palsy, Motor Neurone Disease, as well as mental and behavioural diseases such as bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety.
Although the foundation receives more funding requests than it can accommodate, its fifty-two-year history has endowed it with organisational knowledge to select suitable causes. Rich describes their funding ethos as being focused on making a tangible impact. To achieve this, they rely on the expertise of advisory panels composed of experienced neuroscientists with diverse skills and relevant expertise.
It is worth noting that, on average, 1 in every 3 people will experience some form of neurological condition. Rich explains that the organisation he leads is striving to forge a "pathway to hope," which is particularly pertinent when considering the aging populations both locally and globally. His foundation is dedicated to funding research aimed at preventing or curing these conditions whenever possible, as well as enhancing the quality of life for those affected by them. Rich further explains that recent advancements have led to successful treatment options for certain conditions where previously no treatment existed.
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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features Debra Allcock Tyler CEO Directory of Social Change on leadership.
Episode Highlights
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Normalising 'Imposter Syndrome' and how you should embrace self doubt and nerves to constantly improve and develop.
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The power of constant learning
-People are human beings and not job titles and needed to be treated as humans, 'deal with the human being and not the job title' - Leadership, doing what works and being authentic to the role (rather than yourself)
- 'Role as leader is to ensure your people are connected to the mission and bringing out the best in people to successfully deliver that mission'
Background
Debra has been CEO of DSC since August 2021.
Established in 1988, DSC has been a trusted resource in the non-profit sector, providing vital research, high-quality training, and ongoing support to charity leaders and volunteers. In addition, DSC advocates on behalf of organisations facing tough challenges, from economic crises to the recent global pandemic.
With over two decades of leadership experience at DSC, Debra has played a crucial role in empowering charities to fulfil their missions despite limited resources and frequent obstacles.
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Liam Willis joined the Gut Cancer Foundation in July 2019, taking on the role of Executive Officer after years of successful fundraising for non-profits in both the UK and New Zealand. His appointment as Executive Officer was a perfect fit for the Foundation, as their Board recognised the need to secure new sources of income to fulfil their mission. This mission involves funding vital research and raising awareness about gut cancers within the local community, with the ultimate goal of increasing survival rates and preventing cancers of the digestive system among New Zealanders. Gut cancers are a significant issue in New Zealand, with 17 people being diagnosed every day. In fact, collectively they are the most common type of cancer in the country, affecting over 6,000 individuals each year. One of the initial challenges Liam faced in his new role was establishing a clear identity for the charity. A crucial aspect of this process was defining their mission, despite the complexity of cancers of the digestive system. This form of cancer encompasses at least seven main types, including pancreatic, bowel, anal, stomach, liver, oesophageal, and gallbladder cancer. Some of these cancers already have dedicated charities providing support and raising funds for research. Liam was determined to collaborate closely with these organisations, aiming to build a brand that would engage donors and effectively support individuals with cancer and their families. Liam and his wife relocated to New Zealand from the UK in 2011, and they quickly fell in love with the country. They purchased their first house and started a family, having three children. Liam has been working in the charity sector for two decades, gaining extensive knowledge and expertise in fundraising. He possesses a deep understanding of how to develop and implement successful donor engagement campaigns. Liam emphasises the importance of knowing both current and potential donors, recognizing that data plays a vital role in effectively engaging supporters. In his first role in New Zealand, Liam worked as a fundraiser for the Auckland City Mission. In 2023, Liam, his wife, and their young children took a sabbatical to travel across Southern Africa in a 4x4 with two rooftop tents! This break was encouraged by the Gut Cancer Foundation's Board of Directors and provided Liam with an opportunity to reflect on his achievements at the organisation and build up the energy to go again. Under his leadership, the team has grown from a single person to a team of five, and he has more than tripled the Foundation's income while raising the charity's profile. Now that he has returned to his role as Executive Officer, Liam is determined to accomplish even more and continue the fight against gut cancer through education, research, and support. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mark-longbottom2/message
Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.
This weeks episode features Jo Taylor Executive Chair of 'Pay What It Takes' (PWIT), a coalition between for purpose organisations and funders aiming to redefine philanthropy and reshape the funding landscape for the charitable sector.
Their objective is to challenge the cycle of underfunding and organisational challenges by advocating for unrestricted funding or a 30% addition to project-based funding to adequately cover indirect costs.Episode Highlights
- The importance of looking elsewhere for inspiration, to other parts of the world where people and organisations may have tackled the same or similar issues. That is what Jo and her team did when they looked at American foundations who had the same issue and were solving the same problem (the starvation cycle).
-Practical steps on running a successful campaign:
Focus on those organisations and people closest to your mission and who are the most aligned at the start of your campaign
Peer leadership and adoption / buy in crucial to the success of any campaign particularly in philanthropy
Context:
A pivotal catalyst for this movement was the inquiry titled 'A Sector in Peril,' laying the foundation for collaboration among like-minded foundations. The Coalition led by Jo, and comprising Philanthropy Australia, the Centre for Social Impact, Social Ventures Australia, The Origin Foundation, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation, conducted comprehensive research, interviews, literature reviews, case studies, and workshops to address chronic underfunding of core operational expenses within Australian organizations. The vulnerabilities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized the critical need for adequate funding.
Listen to Episode #176 of Purposely for more, where Jo emphasises the necessity to challenge misconceptions surrounding indirect costs and advocates for a redefined evaluation of efficiency and effectiveness by funders. This paradigm shift demands courage and peer leadership within the sector, recognising the entrenched mental models ingrained in both funders and nonprofit organizations that need to be reshaped.Jo is also the CEO of The Siddle Family Foundation.
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Sarah, a regular walker along her local beach, combines exercise with podcast episodes to help her learn, develop and find inspiration. On this particular occasion, she listened to an interview with Bianca Tavella, the founder of Fair Shot Café in the UK (on Purposely Ep #48). Fair Shot is a social enterprise café that supports young adults with learning disabilities in finding jobs in the hospitality industry. As Sarah immersed herself in Bianca's founder story, she experienced a profound and personal reaction. Although she had never met Bianca or heard of Fair Shot before, Sarah felt a mix of inspiration and frustration that someone else had brought her dream to life before she could. At this point Sarah has been trying to open a training café, the first in NZ, for over eight years.
That walk and podcast episode were a turning point for Sarah. She felt compelled to take action and bring her dream to life in New Zealand. In September 2021, Sarah and her founding trustees launched Project Employ, opening their first training café in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore. It was a few kilometres away from the beach where Sarah had made the decision to turn her dream into reality. Since then, they have opened a second café in partnership with Air New Zealand, located in the airline's Auckland Headquarters. Sarah successfully shared her dream with others, including volunteers and funders, and the progress made by the charity has been remarkable.
Sarah defies the stereotype of a charity founder or CEO. Despite her extensive experience in special needs education for schools and charities, she lacks leadership experience. She openly admits to experiencing imposter syndrome and having to overcome a crisis of confidence to bring Project Employ to life. Sarah's belief in her mission stems from her firsthand experience as a teacher, witnessing the transformative power of belief and support in someone's life.
The reality is that people with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be unemployed compared to non-disabled individuals, both in New Zealand and globally. Project Employ's vision is to create a community where young people with intellectual or learning disabilities have meaningful, paid employment, just like any other member of society. Unlike Fair Shot Café, Project Employ doesn't solely focus on hospitality. While work experience in serving and food preparation builds confidence, it also empowers individuals to pursue their dreams and contribute to society.
Starting a charity is incredibly challenging. It requires a clear mission, vision, and, most importantly, funding to get off the ground. Convincing funders to support your vision is one of the toughest tasks. Funders seek confidence, a track record, and assurance that their funds will be used effectively to make a significant impact.
Sarah has achieved the near-impossible. With little to no previous experience or personal wealth, she leveraged her dream, lived experience, and passion for people with disabilities to launch and scale Project Employ. She successfully convinced funders to believe in her vision. Sarah was also willing to sacrifice her own earning power, initially working for free to get the project started. She acknowledges that none of this would have been possible without the early founding team and volunteers who brought the experience she lacked. Together, they are making it happen. Most importantly, graduates of Project Employ are finding employment, and those who haven't yet secured a job have gained significant confidence and self-belief.
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Welcome to Purposely Short, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Rupert Abbott Executive Director of GiveOut a community foundation supporting LGBTQI communities. How? They pool donations from donors to provide grants to LGBTQI organisations around the world, ensuring that they have more of the resources they need to defend communities, tackle inequalities and campaign for lasting change.Rupert shares their approach and the practical steps they take to deliver their mission. Episode HighlightsFunding the right causes and organisations - their approach to due diligence and how they choose the causes they fund. Building the fund - how they have had success attracting support + donors to build and maintain the fund. A qualified lawyer Rupert has over 15 years’ international human rights and social impact experience. Rupert is also a trustee of the Association of Charitable Foundations UK. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mark-longbottom2/message
Ah-Leen Rayner, the CEO of Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand, proudly hails from the western suburbs of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city - a proud 'Westie!' She stands as the sole member of her family to pursue higher education, successfully completing a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Anthropology and an M.B.A. Ah-Leen's illustrious corporate career spans three decades across diverse sectors.In early 2021, Ah-Leen made a transition to the charity sector, assuming the role of CEO at Breast Cancer Foundation NZ. Her appointment perfectly aligned with the trustees' vision of having a leader with robust business and commercial experience. Ah-Leen joins Purposely to share her organization's vision, mission, and her personal career journey, from her remarkable tenure at 3M to the unique challenges of leading a charity reliant on fundraising and donations. She emphasises the psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis, the significance of data in the fight against cancer, and the pressing need to reach underserved communities.
The foundation's vision is clear and concise: "zero deaths from breast cancer." However, achieving this vision remains a formidable challenge, despite the remarkable advancements in breast cancer research, treatments, and medicine. Encouragingly, there has been a 43% decrease in the breast cancer mortality rate over the past two decades, signifying tangible progress towards the foundation's vision. The charity's approach revolves around continuously pushing the boundaries of early detection, treatment, and support.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in New Zealand and the third most common overall. Approximately one in nine New Zealand women will face breast cancer in their lifetime, with two men diagnosed each week. Most women diagnosed (70%-75%) and those affected by mortality (80%) are aged 50 years or older. While some women face a higher risk due to family history, most cases occur in women without relatives affected by the disease. Even among those with a family history, the majority will never develop breast cancer.
As Breast Cancer Foundation NZ strives for zero deaths from breast cancer, they play an active and vital role in providing education, support, and resources to all New Zealanders, including those in remote areas and ethnic groups with poorer outcomes. Their comprehensive offerings encompass breast awareness, screening, risk assessment, and overall health. The foundation also extends crucial support services to individuals and families affected by breast cancer. Collaborating with healthcare professionals, they provide resources, education, and training to ensure optimal patient care. Additionally, the foundation actively engages in research, funding impactful studies, and advocating for breast cancer treatment issues.
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Welcome to Purposely Short, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Angus Crowther co-founder of Tanck.
Angus shares how they help nonprofits and 'for purpose businesses' to communicate effectively with government officials. How ability to do this can positively effect your ability to make a positive impact and increase their reach.
Episode highlights:
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'Providing technical details as well as a compelling narrative and a narrative arc is important'
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Data important and can grab the attention of politicians
Quote: 'Remember politicians are competing with the Kardashians for eyeballs on twitter'
Based in Australia... although still relevant in other parts of the world Tanck's mission is to empower purpose-led organisations by providing the know-how and the strategy for impactful government engagement.
Tanck is B Corp certified consultancy firm is on a mission to level the playing field by countering the influence of lobbyists and private interests that often shape policy decisions.
United by their shared dedication to positive change, Angus Crowther and (co founder) Neil Pharaoh are reshaping the dynamics of government engagement for nonprofits.
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Welcoming Daniel McGowan to Purposely, where he shares his organisation's mission and his career journey from research fellow to charity CEO. Daniel's extensive experience as a neuroscientist, health writer and editor, and company director make him the ideal leader for Cure Parkinson's NZ. As CEO, he is on a mission to cure Parkinson's disease and drive significant advancements in translational research for early diagnosis and disease progression prevention.Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects various neurological functions. Cure Parkinson's NZ is dedicated to raising and disbursing funding to accelerate research leading to new therapies that can stop or slow progression.The history of the charity is rooted in the personal experience of its founder, Bernie Crosby, ONZM, and his wife Kaye Crosby, also ONZM. After Bernie's diagnosis with Parkinson's, they established the Neuro Research Charitable Trust (still the official name of the charity) to raise one million dollars for Parkinson's research. Bernie's positive mindset and determination have transformed his diagnosis setbacks into opportunities to support others.In 2005, Bernie received his Parkinson's diagnosis. In 2010, Bernie and Kaye crossed paths with Dr. Maurice Curtis of the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at the University of Auckland. Driven by his passion and energy for understanding the brain and its disorders, Bernie decided to raise funds for the CBR. In 2013, the Neuro Research Charitable Trust was established with the goal of raising one million dollars in five years. By the end of 2022, the Trust had successfully raised $2.3 million dollars to support CBR research.Prior to founding the trust, Bernie and Kaye built Prolife Foods into one of New Zealand's largest privately owned food businesses. Their commitment to fostering strong relationships and their support for numerous educational and recreational grants have left a lasting impact on the Hamilton community. In recognition of their contributions, they were both awarded an ONZM in 2014 for their services to business and philanthropy.Bernie and Kaye remain dedicated to ongoing fundraising efforts to support research towards finding a cure for Parkinson's disease. In late 2022, the Neuro Research Charitable Trust made the strategic decision to hire a full-time CEO to drive fundraising and research initiatives, leading to the rebranding of the organization as Cure Parkinson's NZ. Daniel McGowan assumed the role of CEO, bringing with him the expertise and vision needed to propel the charity's future work and fundraising efforts.Parkinson's disease is the fastest-growing neurological condition globally, and its prevalence is projected to double in the next 10-15 years. While current treatments provide symptom relief, a cure remains elusive. However, promising drug candidates and advancements in early diagnosis offer hope. Thorough research is crucial to ensure that the right treatments are administered at the right time to improve patient outcomes.Daniel and the organisation he leads are dedicated to shaping and fuelling research leading to disease-modifying treatments; namely, treatments that can slow, stop, or perhaps even reverse the progression of Parkinson's.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mark-longbottom2/message
Welcome to Purposely Short, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic. This weeks episode features Philippa Charles on what a charity needs to succeed as well the value she puts on fundraisers.
Since its inception in 1958, the Garfield Weston Foundation has donated close to a billion pounds to good causes in the UK, granting between seventy and hundred million pounds annually.
Despite the size and importance of the foundation's financial resources, Philippa Charles, its leader, is known for her accessibility, humility, and empathy. She is renowned for being a straight talker and has a desire to keep things simple.
The foundation was set up by the Weston Family to benefit from the proceeds of their successful businesses, which include well-known brands in the food industry. These brands range from high-end retail, such as Fortnum and Mason, to household staples like Tip Top Ice Cream in New Zealand.
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Around 150 kids under 13 get diagnosed with cancer each year in New Zealand. The good news is that more kids are surviving, with an 85% success rate after five years.
Monica's charity, Child Cancer Foundation, steps in where the medical journey gets tough, acknowledging the challenges during treatment and the heartbreak of families who lose a child to cancer.
Their mission is clear – supporting these families through the full journey and to improve the cancer care that future families experience.
Monica, is driven to make a positive impact, she is happy to lead the way and she knows firsthand what these families are going through.
The Foundation is all about pushing for better outcomes, ensuring fewer parents have to face the devastating loss of a child. They work closely with New Zealand's top-notch paediatric oncology professionals who tailor treatment plans for the unique cancers that affect kids.
Monica points to the success had by New Zealand's paediatric oncologists and clinical teams who are involved in international clinical trials, bringing in treatments all without breaking the bank.
Child Cancer Foundation works across the two treatment centres and all the shared care and regional centres nationwide alongside NGOs and puts Tamariki and families at the heart of all their activity. Their team of Family Support Coordinators meet families where they are at, ensuring tailored support is delivered from hospital to home.
Monica and the Foundation understand that no two families face this journey the same way. They're not just focusing on the sick child; they're there for the whole family. Whether it's emotional, practical, or financial support, they've got it covered. The goal is simple: let families focus on what truly matters – loving and caring for their child.
Child Cancer Foundation has a vision – to step up the game in child cancer care while being a support for every child and family on their cancer journey. Their to-do list includes supporting kids with cancer, helping families who've lost a child, boosting the skills of healthcare pros in pediatric oncology, delving into research, and advocating for better support for kids with cancer.
Monica Briggs joins Purposely to talk about her current role and charity leadership more generally. She also talks about her own cancer diagnosis and how this has helped her with her current role. Monica has been a force for good in the for-purpose sector for almost three decades in both New Zealand and the UK. In her spare time, she sits on the board at the Grief Centre.
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Welcome to "SHORT," a weekly episode designed for brevity. These concise episodes aim to distill important content and offer listeners a focused opportunity to delve into specific topics. Each week, we feature inspirational nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs, both familiar faces from previous episodes of Purposely and newcomers to the podcast.
Episodes typically range from five to 15 minutes in length, released every Thursday.
This week's SHORT episode features Jennifer Belmont, CEO of the Wakatipu Community Foundation and founding trustee for Youth Philanthropy New Zealand and Generation Give.
Jennifer shares insights into her successful journey in building the foundation, highlighting the incredible generosity within her community. Since its inception in 2017, the Wakatipu Community Foundation has experienced rapid growth, leveraging its work with young people in philanthropy and the power of Giving Circles. This growth in funding has enabled the foundation to make a positive impact on the lives of individuals locally, contributing to community growth and development.
In addition to discussing the foundation's achievements, Jennifer explores the broader landscape of philanthropy, noting the increasing acceptance of the term "kiwis" and the adoption of various global methods.
Jennifer's extensive involvement in nonprofits spans across different regions, including the establishment of various organizations such as a California local school foundation, tennis association, and a Utah community foundation.
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Introducing Sarah Manley, CEO of the Sir John Kirwan Foundation, who joins Purposely to share her organisation's mission. Sarah is a confident and motivated leader who is passionate about the potential of young people. Born in Chile, Sarah was adopted by her antipodean parents and grew up in the outback of Australia before moving to New Zealand at age 11 where she now resides with her son Lachie and partner Andrew.
Although Sarah is relatively new to her role, having spent months rather than years in the hot seat, she brings a wealth of experience as the former Deputy CEO of Hato Hone St. John. After a decade at the same organisation, she now leads a small but high-profile mental health charity founded by her famous Chairman, Sir John Kirwan (JK).
For Sarah, this is an exciting move and a unique challenge. Previously, she held a key leadership position in one of New Zealand's largest health organisations, where her team focused on motivating and organising a large volunteer army with significant financial and human resources. Today, she leads a small organisation with relatively limited resources, reporting directly to the invested and motivated founder, JK. Their mission is to educate children about mental health.
If you're middle-aged and a rugby enthusiast, you're likely familiar with John Kirwan, an All Black and one of the sport's greatest wingers. He is renowned for scoring one of the best tries in the history of the game, single-handedly defeating the Italian rugby team at the 1987 World Cup. However, if you're from New Zealand, you may know John Kirwan for something entirely different – his advocacy for mental health.
Contrary to many sportsmen of his era, John Kirwan openly discusses his own battles with depression, referring to it as the "black dog." His willingness to share his experiences has not only helped him personally but has also played a significant role in normalising conversations around mental health, particularly for men. Growing up in a culture where men were expected to be strong and silent, John's openness has undoubtedly saved lives and lifted the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
After retiring from international rugby, JK became the spokesperson for the New Zealand government's mental health awareness campaign, bringing mental health into the public arena. His contributions to both rugby and mental health earned him a knighthood. Since then, JK has continued to lead public awareness campaigns and has written books on his experiences with depression.
Sir John Kirwan, or JK as he is affectionately known, is now a globally recognised mental health advocate, author, entrepreneur, and rugby legend. He co-founded Groov, a leading workplace wellbeing platform with a mission to improve the daily wellbeing of 100 million people. In 2012, JK was knighted for his services to mental health, an honour he strives to live up to every day.
Through their school's program called Mitey, the Sir John Kirwan Foundation has developed an evidence-based approach to teaching mental health education to children in New Zealand.
Recognising the alarming number of children experiencing mental health issues, the foundation aims to equip future generations with the skills and knowledge to navigate the pressures of life.
By embedding mental health education in teaching and learning through primary and intermediate schools, the foundation believes it can make a significant impact on New Zealand's mental health statistics. Their goal is to provide schools with the necessary resources and support to nurture the mental wellbeing of both students and teachers.
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Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide.
People living in countries affected by conflict and war, as well as those in politically, socially, and economically fragile countries, experience worse cancer outcomes compared to more stable regions. Conflict and war result in displacement, destruction of physical infrastructure and supply chains, and the breakdown of healthcare systems. As a result, preventive measures and crucial health screenings often do not take place. For example, Sudan, which was once a hub for cancer care, has seen its healthcare facilities and access to treatment disrupted due to war and conflict.
One individual working to address this issue is Dr. Susie Stanway, a cancer specialist and guest of the Purposely Podcast. After a successful career as a consultant oncologist, Susie shifted her focus to becoming a cancer advocate and activist for countries affected by conflict. She has played a crucial role in connecting fragile countries to funding and cancer resources, including treatment, doctors, and research.
Motivated to bring about global change, Susie co-founded London Global Cancer Week, a series of meetings that provide a comprehensive understanding of the rising global incidence of cancer, the challenges posed by the cancer pandemic, and the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on existing cancer treatment and research. These meetings also focus on strengthening cancer prevention and control in emerging countries, with a particular emphasis on the UK's contribution.
Susie recognised that to bring about real change, she needed to go beyond the cancer world and influence people worldwide to understand the issue and help solve the problems. As a result, she collaborated with musicians to create a single titled 'More Than Fairy Tales,' which aims to raise funds for cancer care in war-torn Ukraine and Sudan. The money raised will be directed to the Challenge Fund, which supports organizations working on the ground to provide cancer care in these countries.
Musicians from around the world, including Sudanese and Ukrainian singers, as well as English singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner, 19-year-old singer-songwriter and producer Jasmine Foxall, and British rapper Blackk Chronical, have come together to release this single as part of a campaign to support those in need of cancer care in war zones.
More about Dr. Susie Stanway:
Dr. Susannah Stanway is a consultant medical oncologist in London, specializing in breast cancer. She founded and chaired the steering group of the “Cancer control in low- and middle- income countries” conference held annually since November 2016 that in 2019 became London Global Cancer Week. She has co-founded the UK and Ireland Global Cancer Network. She teaches in the UK on global oncology (for example on the ICR MSc Course, UCL Global Health MSc and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on the Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Course) and internationally.
She has received awards from the Global Challenges Research Fund to collaboratively contribute to research projects in sub-Saharan Africa. She sits on the ECO inequalities network and has historically been on the ESMO global policy committee. She is currently working with colleagues in several low- income countries and conflict zones to contribute to capacity building. She has recently studied Public Policy Analysis at the London School of Economics. Alongside reducing between-country cancer outcome inequalities she has interest in reducing within-country inequalities in the UK for example sitting on Breast Cancer now Inequalities Funding Committee, contributing to the recently published Health Policy Partnership toolkit (Inclusion by design: building equity in clinical trials through the lens of metastatic breast cancer) and advocating. She sits on the Development Board of Breast Cancer Now.
Source: London Global Cancer Week website
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Philanthropy Impact, led by CEO John Pepin, recently joined Purposely to share their mission of inspiring generosity and impactful philanthropy.
The organisation has cultivated a diverse network, including philanthropists, impact investors, trust foundations, and charities. Through training, advocacy, thought leadership, and networking opportunities, Philanthropy Impact strives to create a collaborative space for individuals with different perspectives to foster a deeper understanding.
Despite its small core team of four members, Philanthropy Impact leverages volunteer support and operates remotely. It produces content, specialised training, advocacy, and networking events, It also publishes a magazine, maintains a website, and organises specialised dinners for high-net-worth individuals.
The organisation origin story traces back to 1998 as the European Association for Planning and Giving, Philanthropy Impact emerged in 2012 from the merger of three organisations with a primary focus on philanthropy. Over time, its scope expanded to encompass the broader spectrum of capital, addressing the convergence of philanthropy, social investment, ESG, and impact investing.
John Pepin joined the organisation in 2014 having previously served as a consultant for various charities. Philanthropy Impact aligned with his values and passion for creating a positive impact, the organisation's focus on bringing about change and influencing cultural behavior resonated with him.
Previously John Pepin founded Aperio, a for-purpose company centered on enterprise readiness and support for for-purpose organisations. Operating in Toronto and later expanding to the United States and the UK, Aperio provided consultancy services to strategically enhance organisations and explored innovative approaches, including social investments in Thailand and Indonesia.
John and Purposely's host Mark Longbottom explore blended finance, where philanthropy and social investments come together. Highlighting that although some methods may seem new, similar principles have been around for centuries, showcasing the changing landscape of strategic planning and social investments.
John gives his view on current trends including increasing amounts of funding without restrictions, aligning investments with values, and embracing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He points out that we're witnessing a growing awareness of the impact paradigm—weighing harm versus good—and positive developments in the sector.
He also stresses the pivotal role of professional advisors—philanthropy advisors, wealth managers, and legal experts. Philanthropy Impact offers training to seamlessly integrate philanthropy into their services, assist clients on their donor journeys, and navigate the ever-evolving landscape of impact investing.
Understanding the shifting dynamics of philanthropy, there's a rising emphasis on consumer duty in the finance industry. Aligning investments with values is becoming more important, especially as millennials and Gen Z expect advisors to support their values in financial decisions.
Addressing challenges in philanthropy, we talk about the necessity for unrestricted funding, tackling inequities, and handling the complexities of impact investing.
'I'm optimistic, noting a positive movement, increased awareness, and a change in the giving approach.'
Looking ahead, John is excited about the future of philanthropy. Key developments include a shift towards unrestricted funding, addressing inequities, and evolving perspectives among younger generations. He also emphasize the importance of trust, intuition, and maintaining a balance between rationality and logic.
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This interview features the late Camila Batmanghelidjh, and it was recorded and first published on Purposely in July 2020.
Camila Batmanghelidjh, Child therapist and charity founder, born 1 January 1963; died 1 January 2024
Obituary - The Angel of Peckham
Instantly recognisable in her colourful turbans and kaftans, Camila Batmanghelidjh became a familiar figure in the 2000s, as she toured TV studios to promote her charity Kids Company.
Passionate and charismatic, she highlighted the plight of thousands of youngsters in Britain's inner cities, who were being traumatised by poverty, abuse and neglect. She estimated that one in three of those that passed through Kids Company's doors slept on the floor; one in four lived in homes without tables or chairs. Deprived of affection and support, these children, she warned, were at risk of growing up into deeply damaged adults.
Her solution was to shower them with loving kindness. At her centres in London, Bristol and Liverpool, children found a daytime home where they could get everything from hot meals to therapy, said The Daily Telegraph. They were given shoes and clean underwear, helped with their homework, and taken to medical appointments. Her aim, she said, was to make unloved children feel worthwhile; and it was a principle that no one was turned away.
A formidable networker, she raised tens of millions for her cause. J.K. Rowling and Coldplay were among her high-profile donors; Ruby Wax made a documentary about her; and David Cameron's "hug a hoodie" speech was inspired by her. She was dubbed the "Angel of Peckham".
Some questioned whether she enjoyed the limelight a bit too much; but her methods seemed to work, said The Times. Outside observers estimated that in the first few years of its existence, Kids Company had saved 3,000 children from going to jail or committing violent crimes. But as the charity grew (it had 500 employees at one point, and received £46m in public funding), journalists started to question whether her results were as good as she said, and why her charity was being singled out for taxpayer-funded largesse.
There were media reports about youngsters being given cash with which to buy designer clothes; and of a young man being sent on a spa break at Champneys. Then, in 2015, the media reported that the charity had mishandled sexual abuse allegations involving its users. In August that year, Kids Company collapsed, and its centres closed.
The court praised her dedication, and said Kids Company would have survived had donors not withdrawn, owing to the allegations In 2022, the Charity Commission came to a different conclusion. It criticised Kids Company's "high-risk business model" and failures of oversight in some spending decisions.
However, it found that there was no case for regulatory action against any of the key players, and confirmed that there had been no "dishonesty or bad faith".
At 11, she was sent to an English boarding school, Sherborne, then took a degree in dramatic arts , before studying psychology at the Tavistock Clinic in London.
She spent some time doing social work in south London before starting her charity. After its collapse, she assisted other children's projects, while fighting her legal battles.
She was unmarried, and had no children of her own. She said that when she got home to her small flat in West Hampstead after 11-hour days at Kids Company, she was quite glad to be child-free.
Batmanghelidjh was unrepentant about her methods: kids who grew up "in ghettos depend on having nice things for their self-esteem", she said. The police found that the sexual abuse claims were unsubstantiated, and in 2021 the High Court cleared her and the other trustees of financial mismanagement. Camila Batmanghelidjh was born, ten weeks premature, into a wealthy Iranian-Belgian family in Tehran in 1963. She weighed 1kg, and was left with an endocrine disorder and neurological problems. Obituary provided by The Week
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Welcoming Emma Beeston back to Purposely to shed light on her latest book, "Advising Philanthropists - Principles and Practice," co-written with Dr Beth Breeze another former guest. Emma and Beth are well qualified when it comes to philanthropy thought leadership, they are also educators and prolific writers covering a range of topics related to philanthropy and giving.
While philanthropy advice has been around forever there has been very little written about the topic. A profession often underappreciated despite its significant role, their aim was to demystify the world of philanthropy advice. At the same time the book serves as a comprehensive guide, unveiling the detailed role of the philanthropy advisor, shining a light on those meeting the increasing demand from donors seeking help and guidance in their charitable work. It goes beyond the surface, exploring fundamental concepts, practical aspects, and diverse skill sets crucial for excelling in this complex job.
Emma and Beth draw insights from interviews with 40 philanthropy advisors worldwide. These conversations offer unique perspectives and firsthand experiences, providing invaluable insights into this often-overlooked profession.
Written for those already operating in the profession or for those curious about "Advising Philanthropists" the book traces the evolution of philanthropy advising as a recognised and vital profession, it outlines the essential attributes and skills needed for thriving as a philanthropy advisor as well as the practical advice for navigating the complexities of working effectively with donors.
Emma hopes that this book will help inform and empower a generation of philanthropy advisors and therefore positively shape the future of charitable giving and impact. Emma Beeston's journey, from grappling with imposter syndrome to immense pride upon the book's release.
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First featured on Purposely in July 2023, we explore Mary Rose's remarkable journey, the impact of The Fore (founded in 2017), and her mission to empower charity founders and social entrepreneurs.
Mary Rose Gunn saw the need for a different kind of funding model – one that goes beyond traditional grants. Drawing inspiration from venture capital practices, The Fore provides early-stage seed capital to social entrepreneurs who are tackling pressing societal and environmental issues. By identifying and supporting promising ventures, The Fore helps these organisations unleash their full potential and create significant social impact.
The Fore doesn't just offer financial assistance; it provides a comprehensive package of support. Through tailored business support and access to a network of mentors, The Fore empowers organisations to overcome challenges and thrive in their respective fields. Mary Rose Gunn understands the power of collaboration and the value of a strong support system. She speaks highly of her team and acknowledges the expertise and experience of her Board of Trustees, recognising that their collective effort has been instrumental in The Fore's success.
Under Mary Rose Gunn's leadership, The Fore UK has already made a profound impact on numerous organisations. By scaling operations, enhancing capabilities, and making a tangible difference in the communities they serve, these organisations have become agents of transformative social change. The Fore UK fosters a culture of collaboration and learning, serving as a catalyst for positive and lasting impact.
Mary Rose Gunn's passion for philanthropy and social change is infectious. She actively engages with individuals from various sectors, including business, charity, and the public sector. Drawing inspiration from their diverse experiences, Mary Rose embraces the power of different perspectives and recognizes the contributions of individuals working across different industries. This collaborative mindset has been instrumental in The Fore's success and positive impact.
A Vision for the Future: Mary Rose's vision for The Fore extends far beyond the present. She envisions a future where The Fore supports 1000 more exceptional small charities and social enterprises. By "moving the needle," she believes that together, they can create a significant and lasting positive change. Mary Rose emphasizes the importance of changing the narrative about problem-solving, investing in communities, and embracing local solutions. She envisions a society where individuals have agency and the power to effect change from the grassroots level.
Inspiring a Shared Vision: Through her remarkable journey, Mary Rose Gunn continues to inspire individuals and organisations to embrace innovation, collaboration, and a shared vision for a better future.
Mary Rose Gunn's journey with The Fore is a testament to the power of disruptive thinking and collaborative action. Through her visionary approach, she has empowered small charities and social enterprises to reach their full potential and make a meaningful difference in society.
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Welcome to the final episode of Purposely for 2023
This episode focuses on the origins of Purposely, the ‘why’ it started in the first place any why it has become one of the leading nonprofit podcasts in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
We celebrate a few of the ‘Purposely Heroes’ for 2023, founders of charities and social enterprises, those who had a dream about how they could help people or planet and then made it happen. These individuals embarked on incredible journeys of impact and purpose often with co-founders.
One such person is Sasha Lockley, the founder and CEO of Money Sweetspot, a social enterprise dedicated to helping people escape the clutches of debt. Sasha's firsthand experience with financial challenges gives her a clear vision of the mission, offering hope and empowerment to many.
Laurence Marshbaum, another remarkable social entrepreneur, founded 10 x 10 Philanthropy and Community Capital. His commitment to innovative fundraising and portfolio management generating income for good causes has been truly inspiring, with a significant impact on young people.
Lucas Patchett, co-founder of OrangeSky, showcased an unwavering dedication to helping people experiencing homelessness and helping them to rebuild their lives and mental health. The profound impact of their work on the homeless community in Australia and New Zealand is a testament to their selflessness and dedication.
Ren Fernando, co-founder of Re-Love a social enterprise focusing helping people in need to create homes in a sustainable way. Ren is driven by an unyielding passion for making a difference and her dedication to rescuing furniture and gifting it to those in need promises a positive impact on both people and the planet.
Mary Rose Gunn, founder of The Fore, which is pioneering efforts to revolutionise philanthropy by supporting innovative enterprises and charities, many of them start-up by connecting capital with motivated individuals and bringing about a positive change.
Kerryn Thrupp, founder of Woven Earth a phenomenal New Zealand charity that transforms empty houses into homes for survivors of domestic violence. Kerryn's lived experience fuels her passion to help families.
A special mention also goes to 'for purpose' founders who also featured this year, Anna Josse, Prism the Gift Fund, Bill Murphy, Purpose Capital, Rhodri Davies, Why Philanthropy Matters?, Benjamin Janes, Trust Partnership, James Lewis, Action for Elders, Stephanie Pow, Crayon, and Angus Crowther and Neil Pharoah, Tanck as guests of Purposely and notable figures to watch out for in 2024.
and from 2022 Sarah Page, Kindness Collective, Afam Onyema GEANCO Foundation, James Palmer Community Finance, Barry Coates Mindful Money, Samuel Grice, Octopus Legacy, Becky Endicott and Jonathan McCoy We Are For Good, Bridget Williams Bead and Proceed, Christine Langdon The Good Registry, Mike Seawright Relief Aid, Rachel Brown Sustainable Business Network, Dave Rouse Carbon Click, Rui Peng Critical, Hendrikus van Henbergen, John Berry Pathfinder, Steve Wickham The Giving Department and Steven Zinsli Healthnow.
A massive thank all of our wonderful guests (58 this year alone), listeners, sponsors and supporters!
Here's to a new year filled with purpose, inspiration, and positive impact!
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Introducing Jo Taylor, the Chief Executive Officer of the Siddle Family Foundation, to Purposely. Jo sheds light on her professional and personal odyssey from the UK to Australia and the impact of her partner—a medical professional whose dreams of a life downunder set the stage for their move.
We delve into her her leadership role in philanthropy and how the work she is involved in is reshaping the narrative around giving and philanthropy.
After 23 years, Jo is now happily married to her partner, and they are parents to two children. Having spent two decades in Bondi, they recently moved to the Mid North Coast region.
Contrary to her initial career plan of becoming a lawyer, Jo has emerged as a leader in the philanthropy sector in Australia. Leveraging her legal studies, her involvement in Raise & Give (RAG) during her tenure at the University of Leicester, and her experience as a fundraiser in the charity sector, Jo brings a substantial depth of knowledge and expertise to her current role
Jo shares her professional journey from lawyer to philanthropy leader. This transformation involves her engagement in 'Pay What It Takes' (PWIT), a coalition between for purpose organisations and funders aiming to redefine philanthropy and reshape the funding landscape for the charitable sector. Serving as the Chair of this Coalition, Jo and the PWIT Steering Committee drew inspiration from the impactful work of Bridgespan and Foundations in the United States, prompting crucial questions about the level of financial support provided by Australian funders. Their objective is to challenge the cycle of underfunding and organisational challenges by advocating for unrestricted funding or a 30% addition to project-based funding to adequately cover indirect costs.
A pivotal catalyst for this movement was the inquiry titled 'A Sector in Peril,' laying the foundation for collaboration among like-minded foundations. The Coalition led by Jo, and comprising Philanthropy Australia, the Centre for Social Impact, Social Ventures Australia, The Origin Foundation, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation, conducted comprehensive research, interviews, literature reviews, case studies, and workshops to address chronic underfunding of core operational expenses within Australian organizations. The vulnerabilities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized the critical need for adequate funding.
Jo emphasises the necessity to challenge misconceptions surrounding indirect costs and advocates for a redefined evaluation of efficiency and effectiveness by funders. This paradigm shift demands courage and peer leadership within the sector, recognising the entrenched mental models ingrained in both funders and nonprofit organizations that need to be reshaped.
Despite the challenges, the Pay What It Takes movement is gaining momentum, offering optimism for a sector striving for genuine impact and change. The collaboration aims to redefine the philanthropic landscape in Australia, ensuring that organisations receive sufficient funding to effect lasting, impactful change.
Throughout her professional journey, Jo's commitment to social justice has been profoundly shaped by personal aspirations, life experiences, and the influence of her parents, particularly her mother. Her story serves as a compelling inspiration for those seeking to make a meaningful difference in the world of philanthropy.
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Nick Laing joins us on Purposely Podcast to share his organisation's mission and his career journey from social worker to charity CEO.
Nick shares his journey of coming out as a gay man during a time when societal acceptance was limited. This experience played a significant role in shaping his identity and influencing his approach to life. Nick's desire to make a positive impact led him to pursue a career centred around helping others. Fuelled by a deep motivation and a strong commitment to social justice, he pursued training as a social worker and seized the opportunity to join the local health authority. Over the course of nine years, Nick took on various roles within the organisation, culminating in his position as a team leader, where he began to explore his capabilities in management.
In a pivotal move, Nick joined the New Zealand AIDS Foundation (now called the Burnett Foundation) as a general manager in April 2012. This relatively small nonprofit organisation aimed to combat the spread of HIV and provide support to individuals at risk of HIV and other sexual diseases. Nick's experience at the foundation further solidified his commitment to making a difference in the lives of vulnerable people.
In April 2019, Nick assumed the role he holds today as CEO of Canteen Aotearoa, a cancer charity that offers psychosocial and practical support to young people aged 13 to 24 who are impacted by cancer. With approximately 4,200 young people affected by cancer in Aotearoa each year, Canteen plays a crucial role in providing much-needed support to both young people and their families.
Nick's tenure as CEO has not been without its challenges. When he first joined Canteen, the charity had been on the brink of closure due to a lack of funds. Those leading the charity at that time implemented cost-cutting measures and then embarked on hiring a new CEO. Nick stepped in with the brief of rebuilding the core team and refocusing everyone on the mission of providing the very best support on a smaller budget. Despite these obstacles, Nick's leadership and dedication have allowed Canteen to thrive and continue its vital work.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented a new set of challenges for Nick and his team. Raising funds, managing teams, and ensuring access to support for young people became even more difficult. However, Nick's ability to adapt and his team's resilience have enabled Canteen to overcome these obstacles. Nick references the charities close working relationship with Canteen Australia as crucial to their success. He also points to technology and the vital role it has played in maintaining connections and providing support during this challenging time.
Thanks to their partnership with Canteen Australia, Nick’s been able to ensure that the charity can stand at the forefront of innovation, utilising cutting-edge technology to support young individuals diagnosed with cancer in New Zealand. An example of this is their Robots Project, which has revolutionised education for young people undergoing treatment. Through user-friendly Kubi robots, these individuals can attend classes, interact with teachers and classmates, and participate in discussions, all from their hospital rooms. This initiative ensures not only continuity in their education but also helps them stay connected to their school community.
Nick Laing's leadership and commitment to supporting young people impacted by cancer have had a significant impact on the lives of rangatahi (young people) and their whānau (families). Through their support services and innovative initiatives like the Robots Project, Nick and his team have created a safe space where young individuals can find support and a sense of belonging.
Canteen continues to make a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer, ensuring that no rangatahi faces this journey alone.
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Welcoming Philippa Charles, head of the Garfield Weston Foundation, to Purposely, where she shares their unique approach to funding as well as her personal journey of turning her back on a corporate career to lead a charitable foundation.
The Garfield Weston Foundation is not just any foundation; it has become one of the most generous and progressive family foundations in the UK. Since its inception in 1958, the foundation has donated close to a billion pounds to good causes in the UK, granting between seventy and hundred million pounds annually.
Despite the size and importance of the foundation's financial resources, Philippa Charles, its leader, is known for her accessibility, humility, and empathy. She is renowned for being a straight talker and has a desire to keep things simple.
The foundation was set up by the Weston Family to benefit from the proceeds of their successful businesses, which include well-known brands in the food industry. These brands range from high-end retail, such as Fortnum and Mason, to household staples like Tip Top Ice Cream in New Zealand.
To ensure the support of the voluntary sector and provide opportunities for success, 80% of the Weston Family's wealth was put into a trust called Whittington Investments. This decision meant billions of pounds were dedicated to benefiting the UK in perpetuity.
Despite the significant amount of funding they provide, the foundation operates with a small team of eleven people although they have the support of the other Weston businesses. Their funding decisions are guided by their ethos rather than strict criteria, focusing on making the biggest impact in the short and long terms.
Twelve years ago, Philippa made the family charter public, which outlines their ethos of being flexible, responsive, and adapting to needs. This decision to openly share their charter with the Third Sector was seen as unique and transformative.
The foundation's decision-making process is informally guided by the Three C's: capacity, capability, and confidence. They consider an organisation's ability to deliver on their charitable mission, with confidence being a vital but often overlooked factor.
The themes that guide the foundation's grant-making are broad, covering areas such as arts and culture, education, environment, youth, heritage, welfare, and faith-based organizations. They fund both revenue and capital costs, including core and administrative expenses. The foundation takes pride in its hands-off approach, allowing the charities they support to decide how to spend the funds. The foundation strongly believes those closest to their communities are best suited to develop solutions and approaches to address those needs.
In addition to her role at the foundation, Philippa has held positions at Barclays Plc, Ernst & Young, and JM Consulting. She demonstrates her commitment to empowering women by serving as a Trustee of SmartWorks, an organization dedicated to helping women secure meaningful employment. She also oversees the Nominations Committee.
Overall, Philippa Charles and the Garfield Weston Foundation have made a significant impact in the UK through their unique approach to funding and their commitment to supporting the voluntary sector.
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Welcoming Sarah Ramantanis to Purposely, Sarah is the co-founder of KOS Magazine an online platform dedicated to amplifying the stories of changemakers across Australia, those who are actively contributing to their communities.From the founders of Lumni an interactive game helping people to practice self-care to All Things Equal a cafe working towards disability equality KOS Magazine is a platform aiming to inspire people to do good. Using the power of storytelling the platform aims to inspire readers to become 'changemakers' within their own communities. They illuminate the narratives of everyday heroes. Featuring an array of voices and perspectives, celebrating individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities. Spanning grassroots initiatives to innovative projects. Sarah has a background in marketing and communications for 'for-purpose' organisations significantly, not surprisingly she gained an understanding of effective storytelling and communication. Sarah has also featured as a TEDx speaker, where she delves into the strategies of effectively 'pitching oneself for a purpose-driven career in today's evolving digital landscape'. Her insights stem from personal experiences, including facing multiple rejections in job applications and adapting during the pandemic by reaching out to people and leveraging video calls for outreach and influence.Beyond her professional endeavors, Sarah actively contributes her time to various organisations voluntarily. Her involvement spans NEXUS Australia, Kids in Philanthropy, UNICEF, and The Centre of Youth Policy and Education Practice. Through these initiatives, she passionately advocates for youth empowerment and social impact.Sarah is driven as well as confident, she also committed to furthering her own personal growth and continuous learning which underscores her belief in education as a catalyst for positive transformation. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mark-longbottom2/message
Welcoming Peter Winneke, the writer behind "Give While You Live," Peter isn't just an author; he's a seasoned 'generosity' advisor and life legacy, boasting over two decades of experience in strategic, impactful giving in Australia.
His expertise spans the establishment of more than 100 philanthropic family foundations, making him an advocate of 'pragmatic guidance' in the world of philanthropy.
"Give While You Live" doesn't merely shine a light on best practice giving; it's a roadmap for redefining Australia's philanthropic landscape. Winneke offers a constructive critique, pinpointing areas where the sector can significantly enhance its practices, striving for more effective and impactful giving.
Before his influential role in philanthropy, Winneke carved out a niche in the corporate sphere, honing his skills in insolvency, mergers, and acquisitions for 16 years. His travels to low-middle income countries during this time ignited a fervent passion for philanthropy's potential to combat injustice and drive societal change.
In his book, Winneke adopts a refreshingly practical approach, urging families with substantial wealth to reconsider their legacy through purposeful giving. His counsel is straightforward: allocate a minimum 20% of one's net worth to a family foundation devoted to charitable causes, steering away from fragmented contributions in favor of focused support.
By drawing from his vast experience working with influential entities like The Myer Foundation and Philanthropy Australia, Winneke advocates for family foundations not just as vehicles for giving but as platforms for imparting values and purpose to future generations.
At the core of "Give While You Live" are 35 pragmatic case studies that spotlight the joy of giving while outlining strategies to maximize the impact of donations. Winneke's goal is not merely to encourage charitable acts but to instill a culture of strategic giving that endures, leaving a lasting imprint on communities.
Renowned figures in the philanthropic sphere, such as Tim Costello AO and Anna Skarbek, laud Winneke's work for its potential to reignite conversations about legacy and purpose. Costello emphasizes the book's role in rekindling hope, while Skarbek acknowledges Winneke's capacity to inspire a fresh wave of strategic giving.
Book available from www.peterwinneke.com.au
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Eric Ressler is the co-founder of Cosmic, a creative agency working with ‘for purpose’ and mission driven organisations across the USA.
Eric and Cosmics journey, marked by a significant pivot from commercial and silicon valley startup clients to a commitment to empowering mission-driven organisations only.
Despite struggling at school, Eric Ressler has gone on to have a successful career driven by a passion for creativity in various forms, from music and stop-motion animation to videography and traditional art. Eric has also been willing to change with the times, innovate and stay relevant developing his expertise in digital media as demand for this increased. Eric's early design work began through freelancing and consulting work, primarily focusing on digital experiences, websites, and brand development.
Eric's freelancing endeavours gradually expanded, leading him to form his own design firm. The journey culminated in the birth of Cosmic in 2009, which initially thrived in the vibrant co-working space of NextSpace in Santa Cruz. The demand for their services grew, and the team expanded to meet the growing needs of clients, ranging from startups to established B2B and B2C brands.
During their initial years, Cosmic worked with a diverse clientele, including Silicon Valley startups, enterprise brands, and non-profits. While they were motivated by the projects they undertook, many of these engagements were profit-oriented and followed traditional business models.
The shift to purpose
Eric and his team at Cosmic began to reassess their mission and values. They realised that making a positive impact on the world did not solely depend on being a non-profit. Market-based and innovation-based approaches could be equally effective. This revelation prompted Cosmic to pivot towards a social impact-focused niche. They decided to deepen their expertise and experience in this sector and concentrate all their efforts on organisations with a mission to make a difference.
Today, Cosmic has firmly established itself as a Social Impact Creative Agency. Cosmic is committed to helping social impact organisations catalyse real-world change by perfecting their impact story, building brand awareness, and inspiring action.
Cosmics work centres on their self-published mission driven digital manifesto.
Central to this is the following beliefs
- build brand awareness
- organize a coalition of deeply impassioned supporters
- lead the conversation around the issues you care about most
- A digital-first model also allows you to:
- build organisational capacity
- break the starvation cycle
- create a sustainable revenue stream
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Meet Maria English, the CEO of Impact Lab, a New Zealand-based organisation on a mission to make a positive impact in the lives of New Zealanders through their work with charities doing good work as well as funders.
Ostensibly their work is focused on making investments work for communities and enabling people to lead the lives they choose. We explore Maria's remarkable career journey, to her first CEO role as boss of Impact Lab, and their unique approach to social value measurement.
Maria’s early career focused on academic achievement, earning a politics and philosophy degree at the renowned University of Cambridge and later an MBA at Stanford University. Utilising her studies Maria then joined Boston Consulting and experienced the pressures of being a business consultant and delivering value in the corporate world.
Maria’s move to the purpose led work she does now was activated by an experience she had helping ‘first nation’ communities in Australia. A life changing experienced which eventually led her back to New Zealand, her home, and the birthplace of Impact Lab.
Impact Lab is a family business of sorts, co-founded by Maria's father, Bill English, a former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and respected policy maker Emily Mason.
In 2019, Maria and her co-founders identified the need to understand, grow, and demonstrate the impact of frontline impact organisations and strategic funders. This realisation led to the development of Impact Lab's unique methodology and tools that connect social value measurement with decision-making. Their goal is to equip decision-makers with actionable information to enhance social impact.
Impact Lab employs the Social Return on Investment (SROI) model to measure impact. SROI compares the estimated social value of a program to its cost, quantifying the social impact in dollar terms that a program achieves for its participants over their lifetime.
As the CEO of Impact Lab, Maria faces daily challenges and continues to learn and adapt. Leading a small but impactful team and guiding the organisation toward growth has been a transformative experience for her especially considering her age and relative lack of experience.
Maria reflects on her passion for the work and points to the power of collaborating with remarkable charities and organisations and finding meaning and purpose in the work they do.
We talk about the challenges and benefits of working with her father within the same organisation its unique dynamics and she acknowledges the challenge of separating work from personal life and the importance of finding a balance.
Maria looks to the future of Impact Lab, with an aim of deepening its impact and building more connections within the sector to make data-driven decision-making a standard practice. Their goal is to see all investments in the community sector in New Zealand guided by data, leading to greater social impact and positive change.
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Ren Fernando joins Purposely to share her journey as a co-founder, starting ReLove.ReLove might be considered an accidental charity, as Ren and her co-founder Ben Stammer didn't set out with the explicit intention to start a nonprofit organisation. However, as you'll hear, their mission was always to make a positive and long-lasting impact. The Australian-based charity are focused on creating homes for those in need while addressing the pressing issue of environmental waste.Since 2019, ReLove has been providing essential household items to vulnerable individuals, including survivors of domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness, and those seeking asylum. The charity's goal revolves around empowerment and sustainability, and their innovative approach has proven to be effective.The inception of ReLove was rather unexpected. Ren and Ben initially started a free running group called the "Run for Good Project," with the aim of blending fitness with social good. This project had no direct connection to what ReLove stands for today. In 2019, they organized an initiative to raise awareness about homelessness, shedding light on the challenges people face when searching for food and shelter. This early project laid the foundation for ReLove's core mission.In 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ren and Ben took a significant step. They had already established a close relationship with the Women and Girls Emergency Centre, an organization assisting women experiencing homelessness and domestic violence. Witnessing the dire circumstances and recognizing the need for support, the duo took action, giving birth to the idea of ReLove. This unique approach empowers individuals as they transition into safe housing.The heart of ReLove's mission is the "ReLove Free Store," a 2000-square-meter warehouse designed to resemble a traditional shopping experience, with one crucial difference: everything is free. Ren and Ben work directly with clients who are on the verge of accessing safe housing, providing them with essential household items. This assistance helps them navigate the challenging transition into their new, independent lives. The belief behind this approach is that offering tangible support and a helping hand at this critical moment can make a significant difference.Ren and Ben's unintentional charity not only provides practical support to people in crisis but also exemplifies that a small idea, fueled by determination and compassion, can create profound positive change.
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David Burland joins Purposely to share his valuable insights into the Hospice Movement and the broader charitable sector. We also delve into the roots of his purpose-driven career and his current role as an advisor.
David's journey in the charity sector began in the late '80s. His first role after university was organising business exhibitions and it was during this period that he saw a job opportunity at the Royal Star and Garter Home, an organisation his grandmother had once been a volunteer. This role marked his entry into the world of fundraising, and he was immediately captivated by the privilege of meeting veterans from the First and Second World Wars. David's experience at the home instilled in him a strong sense of purpose and he first experienced the joy one can get from making a positive difference.
David's career path eventually led him to Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, as Director of Marketing, fuelling his passion for hospices and the work they do to support people at the end of life along with their families.
Subsequently, David joined Help the Hospices, now known as Hospice UK, where he spent 13 successful years. He held roles as Director of Income Generation and later as Deputy CEO, allowing him to play a crucial role in engaging with member hospices across the nation.
In 2012, David took on the role of CEO at Shooting Star Chase, a children's hospice service formed through a merger. His tenure was marked by the following achievements, including the accreditation of both hospices as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Under his leadership, the hospice expanded its services, significantly enhancing support for children and families in need.
Today, David serves as a respected freelance consultant, collaborating with a diverse range of voluntary sector clients on multifaceted projects. His expertise encompasses various areas, including income generation, governance, and stakeholder management.
David's insights extend to the governance of charities, where he has observed the challenges faced by trustees, especially those who have excelled in other sectors and find themselves navigating leadership and HR issues. He emphasises that the traditional governance model, rooted in a 19th-century Victorian framework, faces immense pressure, especially in the context of large multinational organisations. The reliance on volunteer trustees, who often have additional responsibilities, is increasingly under scrutiny. The need for a more contemporary and adaptable approach to governance is evident, given the complexity and diversity of today's charitable landscape.
David's journey and perspective provide invaluable insights into the world of hospices and the charitable sector, shedding light on the challenges and transformations within the industry.
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Lisa Gagliani MBE, the CEO of Independent Arts, has embarked on a remarkable career journey driven by a sense of purpose. Her professional path has evolved from an initial interest in the food industry to roles within the enterprise landscape, where she supported businesses, and eventually, she transitioned into leadership roles within non-profit organisations.
Throughout her career, Lisa has worn various hats, from leading prominent national charities to her current role as the leader of a small arts charity on the Isle of Wight. Renowned as a 'straight shooter,' she is deeply passionate about her work and takes pride in her versatile, hands-on approach to charity leadership.
Lisa's journey started with a dual-subject degree in home economics and philosophy of education, igniting her fervour for nutrition and education. She initially delved into the food industry, working for a health food company that placed a strong emphasis on nutritious products. Her zeal for promoting healthy eating and improving dietary choices played a pivotal role in shaping her professional journey.
During a period of her career, Lisa's role involved supporting Tupperware distributors, offering her invaluable insights into empowering small localbusinesses and the dynamics of franchising.
However, as her family's priorities shifted, she revaluated her career. No longer willing to spend extended periods away from home, she dedicated a fulfilling decade to working at the Kingston Chamber of Commerce. Throughout this period, Lisa's entrepreneurial spirit and ardent commitment to supporting businesses and enterprise became unmistakably evident.
A pivotal moment in her career unfolded when she joined Bright Ideas Trust, an organisation with a core focus on nurturing young entrepreneurs. Her impactful contributions significantly empowered disadvantaged youth, enabling them to venture into entrepreneurship and establish their businesses.
Lisa's commitment to the charity sector earned her an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). The recognition highlighted her contributions, particularly her role in leading a charity that empowered disadvantaged young individuals to launch their enterprises. Although the charity, Bright Ideas Trust, is no longer in operation, its legacy remains indelible.
Reflecting on the unforgettable MBE award ceremony, Lisa recalls, "Receiving the MBE was a truly unexpected honour. In a brief one-on-one exchange, Her Majesty (the Queen) likened my work to what Prince Charles does, referencing the Prince's Trust and its support for small businesses. It was a delightful moment."
Subsequently, Lisa took on the role of CEO at the Childhood Trust, dedicating just over two years to London's child poverty charity. Her role was dedicated to alleviating the impact of poverty on children and young people in the capital.
Today, as the CEO of Independent Arts, Lisa continues her mission to empower vulnerable individuals and foster connections through the arts on a very local level on the Isle of Wight where she lives. Her primary focus, along with her team, revolves around enhancing well-being, reducing social isolation, and improving the overall quality of life.
Beyond her professional achievements, Lisa enjoys a fulfilling personal life, marked by marriage to a professional landscape painter and the pride of being a mother to two grown sons and two cherished small dogs.
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Every year, an alarming 12 million young girls are forced into marriage before they even reach the age of 18.Doing something about this is, VOW for Girls CEO Clay Dunn who joins Purposely to share his charities vision and mission, which is a world where no child is ever forced into matrimony, and that they will play a crucial role in eradicating child marriage, to give each and every girl the right to shape her own destiny.
So how do they do this? VOW for Girls collaborates with brands, individuals, and the wedding industry to raise vital funds that will help to extinguish theinternational child marriage crisis.
The roots of this impactful charity trace back to its two visionary founders, including Darren Walker, the President of the FordFoundation, and Mabel van Oranje, a passionate human rights activist. Their remarkable journey began with an "aha moment" at a wedding, where acouple selflessly requested donations in lieu of gifts. This moment ignited the question: What if they could unite the wedding industry with their ferventlychampioned cause and effectively put an end to the harrowing international child marriage crisis? Darren Walker, the President of the Ford Foundation,immediately pledged his support. And thus, VOW for Girls was born—an ever-growing global movement that collaborates with both brands andindividuals, all bound together by a common vow to safeguard the future, pledging to put an end to child marriage worldwide. VOW for Girls is a solemnvow made for the betterment of generations to come.
Clay Dunn, the Chief Executive Officer of VOW for Girls, shares the organisation's mission and impact and takes us on a journey through his ownleadership journey. Clay's path led him from a marketing executive in the entertainment industry to his pivotal role as the head of this impactfulnon-profit.
Clay Dunn, appointed CEO in 2019, marking the organisation's very first chief executive. Under his stewardship, VOW has witnessed remarkablegrowth, expanding its team, developing a community of loyal supporters, forging crucial partnerships. VOW for Girls has raised and distributed millions to help hundreds of girls across the Globe, funding 170+ transformative projects spanning across 6 countries, profoundly touching the lives of an astounding 260,000 young girls.
Before joining VOW, Clay devoted nearly a decade to the No Kid Hungry campaign, a movement aimed at ending childhood hunger in America, wherehe was an integral member of the founding team. During his tenure, the campaign's annual revenues surged to an impressive $80 million. Prior to hisjourney into purpose-driven work, Clay had a successful career as a marketing and entertainment executive, culminating with a role at National GeographicChannels. A native of Kentucky, Clay now calls Brooklyn home, where he resides with his husband, cherishing the opportunity to explore the vibrant tapestry of experiences that New York City offers.
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Sir Stephen Bubbs remarkable journey from a union representative to a leading advocate for charity CEOs and their organisation's is a testament to his unwavering commitment to positive change and the sector. We explore his decades-long advocacy for the 'Third Sector,' his influential role in shaping government policies, and his latest mission to establish the world's first-ever Research Institute dedicated to charity at New College Oxford.
Championing the 'Third Sector': For decades, Sir Stephen fearlessly challenged authority and championed the cause of the charity sector. He shares anecdotes of standing up to the UK Prime Minister via a Minister when he believed that the government's actions were a smokescreen for funding cuts. With unwavering support from his board and the sector, Sir Stephen refused to back down from his criticisms, firmly believing in defending the sector's interests.
Sir Stephen's tenure as the Chief Executive of ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) spanned fifteen influential years until 2016. In this role, he wielded significant influence in shaping government policies related to the third sector's involvement in delivering public services.
During his time at ACEVO, one significant challenge Sir Stephen faced was battling misconceptions about overhead costs in the charity sector. He emphasised the importance of core costs and reserves, underlining those successful charities, like any other organisations, require resources for effective governance and leadership.
Sir Stephen's mission extends beyond financial matters; he aims to change perceptions about charities. The stereotype of charities as small-scale, volunteer-driven entities is being challenged. Charities play a vital role in society, deserving serious academic attention.
Leaving ACEVO, Sir Stephen embarked on a new mission to launch a research institute for charity, what has become the Gradel Institute of Charity at New College Oxford, named after the investment leader Chris Gradel, co-founder of the successful Pacific Investment Group.
The Gradel Institute of Charity is set to be a pioneering institution on a global scale. Unlike many research centres focused primarily on philanthropy and giving, this institute places a unique emphasis on charities as organisations. It prioritises leadership, governance, and impact assessment—often overlooked but crucial elements for an organization's success.
Beyond Research: They aim to bridge the education gap by offering graduate and postgraduate programs, filling a void in academia. Sir Stephen believes that despite people's enthusiasm for charity work, there has been a lack of structured education tosupport their aspirations.
Sir Stephen's commitment to philanthropy and compassionate leadership shines through his diverse portfolio of roles. He chaired the Social Investment Business, the UK's largest social investor, and served as a trustee at the Helen and Douglas HouseHospice, recognized as the world's first children's hospice.
National Influence: Sir Stephen's influence extends beyond the charitable sector. He played a pivotal role in shaping national policies, including reporting on choice and competition in the NHS for the Prime Minister in 2011. In 2014, his majorreport titled 'Winterbourne View – Time for Action' advocated for radical reforms in the care of individuals with learning disabilities. His nationalroles at TGWU, NUT, AMA, and his founding role at the National Lottery Charities Board further underscore his dedication to public service and advocacy.
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Kate Brown, a prominent figure in corporate philanthropy, recently joined the Purposely Podcast to shed light on her career journey with Grosvenor. Her story is one of evolution, from commercial and sustainability-focused roles to her current position leading their community and charitable initiatives. Kate's unwavering commitment is dedicated to supporting young lives and addressing systemic challenges. Although most of her work for Grosvenor has been in the UK, she spent ten transformative years in Sydney, Australia.
Kate's role as the Westminster Foundation & Philanthropy Director places her at the helm of an independent organisation representing the charitable activities of The Duke of Westminster and Grosvenor businesses. Kate is well-positioned to fulfil their mission of supporting and empowering young people. The Foundation's central mission revolves around providing enduring, sustainable support and guidance to vulnerable individuals aged 0-25 and their families, equipping them with the skills needed for healthy lives.
While their primary focus is on Westminster, Chester, and rural communities in the UK, the Westminster Foundation extends its support to national organizations addressing long-term systemic challenges affecting children and young people. This dual approach ensures that the Foundation's impact is both localized and geared toward driving systemic change.
The Westminster Foundation donates approximately £7 million per year (with increased contributions during the pandemic) to organisations focused on the needs of disadvantaged young people. Their approach is rooted in collaboration with the charities they support. Notable examples of organisations they have partnered with include Jamie’s Farm and Depaul UK.
Jamie’s Farm, situated in Box, Wiltshire, is a therapeutic farm that hosts groups of young people from inner cities. The immersive experience provided by Jamie’s Farm is focused on instigating positive changes in the perceptions, attitudes, and self-esteem of children and young people. On the other hand, Depaul UK, based in Westminster, empowers young people at risk of homelessness through emergency accommodation and prevention work in schools.
Beyond financial support, the Foundation seeks to boost partner organisations by providing access to valuable resources. Grosvenor's 'Fivefields' project is a prime example of this commitment, designed to create a flexible workspace tailored to the needs of charities and social impact organizations. Located in London's Victoria area, Fivefields aligns seamlessly with the Westminster Foundation's mission to uplift vulnerable young people.
Initiated by the Duke of Westminster, the Fivefields project combines Grosvenor's property expertise and resources with the Westminster Foundation's philanthropic leadership. The building will be managed by flexible workspace specialists x+why, a B Corp certified company.
Anticipated to open in Autumn 2023, Fivefields will provide a conducive environment for like-minded charities to collaborate, network, and grow.
Kate Brown looks ahead with enthusiasm and hope, committed to her role and leadership of the Westminster Foundation. She recognises the pressing issues that young people face and takes inspiration from impactful projects she can visit. Kate emphasises the inspiration she derives from the charities they partner with and support, reinforcing her dedication to nurturing young lives through corporate philanthropy.
‘Seeing the world through the eyes of children is so powerful be that my own children or the children we support through the (work) of the foundation’
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Leading the English Family Foundation and serving as the Chairperson of Action Aid Australia, Belinda Morrissey emerges as a dynamic force for positive transformation in a world characterized by persistent economic disparities and looming environmental challenges. Her unwavering belief in the capacity of social enterprise to forge a fair, inclusive, and sustainable economy underscores her inspiring journey through investment, corporate purpose, and her current philanthropic focus on social enterprise.
The English Family Foundation, established in 2010 thanks to the generosity of Allan and Tessa English, stands at the crossroads of business success and social responsibility. The foundation's inception stemmed from the benevolent act of donating half of the family's shareholding in Silver Chef Limited, a company founded by Allan in 1986. Silver Chef, an ASX-listed B Corp accredited firm, held a central mission of providing equipment funding for the hospitality industry in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. This unique fusion of commercial success and unwavering commitment to social welfare laid thecornerstone for Belinda's subsequent endeavours.
Belinda assumed her role at the English Family Foundation in 2013, bringing with her a wealth of experience from diverse philanthropic roles and a steadfast dedication to furthering education, particularly in philanthropy and social enterprise. Over the past decade, her journey in the philanthropic and purpose-driven sectors has been defined by an unwavering commitment to driving positive social change.
Prior to embarking on her philanthropic path, Belinda cultivated a distinguished career in investment management spanning three continents. Armedwith a Bachelor of Arts in economics and postgraduate qualifications in philanthropy, applied investment, and financial accounting, she waswell-equipped to embark on her new mission.
One of Belinda's most noteworthy achievements lies in her leadership of systems-wide initiatives, with the Social Enterprise National Strategy (SENS) being a standout example. This groundbreaking initiative aims to cultivate an environment conducive to the flourishing of social enterprises, enabling them to address societal issues with greater efficacy. Belinda envisions an ecosystem in which social enterprises receive the "right capital at theright time," thus ensuring their growth and impact.
Belinda ardently champions ‘engaged philanthropy’ in Australia, advocating for collaboration between philanthropic organizations and the social enterprise sector. It’s clear that communities are confronting significant challenges. Traditional philanthropy of ‘cheque-writing’ is insufficient to solve the problems we face. Instead, she encourages us to consider what might be possible if we contributed our intellectual and social capital alongside our financial resources; if we pooled charitable contributions from multiple sources to provide more substantial grants to organisations leading social change.
Her commitment to this concept is manifest in her diverse board positions. She serves as Chair of ActionAid Australia and holds a position on the Board of Scaling Impact. Through these roles, she actively contributes to the development of strategiesthat drive social change on a larger scale.
Belinda demonstrates that by harnessing the potential of social enterprises and fostering collaboration between philanthropy and purpose-driven organisations, we can indeed create a more just, inclusive, and sustainable economy thatleaves no one behind. Through her visionary leadership and unwavering dedication, Belinda Morrissey illuminates the path toward a brighter future for all of us.
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Paul Streets OBE, CEO of Lloyds Bank Foundation, leads a corporate foundation that represents a modern approach to purpose-driven initiatives. In the UK, there are over 100 corporate foundations, each unique in size, income generation methods, and impact strategies. In England and Wales, corporate foundations function as independent charities with their own boards and staff, registered with the Charity Commission, following a similar model worldwide.
Traditionally, corporate foundations were primarily seen as vehicles for corporate giving and employee volunteering. However, today's corporate foundations operate independently and prioritise addressing critical societal issues, even if they don't align entirely with the corporate entity's goals. Corporate foundations are guided by need, supported by research, and staffed by professionals who deeply understand the causes they support, resulting in ambitious, innovative, and cutting-edge approaches to making a difference.
One of the largest corporate foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, has a history nearing four decades, annually donating more than £20 million to charitable causes in England and Wales. Despite its affiliation with the founding FTSE 100 company, it operates with its own distinct purpose, organisational structure, independent board, and executive team. These elements drive its grant-making activities, fulfilling its mission to assist small, local charities, individuals, and communities.
Paul Streets OBE, CEO of Lloyds Bank Foundation, joins Purposely Podcast to share his journey across various sectors, from the voluntary and public sectors to international development, human rights, professional and service regulation, and health and social care. His diverse experiences include leadership roles at organisations like Diabetes UK, the Health Development Agency, and the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board. He also holds an Honorary Visiting Professorship at Cass Business School, City University of London, and serves as a Member of the BBC Appeals Advisory Committee. With four degrees and an OBE for his services to people with diabetes, Paul's commitment to social impact is evident.
Under Paul's leadership, Lloyds Bank Foundation is dedicated to partnering with small grassroots charities and collaborating with local organisations and communities. This collaborative approach ensures that individuals facing complex challenges receive the necessary support and opportunities to overcome them.
At the core of their work is a focus on the needs and aspirations of the people they aim to assist. Their strategy revolves around strengthening small and local charities, advocating for a better future, and supporting community growth. They achieve this through unrestricted funding, organisational development support, and policy advocacy, empowering small charities, fostering resilient communities, and helping individuals transform their lives.
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Tracy Clark, CEO of Young Gloucestershire (YG), has joined Purposely to share her remarkable journey in non-profit leadership and her organisation's mission to empower young people throughout the county to realise their full potential.
Tracy is an inspiring and purpose-driven leader, embodying the ideal qualities of a charitable leadership including empathy, lived experience, a commitment to growth, both personally and as a leader. She places a strong emphasis on valuing and respecting young individuals and their unique challenges. Tracy takes pride in her ability to deeply understand the issues faced by the individuals her charity serves.
What stands out is Tracy's ability to connect with people from all walks of life. She navigates comfortably when dealing with government officials, business leaders, boards of trustees, or high-net-worth donors in the more affluent areas of the county.
Tracy's distinctive background and life experiences make her the perfect candidate to lead a grassroots charity, a role she has successfully filled for over a decade. Despite numerous challenges, including funding shortages, a rising cost of living, and the global pandemic that has exacerbated mental health issues among young people, she continues to lead YG with unwavering energy. Her effectiveness in this role was so remarkable that she was entrusted with a second role as the part-time CEO of Infobuzz, another local charity focused on transforming lives.
Young Gloucestershire was established following the merger of two youth groups in the 1940s. For over eighty years, it has been inspiring young people in both rural and urban settings, including cities, towns, and villages.
Tracy humbly deflects the claim that she is the ideal charity leader, instead emphasising her focus on aiding young people facing the most significant life challenges—those stemming from socio-economic issues, psychological abuse, or neglect. These are young individuals often living on the fringes of society, brimming with potential but uncertain about how they can contribute to society or lead fulfilled, purposeful lives. YG achieves this through a range of services, either provided directly or on behalf of other organisations like the Prince's Trust, where they offer a 12-week engagement program for young individuals not engaged in education, employment, or training, helping them discover motivation and become the best versions of themselves.
Many of the young people they assist come from tumultuous home environments, are caregivers for family members, or are grappling with mental health challenges. Young people turn to YG for support, and the organization assists them in practical ways, helping them build the confidence and skills necessary to reorient their lives toward gainful employment, education, or training.
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Introducing Angus Crowther and Neil Pharaoh, Co-founders of Tanck, a consultancy firm transforming government engagement and advocacy for purpose-led organisations.Tanck's mission is to empower purpose-led organisations by providing the know-how and the strategy for impactful government engagement. The is B Corp certified consultancy firm is on a mission to level the playing field by countering the influence of lobbyists and private interests that often shape policy decisions.United by their shared dedication to positive change, Angus Crowther and Neil Pharaoh are reshaping the dynamics of government engagement for purpose-led organisations.In a world grappling with urgent environmental crises and profound social issues, the role of charities and purpose-led organisations has become unparalleled. These entities champion the voices of stakeholders who often lack direct avenues to connect with policymakers and governments. Effective government engagement bridges the gap between their aspirations and the decisions that shape our society.Embedded within social purpose organisations is an innate commitment to democracy's preservation and promotion. Their work not only confronts critical social challenges but also empowers the public with accessible information, facilitating informed decisions and tangible actions. The charity sectorassumes a pivotal role by holding both public and private sectors accountable, ensuring that policies align with broader societal interests.Angus Crowther brings a unique perspective rooted in his background as a policy and political advisor. His diverse portfolio spans vital sectors, showcasing versatility and deep comprehension of societal complexities. Beyond politics, Angus is a passionate advocate for the LGBTIQ+ community, aligning his personal journey with professional ambitions, driving his commitment to meaningful societal shifts.Equally passionate, co-founder Neil Pharaoh drives government engagement and advocacy. With an extensive background spanning social purpose, government, public policy, and advocacy, Neil's leadership roles position him as a catalyst for transformative change. His efforts span crucial domains, including child welfare, education, refugee support, and LGBTIQ+ issues.Neil's influence extends beyond campaigns, notably within the LGBTIQ+ philanthropic group GiveOUT and his contributions to legislative reforms. His pivotal role in founding Tanck in 2021 underscores his dedication to positive transformation.As Tanck continues to empower organisations dedicated to societal transformation, the combined legacies of Angus and Neil resonate. They hope their commitment will reshape how purpose-led organisations interact with governments, paving a path toward a promising future defined by positive change.
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Stephanie Pow, the founder and CEO of Crayon, joins the Purposely to share her mission and her remarkable career journey. At the heart of Crayon, a groundbreaking online platform, lies a commitment: empowering parents to seize financial success. Stephanie, an accomplished Harvard graduate and former stockbroker, embarked on this transformative journey fuelled by her own parental experiences.
Despite working in the finance industry, Stephanie was confronted unforeseen economic questions when she became a parent, ones she wasn’t prepared to answer. At the same time she realised that countless parents grappled with similar unanticipated financial challenges. This recognition, especially prevalent in her home base of New Zealand, exposed the pivotal role finances play in parents' pivotal decisions. Strikingly, a staggering 70% of mothers compromise their desired parental leave due to financial constraints. Fathers, sharing aspirations of extended parental leave, often curtail their plans due to economic pressures. This glaring reality underscored the urgency for a solution that could furnish parents with the tools to effectively navigate these intricacies.
Crayon's impact-driven mission takes concrete form through three pivotal pillars:
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Parental Leave Policy Transparency: Crayon unveiled the New Zealand Parental Leave Register—a one-of-a-kind resource spotlighting the parental leave policies of over 220 employers. This innovative platform emboldens parents to make well-informed career and family decisions, erasing awkwardness during interviews or discussions with employers.
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Financial Baby Prep Program: Acknowledging the dearth of financial readiness among new parents, Crayon unveiled a comprehensive financial baby prep program. This financial antenatal class empowers parents with insights and tools crucial to navigating the intricate financial landscapes accompanying parenthood.
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Free Resources and Tools: Crayon's website is a treasure trove of complimentary resources and tools catering to various financial facets of parenting.
Stephanie's journey into entrepreneurship wasn't a linear trajectory. Initially she focused her efforts purely on investment solutions, she adroitly shifted her focus towards aiding parents in cultivating deliberate financial strategies during life's pivotal moments. Stephanie astutely identified that moments like parenthood prompt individuals to evaluate their financial standing with greater depth.
Stephanie's purpose-driven approach is influenced by her family. Her late mother's community-centric spirit and her father's unwavering ethics kindled a sense of responsibility and contribution. Her grandparents also, particularly her enterprising grandfather, who surmounted adversity, ignited Stephanie's willingness to be a risk-taking at the same time embrace integrity and purpose.
Looking into Crayon's future, Stephanie envisions a global reach for its influence. Expansion is on the horizon, and she underscores the importance of deploying localised, impactful solutions. Crayon's grand mission is to provide comprehensive financial guidance, ensuring accessibility for all, regardless of their financial background or status.
Stephanie Pow's narrative stands as a testament to the monumental potential achieved when personal purpose harmonises with community-focused entrepreneurship and innovation. As she navigates the complex terrain of parenting and finances, her journey provides inspiration for all those seeking to transform their purpose into real-world change.
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Leading a Sector to Deliver Positive Impact: Gemma Bull and Tom Steinberg, Founders of Modern Grantmaking.
In the pursuit of fostering positive change and meaningful impact within the grant-making sector, Gemma Bull and Tom Steinberg have united to form Modern Grantmaking. They both joined Purposely to share their journey as well as their mission to empower individuals within the sector to transform the grant making sector and deliver greater impact.
Gemma and Tom's familiarity with the charitable sector and grant making is deeply ingrained. They met when they both held senior positions at the UK National Lottery Fund, following their prior experiences in senior leadership and governance roles within the sector.
The culmination of their shared insights, coupled with their expertise in philanthropy and social change, has propelled them to establish their own education and consultancy venture. This endeavor is complemented by the publication of their book, "Modern Grantmaking – A Guide for Funders Who Believe Better Is Possible." United by a shared vision, Gemma and Tom aimed to confront the inefficiencies and constraints pervasive in the traditional grant-making landscape. Forthright, they portray the grant-making domain as an arena populated by "dedicated employees trapped within a creaking system and outdated conventions." They spotlight the lack of professional advancement, alongside a paucity of innovation and outdated methodologies stifling the sector's capacity to engender positive impact.
Beyond serving as a practical guide for enhancing grant-making practices, their book delves into the significance of values. These values, they contend, are pivotal in reshaping how funders catalyse positive change and address social and environmental challenges.
Conceived during the throes of the pandemic, the book aims to disrupt entrenched norms while simultaneously empowering both grant makers and grantees. Their mission revolves around amplifying transparency and optimising the impact of each dollar disbursed. Their efforts facilitate astute decision-making, empowering grant makers to allocate resources judiciously and enabling grantees to channel their energies into their missions, unburdened by administrative encumbrances.
Driven by a resolute desire to empower change agents, "Modern Grantmaking" stands as a call for transformation within the philanthropic sector. It assumes the role of a comprehensive guide, fostering contemplation across diverse facets of a grant maker's role – from strategising and cultivating relationships with grantees, colleagues, and boards, to honing research, management, and self-development skills.
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Every year in New Zealand, around 5,000 children are born prematurely. Some of these babies come into the world as early as 23 weeks into pregnancy and weigh as little as 500 grams. These tiny new-borns face a tough battle for survival and often need to spend a long time in neonatal intensive care units. While doctors and hospitals take care of their medical needs, there's often a missing piece: the comprehensive support that parents and families require to navigate the many challenges that come with premature birth.
Stepping in to fill this important gap is the Little Miracles Trust. This organisation offers crucial assistance to families dealing with the intricate practical and emotional aspects of premature births. While medical professionals focus on the babies' health, Little Miracles Trust provides the essential help that parents and families need to handle the unique challenges that premature birth brings.
Meet Rachel Friend, the CEO of the Little Miracles Trust, who joins Purposely to talk about her organisation's story and her own experience as a mother of a prematurely born child.
Rachel's journey has been quite remarkable. She used to work in the corporate world, but her path took a new direction when she became a mother. This personal experience motivated her to transition from her corporate career to leading a charity.
Rachel's shift in focus was driven by her own real-life challenges. She had to navigate the complexities of caring for her son, Rueben, who was born prematurely. This experience gave her a deep understanding of the difficulties and emotions that parents of premature babies go through. This understanding and empathy are crucial in her role, where she ensures that her organisation provides the right services to support others in similar situations.
A central part of their mission is to guide parents through the often-challenging journey of premature birth while offering comprehensive support in various forms. Many members of the Little Miracles Trust team, like Rachel, have first-hand experience with this journey, which gives them a deep understanding of both the practical and emotional challenges involved. Their primary focus is on supporting parents whose infants require neonatal intensive care within specialised units in New Zealand. The main objective is to ease the burden and lessen the traumatic impacts on these families. The scope of assistance they provide is wide-ranging, encompassing the sharing of information, as well as practical, financial, and emotional aid.
In addition to their direct support for families, the Trust also contributes to the advancement of neonatal-related medical research. This commitment lays the groundwork for innovations that have the potential to positively impact the lives of both prematurely born infants and their families.
Rachel's journey goes beyond just overcoming challenges; it stands as a testament to resilience and compassion. Her transformation from a mother grappling with the uncertainties of premature birth to her role as CEO of the Little Miracles Trust highlights the remarkable ability to turn adversity into a catalyst for positive change. Rachel's unwavering dedication to her mission has sparked a ripple effect of increased awareness and support, inspiring numerous families to find hope even in the face of adversity.
As the Little Miracles Trust looks toward the future, their determination to expand their influence remains steadfast. Rachel's leadership has played a crucial role in guiding the organisation's growth; however, she is due to stand down from the CEO role at the end of the year (2023) and transitioning to a trustee role on the board.
Rachel will continue to play a role in the Trust's strategic direction, while a new CEO takes the helm to oversee daily operations and guide their future services.
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The team at Purposely is delighted to present an episode of the UK-based Charity Impact Podcast featuring the remarkable serial social entrepreneur, Ruth Ibegbuna.
In this interview, host Alex Blake takes us on a journey through Ruth Ibegbuna's inspiring life, where she has founded multiple organisations including Reclaim Project, Roots Programme, Rekindle School, and Northern Soul. Ruth shares her transition from being a teacher to becoming a dedicated social entrepreneur, emphasising the vital role of listening to communities and addressing their unique needs. Through her experiences, she highlights the significance of balancing grassroots care with thought leadership, resulting in a positive and lasting impact in the realm of social change.
Fundraising and board meetings can indeed be daunting challenges for any social entrepreneur, but in this conversation, Alex and Ruth delve into invaluable insights on building strong relationships with funders and assembling the right individuals for your organisation's board. They touch upon key strategies that have brought remarkable successes to Ruth's ventures, which have in turn led to significant changes in the communities they serve. Ruth shares the transformative power of embracing difficult conversations when necessary and adopting a genuine and authentic approach in professional settings.
Moreover, the discussion takes a closer look at the importance of taking risks and fostering a culture of learning within the realm of social entrepreneurship. Ruth sheds light on Rekindle School, a groundbreaking initiative operating alongside the regular school curriculum, providing young people with a safe space to explore critical topics such as feminism, toxic masculinity, and race.
Throughout the conversation, Alex and Ruth also highlight the significance of finding useful resources for social entrepreneurs and the undeniable power of taking action by connecting with organisations that are making a positive impact.
If you're looking for inspiration to elevate your own organisation's impact, don't miss out on this enlightening conversation with Ruth Ibegbuna. Join Alex Blake and get ready to be inspired by Ruth's extraordinary journey and her unwavering dedication to making the world a better place.
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In the ever-evolving world of payments processing, characterised by constant innovation and technological advancements, there emerges a standout startup with a unique approach and a charitable mission. Give Credit, a US-based payments processing company that not only delivers payment solutions but also generates vital funds for non-profit organisations.
Co-founder and CEO Duncan Morley Bruce joined Purposely Podcast to share his company’s mission as well as his personal story. Duncan is a driven and charismatic person who is determined to reshape the role of business, with more of a focus on making a positive impact on bringing about positive social change.
Before diving into the area of entrepreneurship and payments processing, Duncan Morley Bruce's life was centred around his passion for music and performing. From a young age, he was drawn to the art of singing, song writing, and creativity. As a child, Duncan's love for music was evident, and he began writing songs as early as the age of 10.
Duncan's foray into the music industry was successful and he achieved notable accolades, including becoming a three-time Billboard charting artist, with his song "Find You Now" featuring Rick Ross reaching the top 10 on the Billboard charts. Additionally, Duncan had the privilege of collaborating with renowned artists like DJ Paul Oakenfold and DJ Scribble.
While Duncan's was having some success with his music career, he never lost sight of his desire to make a difference in the world. One of his most significant achievements in music was a song called "Give Me a Sign," where he aimed to raise awareness about homelessness and poverty. Duncan allocated a portion of the record's proceeds to the charity "Why Poverty," showcasing his passion for philanthropy even within the realm of music.
However, as time passed and the music industry became more and more challenging and unforgiving, Duncan felt a calling to do more than inspire through music. He wanted to leverage his creative background and entrepreneurial mindset to create a lasting impact beyond the realm of entertainment. With a family to care for and a desire to make a tangible difference, Duncan eventually made the decision to transition from the music industry to a more purpose-driven path.
The idea behind Give Credit came to fruition with Duncan's realisation that the payments industry held tremendous untapped potential for driving positive change. Along with his co-founder, Robert Nekoroski set out to create a payment processing company that went beyond simply facilitating transactions. Give Credit is designed to make a lasting impact by channelling a percentage of every transaction towards supporting charitable causes and social initiatives.
Duncan believes that Give Credit's innovative approach to payments processing, combined with its commitment to social responsibility, will transform everyday transactions into a means of generating funds for worthy causes.
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In the realm of social enterprises, there are visionary leaders driven by a deep desire to make a positive impact on society based on their own life experiences. Sasha Lockley, the founder and CEO of Money Sweetspot, is one such remarkable individual. Based in New Zealand, Money Sweetspot is a trailblazing social enterprise that aims to empower individuals and communities to achieve financial wellness.
Sasha's journey as a social entrepreneur was inspired by her early years and her own family story, which connected her to the struggles faced by her customers at Money Sweetspot.
Her father, who owned a bus company in Stafford, England, faced challenging times when Sasha's grandfather unexpectedly passed away. To help run the family dairy farm, Sasha's father had to put his own business on hold, leading to significant financial struggles that eventually resulted in bankruptcy. Sasha emphasises that such incidents can happen to anyone, and her father was not at fault; rather, he was a good person who encountered unfortunate circumstances.
Originally from the UK, Sasha immigrated to New Zealand, initially intending for it to be a temporary move. However, while working in finance roles there, she witnessed first-hand the financial challenges that individuals and families face. This experience ignited her determination to create a solution that would bridge the gap and empower people to achieve financial freedom.
The idea for Money Sweetspot took shape when Sasha realised that traditional financial services often failed to meet the needs of underserved and vulnerable populations. Recognising the potential of technology and innovative approaches, she set out to create a platform that would revolutionise the way people managed their money and coped with debt.
At the core of Money Sweetspot's mission lies the belief that financial wellness should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or income level. The platform offers personalized financial guidance, budgeting tools, and resources, empowering users to set achievable financial goals and work towards them with confidence.
Sasha's journey as a social entrepreneur was not without challenges. Building a social enterprise from scratch requires resilience and determination. However, Sasha's unwavering commitment to her vision and the positive impact Money Sweetspot could have on people's lives kept her motivated.
Today, Money Sweetspot is making a significant impact in New Zealand and beyond. Within months of its official launch, this innovative debt consolidation social enterprise has already provided nearly $3 million in loans to New Zealanders grappling with unmanageable debt. The platform has helped countless individuals gain control over their finances, reduce debt, and build a more secure financial future.
Beyond providing financial tools and resources, Money Sweetspot actively collaborates with community organisations and educational institutions to promote financial literacy. Through workshops, seminars, and partnerships, the social enterprise is on a mission to create a financially empowered society that can navigate life's challenges with confidence and resilience.
As Money Sweetspot continues to grow and touch the lives of more people, Sasha's story serves as an inspiration for aspiring social entrepreneurs to follow their vision and turn their dreams into reality. Through her remarkable journey, Sasha Lockley exemplifies the profound impact one individual can make in shaping a better tomorrow for all.
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In the world of philanthropy and social impact, there are pioneers who go above and beyond to make a difference. One such visionary is Mary Rose Gunn, the founder and CEO of The Fore. With a unique approach to funding and empowering small charities and social enterprises, Mary Rose has dedicated her career to driving positive change. In this blog post, we explore Mary Rose's remarkable journey, the impact of The Fore, and her unwavering commitment to creating a better future.
Unleashing Potential: Founded in 2017, The Fore is a trailblazing charity that stands out for its innovative approach. Mary Rose Gunn saw the need for a different kind of funding model – one that goes beyond traditional grants. Drawing inspiration from venture capital practices, The Fore provides early-stage seed capital to social entrepreneurs who are tackling pressing societal and environmental issues. By identifying and supporting promising ventures, The Fore helps these organisations unleash their full potential and create significant social impact.
A Comprehensive Package of Support: The Fore doesn't just offer financial assistance; it provides a comprehensive package of support. Through tailored business support and access to a network of mentors, The Fore empowers organisations to overcome challenges and thrive in their respective fields. Mary Rose Gunn understands the power of collaboration and the value of a strong support system. She speaks highly of her team and acknowledges the expertise and experience of her Board of Trustees, recognising that their collective effort has been instrumental in The Fore's success.
A Catalyst for Transformative Social Change: Under Mary Rose Gunn's leadership, The Fore UK has already made a profound impact on numerous organisations. By scalingoperations, enhancing capabilities, and making a tangible difference in the communities they serve, these organisations have become agents of transformative social change. The Fore UK fosters a culture of collaboration and learning, serving as a catalyst for positive and lasting impact.
Mary Rose Gunn's passion for philanthropy and social change is infectious. She actively engages with individuals from various sectors, including business, charity, and the public sector. Drawing inspiration from their diverse experiences, Mary Rose embraces the power of different perspectives and recognizes the contributions of individuals working across different industries. This collaborative mindset has been instrumental in The Fore's success and positive impact.
A Vision for the Future: Mary Rose's vision for The Fore extends far beyond the present. She envisions a future where The Fore supports 1000 more exceptional small charities and social enterprises. By "moving the needle," she believes that together, they can create a significant and lasting positive change. Mary Rose emphasizes the importance of changing the narrative about problem-solving, investing in communities, and embracing local solutions. She envisions a society where individuals have agency and the power to effect change from the grassroots level.
Inspiring a Shared Vision: Through her remarkable journey, Mary Rose Gunn continues to inspire individuals and organisations to embrace innovation, collaboration, and a shared vision for a better future.
Mary Rose Gunn's journey with The Fore is a testament to the power of disruptive thinking and collaborative action. Through her visionary approach, she has empowered small charities and social enterprises to reach their full potential and make a meaningful difference in society.
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Introducing Kirk Sargent, the CEO of First Foundation, a New Zealand-based charity committed to empowering talented disadvantaged young people to reach their full potential, and lead positive and fulfilling lives.
First Foundation achieves this through a comprehensive approach that includes providing financial assistance, paid work experience, and dedicated mentorship to bright young Kiwis who face challenges in accessing higher education.
Originally from Taranaki, a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island, Kirk now resides in Auckland, where the charity's headquarters are located. With a diverse career background spanning land, construction, and purpose-driven work, Kirk brings a wealth of experience to his role. Having worked in various countries including Fiji, Hawaii, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand, Kirk has witnessed first-hand the transformative power of entrepreneurial and innovative approaches in addressing social and environmental issues. These experiences have fostered in him a deep sense of empathy for different cultures and a resolute determination to contribute to a better world. First Foundation was established in 1998 by respected business leader Steven Carden, who recently re-joined the board of trustees to utilise his skills and experience in ensuring the charity's continued success and the well-being of the young people it supports.
Kirk acknowledges the numerous challenges faced by non-profit leaders, particularly the limited access to resources and funding. However, he expresses gratitude for the dedicated group of donors and corporate supporters who share the organisation's vision and contribute to First Foundation's important work. Kirk also highlights the challenging economic and social realities that underscore the value of First Foundation's efforts, especially considering the burden of student loans on individuals from low-income families. By providing financial assistance and removing barriers, First Foundation goes beyond covering university costs. Their support offers students and their families a sense of opportunity and acts as a powerful incentive for pursuing higher education.
Kirk talks about their goal to create a positive ripple effect that extends through generations. First Foundation scholars, often the first in their family to attend university, testify to the life-changing impact of the support provided by the charity's partners. Additionally, many scholars utilise their improved financial situations to support their parents, siblings, and wider family, further amplifying the far-reaching effects of contributions.
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Introducing Jamie Masraff, the dedicated CEO leading OnSide, a UK-based charity committed to empowering young people by providing them access to exceptional spaces and outstanding youth work. OnSide's primary goal is to support young individuals in leading positive and fulfilling lives, with a specific focus on those residing in areas facing significant challenges.
Jamie's journey to charity leadership has been unconventional, transitioning from corporate consultant to local authority leadership before ultimately making the conscious decision to shift sectors. Supported by his partner, he even accepted a pay cut to pursue his true calling. Joining the charity in 2017, Jamie has climbed the ranks at OnSide, assuming the role of CEO at the beginning of 2023. In our conversation with Jamie, we explore the unique trajectory of his career and delve into the inspiring work he spearheads at OnSide.
Jamie's initial role at OnSide focused on collaborating with business leaders, local councils, and community partners on to establish new Youth Zones across the country. His efforts bore fruit with the successful launch of OnSide's first three Youth Zones in London.
OnSide's story began over 130 years ago with the establishment of Bolton Lads and Girls Club in 1889. As one of the pioneering organisations in the North West providing a safe space for children and young people, the Club has become a haven for over 3,000 young individuals every week, operating 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. In 2006, the club approached serial entrepreneur Bill Holroyd to chair its board.
Recognising its immense potential, Bill embarked on a visionary quest to replicate and expand the trailblazing Youth Centre model to other towns and cities across the country. This vision gave birth to the charity OnSide, with Bill leading the charge in developing Youth Zones nationwide.
OnSide actively raises crucial funds to construct state-of-the-art Youth Zones in some of the UK's most disadvantaged areas. These Youth Zones serve as comprehensive youth centres, staffed by a dedicated team of professionals who wholeheartedly commit themselves to supporting young individuals. The overarching objective is to help young people unlock their full potential, develop essential life skills, build confidence, and nurture ambitious aspirations.
Growing up in Edinburgh, Jamie's personal drive to create equal opportunities greatly influenced his educational pursuits, leading him to earn an MPhil in International Development from Oxford University. Early in his career, Jamie worked closely with local councils, actively involved in driving significant projects such as the construction of schools, libraries, and community facilities. Witnessing the profound and positive impact of Youth Zones on young people in local communities, Jamie became captivated by OnSide's mission.
Jamie emphasises the practical side of OnSide's work, outlining their ambitious plans to develop youth zones in Bristol, Grimsby, London (White City), Crewe, Preston, Salford, Essex - Thurrock, and Barnsley within the next three years. These new youth zones will provide incredible dedicated spaces for young people in those areas.
Thanks to the Youth Investment Fund, the UK government's flagship capital funding for new facilities, they have secured significant funding. However, Jamie acknowledges that there is still more to raise, particularly for the running costs of these youth zones. Their goal is to establish strong financial foundations by bringing together businesses and philanthropists in each local area to support their youth.
'We strongly believe that youth workers are incredible individuals and they play a vital role in equipping young people with the skills they need for future employment, instilling confidence, and resilience, and fostering aspirations for a better life.'
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Introducing James Lewis, a prolific social entrepreneur, and the visionary founder and CEO of Action for Elders, a UK-based charity dedicated to empowering and enhancing the lives of older people. Through their impactful in-person programs, Action for Elders encourages physical activity, fosters social connections, and combats isolation and loneliness. James's career has been a fascinating blend of entertainment and philanthropy. As a former music broadcaster, he delighted audiences with his syndicated music show, reaching listeners across the Atlantic. Alongside his entertaining endeavours, James has been a catalyst for positive change, establishing and scaling various social enterprises and charities in both the UK and the United States, benefiting people of all ages. However, James's journey as a charity founder began with the establishment of a poignant organisation named in honour of his late son, Christian, who tragically lost his life to neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, at the age of 5. This charity aimed to improve the lives of children diagnosed with cancer, primarily by providing funding for specialist nurses who could offer vital support and care both in hospitals and at home. While the charity continues to exist today under the name "The Kids Cancer Charity," James has shifted his focus and dedication entirely to the growth and expansion of Action for Elders. Action for Elders strives to make a transformative difference in the lives of older individuals, aiming to support as many as possible. By promoting exercise, fostering social connections, and addressing the challenges of isolation and loneliness, the charity empowers older individuals to embrace a fulfilling and vibrant life.
Under James's determined leadership, Action for Elders has become a beacon of hope for isolated elders, providing essential programs and support. In addition to his charitable work, James maintains a prominent presence in the world of music. As a syndicated radio show host, he currently presents "A Soulful Experience with JL," a weekly show featured on over 30 stations worldwide. Through intimate and conversational interviews with renowned artists such as Gregory Porter, Jamie Cullum, Michael Bublé, and Jamie Foxx, James creates a uniquely engaging experience for his audience. Recognized for his remarkable achievements, James is a serial social entrepreneur. In 2002, he received the National 'Leading the Way' award in the UK, sponsored by the CBI, for his business endeavours focused on employing individuals considered challenging to employ. He also holds numerous board positions, including Vice Chair of Foothold Cymru, where he chairs the Finance and General Purposes Committee. James Lewis's contributions to society have been substantial, including his founding of The Kids Cancer Charity and his current leadership of Action for Elders. His dedication to making a positive impact in the lives of others is an inspiration to many.
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Introducing Rupert Abbott, Executive Director of GiveOut, a UK-based community foundation dedicated to supporting people's human rights, people whose rights have been denied because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Rupert is a passionate advocate for the human rights movement, having started his career as a trainee solicitor and now leading the way for individuals who seek to make a positive impact on people's lives. Rupert shares his personal journey as a gay man and his extensive career, which has taken him across the globe, with a notable focus on Cambodia and his latest role as a philanthropy leader.
Established in 2018 by founder and current Chair Elliot Vaughn MBE, GiveOut is committed to global human rights activism. They actively search for initiatives and opportunities, conduct due diligence, and pool funds from generous donors to support these efforts. GiveOut has successfully funded almost 40 organisations worldwide. Their impactful work was recognised early on when they received a new charity breakout award, acknowledging their unique and innovative approach to cause-focused philanthropy.
GiveOut's mission is to foster the growth of support for LGBTQI human rights globally. Unfortunately, in many countries, LGBTQI individuals face severe human rights abuses simply for being themselves. Rupert discusses a recent example, the alarming situation in Uganda, where a new law has been passed, imposing harsh jail terms and even the death penalty for same-sex relations. However, he emphasises that there are remarkable organisations in nearly every country tirelessly working to defend LGBTQI individuals, address inequalities, and advocate for lasting change. He highlights the fact that these organisations often suffer from severe underfunding, receiving only a minuscule fraction of international development aid—just four cents for every $100 provided by governments. Rupert further points out that, concurrently, the religious right invests substantial resources into organisations and movements that oppose equality and human rights.
GiveOut's role is to channel more resources into the LGBTQI movement through collaboration with individuals, allies, and corporations, making it easier for them to support LGBTQI rights activism worldwide.
Rupert brings over 15 years of experience in human rights and developing not-for-profit organisations. He co-founded RightsStart, a hub for human rights experts, and has held senior positions with organisations such as the Human Rights House Foundation, Amnesty International, the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials, and the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights. Rupert also serves as an Advisor to the Future Forum think tank in Southeast Asia and on the Supervisory Board of Climate Counsel, an organisation dedicated to pursuing environmental and climate justice through international criminal law.
Additionally, Rupert is a trustee of the Association of Charitable Foundations and a Venture Board member of Ashoka.
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Introducing Lance Kawaguchi, CEO of Cure Brain Cancer Foundation (CBCF). Lance's personal journey in the fight against cancer began in 2016 when his family was unexpectedly affected by the disease. The devastating news came in the form of a tearful call from his usually composed father, informing him of his mother Katherine's Stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. With a prognosis of just a few months to live, Lance's world was turned upside down.
Driven by his personal experience, Lance embarked on a mission to make a difference in the fight against cancer. After conducting extensive research on causes and organisations, he was appointed CEO of Cure Brain Cancer Foundation in January 2021. Based in Australia, CBCF focuses on research, advocacy, and awareness both locally and globally under Lance's leadership.
In his initial months as CEO, Lance led the digital transformation of the organization, a crucial step especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in Australia. By streamlining the team, refining their focus, and implementing a fully digital platform, CBCF experienced its most successful year to date in 2021 and 2022. Notably, the introduction of the first-ever digital walk for brain cancer raised $1.9 million.
Before joining the non-profit sector, Lance spent 25 years in the finance and banking industry, holding global roles that took him across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. His diverse experience and expertise have positioned him well to lead CBCF and make a tangible impact on the organisation's growth and initiatives.
Lance's efforts have garnered recognition and accolades, including fulfilling a lifelong dream of ringing the opening bell at Nasdaq's MarketSite in Times Square. During this momentous occasion, he emphasized the significance of global collaboration and the establishment of a U.S. affiliate to expand the organization's reach andimpact.
Under Lance's guidance, CBCF has not only increased its funding but also embraced digital offerings to engage communities in Australia and worldwide. One notable accomplishment is the launch of the world's largest brain cancer-dedicated Clinical Accelerator program, supporting early-stage biotechnology companies in advancing innovative therapeutics.
A testament to CBCF's commitment to ground-breaking research, the foundation led critical funding for the introduction of the revolutionary GBM AGILE trial in Australia. This substantial investment of $8 million allows Australian patients to access previously unavailable experimental therapies, significantly improving treatment options.
Beyond his role at CBCF, Lance serves as Chairman of various organizations, including the Kendall Nicole Eich Foundation, Kim's Hope, Glioblastoma Research Organization (GBMRO), and Asian Fund for Cancer Research (AFCR). He is also a valued member of the Board of Directors for the National Foundation for Cancer Research, a Strategic Advisor for the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), and a Strategic Advisor for the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund.
To further raise awareness and support for rare cancers, Lance will embark on a ground-breaking challenge at the end of 2023—a first-ever brain cancer charity trek to the South Pole. Through this endeavour, Lance aims to unite charitable organisations worldwide, rallying for increased research, funding, and treatments for paediatric and childhood brain cancer.
Lance Kawaguchi's dedication and influential leadership continue to leave a lasting impact on the fight against cancer, inspiring hope, and progress in the pursuit of a cure.
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Introducing Vicki Cardwell, the CEO of Spark Inside, an award-winning charity that delivers coaching in UK prisons.
Vicki brings her strong belief in coaching and mentoring, as well as her personal and professional journey, to her role of empowering young people in the criminal justice system.
Since its establishment in 2012, Spark Inside has been dedicated to inspiring young people to unlock their full potential and discover their life's purpose. Over the course of 11 years, the charity has worked with 1,500 young people in prison, earning a reputation for its human-centered and innovative approach.
Vicki joined the organization in January 2020, just before the global pandemic hit. It was a challenging time as Spark Inside faced restrictions and was unable to deliver their in-person mentoring program. Vicki had to rethink the organisation's approach and pivot their services to continue helping young people in the best way possible.
Stepping into her first CEO role, Vicki was delighted to take the reins from founder Baillie Aarons. Baillie, a serial social entrepreneur, previously founded the US non-profit Venturing Out, providing entrepreneurship education to people in prison before relocating from Canada to London in 2015. Baillie recognised that many individuals in prison faced barriers to living a crime-free future, despite their motivation to change once they connected with their passion, or what she calls their "spark inside." She aimed to create a program that would provide these young people with a purpose to strive for upon release, offering a more appealing alternative to a return to crime.
Through her immersion in the coaching world, Baillie met a passionate life coach who designed what is now Spark Inside's award-winning intervention, Hero's Journey™ – a structured life coaching program for 15-to-25-year-olds in prison. Hero's Journey™ aims to enhance young people's motivation to transform their lives, ultimately reducing reoffending, making society safer, and preventing future victims of crime.
Spark Inside's Hero's Journey™ coaching program consists of three weekly two-hour group workshops, followed by the option of eight one-to-one coaching sessions, providing participants with valuable support.
Vicki brings significant leadership experience to her role, having worked in the criminal justice sector for over a decade. Prior to joining Spark Inside, she served as Deputy Chief Executive of the Revolving Doors Agency, leading a high-profile campaign to reduce short prison sentences, which gained Ministerial backing and shifted the national media discourse. During her tenure, Vicki's leadership of Revolving Doors' policy and research teams contributed to doubling the charity's income within five years.
She also made an impact at the UK charity Catch22, where she helped launch the groundbreaking Transition to Adulthood Alliance. As Chief Executive of the Criminal Justice Alliance, Vicki successfully secured the inclusion of "restorative justice" in legislation, furthering the organisation's mission.
Vicki's extensive experience and commitment to the criminal justice sector make her a valuable asset to Spark Inside as they continue their important work of empowering young people in prison and creating positive change in society.
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Welcoming Laurence Marshbaum OAM back to Purposely to share his incredible founder stories.
Investment management is all about picking the right stocks to maximise returns, right?! Maybe considering an investors tolerance for risk and diversifying the investments across asset classes and markets.
That is also true for experienced Sydney based portfolio manager Laurence Marshbaum and Barrenjoey Capital Partners and their firm Community Capital. Well, it is only half true and alongside financial returns for investors they are fully focused on delivering social impact and providing vital funds for good causes.
Established in December 2022, Community Capital invests in private markets at a discounted price and then donates the generated funds to good causes. Causes and social purpose organisations selected by an experienced advisory board with individuals who are close to community issues and philanthropy. Laurence was inspired to act during the pandemic and was looking at ways he could use his knowledge, skills, and experience of the investment profession to do good and deliver funding to the community.
So far, they have raised $383M USD/ $550M AUD for the fund and on their way to delivering returns for investors as well as social impact through an unlisted credit fund.
Backers for the fund include Australian Retirement Trust, Laurence’s former employer, Minderoo Foundation, Legalsuper and MLC Insignia.
This is second for purpose organisation founded by Laurence and in June 2022 Laurence received a Medal of the Order of Australia from Lord Governor General David Hurley for his services to the charity sector through his social enterprise 10 X 10 Philanthropy. 10 X 10 operates in 14 cities in 7 countries and has raised over $5 million for early stage and grassroots not-for-profits. Established in 2013, Laurence and two other passionate social entrepreneurs shared a vision that everyone can make a difference by getting involved in philanthropy. Together, Laurence Marshbaum, Nina Skryzynski and Jenny Newmarch saw that professionals like themselves wanted to lead purpose driven lives and give back to their local communities, but lacked the time, knowledge, and framework to make a difference. On the flipside, grassroots for purpose organisations (not for profits) struggle to find financial support and volunteers to sustain their work. Laurence, Nina, and Jenny brought 10 friends to an organised event, with each friend inviting 10 of their friends, thus bringing together 100 people into the room with 3 social purpose organisations in attendance. That night they raised $11,000 for the non-profits, and the concept of 10×10 was born.
10×10 grew organically from Sydney to each Australian capital city as the news of this interesting model of philanthropy travelled. It wasn’t long before major cities in the UK, USA, Hong Kong, Canada and New Zealand were established and in mid-2021, Laurence, Nina and Jenny reunited to celebrate the milestone 100th 10×10.
Laurence featured on episode #23 of Purposely ‘millennials transforming philanthropy 10x10’
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Welcome to Purposely with Em Lewis, CEO of Nikau Foundation. Originally from the UK, Em is a skilled fundraiser and relationship builder who initially aspired to have a career in the arts. However, after working as a street fundraiser in London in the 90s, she decided to dedicate her professional life to philanthropy and fundraising. Em started by combining her passion for the arts with a role at the renowned Tate Gallery and later with roles leading Universities.
While street fundraising can be challenging for many due to the number of passers-by who ignore or reject approaches, Em found it invigorating. She discovered that not only was she exceptionally good at it, but it also taught her valuable early lessons on how to engage people and how to separate any personal feelings of rejection from the cause she was promoting.
Established in 1991 and inspired by a global movement, Nikau (originally known as Wellington Community Foundation) was the first community foundation in New Zealand. Today, Wellington is located at the bottom of New Zealand's North Island, and there are now 17 community foundations throughout the country. Each foundation works to make a positive and lasting impact within their respective regions.
Collectively, these foundations have distributed over $50 million in the last five years, with a national asset base of over $230 million.
Nikau Foundation serves as a guardian of $32 million, which has been invested by donors to support local communities in the future. Additionally, Nikau operates as a Corporate Trustee for existing funds and trusts, providing valuable guidance on regional needs. Two notable foundations they work with are the Mark Dunajtschik Foundation and The Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation.
The community foundation movement has a rich history. It originated in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, with the establishment of the first community foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, by Frederick Goff, a local banker and entrepreneur (Sacks 2014). Initially, community foundations were marketed as a means for banks to serve their local communities, and after the success of the Cleveland Foundation in 1914, similar foundations quickly emerged in the 22 largest cities in the United States.
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Welcome to Purposely with Stephen Brandon, Manager of the Whanganui Community Foundation. Stephen's path to charity leadership is truly extraordinary, characterised by a rich tapestry of experiences. In our conversation, Stephen shares how his faith, deep empathy for others, and unwavering dedication to his local community fuel his relentless pursuit of excellence in leading the foundation.
Alongside obtaining a master's degree in music, he developed a passion for technology and coding, enabling him to create software solutions. He has also ventured across various countries, including Japan, Scotland, Eastern Europe, and his native region of Whanganui in the North Island of New Zealand. In his current role, Stephen draws on these diverse experiences to make a meaningful impact on the local community while also supporting community trusts nationwide.
One of 12 community trusts in New Zealand the establishment of the Whanganui Community Foundation traces back to the sale of Trust Bank shares, specifically Trust Bank Whanganui. Initially, their primary focus was on benefiting the community through charitable work. However, in recent years, their purpose has evolved to adopt a more strategic approach, targeting specific areas of need and deprivation.
The foundation is deeply committed to creating a significant impact within the community using the available funds. They give away approximately a million dollars each year, and these funds are distributed among numerous organisations, often in smaller amounts. While these contributions make a meaningful difference to many organisations and are critical for some, the foundation aims to avoid becoming the sole source of funding for any organisation. They strive to foster a diverse funding landscape where organisations have access to a variety of resources.
To increase their impact the foundation is actively exploring avenues to raise additional funds and expand their endowment. It is hoped that this transition from an endowed trust to a foundation that pursues growth opportunities and additional funds will mean they can give more. The foundation is engaged in discussions with other funding organisations regarding potential partnerships for grant-making although no decisions have been made. Leveraging their efficient systems, strong community relationships, and sound decision-making, they aim to include additional funds within their processes.
Stephen also highlights the positive changes implemented by the foundation. Previously, there was no public face to the foundation, resulting in minimal feedback provided to applicants other than a standard rejection letter. However, they have now begun collaborating with local funders and exploring possibilities of co-funding, which holds great potential for supporting other organisations.
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Welcoming Anna Josse to Purposely to share her mission to empower and inspire giving in the UK and Globally.
Join us as we delve into the world of purpose-driven giving with Anna Josse, co-founder, and CEO of Prism the Gift Fund. Anna's remarkable story as a founder and her unwavering commitment to social entrepreneurship have paved the way for one of the largest donor-advised funds in the UK.
In the early 2000s, Anna's curiosity led her to explore trust structures in America, igniting a passion to understand and revolutionize the UK market with her unique approach to giving. This drive to make a difference laid the foundation for Prism the Gift Fund (Prism). At the core of Prism’s mission is the empowerment of organisations, individuals, and groups to contribute to meaningful causes without the burden of establishing their own charitable foundations. By increasing the flow of funds into the charitable sector, locally and globally, Prism strives to create lasting impact and positive change.
Since its inception in 2005, Prism has experienced remarkable growth, fuelled by referrals from clients and private client intermediaries such as banks, law firms, and accountants. This organic expansion has meant that in financial year end June 2022, they received £115 million in donation income, distributed £60 million worldwide, and have assets valued at approximately £250 million.
Anna's pursuit of excellence extends beyond philanthropy. She believes in creating memorable experiences, whether engaging with others or hosting a dinner party. Every interaction is infused with a commitment to value and comfort, reflecting her dedication to making a difference in all aspects of life.
The success of Prism can be attributed to multiple factors. Anna highlights the growing acceptance of donor-advised funds in the sector, providing major donors with a solution to fill funding gaps left by the government. Moreover, navigating the complex regulatory landscape has been instrumental in Prism’s achievements.
Anna emphasizes Prism’s focus lies in distributing funds into the sector, not just in accumulating money. Their success is measured by the impact of funds donated to causes promoting social and environmental well-being, making a tangible difference in the world.
Collaborating with Prism offers numerous advantages, including their expertise in tax-related matters, such as maximizing the value of donations through Gift Aid. They also embrace diverse forms of contributions, from cash and shares to property, art, and even crypto currencies, ensuring flexibility for donors.
Anna's commitment to fostering positive change is at the forefront of Prism’s endeavours. With each step forward, they amplify the flow of funds into the charitable sector, ensuring vital resources reach those who need them most. Anna challenges major donors to reflect on their giving capacity and consider expanding their contributions, as the rewards of giving extend far beyond the act itself.
‘We encourage a paradigm shift towards the concept of ‘warm money’ — giving during one's lifetime, when the impact can be directly felt and experienced.’
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Welcome to Purposely with Debra Allcock Tyler, CEO of the Directory of Social Change (DSC). Established in 1988, DSC has been a trusted resource in the non-profit sector, providing vital research, high-quality training, and ongoing support to charity leaders and volunteers. In addition, DSC advocates on behalf of organizations facing tough challenges, from economic crises to the recent global pandemic.
With over two decades of leadership experience at DSC, Debra has played a crucial role in empowering charities to fulfil their missions despite limited resources and frequent obstacles. She proudly emphasizes DSC's position as a sector leader, offering unique resources that remain relevant, even as competition has emerged. Debra also discusses the evolving nature of the sector, highlighting shifts in attitudes and approaches.
One example of this shift is the increasing transparency in funding practices. Debra recalls a time when DSC faced criticism from trusts and foundations for publishing their information in directories. Nowadays, organizations inquire why they haven't been included, indicating a sector-wide move toward openness.
DSC operates as a self-sustaining charity, generating revenue through resource sales. By reducing reliance on grants, Debra explains how DSC maintains the freedom to express its views and remain critical without concerns about offending funders or losing support. This financial independence enables DSC to stay true to its purpose.
Debra underscores the importance of staying connected to the core purpose of the work rather than becoming fixated on specific methods. This mindset has allowed her and the DSC team to continuously find innovative ways to support charities. Their agility and responsiveness to emerging needs have resulted in valuable services.
Throughout our conversation, Debra candidly shares her experiences as a leader at DSC. She openly acknowledges that she didn't have all the answers when she first joined the organization and describes how her leadership approach has evolved over the years.
Debra believes that people tend to emulate what they observe as effective. She points out that traditional leadership and management followed a predominantly male and patriarchal paradigm, emphasizing growth and similar metrics. However, she highlights the success of alternative leadership styles that have emerged, challenging the old norms.
In leadership, the primary objective is to ensure team members are aligned with the vision. Authenticity lies in supporting and enabling individuals to bring out their best to achieve that shared vision. Debra emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between being authentic to the leadership role and simply proclaiming, "This is me, take it or leave it," which is unsuitable for effective leadership.
Drawing from a powerful analogy, Debra passionately addresses the need for charities to go beyond providing temporary solutions and address the root causes of societal issues. She highlights the duty of charities to not only rescue people from the river but also go upstream and fix the source of the problem. While acknowledging that complete eradication of issues may be unattainable, she emphasises the importance of advocacy and voice in driving preventive measures.
The responsibility to lead the sector in the right direction is significant, but DSC's unwavering commitment to empowering organizations and fostering positive change has guided them for the past 20 years.
"Our focus has always been on helping organizations improve their practices and achieve their goals, whether it's fundraising, governance, leadership, or other vital areas."
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Welcome to Purposely with Loredana Fyffe, CEO of the Sydney Community Foundation (SCF). Established in 2004, the foundation has been connecting philanthropy with Sydney communities in need for over a decade. Loredana recently celebrated her first year in the role and shares her experiences thus far, along with her vision for the future. This includes building upon the positive impact achieved so far while focusing on growing the foundation's managed funds to ensure long-term and significant impact.
Loredana also discusses her family dynamics and the inspiration she draws from her parents and grandparents. As the daughter of Italian immigrants to Australia, she admires her parents' bravery in moving to a country where they didn't speak the language, as well as their strong work ethic and selflessness, which has deeply influenced her.
Initially starting her career as a product designer, Loredana was fortunate to become involved in a workplace giving initiative that ignited a passion within her for the for-purpose sector. From that point forward, she dedicated herself to making a difference.
Operating as a charitable trust, the foundation pools donations from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to create a lasting positive impact on the lives of Sydneysiders. SCF is one of 40 community foundations based in Australia, collectively managing funds totalling $500 million. Over a two-year period leading up to 2022, they donated $145 million to various good causes across the country.
The foundation's most prominent sub-fund is the Sydney Women's Fund, which was established shortly after its inception, reflecting the priority placed onpromoting gender equity from the beginning. Like women's funds in New York, Washington, and London, the Sydney Women's Fund is supported by women who come together to make a collective impact. They utilize their profiles, ideas, skills, and resources to ensure that all women and girls in Sydney thrive.
Notably, the Women's Fund was initiated by influential figures such as Wendy McCarthy AO and Lucy Brogden AM, with Georgina Byron AM currentlyserving as its dedicated chair, channelling their expertise into research, advocacy, program funding, fundraising, and raising awareness about genderequity in the city. Together, their efforts aim to drive positive change and foster a more equitable society.
Loredana highlights the numerous grassroots programs that the foundation has funded over the years. Many of these programs have become deeply embedded in their communities, particularly addressing the challenges faced by women and families in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Sydney.
Last year, the foundation mourned the loss of its former chair, Rosalind Strong AM, whose unwavering belief in Loredana led her to join the foundation. Rosalind played a significant role in shaping the foundation and its impactful initiatives. Among her many accomplishments, she organized flagship events celebrating the remarkable women of Sydney. In memory of Rosalind, she generously contributed to the foundation.
Loredana is genuinely enthusiastic about expanding the foundation's reach and fostering even greater generosity across the city of New South Wales.
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Welcome to Purposely with Greg Millar, a leading fundraising professional who has successfully raised millions for important causes and prominent charities globally. Greg currently serves as the National Fundraising Manager at IHC, New Zealand's leading provider of services for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Greg shares his journey, starting with his formative years growing up overseas before moving to New Zealand at the age of 9. As the son of Salvation Army Missionaries, Greg witnessed his parents' dedication to promoting their faith while helping people in need in Mumbai, India.
Tragically, Greg's mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in her early thirties, and he reflects on the challenges of losing her at a young age. However, he cherishes fond memories of her, particularly from their time in India. After his mother's passing, Greg's father brought the family back to New Zealand. As the eldest child, Greg became aware of the cultural differences between his experiences and those of his New Zealand peers. Additionally, being raised by a sole parent for 25 years, Greg deeply admires his father for his role as both a wonderful father figure and for his work assisting marginalised individuals, many of whom faced addiction issues. Greg vividly remembers weekends spent weeding gardens for the people his father supported, experiences that laid the foundation for his career in the charity sector and his commitment to purpose.
In the early 1980s, Greg pursued a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and education at the University of Auckland. He then embarked on an Overseas Experience (OE) to the UK, where he secured a position in the press and publication relations department of NSPCC, one of the largest charities in the country.
Since then, Greg has built a successful career in charity fundraising, working in the UK, New Zealand, Geneva, Switzerland, Washington, USA, and Rome, Italy. He has held senior fundraising roles with international development agencies such as UNICEF Global, UNHCR, and WWF. Greg has also made significant contributions to organisations like the Auckland City Mission, leading award-winning fundraising and marketingcampaigns. He began his fundraising journey at Presbyterian Support, where he gained valuable experience.
Greg shares his fundraising secrets and acknowledges that his early decision-making was guided by intuition rather than solely relying on data or testing ideas and approaches. This approach, learned during his experiences abroad, has given him and his teams the confidence to be bold and aim for ambitious targets.
While Greg finds fulfilment in making a difference by raising more income for frontline services, he recognises that direct work with individuals in need may not be his strong suit. Instead, he utilises his skills and knowledge to raise funds and ensure greater reach and impact.
As a passionate proponent of fundraising, Greg has resisted the temptation to transition into general charity leadership. He is a living example that fundraising can provide a long, fulfilling, and impactful career option, both in NZ and across the world and presenting endless meaningful challenges.
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Welcome to Purposely with Maree Sidey, CEO of the Australian Communities Foundation. As a unique donor-advised fund with total funds of over £150 million, the foundation aims to activate a nation of givers. It was established in 1997 by Marion Webster OAM and Hayden Raysmith AM, with the assistance of the late Peter Hero from the highly successful San Francisco Community Foundation. They pioneered the community foundation model in Australia, initially establishing the Melbourne Community Foundation, which later became the Australian Communities Foundation in 2011.Maree has been leading the foundation since 2015, and under her leadership, the organisation has doubled in size, reach, and impact over the past eight years. In this episode, Maree discusses a wide range of topics and issues, both professional and personal. She shares her personal journey as the daughter of a minister, her passion for social justice, and the significance of values-based leadership and authenticity in the workplace (as well as at home as a mother to teenagers!). It's a fascinating conversation that showcases one of the success stories of people-powered philanthropy.‘Social justice runs through my veins. As the daughter of a social worker and a Baptist minister, the values of justice, equity, privilege, inclusion, and giving voice to the marginalised were deeply ingrained in our family and shaped the way we perceived the world’.Initially, Maree pursued a career as a social worker, developing a deep passion for a systemic approach to understanding the world. She analysed underlying dynamics and sought ways to intervene and create a fairer system. This focus has remained constant throughout her career, whether she was working in Child and Family Services, Youth Mental Health organisations, or even in the realm of drug and alcohol services and community sports clubs. Her goal has always been to promote social justice and effect positive change. Maree also explains how this commitment led her to her current role in philanthropy. Maree is passionate about Australian generosity and is well-positioned to discuss it, comparing the local approach to that of the United States. ‘We tend to be less public about our contributions, which can pose a challenge in fostering a culture of giving. Peer-to-peer conversations play a crucial role in encouraging others to give by openly discussing the reasons behind our own philanthropic choices and the organisations or causes we support passionately.’She also delves into the future direction of the foundation and its main areas of focus. The foundations aim is not simply to promote giving for the sake of it, but rather to address pressing issues such as climate change and advocate for First Nations self-determination. Maree discusses the referendum that aims to change the Australian Constitution, acknowledging and embracing First Nations people to create a fairer Australia. Granting them a voice in Parliament is seen as an essential step towards formalising a treaty or reconciliation process, acknowledging past injustices, promoting healing, and moving forward together while honouring the wisdom and knowledge of the worlds oldest living culture. In addition to her role as CEO of the Australian Communities Foundation, Maree serves on the boards of Philanthropy Australia, Community Foundations Australia, and the Centre for Australian Progress.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mark-longbottom2/message
Welcome to Purposely with Stacey Thomas, a highly regarded philanthropy leader who is making a significant impact in the field of philanthropy. Stacey is the CEO of one of Australia’s oldest private foundations which is embracing its past and its history at the same time ensuring it puts it resources to work for a more equitable future for the people it helps.
Stacey serves as a trustee for two philanthropy peak bodies who have recently pledge their commitment to the Voice, a campaign to change the constitution of Australia to ensure a better future for First Nation people. She is also part-time CEO of a start-up community foundation that she is growing and scaling in addition to her other responsibilities.
Stacey's primary role is as CEO of The Wyatt Trust, a private charitable foundation established in1886 by Dr. William Wyatt. The Trust has a $100 million endowment and donates approximately $4 million each year to good causes across South Australia, with a focus on supporting South Australians in need in areas such as employment, education, housing, and financial literacy. Dr. Wyatt was a prominent figure in South Australia, involved in numerous social purpose activities, including serving as a justice of the peace, magistrate, surgeon, state coroner, and founder and board member of several private schools.
He was also on the board of many institutions that still exist today, including the Botanic Gardens, the History Society, State Library, Adelaide Hospital RSPCA, and the Adelaide Zoo.
Despite its unique history, The Wyatt Trust continues to use Dr. Wyatt's interests and beliefs in doing good around poverty and medicine to guide its grant-making. The Trust allows people experiencing financial hardship to determine what support they need most and works within the framework of what people need most at their time of need.
However, The Trust faces challenges in working within South Australia because it is a large state with a relatively small population. The main city,Adelaide, is on the southern boundary of the state, but there are also many regional and remote communities in the state.
Stacey's passion for social justice and community development has helped shape The Wyatt Trust's vision and strategy for improving the lives of vulnerable communities in South Australia.
Stacey grew up in Victoria and earned a degree in Social Work from the University of South Australia. Later, she pursued a master’s degree in BusinessAdministration and began her career in the non-profit sector, working for various organizations focused on community development and poverty reduction. She also gained valuable experience in the private sector, working for companies in thefinance and insurance industries.
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Welcome to the Purposely Podcast with Fiona Ellison, Director of the Unite Foundation. In this episode, Fiona shares insights into the foundation's impactful work and her personal journey in the third sector.
As the corporate foundation of Unite Students, one of the major providers of student accommodation in the UK, the Unite Foundation focuses on providing scholarships to individuals, with a specific emphasis on students who are estranged from their families or have been in the care system. Fiona highlights the transformative power of these scholarships, which offer not just financial support, but also a sense of community and belonging.
During the conversation, Fiona also shares her personal experience as an army wife and the unique challenges that come with frequent moves, underscoring the importance of finding a supportive community in each new location. She describes how she consciously chose to keep her job and commute from Salisbury to London three or four days a week, despite the four-hour round trip. This experience motivated her to join the board of the Army's Family Federation almost 19 years ago, with a focus on challenging the outdated narrative of army wives being stay-at-home moms.
The Unite Foundation addresses the needs of students who are often overlooked by other scholarship programs. Shockingly, only 13% of young people who have been in care pursue higher education, while the number is in the high 40s for those who have not been in the care system. Financial barriers, a lack of role models or support, and other obstacles can make higher education seem unattainable for many students who have experienced care. Even if they do manage to attend university, they may face additional challenges and may not have the necessary support structures in place to help them succeed.
The foundation's research, conducted over a decade, shows that having a safe and stable place to live greatly increases the chances of students not dropping out between their first and second years, which is when the highest dropout rates typically occur. Safe and secure housing enables students to focus on their studies and engage in university life, creating social connections through clubs and societies. By addressing this fundamental need for safe and secure housing, universities can achieve a bigger ambition of widening access to education and enabling young people who have experienced care to access the same opportunities as their peers.
This episode is sponsored by Benevity.
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Welcome to the Purposely Podcast with Kerryn Thrupp, CEO of Woven Earth, a charity that transforms empty houses into homes for survivors of domestic violence. In this episode, Kerryn shares her founder story and vision for the future.
Kerryn knows that fear of losing homes and possessions can prevent people from leaving violent relationships. Woven Earth works with frontline domestic violence agencies to furnish homes for survivors and help them rebuild their lives. They work with over 31 agencies across Auckland, including Victim Support Auckland, the police, homeless accommodation providers, and refuge agencies, who identify families that need help.
Woven Earth furnishes approximately 20 homes a month and positively impacts the lives of thousands of mainly women and children in the Auckland region. Kerryn and her team pay close attention to detail, considering each family member's likes, hobbies, interests, and what they have lost as part of their journey.
Despite growing demand for their services, Kerryn is excited to have recently hired her first operations employee, allowing her to delegate responsibilities and expand the charity's reach. Until now, Woven Earth has relied on volunteers and support from charitable foundations, individuals, and businesses.
This episode of the Purposely Podcast is sponsored by Benevity.
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Meet Alastair Rhodes, CEO of the Bay Trust and Chairperson of the Impact Investment Network, New Zealand.
Alastair had a childhood that was strongly influenced by his parents. His father, a well-known figure in New Zealand for his work with the dairy board, was passionate about the environment and the outdoors. Meanwhile, his mother was a public health nurse, and both of them instilled in him a sense of social responsibility and environmentalism.
After completing a law and commerce degree, Alastair worked for large American companies like General Electric and Specsavers, as well as in the airline and airport industry. While he learned the value of money and building partnerships in the commercial sector, he found his true calling in the not-for-profit sector, where his values aligned with the purpose of the organizations he worked for.
As the chair of New Zealand’s Impact Investment Network, Alastair is a firm believer in the power of impact investing and its ability to help deliver social and environmental change. He has a passion for enterprise and commercial deals that can lead to direct impact and more obvious social and environmental outcomes.
Alastair’s current role as CEO of the Bay Trust has allowed him to continue his mission to make a positive and meaningful difference for future generations. The Bay Trust is an endowed foundation that benefits from investments, which are then used to support the Trust's grant-making activities. While the Trust does not do fundraising, it recognizes that everyone who resides in the Bay of Plenty region is a beneficiary under trust law.
The Bay Trust focuses on being equitable across these beneficiaries, who have diverse challenges and needs. The region has pockets of wealth, such as Mount Maunganui, and the most deprived parts of New Zealand are also in the area. The Trust aims to grow equitably, in line with population increases and inflation, to meet the needs of both current and future beneficiaries.
For Alastair, leadership is all about aligning an individual's personal values with the organization's purpose. By doing so, people and organizations can create a culture that promotes success and meaningful change. This philosophy has driven him throughout his career, and he hopes to continue making a positive impact in the not-for-profit sector for years to come.
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Meet Benjamin Janes, founder and CEO of the Trust Partnership, a UK based social enterprise that manages charitable trusts and foundations through a unique model around shared resources and services. Benjamin explains how he started his career as a fundraiser and launched his own company.
The Trust Partnership
Established in 2004, The Trust Partnership, provides a full suite of services that medium-sized endowed charitable foundations might need, including administration, grant-making support, bookkeeping, management, accounting, and annual accounting.
They also work closely with Alms House charities, which are ancient forms of social housing, established in the 10th Century in Britain, that still endures to this day.
Headquartered in rural Cirencester in the South West of England Benjamin and his 50 strong team at The Trust Partnership work with 45 endowed charitable foundations and 10 Alms House charities with approximately 300 residents. They aim to solve day to day challenges of their clients as well as helping their clients develop and deliver their longer-term strategies.
How they are structured
The Trust Partnership is a social enterprise, not a charity or non-profit, and recently recertified as a B Corp which means they measure their success by their ability to make a positive impact to society and the environment alongside their ability to make a profit. Benjamin outline how the certification process helped to solidify their business model principles and be better in their decision-making. Benjamin discusses the challenges of balancing purpose and profit. The unique challenges presented by helping organisations to deliver on their charitable mission at the same time they are running a commercial business that needs to be profitable that can pay its people competitive rates.
Benjamin’s early career
Benjamin started his career in the charity sector as a commission-only sales job selling door-to-door. He then went on to work as a fundraiser for various organizations such as Farm Africa, the British Red Cross, Missing People, and WellChild. His longest stint was at Farm Africa, which was about three years long.
Benjamin's entrepreneurial spirit was evident even in his early years. He had a desire to do his own thing and started Trust Partnerships to provide services for endowed foundations. He could see the organisations which needed the help, and he was able to deliver a solution for the trustees of these organisations freeing them up to focus on strategy and delivering societal impact. While it was a bold move for Benjamin to make, especially considering the existing commitments he had to his family at that time as the main earner. However he had real conviction about the move and he was passionate about the charity sector and knew that he wanted to test himself in this way and he also wanted control over his destiny.
19 years on Benjamin is proud of what he and his team have achieved and despite the challenges presented by economic downturns and the recent pandemic they have build a successful for purpose business that has helped charities deliver impactful services
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Meet Alex Day, Managing Director of the UK-based charity Big Give, about how the organisation multiplies generosity through its match funding campaigns.
Founded in 2007 by Sir Alec Reed, founder of Reed Recruitment, Big Give has raised over £233 million in its 16-year history. The charity encourages donors to give to causes and charities and runs match funding campaigns throughout the year to make an extraordinary difference to the world's big challenges. Its largest campaign, the Christmas Challenge, raised an impressive £28 million for over 1,000 charities in 2022.
Match funding is a concept that can appeal to all people but appears to be particularly popular with entrepreneurial and business-minded individuals who want to get the biggest bang for their buck. Big Give commissioned research in 2016 that showed as income brackets increase, the propensity to give by a match funding campaign also increases.
Alex discusses the power that match giving can have on increasing generosity, however, he is aware of the criticisms and possible limitations of match funding. Criticism that donors would give anyway, irrespective of matching being available, because they believe in the cause. That matching schemes can cause people to hold off making their donations, meaning charities' cash flow is affected and that match funding can cannibalise other income streams. Overall, Alex and his team at Big Give view matching as a force for good and they are particularly proud of the fact that their campaigns have benefited smaller grass roots charities who do not have the same ability to raise funds.
Day's path to his current role at Big Give was not a straight one. Initially aspiring to be a professional footballer, typical of children his age in the UK, he pursued a degree in business management and geography from Exeter University. After university, he took time to travel and reflect on what he wanted out of life. He realized that he wanted to contribute something positive to the world through his career, which led him to pursue a role in the international development and humanitarian response sector.
Day's interaction with Big Give began during his time at Medair, a Swiss-based NGO where he led the UK office. He experienced the power of match funding firsthand through the organization's first match funding campaign with Big Give. A donor who would typically give £1,000 every September donated £2,000 in December to maximize the matching offer, even telling his friends and networks about it.
Big Give is an organisation that multiplies generosity by encouraging donors to give through its match funding campaigns. Its mission is all about matching donations and multiplying impact, and its success in raising significant funds for charities through its campaigns is a testament to its effectiveness.
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Meet Sarah Green, CEO of the Katie Piper Foundation, a UK-based charity that provides support and advocacy for burns survivors. With a career that started in finance, Sarah transitioned to the charity sector in 2003 as a fundraiser for a small international development charity. She later focused on event-based fundraising for the St Elizabeth and St Helena hospices before joining the Katie Piper Foundation.
Sarah's passion for the health sector was inspired by the care and support her late father received, along with her family. She was determined to lead an organisation one day, so she invested in relevant qualifications, successfully completing a Master's in Voluntary Sector Management.
In October 2018, Sarah was appointed CEO of the Katie Piper Foundation, realizing her dream of leading an organisation. While this was an exciting opportunity for both Sarah and the foundation, she faced unforeseen challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic and economic disruption. These challenges have led to a cost of living crisis, which may negatively affect charities' ability to raise funds.
The Katie Piper Foundation, established in 2009 by burns survivor Katie Sutton (nee Piper), is proud to be survivor-led, providing in-person and virtual rehabilitation services. They support adult survivors of burns and those living with severe trauma scarring, addressing both their physical and mental health.
Katie started the foundation from her parents' house a year into her recovery from a horrific acid attack outside a North London internet café. The attack caused third-degree burns to her face and chest and blinded her in one eye. Prior to the attack, Piper had a career in modeling and TV presenting, planning a future in the media. Though her life changed forever that day, Katie remained determined to fulfill her potential and not let the attack define her. While Katie's journey to recovery has been long and difficult, requiring surgery to clear blockages caused by scar tissue, she has become an inspiration for other burns survivors, both personally and through the foundation's work.
Today, the Katie Piper Foundation provides rehabilitation services, including physiotherapy and emotional support, and advocates for survivors, helping to connect them to the services and interventions they require. The foundation's work is a testament to the strength and resilience of burns survivors and the dedication of Sarah and her team.
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Welcome Sarah Vibert, the CEO of the National Council of Volunteer Organisations (NCVO), a charity that has been supporting thousands of voluntary and community sector charities and non-profits in England for over 100 years. Sarah joined NCVO in January 2020 as director of membership and engagement and was later appointed as Chief Executive in early 2022.
As a child, Sarah always aspired to lead an organisation, and now she is living her dream. She strives to be a relatable CEO who leads with empathy, transparency, and openness. This is evident in NCVO's commitment to publishing the salaries of its senior leadership team, along with an explanation of why they are paid that amount. According to Sarah, transparency is a critical value for NCVO, as it helps the organisation build trust with its donors and the public.
Sarah's personal experience growing up with a younger sibling who was disabled was a driving force behind her decision to work in the charity sector. She feels a strong connection to the mission of organisations like the Epilepsy Society and The Neurological Alliance, which she previously led, as they go beyond her professional responsibilities.
Before joining NCVO, Sarah held various roles in the charity sector, including advising the now King of the United Kingdom, then HRH Prince of Wales, on his charitable entities, as well as working for In Kind Direct. She began her career in local government management, including working for the Mayor of London.
Despite her busy schedule, Sarah finds time to volunteer for the Parent Teacher Association at her son's primary school. She has also previously served as a trustee for National Voices and The Brain and Spine Foundation.
Sarah's unique background and experience make her an asset to NCVO and the wider charity sector. Her leadership style, which emphasizes transparency, empathy, and relatability, sets a positive example for other leaders to follow.
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Welcome to the introduction of Crispin Truman OBE, Director of The Rayne Foundation, a grant-making charity that supports a wide range of organizations focused on young people’s mental health, carers of the elderly, providing opportunities for refugees, as well as the arts. Crispin has been dedicated to making a positive difference throughout his career and volunteer work. He held several leadership roles for leading non-profits in heritage, mental health, the countryside, and voluntary roles on the board of a school and charities before joining the foundation as their Director in October 2022.Crispin's academic background includes studying Philosophy, Politics, Economics (BA), and Applied Social Studies (MSc) at Oxford University before starting his professional career as a social worker in London. Despite overcoming the odds to win his place, he did not let personal challenges stop him. He lost his father at a young age and had to move to Bristol, where his new school, Ashton Park Comprehensive, did not have a history of their students winning places at Oxbridge. Crispin attributes his success to the determination of one of his teachers who helped him overcome the odds, along with the support and encouragement he received from his mother.Alongside his passion for the charity sector, Crispin is also an avid cyclist, riding into work each day in central London. He is a firm believer in the positive impact cycling can have on individual health and reducing our impact on the environment. He Chaired the London Cycling Campaign at the turn of the century, fighting for cyclists' rights and safety. His dedication to the voluntary sector and Civil Society saw him awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) in the 2017 New Year’s Honours List.The Rayne Foundation was founded in 1962 by Lord Rayne, a successful property developer operating in post-war London. The foundation was established with the mission to enhance communities and build bridges that connect people and communities. With a large donation from Lord Rayne's commercial dealings, the foundation has an endowment of close to $100 million today, and each year the charity donates the interest plus any additional increase in capital to causes that match their themes.Crispin's previous roles include CEO of CPRE, the countryside charity, CEO of the Churches Conservation Trust and Revolving Doors Agency. He has chaired and been a trustee of several organizations, including UK and European heritage networks, Rethink Mental Illness, the London Cycling Campaign, and was chair of governors at Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form in London.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mark-longbottom2/message
Welcome to Derek Bardowell, CEO of Ten Years’ Time, an agency focused on racial justice and social transformation. Derek is also an author, philanthropy commentator, and charity trustee. He has written and published two books, with his first book, "No Win Race," exploring racism in sport and his second book, "Giving Back: How To Do Good Better," published in 2022, critiquing philanthropy and presenting new ways of giving that can bring about real and meaningful change, and dramatically increase positive impact.One reader described "Giving Back" as "Important and timely... Deeply felt and illuminating... Essential reading for everyone committed to fairness and equality in life."In this episode of Purposely, Derek shares his career journey that started as a music journalist and his experiences growing up in the UK, where he faced aggressive and direct forms of racism like being spat at in the street, as well as more subtle but damaging forms that affected his confidence and self-esteem.Derek discusses how being a young black man limited his career options, but at the same time, it made him more determined to succeed as a freelance music journalist and work for himself. He transitioned his career to one of purpose and helping young people to reach their full potential, initially in his own area of East London, where he grew up, and by delivering a 'get into' journalism course.Derek held various roles in charities, including direct service delivery programs aimed at empowering people and making their lives better. He also worked for the Stephen Lawrence Foundation, a charity set up and named after 18-year-old Stephen who was brutally murdered in a race-motivated act of violence in April 1993.Derek's frustration with the funding experience during his years of delivering services led him to switch to the funding sector, from someone needing funds to do the work he did to a role working for a charitable foundation and making decisions on who should receive the funds and for what charitable project. He discusses the disconnect that often exists between those with money and those working to bring about change, and how the scarcity and fragility of funding can negatively impact vulnerable young people who have been bounced around from different social services and arrive at a charity looking for support.Derek's life journey and his professional experiences in the charity sector have informed his writing as well as his thought leadership. He challenges the philanthropy sector, individuals, and organizations to consider their roles and how their behaviors and ways of working may be maintaining or furthering injustice.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mark-longbottom2/message
Welcome to Purposely with Lucas Patchett co-founder and Executive Director of OrangeSky.OrangeSky is a non-profit organisation founded in October 2014 by two friends Lucas and Nicholas Marchesi in Brisbane, Australia. The organisation provides practical support and help to people experiencing homelessness or unstable housing conditions, including showers and laundry services.Their distinctive orange and white vans provide a non-judgmental space for people to talk and connect with others, and they also invite other service providers to give support.OrangeSky has helped over 30,000 "friends" in 9 years and currently has 36 mobile units, run by a blend of professional staff and volunteers. The mission of OrangeSky has evolved from delivering practical support to one focused on connecting communities to people who are homeless or experiencing unstable housing conditions.Lucas stresses that homelessness could happen to anyone and points to the importance of experienced mentors and advisors, including their parents, in the establishment and growth of OrangeSky. He also emphasises the generosity of people in supporting their cause, whether with their time, money, advice, or wisdom.Overall, OrangeSky is a testament to the power of collaboration and the generosity of people in helping those in need.OrangeSky's services go beyond just practical help. They provide a safe and non-judgmental space for people experiencing homelessness to connect with others and access support. The conversations that occur while using the laundry and shower services can lead to valuable connections with other people going through similar experiences or with other service providers who can provide additional support.OrangeSky has been successful in attracting funders who are tired of backing vague and hard-to-measure engagement projects. Lucas outlines the future for OrangeSky, including better use of technology to deliver positive impact and a specific focus on reducing isolation and loneliness. He also has an eye on organizational stability and the future of OrangeSky being less reliant on him and Nicholas on a day-to-day basis.Lucas emphasises that anyone could experience homelessness and that without a support network, it can be easy to fall on tough times.It is truly remarkable to see young people like Lucas and Nic dedicating their time and energy to helping others in such a meaningful way. It takes a lot of courage and determination to step outside of one's own comfort zone and take action to address a pressing social issue like homelessness. Their commitment to providing practical help and creating connections between homeless individuals and support services is truly inspiring. It just goes to show that even a small group of motivated individuals can make a big difference in their community.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mark-longbottom2/message
Welcome to Purposely Podcast with John McCarthy, John shares his career journey and his approach to giving as the Manager of the Tindall Foundation. The Foundation was set up by Margaret and Stephen Tindall, the founders of the Warehouse Retail Group, and has donated over $200 million to good causes in New Zealand since its inception in 2004.
During the podcast, John also shares details from his past, including the tragic loss of his mother, father and sister. Despite these overwhelming challenges, John is quick to refute any idea that we should feel sorry for him, saying that he has been fortunate in many ways. He believes that his past experiences have helped him to be independent and resilient and have given him a deep desire to make a difference.
John's career has focused on social services and philanthropy, and he believes that his past experiences have helped him to empathize with other people's life experiences and challenges. As the Manager of the Tindall Foundation, John is responsible for deploying the funds earned on an annual basis from the endowment that was set up using Margaret's shares. The Foundation focuses on strengthening families and communities, as well as the environment, and uses a wide range of approaches to deploy its funds including direct donations, donations through partners and impact investing and lending.
‘The approach that we take is to try and be as collaborative and as responsive as possible. We recognise that we don't have all the answers and we're always learning from the communities and the organisations that we work with.’
John stresses how open and flexible they try to be as a funder, seeing themselves as a partner rather than just a funder. They are also focused on measuring the impact of their work, both in terms of the outputs that they achieve and the longer-term outcomes that they’re seeking to support.
‘Ultimately, our goal is to contribute to a stronger and more equitable New Zealand, and we're committed to working towards that goal in a way that is responsible, transparent, and accountable.’
John began his career as a social worker focused on improving health outcomes, primarily in Auckland but also spending time in London. Throughout his career, John has tackled challenging and sensitive issues, such as drug and alcohol addiction, as well as sexual abuse, with a particular focus on working with perpetrators. Despite the difficult nature of his work, John remains dedicated to making a positive impact in these areas, and his expertise and experience have proven invaluable in improving the lives of those affected by these issues.
Overall, John's story is one of resilience, determination, and a deep desire to make a positive impact on the world. His approach to giving is grounded in his own experiences, and he believes that everyone has the power to make a difference, no matter their past or present circumstances.
Episode sponsors:
Sponsors:
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Brian Cavanagh joins Purposely to share what it takes to be an impactful and effective trustee on a charity board or a governance committee.
Brian has decades of experience leading Boards in the UK and Ireland that helped him write the book, Governing With Purpose: How to lead a brilliant board.
His inspiration for the book came when he unsuccessfully tried to find useful resources for existing or prospective trustees. He found lots of books on corporate governance of the private sector but very little for trustees of 'for purpose' organisations and charities. This obvious gap in the market motivated Brian to write this book so that he could help others to be effective and impactful non-profit trustees.
Brian outlines what it takes to be a 'brilliant board' as well as an effective trustee and he describes his ethos around governance. Explaining that the Chair of the Board is responsible for the Board while the CEO is responsible for performance and leadership of the organisation.
'Chairs, trustees and CEOs need to understand each other's roles, respect each other's responsibilities and work together towards a common and agreed mission.'
He also gives thoughts on where boards and organisations go wrong and rather than being overly concerned about those headline-hitting organisations, he is more concerned about Boards that are detached from the mission or are in 'cruise mode'.
'My concern is not the crises that happen occasionally, my concern is the indifference, or the lack of aspiration a board has for itself.'
Brian points to organisations that stumble along, doing quite good work and because nothing has gone wrong there seems no need to intervene at Board or exec levels.
'It's about ensuring the culture of performance of ambition for the board for itself. I think the danger is we focus on crisis and we actually need to support our boards to do the right thing'.
Brian outlines what is most important for charity boards and the people that operate on them.
'It needs to be led by skilled, committed individuals who also good at governing the organisation.'
Brian talks about the intangibles and how important the culture and the day-to-day behaviour of the board, the executive team and the employees is in supporting the vision and the purpose of the charity.
'Do board members challenge each other to be better and how often do they contest opinions, how often do they disagree or debate about the purpose, direction and performance of the charity'.
Brian also calls out 'bad behaviour', pointing to people not turning up, not reading the Board papers and people not asking questions or challenging decisions. Brian believes that a strong sense of purpose combined with a solid structure will provide an effective antidote that will stop any bad behaviour, or at least ensure it is stamped out quickly. A strong sense of purpose for why the Board exists, why it includes the people it does and what role will it be performing and what responsibilities will it be taking on in the future.
'So it’s imperative trustees ask themselves, why was the charity set up in the first place?, what is trying to achieve and what is the purpose of the Board they have been asked to join?'.
Brian also stresses that it is fundamentally important that people join Boards for the right reasons, 'not just as a favour to a friend’, but rather because they believe in the cause, believe they can contribute by utilising their skills and experience and they have the time and space to commit to the meetings and actions.
Brian's book Governing with Purpose is an essential resource for people on Boards or those considering joining a Board.
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Rhodri (Rhod) Davies joins Purposely Podcast to share his passion and knowledge on philanthropy and how he started the ‘Why Philanthropy Matters’ a free online platform helping to shape the sector. Rhod is a well-known thinker and commentator on philanthropy and civil society as well as an author and host of the popular Philanthropisms podcast. He is also a Pears Research Fellow in the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, United Kingdom. He was working as an academic researcher when he stumbled across philanthropy, suddenly seeing the sector in a new light full of ‘drama and interest’ and a plausible career option. Since then Rhod has become a defender and advocate of philanthropy and has gone on to play an important role in shaping the movement. ‘One of the things that bugged me is that philanthropy is often written off as if it's some sort of weird, niche concern, even within the wider nonprofit world. To me, it's something that's kind of pretty fundamental to how society works’. One of the things that characterises Rhod’s thought leadership on philanthropy is his skill and willingness to draw on history and what has happened in the past to make sense of the future. ‘History is an endlessly useful resource, when it comes to thinking about philanthropy in the present’. He describes this as a ‘cheap trick’, he uses to try and ensure that people in the sector do not get carried away with one particular approach to giving. He describes how those seemingly, ‘never been thought of before’, ways of doing philanthropy are in fact developed using lessons from the past. One example he points to is the current focus on purpose driven companies, organisations and businesses who are prioritising a combination of purpose, profit and commercial returns. The tendency is that people pass this off as completely new and highly innovative, despite the fact that people have been doing this for centuries. The same can be said for other forms of doing good or delivering impact today. ‘When you look back to history, and how people kind of combined, making money and giving money away, there's all kinds of interesting lessons and useful warnings about things that we might want to make sure that we avoid in the future’. In 2016 Rhod published Public Good by Private Means: How philanthropy shapes Britain, a book tracing the history of philanthropy in Britain and what it tells us about modern generosity. Since then he has been a self-confessed history of philanthropy nerd, and tweets about it far too much at @Philliteracy. A further characteristic of Rhod’s philanthropy thought leadership is his strongly held belief that there is no right or a wrong way of giving and that philanthropists have the ability to draw on different influences as well as their own beliefs and preferences. Rhod is happy to outline his personal preferences and the approach he would take if he had a windfall and was able to be a large scale philanthropist, ‘I would set myself a target of spending it all in 20 years or something like that and I'd make sure I thought about where I invested the money as well as where I gave it. I would also lean towards using a trust based approach that somebody like MacKenzie Scott is taking’. The two trends described by Rhod and becoming more and more popular amongst philanthropists are; 1. Trust based philanthropy where there is more trust between the person or organisation giving the money or those deploying the funds. 2. Spend down philanthropy where you get the money out there as quickly as possible based on the theory that it delivers as much positive impact as possible and the good it delivers compounds. Rhod was formerly Head of Policy at the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), where he created and led the in-house think tank Giving Thought, and also hosted CAF’s popular Giving Thought podcast for over 100 episodes. Rhod graduated from Oxford Uni with a first-class degree in Mathematics and Philosophy.
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Julia Jackson joins Purposely Podcast to share her career journey and travel experiences that shaped her vision. Time living and working in South America led her to a career focused on sustainability and purpose. Julia also explains her role at Kiwibank and what it means to lead a purpose strategy for a major bank and play a significant role in their B Corp certification. Aged just 22 Julia announced to her parents that she was leaving New Zealand and heading to Latin America to travel and live there. A one-way flight to Buenos Aires was booked and, despite not speaking a word of Spanish, Julia set off on her big adventure. ‘It wasn’t easy, and it was quite hard to make friends. It was quite lonely at times, and I wondered what on earth I was doing there. But it helped to build my resilience and up my tenacity, the experience was absolutely life changing’. Julia talks about the motivations behind the trip, citing her desire to breakout from her bubble and her ‘middle class privilege’ after completing a degree in International Relations at Victoria University in Wellington, NZ. ‘Growing up I had a privileged childhood and I think I was always very conscious of that. My awareness influenced what I studied and my decision to go overseas and travel across Latin America. I wanted to use my privilege to give back and help the community in some way’.Her International Relations degree and the focus on international development was a motivating factor in choosing to travel in Latin America, over the more traditional England and Europe. Her fascination centred on two trends that were developing at the time, the first around environmental sustainability and the second on the self determination of communities, including initiatives like fair trade and the empowerment of people to choose their future direction. ‘I really wanted to see the theory in action, and I could see the potential to revolutionise things for the better’. Julia’s travels coincided with the 2008 global financial crisis, and she found getting employment challenging. After travelling around Chile, Bolivia and Peru she would eventually go on to work in hospitality. However, first she took a volunteer role in Ecuador working in a hostel, initially in the Capital Quito and then in out of the way volcanic regions where they were building a new eco-resort. This was motivated by her desire to put her degree into action particularly the study she had done on sustainability. ‘So, I was building a greenhouse and helping them get the composting systems up and running, and all that sort of stuff. I absolutely loved seeing those systems really come to life’. Julia would eventually move on to Panama and then settle in Guatemala where she met her now husband who immigrated to New Zealand with her in 2011. ‘I met all these amazing indigenous communities that lots of people would never have had the opportunity to meet’ Landing back in New Zealand Julia secured a role working in sales for an insurance company, however, it wasn’t long before she joined a mission focused charity called Sustainable Business Network and she was able to put her studies and her life experiences into action professionally. ‘I always really saw the value of giving back and the value of community. To get involved in some of the quite challenging and strategic projects, particularly things around (sustainable) procurement and investment at the time’.In May 2017 she jumped from the charity sector to corporate with a large Australasian bank as maternity cover. Julia then joined Kiwibank in 2016 as a corporate social responsibility lead, seven years on she is Head of Purpose and Sustainability. Kiwibank, as far as banks go is in a unique proposition, it is a B Corporation which means it works hard to meet the highest standards of social and environmental impact. ‘It has been amazing to see the number of customers that are choosing Kiwibank because of the (B Corp) certification, --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mark-longbottom2/message
Alice Montague joins Purposely to share her journey from fundraiser to philanthropy leader.
Alice was appointed CEO of the Clare Foundation in May 2022, following three years leading the Nikau Foundation, one of seventeen community foundations based in New Zealand.
Founded in 2020 by entrepreneur Anna Stuck, the Clare Foundation will use a ‘spend down’ approach to giving and plans to donate more than $35 million over a ten-year period to charities and initiatives that match their themes and deliver impact.
‘We have four strategic focus areas, amplifying opportunities for women, youth wellbeing, the environment and oral health. All areas that Anna is particularly passionate about’
Anna chose the name of the Foundation, inspired by women in her family who all share the same name, she wanted the foundation’s name to provide a legacy.
While relatively new into the role Alice is clear about the mission and purpose of the foundation, describing their interest in long term transformative change and the ‘complex world of system change’.
The challenge for Alice is that the foundation will only exist for 10 years, or at least that’s the plan. They will look to spend down the funds and deliver positive impact as quickly and as effectively as possible.
‘We are looking at that timeframe and the resources we have, trying to work out where that sweet spot is for us and where we can make the greatest change with the resources we have.’
Alice has worked in the charity sector for the last two decades and this wealth of experience is helping to shape her approach and how her team will carry-out their charitable giving.
‘We plan to be a high trust funder and we want to have good relationships with the organisations and people that we fund’
We look back and delve into the reasons why Alice chose the non-profit sector and why a career focused on purpose was always likely.
‘I had a real strong sense of social justice and wanting to contribute.’
Alice also describes herself as an activist and she is constantly looking at how she can do things differently and bring about lasting change.
‘I was always a bit of an activist, and at 17 I remember standing outside of McDonald's in Northridge (UK), handing out flyers to people about the destruction of the rainforest’
We also discuss leadership; she explains her style as collaborative and how she works hard to get the best from her teams. We also discuss how she approaches her relationships with trustees and governance boards of the charities she leads. Her ‘honesty first’ approach was particularly evident when she interviewed for the role of Executive Director at the Nikau Foundation.
‘I remember them asking me in my interview, one person said… how long do you think you will be here for? and I responded by saying probably about three to four years. One of the Board members looked horrified and another nodded and said that sounds about right. I said look… I will do everything in my power to achieve what you want in this timeframe’
Alice has held a range of high-profile roles with organisations such as the Red Cross, Experience Wellington, Creative New Zealand and most recently in her role as Executive Director at the Nikau Foundation before taking the reins at the Clare Foundation.
Episode sponsor: https://benevity.com/ - Powering purpose driven business
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Frances Benge joins Purposely to share her journey from corporate to nonprofit leadership as CEO of Cure Kids.
Frances started her career as a nurse then worked for 30 years in the pharmaceutical sector before being appointed as CEO of Cure Kids in 2015.
‘It wasn't an easy transition, there was a perception that I was this big international bigwig that didn't have any fundraising experience, I had to really prove myself to the team before I think they gave me any credibility’.
Frances shares her experience moving from corporate to the charity sector and provides a candid account of the challenges she faced in her first months in the role.
‘Everybody believed in what we were doing, and they were passionate about the cause, but underneath the purpose, there was a lot of dysfunction.’
Did she have any doubts about what she had taken on? At first Frances worried that she may lack the necessary fundraising experience or skills to successfully run a charity. She found her lack of experience ended up being a positive and helped her develop a fresh strategy for the charity. She improved income generation and fundraising capacity and reviewed how the charity used their resources - taking this opportunity to cut costs.
‘We were able to carve at least half a million dollars’ worth of costs, which sounds incredibly mercenary, but at this stage, the balance between our income and our expenses needed urgent attention. I couldn't hand on heart go to donors and say this huge percentage of your donation is going towards operating costs.’
While the move was challenging at times, Frances was able to successfully make the changes and set the charity on a path to success. Despite those initial doubts, she always fundamentally believed that she was in the right role.
Established in 1971, Cure Kids is a registered charity that invests millions of dollars every year into child health research. They find cures and better treatments for serious illnesses and health conditions that are affecting children in New Zealand, and around the world.
Their work has positively impacted health outcomes for hundreds of thousands of people. These include cystic fibrosis at birth, maternal outcomes (like sleeping on your side in pregnancy), and the prevention of sudden unexpected death in infancy.
Cure Kids also advocate for children and children’s health, so that greater resources and focus is placed on services and health outcomes. Frances has developed a strong public voice when it comes to children’s health and regularly speaks to the media, to government and at key events.
A good example is how she shone a light on children’s health both during and after the global pandemic.
For more than a year, an extraordinary public spotlight has been cast upon the incredible work of health scientists, epidemiologists, and vaccinologists in the face of a global pandemic. While Cure Kids and Frances agreed that this level of focus has been necessary, she stressed that we were not doing enough for children and that this was reflected by poor health outcomes for children, especially in New Zealand where we have some of the worse statistics relating to mortality.
‘I would just love to see New Zealand child health stats be turned around so that we aren’t ashamed of the statistics that we've got. I think the only way that we can do that is by really addressing the core issues that prevent our children from having lived healthy lives with bright futures’
Frances is looking forward to leading Cure Kids into the future and she is determined to ensure better outcomes for children.
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Bill Murphy joins Purposely to share his founder story starting Purpose Capital.
Originally from Boston Massachusetts, he is an American that calls New Zealand home, having moved here in the 1980’s with his wife Rose, a New Zealander.
Based in the Bay of Plenty, on New Zealand’s North Island, Purpose Capital is an investment fund on a mission to drive social and environmental change. Having raised $22 million so far it is described as a collaboration between the New Zealand business, investment, and philanthropic sectors, bringing capital and expertise to find social and environmental solutions.
Bill talks about his determination to make a positive difference to Society and the Planet, formed by his diverse life journey. A range of experiences shaped him to go on and play an active leadership role in spreading and growing impact investing. Before he launched his own investment fund Bill started out as an accountant and also founded Enterprise Angels, helping start-up entrepreneurs.
He launched Purpose Capital in 2019 and has plans to grow the fund significantly and create a legacy for future generations. Bill shares details of the fund’s investment in renewable energy, as well as funding circular business models that embrace a sharing economy. Some interesting projects include, build to rent housing for long-term tenants, solar farms to provide renewable energy and iwi-led open ocean aquaculture.
Bill is a proponent of Degrowth, a recent phenomenon that provides an alternative approach to ‘growth at all costs’ capitalism. Bill explains its potential benefits to Society and the environment. The relentless search for growth comes at the expense of more important things. As economies grow, consumption grows, and the earth’s resources are depleted more rapidly than ever. Degrowth is the planned reduction of resource consumption and energy use until it reaches a point where our resources can sustain everyone.
In the podcast Bill looks back at his early years and explains how his background was never going to fully define him or limit his ambition.
‘I'm an Irish Catholic archetype from Boston, my father was a policeman and my father's two brothers were firemen so joining the civil service was strongly encouraged. But early on I knew that this path was not for me. For a start I went to University, I started doing yoga and meditating and I became a vegetarian when I was hitchhiking out to California.’
Inspired by the cultural revolution happening in the 1960’s Bill travelled from the Northeast of the United States to California. This period of his life had a profound effect on him and would lay the foundations of his approach to life and his desire to bring about change.
‘Seeing the failure of the 60s protest movements to affect real change informed me. A realisation that we weren't going to be able to achieve change through purely political protest means, we needed to change hearts and minds.’
This led him to want to use finance to make significant change.
Bill is excited about the future of Purpose Capital and the part they will play in a more sustainable future. While he clearly loves doing what he does he is looking for someone to succeed him ‘eventually’, someone with the right skills and experience and strong sense of purpose.
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Camille Socquet-Clerc joins Purposely to share her journey from digital marketing executive to green investment entrepreneur.
Camille, along with Bertrand Caron, are the founders of BLOOM, an online platform helping Australian investors make a financial return and a positive difference to the environment. Camille and Bertrand are also husband and wife, recently returning home to France to tie the knot following the launch of the company.
Launched in 2022, BLOOM provides people access to a diverse range of climate solution investments. These include solar and wind farms, energy storage, plus previously difficult-to-access assets like unlisted alternatives, green bonds, clean energy loans and infrastructure projects. Their vision is to make climate investing easy and accessible to all Australians, so that they can own and benefit from the clean energy transition.
'We're dreaming about a world where a carbon free economy allows both people and the planet to thrive.'
Camille started work on BLOOM in her spare time in 2019, predominately a side hustle to start with, she describes the different stages of development. This included coming up with the idea, really falling in love with the problem and carrying out research. She diligently studied reports about climate finance, understanding the potential problems and solutions. They formed a community of would-be investors, people who pledged a total of $3 million purely based on the concept. Amazingly this all happened in less than six months and gave them the confidence to build the platform and take the first steps to applying for a license. Two years on BLOOM has three full time employees, one part time investment manager, an investment committee as well as advisors and mentors. They have close to 200 customers who have invested over $1.6 million AUD and they are now in the running for several industry awards. '
'I would read about how clean tech was performing and what companies were driving this new sector. I then started to formulate the solution, I interviewed people and did a lot of customer research.'
The launch of BLOOM hasn't been straight forward though, with volatile financial markets and the value of green investments hit by the effects of the pandemic and geopolitical events including the war in Ukraine. Despite the challenging financial situation BLOOM has performed better than their benchmark in the short term. Camille, however, is quick to point out that investing with them is a long-term proposition with investors balancing purpose, positive climate impact as well as making a return on their capital.
‘We state very clearly that our investment horizon is seven years because that's how long we believe it will take for the companies and sectors we invest in to deliver impact and positive change'
Incredibly, neither Camille or Bertrand had any prior experience working in investment or finance and they learnt on the job. They moved from France, adjusted to living in a foreign land and learnt a new language and culture. Camille is the CEO of start-up and Bertrand is the technology lead.
'I think Australia is a wonderful country, one of the wealthiest countries in the world and somewhere that can have a significant impact on positive climate action.'
Camille and Bertrand have been together for over a decade and Camille points to the benefits of launching a company with someone you love, including their ability to communicate effectively, a deep understanding of each other and real trust.
'Overall it is great to be in business together, however, it raises some questions around boundaries. How do we maintain a healthy relationship outside of work?! How do we make time for us as a couple?! Sometimes we worked too hard, and we didn't have enough boundaries when we started.'
Exciting times for these two green entrepreneurs!
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End of Year Wrap - Episode 119Taking a break from our normal interview format for the latest episode of Purposely and sharing a few insights from our guests.These include; the power of purpose and defining your personal mission The importance of non-linear careers as well as diverse experiences The great post pandemic re-set, purpose first!In 2022 we published 48 episodes with listeners tuning in from across the globe. The first interview of the year was with the CEO of the Wolfson Foundation Paul Ramsbottom OBE in the UK and the last with philanthropy doyenne Jenny Gill who is on the Boards of Vodafone NZ and MAS foundations as well as Prince’s Trust.Our episodes are published weekly (every Monday) along with a related blog (on www.purposelypodcast.com) and newsletter.Massive thank you for listening and sharing, please do not hesitate to reach out if you know someone who would be a good fit for Purposely and don’t forget to hit subscribe on whatever platform you are listening!All the best from Mark & Jon - Team Purposely--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mark-longbottom2/message
Jenny Gill joins Purposely to share her career journey leading New Zealand’s largest and most respected charitable foundations as CEO, advisor and Board member.Jenny is one of the pioneers of philanthropy in New Zealand, from her first role in the eighties to now she has led the way for wealthy and generous individuals, foundations and companies, helping them to give more effectively and ensure they make a positive and lasting difference.In 1985 Jenny took on her first role in philanthropy as Executive Director of a private foundation to give away all of its funds over a set period of time. A fairly rare phenomenon in the eighties this type of philanthropy is described as ‘spend down’. The theory being that you donate all of the money you have to a good cause/s as quickly as possible to ensure you make a transformative difference as fast as possible. The organisation or the Foundation is merely a means to an end to deliver effective philanthropy during a specific time period. The Roy McKenzie Foundation with Jenny at the helm donated a total of $7 million over 9 years.“I went to meet him in his office in Wellington and I came out with a job offer, with no job description, no discussion about salary (however) an agreement that I would start work the next day. Well, I went to his office the next day and he handed me a blank pad of paper, a pencil, a copy of the trust deed, a check for a million dollars and said okay, let's go”Jenny describes the role she had as her becoming a ‘philanthrocrat’, a profession helping the generous and wealthy to give effectively and efficiently, in fact she was one of the very first professionals working in this way in New Zealand.Jenny continued to play an instrumental role in philanthropy and in 1990 Jenny and Roy used their experience to start the Association of Grant Givers (now Philanthropy New Zealand). Based on similar organisations overseas it helps to encourage others to give and provides a forum for individuals and organisations to share their experiences with others. Sharing know how and experience at the same time helping people to collaborate on projects to have greater impact.Roy McKenzie was the only surviving son of John McKenzie, two members of one of New Zealand’s richest and most generous families. They owned a chain of general stores in Australia and New Zealand before they were taken over by LD Nathan in 1980. The funds they have donated to good causes over the years come from the wealth generated by those stores as well as through investment firm Rangatira Ltd which was founded in 1937.In 2004 Jenny moved further north to Auckland to take on the role of CEO of Foundation North, known then as the ASB Charitable Foundation it is the largest of the 12 community foundations in New Zealand with almost $3 billion in an endowment with the interest benefitting people and causes in Auckland and across Northland. Jenny and her team were responsible for granting over $50 million to good causes on an annual basis.Jenny enjoyed 16 successful years in charge of Foundation North, deciding to step down in 2019 to spend more time with her family. This proceeded the arrival of the global pandemic and a crucial period for all funders as they responded to the crisis. This was certainly the case for Foundation North and the other community trusts as they responded to COVID-19 and the significant impact the pandemic was having on people living in poverty and on the margins. Jenny talks about being less optimistic these days compared the 'heady days of the 70's' particularly around the effects of climate change and what this will mean for her five grand children. Pointing out that it is much harder for individuals to influence meaningful change compared to past generations. As Jenny's attention shifts to the future of philanthropy and charitable giving she makes it clear that she would like to see more philanthropic money going into addressing climate change and environmental --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mark-longbottom2/message
Kate Markey joined Purposely to share her career journey, becoming one of the most talented and respected leaders in the UK charity sector. As CEO of the London Community Foundation (LCF) she has led the philanthropic response to two major disasters.
Kate led the foundation in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire and through COVID-19, playing a key role in raising and deploying millions of pounds of vital funds, ‘I am so proud of our response and our ability to get donated money to the right causes and people’.
We explore Kate's career path and her motivation for swapping journalism for leadership roles, those in the ‘for purpose’ sector. Kate cites her parents as an inspiration, in particular her late mother as a reason why she dedicated her professional life to purpose. ‘I was brought up with a real sense that how I choose to live life will have a positive impact on society’ Kate’s mother had experienced kidney failure as a teenager, but despite the health challenges, she went on to be a parent and have a successful teaching career, eventually becoming a deputy head teacher. ‘The example my mother set made it very clear that we are put on this earth to make a difference’ Kate developed a love for storytelling and the power it has to motivate people to act. A love she developed during her early career as a journalist. As editor of her university newspaper and then as editor of The Big Issue she realised the power it had to influence people to do good. Born in Liverpool Kate went to her home university so that she would be close to her home and her mother. Studying a Bachelor of Arts in communication Kate went on to mainstream journalism and then a career as a social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader. Kate travelled, spending a year living in Venezuela and then developed a love for London. This would see her eventually taking on the role of CEO of the Cities Community Foundation. Kate was first choice for the role based on her unique skills and experience. ‘What excited me about the foundation is the unique role it plays. We are not like traditional foundations, we have an entrepreneurial and ‘fleet of foot’ approach to making a difference’ As we look to the future Kate is keen to understand more about giving in the capital. Specifically how much is donated by Londoners but ends up leaving the city, either by individuals or businesses versus how much stays in the capital to do good. Kate pays tribute to her team and points to their brilliance as the main reason for her success as a leader. ‘I really believe in my team, they have dealt extremely well with every challenge thrown their way in a professional way and with empathy’. LCF is one of 47 community foundations in the UK. Combined they have an endowment of £500 million, they perform the role of fundraiser and grant maker. Originally a North American phenomenon Community Foundations are connectors between local philanthropy and community needs and opportunities. Many convene impactful projects and all are building long-term, reliable funding streams for their local communities by investing and growing the gifts they receive.
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Welcoming Maria Ramsay to Purposely to share her career journey from nurse to non-profit leader. Maria shares her innovative approach to philanthropy and the evolution of the Toi Foundation under her leadership.
Maria joined the Toi Foundation in 2006, appointed as manager to what was known as the TSB Community Trust. The organisation had evolved from the community bank as one of 12 trusts formed in the 1980's with the aim of supporting communities. Like many trusts at the time, Toi relied on a transactional and passive approach to grant making. They were often characterised by invisible grant committees approving funding applications behind closed doors, with a simple letter to the unsuccessful applicants.
'This organisation has evolved so much, we've gone from two employees to sixteen, we now have a huge connection into our community that just didn't exist previously. We didn't have very strong relationships with Maori and local iwi, mainly because we just weren't engaging - we do now.' 'While we still fund in a traditional 'mail box' philanthropy way by supporting small grassroots organisations across the region we have evolved and we now do a lot more strategic grant making'.
The change in approach followed an assessment of needs that existed across the region, with a bigger focus on helping people on the margins of society. Maria and the Board hired an external company to carry out some independent research and this lay the foundation for a new strategy and a new way of working. One that was much more focused on working with the community rather than just delivering grants in a passive removed way. The Trust identified those who were in most need of their financial support. Maria describes the move away from a 'master and servant model' to something very different that she believes will bring about social positive and lasting change. '
It's about walking alongside an organisation and being prepared to fund them over multiple years if required. We will look to form a truly authentic and trusted relationship with the organisation doing the work.' Maria also talks about the move to community building that is becoming more common amongst the 12 community trusts in New Zealand. 'We increasingly look to help with capacity and capability building as well as the service delivery.
Their latest giving initiatives are both intentional as well as strategic; including supporting children in their first 1,000 days of life as well as a participatory form of philanthropy and community support. 'On that theme of engaging with the local community, we will allocate some funds and bring together a group of people to advise and help design a solution to an issue or a problem. The big difference is that they will be the decision makers, so if in the example it is a committee of young people, they will decide what is best for them. So it's about power sharing, really, and putting that back into the hands of the community.
They also focus on the environment as stated in their new strategy. 'Supporting the protection, care and resilience of our natural environment to ensure the long-term survival and care of Taranaki whenua.'
What is a Community Trust?
Ostensibly they are grant making charities that exist to help communities thrive.
There are 12 of them across New Zealand covering all regions country including Toi Foundation which covers Taranaki, most western part of the North Island. Combined they have assets of approximately $3.9 billion and make grants for the benefit of their local communities of over $100 million each year.
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Josh Hickford joins Purposely to share his story from becoming a chartered accountant, surviving cancer, launching an app and snaring his dream role. Taranaki is situated on western side of New Zealand’s North Island, set on the coast it has a strong farming industry alongside a talented creative fraternity with its fair share of artists and galleries. Its landscape it dominated by the picturesque Mount Taranaki, a dormant volcano that looks over its 120,000 residents. Its people are generous and community minded and like other regions of New Zealand it has a community foundation. Inspired by the work of a worldwide network of community foundations the founding trustees wanted to create an endowment for the region and boost charitable giving locally. Established in 2016 as the Te Karaka Foundation the Board were looking to hire their first CEO in the middle of 2020, someone who would connect with people locally and work with them to superpower the foundation.Enter Taranaki born and bred Josh Hickford, a chartered accountant and social entrepreneur, Josh was encouraged to apply for the role by his wife citing his passion for the region as well as his recent experiences of doing good. Josh was the co-founder of Ripple, an online platform that helps to facilitate tailored support for people with cancer. Shortlisted for New Zealander of the Year Josh was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2017 it was his own cancer experience that inspired him to act.‘I didn't come across anyone my age with same type of cancer. I also wanted to help those sitting alongside the person with cancer who often get forgotten or don’t receive the support they need’Five years on from his cancer diagnosis Josh was given a clean bill of health, not that he has been sitting around doing nothing. Josh used this time to enter ironman competitions and featured on the New Zealand version of the hit reality series Survivor.He has also decided to act on his wife’s advice and apply for the role of CEO of the then Te Karaka Foundation.‘I didn't really have a background and charity apart from the Cancer Society. I've been a chartered accountant, but the whole purpose and why was the job just aligned so much with what I'm about. It was vital that I was able to get in front of the trustees and share my passion’.Bravely Josh delivered some ‘home truths’ to the trustees at the interview and this has led to the re branding of the Foundation, from Te Karaka to Taranki, a name they believe connects well with the people of the region.‘I paused and took a deep breath and I told them that the website was pretty mediocre and that the branding was confusing and not that inspiring, but that there was a big opportunity to flip that around and really ramp it up and go from there! What followed was silence and a pause but thankfully the trustees agreed. Everyone just probably relaxed a little bit after that as wel and they gave me the role.’--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mark-longbottom2/message
Ryan Modjeski, Executive Director of Empatico, joins Purposely Podcast to share his leadership journey.
Californian Ryan Modjeski heads up a non-profit that helps children connect and make friends with their peers globally. Described as an online pen-pal service for primary/K-9 aged children Empatico helps them experience other cultures. The organisation provides new ways of seeing and connecting with the world, all from the safety of the classroom.
‘We want kids to meet and communicate with people who they think might be different from them. In our experience it shows them that they have a lot more in common than they thought they did. Our mission is to prepare the next generation for this increasingly connected world. Helping them to navigate cross cultural relationships with empathy and what we believe is a core component for success in life and in business.'
Ryan's path to non-profit leadership is unique, following completion of an Arts degree in creative writing, he ended up designing online games for a living. A good move for Ryan, combining his love for gaming with his creative writing ability.
His work involved the 'Gamification' of television programmes, from Beavis and Butt-Head to Criminal Minds and everything in between.
Ryan enjoyed his career in ‘gaming’, however he felt unfulfilled and wanted to make more of a positive difference to the world utilising his varied knowledge and skills. He points toJapanese novelist Haruki Murakami who featured a character who wrote articles for travel magazines that were never meant to be read.
‘He called it shovelling cultural snow and it really resonated with me, in some ways I was shovelling cultural snow for a job. I had learned how to build technology, how to write stories, how to work with artists and engineers and all of that was fantastic. But I also knew that it wasn't really what I wanted to do with my career’.
Ryan made the decision to start his own business, switching from making games purely for entertainment value to creating educational content that engaged children. His target was 7–10-year-olds who had stopped reading. Eventually this led him to a role working in the non-profit sector for UNICEF focused on building technology to empower children across the globe.
‘I had built this really incredible programme where we empowered kids who typically didn't like to learn or had difficulty learning, they also didn’t understand that they had the power to make the difference in the world’.
The UNICEF Kid Power platform, also described as ‘streaming for good’ provides hundreds of activity videos and self-driven content for children, families and educators to access.
Following five successful years at UNICEF, Ryan applied for the role as Executive Director at Empatico and started in mid-2021 during the global pandemic. The role was a perfect fit for Ryan, but he had joined during challenging times. He had to convince the Board, who had just hired him, that they would need to redevelop the platform to meet the new demands of Covid-19.
‘The pandemic threw a 'monkey wrench' into our goals and we have just now re-launched the service’.
Despite the challenges the organisation continues to go from strength to strength. Empatico now has nearly 60,000 educators from over 166 countries accessing the service and 100,000 children have experienced live exchanges with kids from around the world.
Empatico was founded by social entrepreneur Daniel Lubetzky and The KIND Foundation.
https://blog.empatico.org/
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Bill Kermode joins Purposely to share his story as inaugural CEO of the NEXT Foundation.
His mission to give away a hundred million dollar fortune on behalf of a family committed to making a positive and lasting difference to the planet and people of New Zealand. NEXT is a privately funded charitable foundation which is relatively unique for New Zealand. Rather than being a long-lasting foundation, set up to exist forever using an endowment model, NEXT has a mandate to ‘spend down’ $100 million over 10 years.
The money is committed to environmental and educational projects that will benefit future generations of New Zealanders. Bill has led NEXT’s investments as well as providing guidance to the previous philanthropic commitments made by Neal and Annette Plowman.
'They had an ambition for NEXT to leave a legacy of environmental and Educational Excellence for the benefit of future generations of New Zealanders. They wanted to show a way of giving that they hoped would be a model that some others would choose to follow'. The Plowmans made their fortune from a laundry business, founded in 1910 by George Plowman. They successfully grew the business and listed it on the New Zealand Stock Exchange, before privatising the company in 1986, and selling to US firm Alsco in 1998.
Bill was appointed NEXT CEO in 2014 by the NEXT Board chaired by Chris Liddell, a successful businessman and advisor to the Plowmans. Bill spent the previous two decades as a founding Director of Direct Capital, New Zealand’s most experienced private company investor, and Director of a number of private companies, including Ryman Healthcare, PF Olsen, NZ Pharmaceuticals, and EziBuy.
We discuss Bills move from the investment sector to philanthropy running a charitable foundation and the differences between the two worlds. ‘The biggest difference is around evaluation and measurement, knowing whether you're contributing and making a difference. In the commercial and financial world, there are well established norms and ways of measuring success. However, in the ‘for purpose sector’ it is not so clear and not so clearly defined.’
2024 will see the end of the ten-year giving term, with currently 80% of the $100 million committed to a number of initiatives and causes focused on the environment and education.
We discuss what next for the Plowmans philanthropy and what next for Bill himself.
‘The Plowmans plan to continue their giving and the next iteration of the foundation will be focused specifically on the environment - although I will not lead this, instead I will focus my efforts on the development of a Centre of Strategic Philanthropy.’
Bill and the NEXT team have had approaches from others wanting to learn from their journey and he describes how they have always tried to be supportive of others’ giving.This has led Bill and his team to launch the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy aimed at complementing the work of Philanthropy New Zealand. Helping New Zealand individuals, organisations and families who ‘want to do their giving in a strategic or a business-like way’.
‘It's about bringing likeminded people together to explore how they can make a significant difference to the issues they are passionate about with the potential to collaborate or if not then learn from each other and experts.’
In his spare time, Bill was also the Director of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship from 2016 until 2020, offering global social change-makers a path to New Zealand citizenship through New Zealand’s Global Impact Visa. He is currently Chairman of the Palmerston North BHS Educational Foundation Trust, and a graduate of Massey and Oxford Universities.
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Podcaster, author and comedian Rhea Wong joins Purposely to share her fascinating story.
Rhea Wong grew up in the Bay Area of San Francisco, relocating to the East Coast of America to start her first non-profit leadership role at 26. Thrown in at the deep end, without experience, Rhea had to learn fast.
'I was like, what? My first two Google searches in the job were, ‘what does an executive director do?’ and the second was, ‘how to fundraise’. I like that I was that clueless.'
Fast forward to today, Rhea is one of the leading voices on fundraising for non-profits globally. Her teaching focuses on developing the right mindset, rather than just teaching income generation tactics.
Rhea has caught the attention of the fundraising sector for her insightful thinking around mindset, in particular her theory on 'scarcity and abundance' as a common block for any non-profit fundraiser.
'When we come from a place of confidence and expectation that there is enough money out there for us to do our work, and to feel the change that we've seen in the world, we operate on a different level'
At first Rhea struggled with fundraising, she was good at it but found it 'joyless'. She examined the mental blocks and negative outlook to try and understand her resistance to fundraising . Rhea reflected on her childhood experiences around money and charity.
She remembers vividly an experience that helped shape her, ' I gave a homeless guy a quarter in front of my father and he goes, Oh, so you're so rich. now you can just give money away.'
The moment impacting her psyche deeply, the idea that money is scarce and that we have to hold on to it and guard it. Her grandparent’s experience leaving communist China and arriving in the United States with very little money had a significant impact on her parent’s mindset. This had also shaped her own outlook to giving and charity.
'Money stood for stability and security, because that's what they needed when they came to this country, all they had was $20 in their pocket when they arrived.'
Over time and following a period of reflection and introspection Rhea developed a for her profession, the joy of making the ask and raising vital funds for good causes started to make sense. This clarity led her on a new career path, from being a fundraiser herself to helping others be better fundraisers.
Rhea shares her move from non-profit executive to launching her own business helping others to reach their full potential as fundraisers.
Rhea works with individuals and organisations, and she has particular expertise in institutional, corporate and major donor fundraising. Importantly she knows what it’s like to be a successful fundraiser herself raising millions for good causes and she is well placed to coach and advise others.
In 2022 Rhea Wong published the book 'Get That Money! The No B**t Guide To Raising More Money For Your Non-Profit'.
The book, despite its relatively racy headline, is focused on the importance of relationship-based fundraising and the antithesis of the transactional approach so often used.
'The name of the book was really about getting people's attention. I think it's very aligned with my brand which is pretty irreverent. I'm not a very formal person and I like to make jokes, obviously. I like to not take it so seriously. But it is about how do you really build relationships such that you can get that money honey?'
Rhea has also published over 200 episodes of her Podcast Non-profit Lowdown reviewing and recommending the best ideas, resources, tools and tricks to run a non-profit, using her own lived experiences as well as her guests.
We delve into her approach to work, her confidence, her drive and how she doesn't take herself too seriously.
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‘Wild card hire’, balancing legacy and a focus on the future, Sufina Ahamad MBE, Director John Ellerman Foundation Sufina Ahmad MBE joins Purposely to share her story and her role at the John Ellerman Foundation. John Ellerman was a 20th century shipping magnate and was once the richest person in the United Kingdom. When he died, he left his £35 million fortune, (£1.5 billion in today’s terms) to his two children, John and Winifred. It was his son John who, despite his intense shyness and private demeanour, decided that the family would create a legacy and deliver impact through more formalised philanthropy. Following wildly different pursuits to his father, John Jr. was a renowned zoologist specialising in the study of rodents. He put a significant amount of money into trust in 1971, a move aimed at making a difference to society and the environment. John Jr. died two years later however, the funds were made available through two charitable trusts. The trusts did not carry the family name and were administered by the City of London Corporate under the name Moorgate. Fast forward to today and the two trusts have been merged into a single entity - a charitable foundation named the John Ellerman Foundation. The broad themes haven’t changed much from inception but the look and feel of the foundation most definitely has. Rather than being hidden away and private, it is in full view of the public. The Foundation has a website, celebrates its heritage, and favours an open brand of ‘relational philanthropy’ that may not have entirely suited its private founder. Today, the foundation is a charity led by a volunteer trustee board made up of qualified men and women who represent a cross sector of society. On a day-to-day basis the foundation is run by a highly respected charity exponent Sufina Ahmad. Sufina, a young, thoughtful and innovative charity leader is in many ways the antitheses of the shy founder. Instead, she is open and willing to share her journey and that of the foundation. As a Muslim and daughter of Indian immigrants she is fully aware that her selection as Director of a foundation was not predictable. In 2019, a few months prior to the COVID pandemic, Sufina Ahmad beat off competition from three hundred other candidates to land the role of Director of the Foundation. ‘The recruiter described me as a wild card, akin to a wildcard at Wimbledon, based on my race, age and gender. I was fortunate that the trustees were open to first time CEO’s or directors and bringing someone in who had potential rather than the exact same experience in another organisation’ While embracing the Foundation’s heritage Sufina talks about ensuring its relevance and delivering impact through their support of modern-day issues and causes. Despite only being with the Foundation for a short period Sufina has led the development of the new strategy as well as a restructure of the organisation. She is continuing that theme of openness and a willingness to share the foundation’s recent journey and approach. Sufina credits the whole team for its efforts during COVID-19, they all, including the Trustees, played a crucial role in adapting their giving to the significant need at the time of crisis. Sufina’s own leadership through these tough times saw her awarded an MBE. ‘There were different points in various lock downs, where I just had those moments of thinking, are we doing enough? Are we being effective enough? Are we doing the right thing at a time when there is no clear route map that tells you if you are. I look back now. And I think that we were affective during that time’ Sufina is positive about the foundation’s future and her role in it. ‘There are lots of things making me smile right now, a new team and new structure and we are developing and evolving our approach to grant making through the different strategic strands of work. I can’t wait to get really stuck in and seeing where John Ellerman Foundation can go next.’
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Brianne West joins Purposely to share her founder story starting Ethique and most recently the Ethique Foundation.
Ethique is a for-profit company, driven by purpose. A highly successful beauty and lifestyle brand with products sold in 22 countries and a valuation of over $100 million - a real success story. However, talking with Brianne, it is clear it that profit is not the only metric they use to judge their success. As one of New Zealand’s founding B Corps, the company is living wage accredited, works with cooperatives around the world to source ingredients and donates 20% of profit to charity. Brianne and the Ethique team put even more value on how they impact people and the planet. Brianne loves the products she creates but is very clear that having a positive impact is her primary motivation,
‘I truly believe we can have a healthy, beautiful and awe-inspiring environment, with fairly shared equity amongst all, sustainable economic growth and that no one needs to be left behind. We just need to do things a little differently.’
Founded in 2012 from Brianne’s kitchen table, Ethique, initially named Sorbet, was the result of her entrepreneurial curiosity, an understanding of science plus learnings from some failed start-ups… including a Pet Detective Business she set up as a child. Originally from the Isle of Man in the UK, Brianne and her family migrated to New Zealand in the mid-nineties. Brianne talks about a happy childhood and loving parents although things just didn’t click for her at school, ‘I was good at doing just enough to get by’ pointing to her dislike of maths, a subject she despised, but something that made more sense to her later in life.
Fast forward to her 20’s and while she was studying towards a science degree, Brianne started to focus on particular issues, important issues that she could solve that might also present a business opportunity. She had a real focus on plastic and the damage it was causing to the environment. The other was the significant amounts of water found in our bathrooms in the likes of shampoo, conditioners, moisturisers, household cleaners and cosmetics, which are usually 60-95% water. Ethique was born and Brianne started to think about the possibility of making these products solid and simply sending the active ingredients direct to consumers, removing the plastic containers.
‘My first solid products were formulated in my kitchen, along with the idea of helping eliminate plastic from the global beauty industry. The overarching goal is to put a bar in every shower and to change consumers' behaviour’.
Brianne is best known for being a successful ‘for purpose entrepreneur’ , however, she also describes herself as an, ‘animal-obsessed, science-loving scuba diver with a love for exploring slightly unusual places’. Brianne is also straight talking, willing to share her time and resources and is committed to helping other entrepreneurs who share the same values.
A promise she has delivered on in is the formation of the Ethique charitable Foundation, which will make donations on behalf of the company to organisations that make a positive and lasting difference to people and the planet. Over the next four years the Ethique Foundation aims to donate $10 million to support regenerative business practices and ‘ help those with outstanding, scalable ideas create the change we need’. A key part of the strategy is the launch of the Ethique Fellowship, it will support conservation and rewilding efforts and will work with organisations to support biodiversity and champion those defending indigenous peoples rights. Since its beginnings in 2012, the company has donated at least 2% of annual sales to non-profit organisations protecting animal welfare, and biodiversity, and promoting conservation and human rights around the globe.
Ethique is proof that this is possible.
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Kelvyn Eglinton joins Purposely to share his leadership journey, straddling sport and community sectors alongside corporate and government. Kelvyn thrives in pressure situations, adept at sensitively working with groups of people who do not necessarily share the same views and carefully managing high stake situations. Kelvyn points to his ability to empathise with other people's perspectives. He works hard to truly listen to their side of the story, the fears they may have in any given situation. He has significant experience working through conflict to find resolution for business and social outcomes. A unique capability to navigate complex governance, management and political relationships and retain stakeholders at the table progressing on issues. Kelvyn has had a wide-ranging career that has included international mining, local government, urban growth strategy, central government roles and the sport industry provide a platform to showcase these skills. We explore Kelvyn's approach to life and how his upbringing helped shape who he is today. He lives by his Dad's advice, "If you can shake hands and laugh with the workers and the Mayor in the same day, you will do well in this world." We go deep into his current role as CEO of Momentum Waikato, co-ordinating generous donors with transformative projects. Kelvyn has played an instrumental role in raising the funds for a new theatre project in Hamilton. Beyond just raising the funds, more than $80 million, he has coordinated all stakeholders in the project to ensure that everyone is in agreement with the plans and the whole community will benefit. Before returning to NZ, Kelvyn was the Chief of Staff in the Jakarta office for Newmont Mining Corporation and oversaw the renegotiation of the contract of work with the Government of Indonesia and the social responsibility programmes of the operation on Sumbawa Island and North Sulawesi. For six years Kelvyn was based in Perth as Asia Pacific Director for External Affairs overseeing government, communications, and development programmes across operations in five countries and prior to that was the External Affairs Manager for Newmont Waihi Gold in NZ. Kelvyn is a Registered Independent Commissioner for RMA hearings alongside his roles on social performance panels for resource companies. He sits on the Boards the Waipa Communities Facilities Trust, Surf Lifesaving NZ and is a Trustee for the NZ Surf Lifesaving Foundation and Hospice Waikato.
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John O'Brien MBE is founder of Anthropy a gathering of leaders planned taking place at The Eden Project, UK. Inspired to act and counter the negativity that exists post COVID John will open ‘the UK Davos’ on Wednesday 2 November 2022. “A unique moment in time, to change the national narrative, consider the qualities we live by and build a positive, equitable, sustainable, successful future.” Anthropy will feature 300 speakers, 1200 participants attending 160+ sessions over 3 days across 12 stages and John and the team believe that it will provide a ‘launch pad for change’. To find out more visit anthropy.live John O'Brien joins Purposely Podcast to share his career story from life as a soldier, working for the current King of Britain to life as an entrepreneur focused on doing good. John has led the way 'beyond CSR' to a more impactful, meaningful alternative for businesses wanting to make a positive difference. He did this as a best-selling author, leader and advisor, helping businesses to put purpose at the centre of their action. Prior to John's intervention many businesses in the UK had corporate responsibility as a peripheral activity, offsetting their negative impact. John is an expert in helping individuals and organisations to find their purpose. He wrote “The Power of Purpose”, which combines experience with insights around ethical purpose in business from interviews with over sixty renowned leaders. As part of his journey John worked hard to define his own purpose; “Often, when you talk to people about purpose you will get a bland statement along the lines of 'I want to make the world a better place', and there is not anything wrong with that, but it doesn't necessarily give guidance to what you want to do or provide meaning. Realising this fact helped me to find my own purpose and want to help people and companies to find their purpose - so helping others find meaning”. Alongside his business advisory work, he has supported many social impact and charitable initiatives and created several philanthropic initiatives across the UK himself. He has a portfolio of interests including leading a consortium of Omnicom agencies in EMEA, part time, whilst using his remaining capacity on writing books on ethical purpose and communications and other philanthropic activities. John is a former British Infantry Officer and graduate of The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, who retired as a Captain after ten years in various roles around the world. Leaving the Army, he spent seven years creating his own ethical purpose agency and a decade before that as director of The Prince of Wales’s Business in the Community initiative. There, alongside various UK responsibilities, he created programmes covering twenty countries. John is a philanthropist in his own right having founded the Jubilee Hour, recognised by the UK government as the largest mobilisation of volunteering since World War 2, with over 2 million participants. He also co-founded the Remember WW1 volunteering campaign, and is supporter of a variety of UK charities. John has received numerous awards in his career and was made a member of the Most Excellent Order of The British Empire in Her Majesty The Queen’s 2017 Birthday Honours list for various charitable endeavours in the UK and overseas. John is based between his London office and his home in Shropshire.
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David Downs joins Purposely to share his story. David is an optimist, driven by purpose who is dedicated to serving others. Nominated for 'New Zealander of the Year' he is the ultimate multi-tasker and over achiever.
David is a cancer survivor who overcame the odds to beat a form of blood cancer that had affected his lymphatic system. A terminal prognosis from his doctor had given him only a year to live, however, ‘a series of lucky breaks’ gave him access to a drug trial in the USA. The treatment, revolutionary CAR T-cell therapy, saved his life . David has always talked freely about his cancer and wrote a column in a newspaper sharing details of his journey. It was this publicity that helped him to access the life-saving drug trial. He has written a book on his cancer (A Mild Touch of the Cancer - now a documentary film) and he spends many hours supporting and advocating for people with the disease.
We look back at the start of his career and how his Irish roots played a fundamental role in shaping his beliefs and values, as well as his career. Humour and performing played a significant role in his household growing up, he starting out as a comedian, then actor and eventually opened his own venue, The Comedy Club in Auckland.
David is now CEO of The New Zealand Story, an ambitious government-funded organisation marketing New Zealand to the world. Previously, David was a General Manager at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) for 10 years, working with the Technology sector to help fast growing tech companies grow internationally.
At the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown, David co-founded sosbusiness.nz - a not-for-profit initiative to help bars, cafes and other small businesses sell vouchers. It quickly became a huge hit and to date has sold over $2 million in vouchers for over 2500 small businesses. All the money goes to the businesses. Based on that experience, he published a book about the innovation that happened during Covid-19 in New Zealand, ’Silver Linings’, published by Penguin Random House.
David studied at Massey University, the University of Auckland and Stanford University, and regularly presents and gives talks on his cancer journey and on the power of positive thinking and optimism.
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Linn Araboglos joins Purposely to share her career journey spanning corporate, Government and charity sectors.
Linn found her calling in the middle of the COVID pandemic becoming the leader of one of twelve of the largest grant making charities in New Zealand. Chief Executive of the Wellington Community Fund is a role Linn really wanted, partly because of where she grew up. She had also experienced the joy of philanthropy as interim Head of the Vodafone Foundation and wanted more.
Linn started her role when New Zealand was in that first COVID lockdown, an online welcome from her trustees and team kicked off her first day in the job. Undoubtedly a tough time to start in a leadership role, particularly, as there was a lot of fear across both the New Zealand and global charity sectors. Charities weren’t sure if they were going to survive themselves let alone be able to respond to the significant level of need out there. Funding was crucial and Linn and her team a crucial role to play.
‘We actually took the opportunity to change things and turn everything on its head. (as a funder) We went from having complex criteria for applications and deadlines for funding rounds to no deadlines and a simple process. Twelve criteria down to three very simple criteria that were really about meeting community need, plus the self-determination and community aspirations.’
Their primary purpose is granting, a strategic funder focused on delivering equity and inclusion for communities across the Wellington region. As a ‘local’ Linn is personally invested in seeing the region and its people and communities thrive.
Linn has lived her whole life in Wellington. This includes where she went to University. She secured a Batchelor’s Degree in Psychology and Criminology degree at Victoria University and she was the first member of my family to ever go to university. ‘it was a bit of a big deal for me and my family’.
Completing her studies she was unsure of what she wanted to do next, she describes stumbling into the corporate sector, a role in insurance working as a claims manager. Working in a corporate environment was a new experience for her, however, starting in a call centre suited her. ‘It seems like a world away from where I am now but the more I heard about people’s circumstances, trauma’s and challenges the more I wanted to help’
This experience led Linn to a role in Government (for almost two decades), initially as a project manager and then as Director, Ministry of Youth Development, a role she had for 3 years.
‘I was sitting in a building looking out at the Beehive, where our government is housed, and I remember staring at the building and thinking that I really wanted to contribute to a lot of the good work that the government were doing. I guess I made a values based decision. I ended up working there for, gosh, 17 odd years, before making the leap to the philanthropic sector’.
In addition to her professional career and new leadership role she is mother to three children who she describes as ‘proud of what I do, although now life is back to some sort of normality they complain I am at the office a lot’. A significant part of Linn’s career has been driven by her passion to improve the lives of people, those most vulnerable and particularly children and young people. Linn has extensive experience working with community organisations, funding partners, governance boards and Ministers and she looking forward to putting this experience to good work to help her community in the future.
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Gill Whelan joins Purposely to share her story as the inaugural Head of fashion label DECJUBA’s charitable foundation. Gill swapped corporate sales for a career focused on purpose, combining skills learnt from business and experience with the charity ‘St Kilda Mums’ in her new role, leading a corporate foundation. DECJUBA is a private company and was bought by former Cotton On founder Tania Austin in 2008. A women and girls apparel brand with 140 stores across Australia and New Zealand it has gone from strength to strength. Tania had envisaged setting up a foundation when the time was right. Formally established in 2021, the motivation to start a foundation was partly driven to provide some structure and strategy to their existing charitable giving. Gill Whelan joined as inaugural General Manager of the foundation in July 2022. DECJUBA had been a supporter of the charity St Kilda Mums, and this is where Tania got to know Gill. Gill impressed as someone with knowledge and passion for the charity sector as well as a long-standing love for fashion. Leaving St Kilda Mums was not an easy decision for Gill, she had been with them for over a decade and had grown close to their clients, staff, and supporters. Established in 2009, St Kilda Mums, based in Melbourne Australia, raise funds, and redistribute pre-loved items to children to ensure a safe start to life. Instead of being discarded, prams, cots, clothes, and essential items are donated to St Kilda Mums to then be rehomed to families in need. Gill’s gateway into the charity sector was through volunteering, she had spent a ‘fun’ five years living in New York with her family and had arrived back in Melbourne Australia at a ‘bit of a loose end’ but determined to re-engage with her community and make use of the spare time she had. She started volunteering at St Kilda Mums, performing several roles over the first few years but ended up falling in love with the organisation. Inspired by the founder and CEO Jessica Macpherson (a former guest of Purposely), ‘she was an incredibly inspiring and ambitious woman, she can draw people in and take them on a journey. it was a fantastic organisation to be involved with and ultimately provided me with opportunities in terms of my career.’ Gill outlines the DECJUBA Foundation’s ambitious goal to positively impact 25 million lives by 2025. ‘It's wonderful to have that big ambition, we're really committed to transforming lives and helping those in need and ultimately creating real sustainable change.’ DECJUBA, like other brands trading in the ‘fast fashion category’ is under pressure to lessen their impact on the environment and ensure sustainable practices in everything they do, from sourcing materials to the manufacturing process, and how they deal with waste. There is also pressure on brands to do the right thing by their employees and suppliers to ensure there is no exploitation. This pressure is coming from customers who want to buy sustainable fashion items and who will not buy from a brand if they exploit workers. Employees are also only willing to work for companies who are focused on positive world impact. Gill is very aware of this, and she talks about their approach to sustainability. ‘We don't shy away from the fact that we're a fast fashion brand and that has environmental impact. We're sort of fronting up to that as much as we can and trying to go even further than I guess is expected of us and the foundation goes hand in hand with that’ Gill is looking forward to growing and scaling the work of the foundation and ensuring it has a positive and lasting difference on people’s lives as well as the environment. ‘at the moment it is just me although I have loads of support from all parts of the business to help the foundation’ We are excited to see where Gill will take the foundation and how she will use her experience to help shape the direction of the foundation as well as the company. You can find Gill on Instagram @gill_at_work
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Charlie Bresler joins Purposely to share his story as co-founder of the charity, The Life You Can Save. In 2013 Charlie started the charity with Peter Singer, widely recognized as one of the world’s most influential contemporary philosophers. He wanted to advance the ideas that Peter layed out in his 2009 book, The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty. In it, Peter argues that if we can provide immense benefit to someone at minimal cost to ourselves, we should absolutely do so.
Charlie was inspired by the book and reached out, offering to help to bring his skills in business, online marketing and initial seed funding to super charge the mission. Charlie and his wife, Diana, provided funding for The Life You Can Save to become a registered 501c3 charity, and Charlie began serving as the organization’s non-salaried Executive Director.
Their overall vision is to create a world where everyone has an opportunity to build a better life and where there’s no suffering or death due to extreme poverty. The charity’smission to make ‘smart giving simple’ continues today. They curate a group of nonprofits online that save or improve the most lives per dollar. It helps donors to access and give to good causes with the knowledge that each dollar will have a big impact.
‘We can, each of us, do our part in ending extreme poverty. But we won’t reach our goal unless many more contribute to the effort.’
While Charlie is no longer leading the organisation on a day to day basis he is still involved as a donor and as an active ambassador and spokesperson.
A former professional tennis coach and psychologist Charlie earnt a PhD in Social and Clinical Psychology from Clark University, he became Director of Behavioural Medicine for The California School of Professional Psychology, Fresno (CSPP-F), where he was a full-time professor and founder of a teaching clinic for treating anxiety & stress disorders.
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James Palmer joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story starting Community Finance and Positive Capital. James founded Community Finance in 2019 on a mission to significantly grow the community housing sector. He formed Positive Capital in 2021 to provide an investment vehicle to help scale their mission. ‘seventy percent of renters in New Zealand require financial support from the State, billions spent propping up the low-income housing industry each year’. Currently a safe, warm affordable home is out of reach for many in New Zealand. Community Finance connects investors and organisations who have the means and desire to help make that dream a reality. ‘Our aim was to build a bridge between philanthropists, Government, and impact investors to help solve the housing crisis affecting low-income families’ Just getting started James and his team have already raised over $40 million and on target to deliver 118 new affordable quality homes to marginalised and low-income New Zealanders. James has a strongly held belief that finance can be a force for good, he also has a passion for impact investment and believes it can play a vital role in solving social and environmental issues working alongside Governments, charities, and foundations. James was previously Chief Executive of Christian Savings, New Zealand’s only charity that is also a licensed non-bank deposit taker, managing almost $250m. Prior to that he was a commercial lawyer, following in his father’s footsteps he made the difficult decision to walk away from the family firm and launch a career in finance. ‘Delivering that message to my father was tough, although he was a better lawyer than me and I knew that I wanted to do something else. I had a strong desire to be part of a purpose driven business that’s focus was to make a positive and lasting difference to people’s live at scale’ James is the 2021 INFINZ University of Auckland Business School Emerging Leader.
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Afam Onyema joins Purposely to share his founder story starting the GEANCO Foundation.
Afam is a high achiever on a mission, a graduate of both Harvard and Stanford Universities, he is also the co founder and CEO of a charitable foundation helping to transform lives in Africa. Headquartered in LOS Angeles it receives support from Hollywood stars including Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt and David Oyelowo to name just a few.
Formed in 2005, the GEANCO Foundation’s mission is to save and transform lives in Nigeria. They perform complex surgical missions and deliver an innovative program to fight anemia and builds modern maternity clinics to help poor, vulnerable pregnant women deliver healthy babies.
We dive into the charities founding story and how Afam, inspired by his father, Dr. Godwin Onyema set up the American Foundation to raise vital funds and with the hope of having more of an impact as well a legacy.
On graduating from Stanford Law School Afam had a number of lucrative job offers put to him. However he gave it all up to help co-found the Foundation.
Afam was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1979. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University. After graduation, Afam worked for Hill & Knowlton, Inc., a global public relations firm. Afam entered Stanford Law School in September 2004. During his time at Stanford, he served as Vice President of the Black Law Students’ Association and a two-time Public Interest Fellow. In January 2006, Afam traveled to Ghana as part of the law school’s International Community Law Clinic.
Through its David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship for Girls, GEANCO provides tuition, medical care, and social & psychological support to young female victims of terrorism and gender inequality in Nigeria
Afam has been profiled and/or interviewed by BBC News, National Public Radio (NPR), US News & World Report, Forbes.com, Hollywood Reporter, Huffington Post, American Lawyer, NBC News, KTLA, Harvard Magazine, Stanford Magazine, Stanford Lawyer, Ebony Magazine and Newsweek.
GEANCO’s supporters include, among many others, Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Craig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daisy Ridley, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Rock, Forest Whitaker, Djimon Hounsou, Jimmy Kimmel, Chris Rock, David Oyelowo, Bryan Cranston, Steven Soderberg, Whoopi Goldberg, civil rights legend Rev. Jesse Jackson, United Airlines, Google, Disney, The Oscars, Showtime Networks and Netflix.
In 2020, Afam was named one of the Top Ten Most Influential Africans in the Diaspora.
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Charlotte Nightingale joins Purposely to share her founder story starting the Glass Ceiling Arts Collective. An Auckland based charity which supports people from marginalised communities, especially young people with disabilities.
Charlotte is the co-founder and inaugural artistic director of the collective an inclusive arts provider willing young people with disabilities to ‘smash the glass ceiling that has been unfairly set in the arts world’.
A teacher and actor by trade she overcame ‘crippling anxiety and a chromosome disorder’ to take roles on the stage and on television.
Charlotte has a passion for diversity and inclusion describes how her lived experience of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) transformed her life and gave her a real purpose, ‘my diagnosis with ADHD in my thirties fuelled my passion to want to help others, it went from being a negative thing at the start of my life to bringing lots of positivity’.
A wide-ranging career with a multitude of different experiences from studying, acting, teaching, retail, recruitment, and radio Charlotte points to her ADHD as a factor to trying so many different roles and experiences. She also talks about it being a superpower enabling her to focus intensely on the task at hand the challenge ‘was obsessed over at the time’.
As well as her own experience of ADHD she sites her families experience of disability, her son’s autism, and her grandparents who both had a disability and suffered bigotry because of their differences.
Born in the UK Charlotte migrated to New Zealand in 2009 and worked initially as a drama teacher and then set up her own agency directing theatre productions in local schools. Charlotte announced herself onto the New Zealand television scene with a role on 'Shortland Street', a popular medical drama, playing a high-profile defence lawyer. She also had a part in longstanding and high-profile in a local ad campaign for a national supermarket. On the stage she performed a lead role in an adaptation of Mamma Mia.
During her time in the UK her most high-profile roles were on the UK police drama ‘The Bill’ and ‘Keen Eddie’ as well stage roles doing Shakespeare.
Charlotte launched Glass Ceiling Arts Collective with her co-founder Michael Eaglesome in early 2020 who is also the charities general manager, with a presentation of a new work called The Incredible and Glorious World According to The Fitzroys, as part of the Auckland Fringe Festival. The show is about a young boy with autism and was a wonderful opportunity for audiences to explore their own perception of disability. The show was a great success, and we were all delighted to win Best Performance (Ensemble).
Charlotte has a BA Hons in Performing Arts majoring in Acting, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education.
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Lani Evans, MNZM, joins Purposely to share her story. A celebrated exponent of philanthropy she’s had a significant impact on the New Zealand sector since migrating here from Australia. Head of the Te Rourou, Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation, Lani is also an entrepreneur and co founder of an artisan subscription cheese company - The Cheese Cartel. She is a prolific charity trustee, volunteer, mother, runner (Ultra Marathons) and outdoor enthusiast. Lani loves getting things done, meaningful enterprise and philanthropy. ‘I believe in setting audacious goals, experimenting, measuring change and watching for unintended consequences’ Lani credits her parents as the inspiration behind her for purpose career. ‘When I was growing up my mum was always thinking about others and engaged the world with compassion and empathy. My upbringing had a huge influence on my life and the career path I chose.’ Lani was an activist from an early age, she organised a successful protest that mobilised thousands of young people in the fight against nuclear weapon’s testing by the French in the Pacific and Muriol atoll. These early efforts gave her both the motivation and the confidence to work for the community and led her to want to make a difference in the world. Currently, Lani runs Vodafone’s charitable foundation. She first interacted with the New Zealand Vodafone Foundation in 2009, as a “World of Difference” grant recipient. Now, she leads the organisation, a diverse role encompassing strategy, communications, grant-making and government relations. Under Lani’s leadership the Foundation has set ambitious goals, reaching into areas of youth justice, meaningful learning and Rangatahi Maori. Lani talks in glowing terms about Vodafone and how the Foundation utilises ‘their brilliance and resources along with their funds to make a positive and lasting difference’. Lani is committed to community empowerment and philanthropy that happens in collaboration with the very people it is helping to make the world a better place. ‘To get there we need philanthropy, but we also need activism and structural change and hard work and love. Keep giving, and keep giving in all possible ways, but never forget that philanthropy is not all there is.’ We also explore Lani’s entrepreneurial journey as start-up CEO of social enterprise, Thankyou Payroll for two years before stepping into a governance role. Thankyou Payroll is a purpose driven business that provides high quality, cloud based payroll services to thousands of businesses and charities all over New Zealand. The company also gives to the community through the Thankyou Charitable Trust. During Lani’s tenure they contributed more than $1.5 million in benefits to communities through funding and in-kind services. They also raised almost half a million dollars through equity crowd-funding and in 2020 they paid out dividends. According to Forbes they were the first equity crowd-funded company in the world to return dividends to shareholders. Lani is also a fellow of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF) where she hopes to connect with people who are leaning on each other to achieve the same goals. ‘None of us create ideas alone, we build them from conversations, relationships and sharing. I think EHF offers up an opportunity to grow and develop new networks and relationships to deepen practice.’ Lani is on the Board of the Peter McKenzie Project, their vision is for an Aotearoa New Zealand where all children, young people and mokopuna flourish. The J R McKenzie Trust established the Peter McKenzie Project as a spend-down fund dedicated to reducing child and family poverty. Lani was Emerging NZ Philanthropist of the year, she is a Winston Churchill Fellow (participatory philanthropy), National Geographic Adventurer, Edmund Hillary Fellow and a member of the NZ Order of Merit for Services to Social Enterprise.
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New Zealander Steven Zinsli first featured on Purposely in 2021 (#59) and he returns to share the very latest on his fintech company HealthNow. They are focused on improving accessibility and equity in healthcare. We reflect briefly on his founder story and then dive into how he is growing and scaling his company across the Globe. Despite never being to America (mainly because of travel restrictions caused by Covid) he has led the acquisition of a ‘mission aligned’ business in the United States therefore transforming their reach.
HealthNow is a company that combines a focus on making profit alongside purpose and social impact. You could say a new kind of company measuring success in different 'better world' ways.
HealthNow is a platform that allows customers distribute the cost of their healthcare and they subscribe to their future health needs via self-insurance through their digital health wallets. In addition, employers make tangible financial contributions to their employees’ healthcare with the aim of ensuring a healthy work force.
The platform breaks down healthcare costs into smaller bits, making those big health bills into smaller health bills, and making customers more amenable to the cost and out-of-pocket element.
Steven realised that it would be extremely difficult to bring about transformation in the direct healthcare sector using the brick-and-mortar model he tried first. That is why he founded HealthNow and launched the platform to work with existing healthcare service providers and companies within the healthcare space without the need for him to own any clinic.
In April 2022, HealthNow acquired CoverUs a prescription discount business that has a network relationship with 62,000 pharmacies across the United States of America. They grant patients prescription discount coupons to them and thereby removing the barrier of prescription cost.
Steven shares the acquisition story and how the challenges were overcome mainly because ‘we were on the same page, two businesses aligned to the same mission of making healthcare more accessible by removing barriers. Described by Steven ‘as a relatively smooth business transaction’ that means Steven and his investors and advisors now have an American presence. Incredibly did not visit CoverUs’s Portland’s Headquarters at any time during the acquisition, in fact Steven has never been to the States not even as a tourist.
https://healthnow.co.nz/
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Amy Carter joins Purposely Podcast to share her founder story launching The Christchurch Foundation.
Amy understands what it’s like to lead in a time of crisis. Amy shares the issues she dealt with and the emotions she experienced along the way. However, moments of doubt, sleepless nights did not knock her enthusiasm, she maintained her focus and sense of purpose to see her through the tough times.
In 2011, Amy was a business owner when disaster struck. The Christchurch earthquake killed 185 people and permanently changed the physical and social landscape of the city she lived in. It affected her view on philanthropy and shaped her focus on what the city needed. This eventually led her to set up the Christchurch Foundation in 2017. The foundation went on to play an instrumental role in raising $13 million to respond to the 2019 terrorist attack on two Mosques that killed 51 people. The worst terrorist atrocity ever in New Zealand and with hundreds of lives changed forever The Christchurch Foundation was under immense pressure to get it right. To facilitate the right kind of response that was ‘led by the victim’s needs’ and helping people both in the immediate aftermath and to this day and beyond. Amy has also been at the centre of a media storm that criticised her salary and took issue with elements of the charity and how it has operated. Criticism that Amy points as unfair and based on a lack of understanding of the community foundation model and the role they play in facilitating and encouraging place-based giving.
One of the most respected philanthropy leaders in New Zealand, Amy is bold in her approach, and is not afraid to disrupt the status quo and tread her own path. Her new focus is to tap into the generosity of Cantabrians (a term used to describe people from the Canterbury region of NZ) living abroad with the launch of a UK based entity.
This move was about building on their core focus to make it easier for people to give to the causes within Christchurch that they care about whether they live locally or not. They are a donor-led organisation rather than cause-led. That means that they act on behalf of the generous person or business who wants to give, matching them to causes that share their ethics, values, and desired outcomes. They are one of 17 community foundations in New Zealand with a total endowment of over $200 million focused on doing good both today and in the future.
Amy’s career has seen her working or volunteering for some of New Zealand's iconic charitable organisations including Surf Life Saving New Zealand, Swimming New Zealand, Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, and St John.
She has always been heavily involved in the Canterbury community and has sat on boards at University of Canterbury Students Association, The Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce and Sumner Lifeboat.
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Kathleen Owsley joins Purposely to share her story starting the Bosch Community Fund.
The fund has donated over $37 million since inception in 2011 and it is the corporate foundation for Bosch in North America.
Kathleen was inspired by her sister whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 41. This experience made her determined to live her life to the full and get the most out of it ‘I felt like I was living my life for both of us’.
Kathleen also talks about her Irish heritage influencing her desire to help others and want to make a positive impact to people’s lives, ‘one of our (cultural) attributes is to want to feed people, support people and be generous’
In the 90’s Kathleen spent time in France and Ireland and rather dramatically she cashed in her 401K (pension) and went backpacking around Ireland. Kathleen also studied Irish history in Northern Ireland. It was at the end of this period of study that she ended up temping at Bosch not realising at the time that she was go on to lead their foundation in North America.
A return to the United States and a random lunch led to Kathleen to the opportunity to launch the Bosch Community Fund as their founding Director. We go into the start up phase of the fund and how those early decisions about structure, giving themes, approach to giving has led to its success and enduring effectiveness.
The Fund is a grant maker and focuses on the enrichment of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and advancing environmental sustainability initiatives. They partner with charitable organisations and educational institutions across the US to provide quality project-based learning hands-on learning opportunities for students and professional development for teachers.
https://www.bosch.us/our-company/social-responsibility/
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Hendrikus van Hensbergen joins Purposely to share his founder story and his passion for insipring young people to protect the planet.
In 2012, Hendrikus was working for the largest wildlife agency in the world, WWF, when he took two of his colleagues to his old secondary school to talk about their work. They really enjoyed the experience and caught a glimmer of what might be possible if more young people were inspired to fight for the planet.
They decided to recruit their friends working in conservation to do the same, visit schools, talk about what they do and encourage involvement in local groups. There was a steady decline in UK wildlife, a conservation movement that felt stale and a lack of diversity in the sector, something had to change. Action for Conservation was born in 2016 with a vision that every young person in the UK is moved and empowered to protect the natural world.
The organisation has grown into an influential, national environmental charity that inspires and empowers young people. In 2019 it built on this reputation by launching the world’s largest youth-led nature restoration initiative in the Brecon Beacons National Park in the United Kingdom.
“We want to inspire today's young people to a long-term belief in the wonder of the natural world, that shapes their dreams and actions, however their life turns out. Our Mission is to bring the magic of nature into young people's lives, inspiring a youth movement committed to conservation and to the earth.”o conservation and to the earth.
Hendrikus grew up in Southwest England and Central Spain, where he developed a love of nature and the outdoors. He is an author having been approached by Penguin Books in 2019 to write a book for young people about climate action. ‘How You Can Save The Planet’ was published in 2021 and is packed with step by step actions for young activists plus simple explanations, practical tips and stories from children across the world. Described as the ideal guide for young people who are worried about climate change and want to help. Sir Tim Smit, a past guest of Purposely and Founder of The Eden Project said that 'Every young person in the country should be given this book'.
He has a BSc in Zoology from the University of Bristol, where he was awarded the Rose Bracher Memorial Prize for the highest First-Class Honours, and an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation & Management from the University of Oxford.
He has hands-on practical experience in conservation in both the UK and in Chile and has worked on global forest conservation initiatives at WWF-UK, as their Forest Policy Manager.
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Matt Siegel joins Purposely to share his incredible career story, from war correspondent to documentary maker and sustainable business owner.
Born in America, Matt grew up on the East Coast in New York City and studied History at University in Portland, Oregon. He now lives ‘off grid’ in the Southern Hemisphere with his Australian wife and two children, in a remote part of the Northern Beaches.
Passionate about sustainability and protecting the environment, Matt founded Green Thumb Media in 2020. It combines his skills as a journalist and film maker, with his passion for a better world, he describes it as ‘a boutique commercial film and video production company, focused on ethical and sustainable brands, and not for profits’. Talking with Matt, it is clear that Green Thumb has a dual focus - making a profit and delivering purpose to do their bit for a better world. They shine a light on social and environmental issues as well as working with people that share the same ethos and values.
Prior to launching Green Thumb, Matt spent four years working for Australian politician, the Greens Leader Senator Richard Di Natale’s, as his media adviser. It was this work that helped open his eyes to the idea of creating a business that would work exclusively with those on the same mission.
Matt’s not your typical American, not only has he spent decades living abroad he also speaks fluent Russian and has an in-depth understanding of the old Eastern-Bloc’s politics and culture. A former journalist with the New York Times he describes the changes that have happened in journalism, from the in depth reporting and storytelling to a more superficial journalism focused on grabbing attention and entertaining.
Matt’s passion is to help others and to ensure a better environment for future generations, he wants to play his part in ‘sustainable solutions to the climate crisis, so that little people everywhere have a brighter and cleaner future’.
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Gauri Manglik joins Purposely to share her founder story starting Instrumentl.
Every year Americans give over $400 million through philanthropy, in 2020 that amount rose to $470 million, largely because of the pandemic and the increased need. This is a phenomenal amount of money that is crucial to the wellbeing of millions around the world.
Gauri Manglik is someone focused on improving this industry and its effectiveness to ensure greater impact. In 2014 Gauri and her co founder Angela Braren launched Instrumentl, a web based software solution to help smooth the transfer of funds between institutions and the causes they want to support. It's like a matching service for institutional donors and nonprofits focused on making a positive difference to society and the environment.
Instrumentl is a member of the highly regarded Y- Combinator start-up, winning funding and support soon after launch. It was built to help fundraisers make the best use of their valuable time and energy and their aim was to make the grant process faster, easier, and more efficient.
Gauri and her team are headquartered in San Francisco, although their software is used in every US state and country around the world.
'We think it's time for the lack of available funding to stop getting in the way. Our mission is to help you move the world forward, one project at a time'
Gauri was also the founder of Fondu, a review site started in New York in 2010 using location data software, Gauri sold it to AirBNB going to work for the accommodation booking platform as a mobile product expert until she left to start Instrumentl. Prior to that Gauri was a developer for Blackrock, joining the investment firm in 2009.
Gauri was born in Raipur, India, before moving in her early years to Palos Verdes, Calif., and then Briarcliff Manor, New York She comes from (and still practices) the Hindu faith, and hails from a family of doctors, business people and politicians.
Key links related to this episode:
- The Ultimate Grant Writing Resources Collection
- Upcoming live, free grant writing classes
- 14-day free trial at www.instrumentl.com, use PURPOSELYPOD50 for $50 off your annual or monthly subscription
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Jamie Newth joins Purposely to share his founder story and why he started Soul Capital.
An academic and entrepreneur, Jamie is one of the key exponents of impact investing in New Zealand.
Jamie risked it all by remortgaging his house to seed fund his venture. This bold approach enabled him to have an active stake in the company and ensured confidence from his early stage investors, showing that he was 'all in’.
So what is impact investing? It's different to Philanthropy, where donors give money to support good causes with no expectation of receiving a financial return. Impact investing is when investors combine an expectation of financial returns alongside delivering positive social or environmental impact. In New Zealand impact investing is a relatively new phenomenon with a small market place, however there are an increasing number of interesting opportunities.
Soul Capital was established in 2014 and fully deployed its first fund in 2021, the company aims to get capital to entrepreneurs and enterprises who are tackling social and environmental problems as quickly as possible. Their first fund, called Awhi (which translates as embrace in Maori) has focused on getting growth capital to early stage impact enterprises. Investments have been made in six start-ups focused on; sign language through artificial intelligence; impact measurement tools; sustainable packaging; agri-tec; fintech for good and food delivery.
Jamie leads the Soul Capital team drawing on his expertise from a career consulting in entrepreneurship, strategy and growth. Jamie is unique in his experience as both a practitioner working across private, non-profit, and social enterprise sectors while teaching at the University of Auckland Business School. He holds a PhD in social entrepreneurship.
He sits on the boards of Social Enterprise Auckland, New Zealand’s only representative body for social enterprise, and on the Board of Connect Supporting Recovery, a large community mental health service provider. Previously Jamie has provided advisory and consulting services for a range of organisations across the SME, NGO, corporate, and social innovation sectors.
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Julia Capon joins Purposely to share her founder story starting Do Good Jobs.
Julia established Do Good Jobs in 2012, initially as a side hustle, and then later with more intent to commercialise the site.
Do Good Jobs is a popular online job board connecting people with job opportunities that create social and environmental change.
You will hear how Julia is a serial social entrepreneur that is focused on building businesses that balance purpose and impact alongside profit.
Businesses she has co-founded include a social enterprise, Eco Geek Co a low-carbon solutions provider, focused on sustainability and action. Recently a company called Thundergrid, an EV charging infrastructure company which has seen significant growth over the past three years - from startup to a rapidly scaling electromobility partner for government and corporates.
Sustainability is a passion of Julia’s and she is driven to do what she can to help solve the climate crisis
Julia also helps other purpose-led people to thrive with the beliefs that this will help improve society and the environment. Delivering training, courses and coaching to support the professional development of purpose-led people. Her courses focus on: mindset, vision/strategy and systems.
You will hear how Julia came close to burnout when she was balancing starting Do Good Jobs and the pressures of a day job. This led Julia to a period of reflection and the development of strategies and tools that helped her to be more productive at the same time protecting and enhancing her mental health.
‘Sharing my knowledge as a systems and efficiency geek to help reduce burnout, ease workloads and create more time for the for-purpose sector to focus on the key activities that make real change.’
www.dogoodjobs.co.nz
www.workshops.dogoodjobs.co.nz
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Michael Stevens joins Purposely to share his founder story developing and launching the Rainbow Tick. Michael’s mission was to support the rainbow community in a tangible way, helping the community to gain acceptance and inclusion in the workplace and he had seen similar initiatives abroad. ‘It was about positively impacting people’s mental health and about accepting and valuing people in the workplace, embracing the diversity of sexual and gender identities.’ The first programme of its kind in New Zealand, organisations undertake an accreditation process carried out by an independent assessor receiving the Rainbow Tick a visible sign that business embraces all genders and sexual identities. As a gay man, Michael knew from personal experience how important this initiative would be for future generations. Michael initially struggled to accept his own sexual identity and had to deal with a school culture that wasn’t fully inclusive or accepting. In 1988 Michael was diagnosed as HIV+, he was 27 years old and living in Istanbul, Turkey. The following years were filled with anger, sadness, sickness and acceptance, as he believed he had only a few years to live. That was nearly 30 years ago. Now, he’s in his 60’s. ‘I spent so long thinking about and planning my own death during those years, although it didn’t happen’ In 1988, the HIV/Aids epidemic was sweeping the world. many of his gay friends began to talk about it, and when his flatmate in Istanbul tested positive he decided he should get tested too. Michael travelled to London to receive his test. The doctor at the clinic told him he had HIV, and advised him to go home to New Zealand and prepare to die within the next two years. ‘I felt absolutely devastated and I went into a deep depression, but I decided I wasn’t ready to go home, so I returned to Istanbul.’ ‘When I told my family, they were upset for me of course, but fully supportive. I know a lot of people were cut off, but luckily for me this wasn’t the case.’ In the next few years, Michael said he didn’t feel too bad, but in 1993, he received the news one of his closest friends who was diagnosed around the same time as him, had died. ‘I figured if he'd now died from it, I probably didn’t have much time left. So I decided to go home for his funeral and prepare for my own.” The next year, Stevens became sick. He contracted tuberculosis and Pneumocystis pneumonia, a type of pneumonia often associated with a weakened immune system caused by HIV. He lost a large amount of weight in a short span of time and was constantly tired. He could no longer walk up the stairs at work without getting out of breath. It was at this stage he was told his HIV had progressed to its final stage, known as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Michael was in his thirties at this point. Michael was admitted to the ‘AIDS ward’ of Auckland Hospital but later released to Herne Bay House, a residential centre and hospice dedicated to caring for people diagnosed with HIV. Michael believed this is where he was going die. “I had been very angry and bitter about the situation up until this point. My attitude almost got me thrown out of the hospice, but eventually, I came more to terms with it and began to plan my death” Today he describes how the stigma has really decreased around having HIV, it has become much less pronounced as many people have a better understanding of it. “A lot of it was just fear really, people were afraid, and they didn’t understand why it was happening” “If you think of the friends you make in your late teens and early 20s, they’re often the friends that are with you for life. “Nearly all of my gay friends had HIV, and so many died. So many gay men from my youth are not here to turn 60 with me” Michael currently works as a relationship manager for Be.Lab a New Zealand based organisation which helps businesses and organisations to be more accessible. Prior to this he has was part of the AKL Uni Sociology Department.
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Elina Ashimbayeva joins Purposely to share her founder experience starting Storyo.
Storyo is loosely based on the ‘Humans of New York’ a famous photo blog shining a light on the people of New York, people of all genders, race and class.
Storyo’s mission is to contribute to a culture shift that improves societal attitudes, behaviours and narratives.
The inspiration came after she was scrolling online and was tired of the same “success” stories. Elina and her partner Steven wanted to share the journeys of their amazing friends. They wanted to celebrate people who are social workers, local artists, local politicians, sex workers and teachers.
They also wanted to celebrate gender diversity because these narratives are so rarely shared in the media.
They did their first interview for Storyo in June 2019 and have been hooked developing it ever since.
Elina’s driven by the privilege she feels from moving to New Zealand from Kazakhstan and getting a great education. Her mission “to live a life that is useful to others,” guided her through all her different roles and study.
Drawn to help people in the health sector Elina studied biomedical sciences and became a research assistant working in the immunology field. It was through this job, she realised she wanted to work more closely with people, and directly see the outcomes of her work.
She utilised the short breaks between lab experiments and started listening to podcasts. She was fascinated by business gurus who showed her there are all sorts of ways of helping people outside of science.
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Dr. Carol Homden CBE joins Purposely to share her leadership story. Carol is a renowned professional and volunteer charity leader, guiding some of the UK’s largest, and most respected nonprofits. Professionally she is the CEO of Coram and voluntarily she is the Chair of The National Autistic Society and Diabetes UK. Carol is a self confessed workaholic, driven by purpose to help children to live healthy, and happy lives. Her purpose is motivated by her upbringing as well as her experience as a parent. Carol's eldest child has severe autism and both Carol and her husband have first hand experience of the challenges this brings.
Carol started her career setting up print media enterprises in East Anglia before moving to London as a freelance arts journalist and editor. She then became director of marketing and development at the University of Westminster, later moving to the British Museum in 1999 as its first director of marketing and public affairs. Carol became the commercial director of The Prince's Trust for four years, working on incredible projects such as Party in the Park and Fashion Rocks. She then became CEO of Coram in 2007, revitalising the charity and aligning it to meet the needs of disadvantaged children, young people and their families. Established by Thomas Coram as The Foundling Hospital in 1739, Coram is the UK's oldest children's charity and has been supporting vulnerable children for 280 years. Leaving The Prince’s Trust for Coram, Carol wanted to be the boss, to be CEO, and knew the importance of helping children early in their lives, "It is crucial for a child's wellbeing and development that attachments are formed as soon as possible." Carol sheds light on the charitable work of Coram in supporting the rights, welfare and education of children throughout its 280 year history.
Carol’s super power is her ability to combine commercial acumen and skills with social empathy and knowledge for the greater good. You will hear how she transformed the fortunes of Coram, The Prince’s Trust and The British Museum ensuring they could deliver on their charitable missions on a much larger scale. Carol was awarded a CBE in 2013 for her contribution to services for children and families.
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Simon Lucas joins Purposely to share his founder story launching executive search firm Society.
We hear how Simon stumbled into a career in recruitment in the UK, eventually taking a leadership role in the industry. He innovated when he went out on his own with a distinctly responsible, ethical and sustainable approach to executive search.
Founded by Simon in 2005 Society is a B Corp Certified executive search firm that has a dual focus of both purpose and profit. Now a global company It was set up to add value to society and make a positive difference to people’s lives.
Simon explains his thinking and how the power of meeting people’s needs rather than just sales can lead to commercial success. We hear how his team thrived despite the challenges presented by the pandemic and the long lock down.
Society’s headquarters are in London with offices in the United States and New Zealand. Each year they donate 10% of their profits to good causes through their own Foundation. The foundation is an independent charity dedicated to tackling issues of workforce inclusion.
Simon grew up in South Wales, and read Philosophy and Politics at the University of Warwick. Along the way, he was Head Boy of Olchfa Comprehensive School in Swansea, and President of the Students’ Union at Warwick. Before setting up Society, Simon was an employee of executive search firm Perrett Laver for several years. He is now a founding Trustee of The Society Foundation and a Trustee of Hitchin Girls' School in Hertfordshire. Simon lives in North Hertfordshire with his wife and his two children. His company website describes him as having, ‘a ridiculously large collection of DVDs and a bit of a history and politics buff, with a soft spot for what he calls 'classic' rock.
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Qiulae Wong Joins Purposely to share her story. A passionate ‘business for good’ advocate Qiulae points to her upbringing, ‘My family really drummed into us the importance of the collective’. ‘It wasn’t about individual gain although that’s not to say they weren’t incredibly hard working and could see the importance of making money’. In many ways this combination of influences helped to get to where she is today. A belief that business success can be measured by profit as well as the positive social and environmental impact. We discuss Qiulae’s return home after a transformative decade in London where she crystallised her career aspirations and became a mum, ‘the UK was great but made less sense when we had our daughter and returning and re connecting with family became a priority’. Quilae is excited to be back home, landing dream job as Head of B Lab New Zealand. ‘I was so excited about the opportunity, I really wanted it and I did a lot of prep for the interviews, almost too much prep which left me a bit sleep deprived’.
Qiulae is B Labs first full-time employee in Aotearoa and the decision to hire reflects the increased popularity of ‘business for good’ with more and more businesses choosing B Corp certification.
B Lab is a nonprofit network transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. They certify companies — B Corps — who lead the way. They are aiming to build a movement to change our economic system.
B Lab began in the United States in 2006, and the network has grown across the world ever since.
Qiulae will be busy collaborating with businesses, government, and academic institutions to grow the movement.
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Andrea Brewster joins Purposely Podcast to share her career journey including her passion for sustainable and responsible business. Head of Sustainability and Social Impact at payments software company Xplor, Andrea is a great example of someone who has aligned her professional and volunteer goals. Her mission is to create positive change in the world where she believes business can be a powerful force for good, describing herself as ‘a change maker’.
Andrea has spent 10 years working with charities, NGOs, government departments, social enterprises and corporations. Roles have included strategy as well as doing… ‘getting her hands dirty’. She played a role in the rebuild of Christchurch following the devastating earth quake and has also helped start-up entrepreneurs to launch and scale their businesses. Andrea has travelled extensively, and been involved in international development which helped to shape her purpose as well as given her perspective on life. Andreas passion for making a difference started early in life, she has been recognised as an influential young leader in the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards, Women on Boards Awards Impact Awards and Champion Canterbury Business Awards. Andrea is also a Fellow of Leadership New Zealand, and a regular conference speaker and thought leader. You'll hear Andrea talk about things like millennials and the future of work, feminism, finding purpose, and diversity for the 21st century.
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Rui Peng joins Purposely to share his founder story with circular economy start- up Critical. This New Zealand start up is focused on achieving environmental sustainability through waste reduction - repurposing plastic even if it has been contaminated. Rui shares his vision for the future of Critical and how he and his co-founder Adam Ransfield overcame some incredible challenges to stay the course. Incredibly they lost their brand new factory to a tornado in 2021. That followed a reshaping of their business model from pure social enterprise to a ‘for purpose’ business focused on sustainability. We talk about Rui’s heritage, the son of Chinese immigrants - a first generation New Zealander. He talks about his parents in glowing terms describing them as hard working, determined people doing their best to make a new life for their family. Rui is passionate about his roots and mindful of his responsibility to protect Aotearoa's environment, reduce plastic waste, and help other nations around the world follow suit. Peng maintains ‘Our life's work is to care for the environment by developing technologies and circular solutions.’ Rui is a family man... 'Besides serving the 4 rangatira of our household including my wife and our three tamariki, I'm obsessed by the challenge to end plastic pollution - starting with the 252K tonnes NZ sends to landfill each year, and building pathways towards meaningful work for the 183K New Zealanders who are unemployed or underemployed.'
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Tim Jones joins Purposely Podcast. Episode 2 of 2 with Tim Jones, founder of The Grow Good Guy. In this episode we talk purpose and identity. Tim is full of energy and is a great communicator as you will hear. As well as guiding clients to gain their B Corp certification, he delivers consults trains and coaches individuals and organisations. His aim is to help them achieve meaningful goals in life and work, by tapping into the potential of their purpose fuelled performance.
We haven't met in person but have read a description of you that caught my attention, it said that you have the thinking ability of Russell Brand, the energy of Tony Robbins and the humour of Greg Davies - who is the real Tim Jones?
‘That's a great question. I think the version of me now is not who I've always been. I went to a strict private school in England where there wasn't really much realm for artistic creation. It went along the lines of yes sir, no sir. You were basically told what to do. I spent 10 years in a sales role and time in the British Army. I'm not a complete introvert and I would probably an ambivert, which is when you're comfortable with silence and your own energy, but equally, you don't mind being in an extravert position where you might have to talk or you might be surrounded by people.’
I would like to talk about purpose and identity, this is something you have really focused on?
‘I think it's massive and think this is one of the big contributors to the general modern mental health malaise, I think, it is at the core of it. Purpose is something that is not mentioned, when we talk about mental health crisis. This lack of meaning that a lot of us get through the work that we do. However, a big part of that purpose journey is identity, who are you? And there's a couple of good expressions on that one. This is a bit of a tongue twister and I can't remember who coined it but it's basically, ‘I am not who I think I am. I am not who I think you think I am. I am what you think, I think I am’.
‘You need to know who you are today and why you’re that person. To do that you need to go back and work out what has led you to be who you are today. Self-exploration is the journey that we all need to go on find our purpose. Who am I? Why am I who I am, and what has led me to be who I am today. Working out who you are and what has constructed you is massive. Most people don't want to do that because it's hard and you must go and fight some demons and you must go and challenge everything that you hold to be true, you need to go and challenge and not many people want to do that.’
So, there's, I think that's a big part of it, the other part of it of identity. So again, in front of me here, I have a big Welsh dragon flag, because, you know, I'm a Jones, let's face it, and, you know, as far as Welsh is you can get.’
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Tim Jones joins Purposely Podcast.
Episode 1 of 2 with Tim Jones, founder of The Grow Good Guy.
In this episode we explore ‘business for good’ and the exciting and growing B Corp Movement. We also explore Tim’s career and his dissatisfaction with profit only or at all costs paradigms.
Tim was New Zealand’s first qualified B Corp consultant and he has helped more than 50 companies from around the world successfully navigate the B Corp Impact Assessment, and is working with new businesses every month to take them through the process.
So what is a B Corp?
Put simply it is a company that prioritises purpose, positive social and environmental impact along with making a profit.
Companies gain certification B Corp (short for Certified B Corporation) is the term used for any for-profit entity that is certified by the nonprofit B Lab as voluntarily meeting higher standards of transparency, accountability, and performance.
Tim is full of energy and is a great communicator as you will hear. As well as guiding clients to gain their B Corp certification, he delivers inspirational, motivational, memorable and impactful consulting, training and coaching to individuals and organisations. He helps them achieve meaningful goals in life and work, by tapping into the potential of their purpose fuelled performance.
Beware… the episode ends on an unanswered question and you will need to listen to episode 2/2 out on the 4 May 2022.
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Ajaz.org CEO Nicola Brentnall joins Purposely Podcast to share her story and the joy she gets from philanthropy and advising charities inspired and run by the British Royal Family. She talks about the recent loss of her dear husband Tom from cancer and dealing with the daily challenge of grief, ‘it can hit you out of nowhere’. Tom had a passion for Nicola’s work, and he would often travel with her (at his own expense) to see the charitable projects in person. Nicola discusses the affinity she felt with marginalised young people and how this inspired her 14-year career with the Prince’s Trust. Using her skills to help the team inspire young people to be the best they could be and achieve their full potential. Nicola worked as a strategy and governance consultant to The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation and for The Prince’s Trust, as Company Secretary. Leaving the Prince’s Trust Nicola received ‘a phone call out of nowhere’ outlining an opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to advise and direct the Royal Family on a ‘spend down programme’ donating £35 million to good causes over a 4-year period through The Queen’s Trust. These funds had been raised in a single year in the 1970’s and a decision was made to run a giving programme to help young people in need. Major recipients of the funds include the charity ‘Onside’ supporting the building of youth centres providing an inclusive space for young people in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the UK. Nicola also led the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust for five years and dramatically furthered its reach and relevance to the communities it served across the world. A qualified Chartered Secretary, she has an MSc in Corporate Governance and Ethics, and a degree in The History of Art. Nicola was awarded an MVO. Nicola is also a Trustee of BEAT (a nationwide charity supporting people affected by eating disorders) and Opera North.
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Dave Rouse joins Purposely Podcast to share his journey including his successes and failures.
A former medical student ‘I wasn’t mature enough to deal with death and illness at that point of my life’ and commercial pilot.
Dave is now a successful entrepreneur and early stage investor. He also has a day job as CEO of a successful green tech company CarbonClick.
CarbonClick was created after two of Dave’s colleagues, founders Jan Czaplicki and Paul Brady were working on an offsetting programme for a major international airline. The third founder is aviation expert Michelle Noordermeer. They saw how hard it was for businesses to create their own programme, access or perform proper due diligence on offset projects, and then trace and reconcile those credits to prove customer payments had been accounted for.
CarbonClick was born to make climate action simple and transparent for businesses.
The founders approached Dave to be their CEO after he had invested in the company early, at the ‘family, friends and fools round’. He believed in the founders and the concept.
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Rachel Brown, ONZM – Founder & CEO, Sustainable Business Network
Rachel Brown is the founder & CEO of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) and was one of the early champions of the ‘business for good movement’ in New Zealand. Rachel launched her organisation 20 years ago at a time when people doubted the science emerging around human environmental damage. Back then sustainability was associated with ‘greenies’ or ‘tree huggers.’
Rachel, however, did believe the science and was determined to do something proactive to turn the tide on environmental damage in an effort to protect the planet.
So why business and sustainability?
In part because of her childhood, she describes a wonderful upbringing where her parents, especially her mother, introduced her to the science of sustainability at an early age. At the same time, she was intrigued by the growth and buzz of capitalism. Rachel quickly realised that business could play a productive and leading role in sustainability and could be a force for good rather than bad.
In the podcast Rachel discusses those times and how ‘well meaning’ business leaders refused to connect business practices to the environment. Often, they could not see a purpose beyond making a profit for shareholders - ‘nice people who would push me towards their charitable giving activity’. They hadn’t made the connection that care for the environment was going to be crucial to the long-term success of their business or that a different approach could give them a competitive advantage.
The SBN network she created now includes 600 organisations from a range of sizes and sectors. Rachel has overseen the creation of systemic collaboration projects focusing on climate action, designing out waste, and regenerating nature. SBN runs the Sustainable Business Awards, New Zealand’s largest sustainability award programme as well as a series of successful training programmes.
In 2009 Rachel was personally selected by Al Gore to present The Inconvenient Truth (part of the global climate change education programme). In 2012 she was invited by Al Gore to join an elite group of international presenters to be part of the Climate Reality Project broadcast. The broadcast reached over 3 million people across the globe.
As a regular presenter, collaborator, investor and driver of action within NZ communities, Rachel is committed to the role business plays in supercharging and transforming NZ’s economy into one that is smarter and more sustainable. Rachel regularly sits on government panels to inform on policy. Currently she is on the Advisory Panel of ‘Jobs for Nature’, a Board member of the Milford Foundation, and on the business advisory panel for All of Government Procurement. She is a member of the advisory panel for the National Waste Strategy and the Million Metres Streams Advisory Board. Rachel also provides advice and support to a number of new and emerging businesses, individuals and social enterprises.
In 2018 she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for years of service to sustainable business.
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Should companies be run to earn a profit, or to serve a purpose? Alex Edmans joins Purposely Podcast to talk about his ground-breaking book, The Pie-Growing Mentality A new approach to business (and indeed capitalism) that works for both investors and society. The book lays down the argument that “Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit” and that it is not an either or choice. Drawing from his research evidence and real-life examples spanning industries and countries, Edmans demonstrates that businesses driven by purpose are consistently more successful in the long term. He describes how a purposeful company must navigate difficult trade-offs and take tough decisions. Edmans' provides an actionable roadmap for company leaders to put purpose into practice, and overcome the hurdles that hold many back. He explains how investors can discern which companies are truly purposeful rather than green washing and engage with them to unleash value for both shareholders and society. And he highlights the crucial role that citizens can play as employees, customers and investors, in reshaping business to improve our world. What is the pie and what is pieconomics'? ‘The pie is the total amount of social value. It's not just financial value, but it's the amount of total happiness or welfare that a company creates. You can think about that pie as being divided between profits to investors and value to society. So often when people think about businesses becoming more responsible, they think about well, should we split the pie differently? So should we reduce profits in order to pay higher wages? or should we reduce profits in order to charge fair prices to customers? Similarly, if you're a CEO, many CEOs think about how to split the pie in their favour. So they might think the way to maximise profits is to charge as much as I can get away with or to pay my workers as little as possible. So what is pieconomics argues is that the relationship between business and society is not a zero sum game and the pie is not fixed. When a company chooses to invest in its workers or to become better stewards of the environment or to treat customers better. They're not just sacrificing profits, instead they're growing the pie, ultimately enhancing profits. For example, if you treat your workers better they'll be more motivated and productive and more likely to stay similarly with the environment and customers. So while there might be trade-offs in the short term but in the long term, a responsible company is not just being more ethical it is being more commercially savvy and boosting its long term returns.’ Alex Edmans' is Professor of Finance at London Business School. Alex graduated from Oxford University and then worked for Morgan Stanley in investment banking (London) and fixed income sales and trading (New York). After a PhD in Finance from MIT Sloan as a Fulbright Scholar, he joined Wharton in 2007 and was tenured in 2013 shortly before moving to LBS.
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Professor Ioannis Ioannou joins Purposely to share his thoughts on ESG and sustainability. Ioannis is respected and renowned strategy scholar whose research focuses on sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Purposely caught up with Ioannis while he was in on sabbatical in Miami and we covered a wide range of topics. Ioannis's focuses on how modern business contributes towards building a sustainable future and his academic work evolves around two main themes, including; understanding how the broader investment community perceives, evaluates and reacts to corporate engagement with, and integration of, environmental and social issues into strategy. Also, understanding the multiple and multilevel factors that may affect the corporate decision to adopt environmentally and socially responsible strategies. Ioannis regularly publishes in top-tier peer-reviewed academic journals regularly winning awards for his leading and thought provoking work. In 2016 he was awarded the ARCS Emerging Sustainability Scholar Award; an award that recognises a scholar in the area of corporate sustainability. He is also very active on social media and a frequent contributor to articles in the popular and managerial press including outlets such as the Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Guardian, BBC, Le Monde, and Forbes. In further recognition of his impactful work, Ioannis has been shortlisted for the Future Thinker Award of Thinkers50, the first-ever global ranking of management thinkers whose mission is to recognize ideas that have the power to change the world. Dr Ioannou’s has also been recognized by various rankings as one of the top social media influencers around the world for issues of responsible business and sustainability. Ioannis graduated magna cum laude from Yale University, majoring in Economics and Mathematics and holds a Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard University and the Harvard Business School. He joined London Business School in 2009 as an Assistant Professor and he is currently an Associate Professor with tenure. He has taught on the MBA and EMBA Core Strategy courses at LBS, and several other degree programs such as the Masters in Finance degree, the Emerging Leaders Program and other senior executive programs, including the Senior Executive Programme (SEP). He is a regular contributor to multiple LBS executive education programmes including modules on Responsible Business and Sustainability. Dr Ioannou has presented his research at many academic conferences, and universities around the world, and also, he is very often invited to deliver keynote speeches on issues of responsible management and sustainability at numerous high-profile events and conferences globally. He is a member of the UK Network Rail’s External Transparency Challenge Panel and the Advisory Board of Ethical Corporation. Dr Ioannou is also a member of the World Economic Forum Expert Network with expertise in the area of Sustainable Development.
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Hannah Bellamy joins Purposely to share her leadership story with global aid organisation charity: water. 77 million people live without clean water. Nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide. The majority live in isolated rural areas and spend hours every day walking to collect water for their family. Not only does walking for water keep children out of school or take up time that parents could be using to earn money, but the water often carries diseases that can make everyone sick. Hannah and her team know that access to clean water is vital and means education, income and health - especially for women and kids Hannah outlines their vision to create a world where everyone has clean, safe drinking water. Incredibly they have funded clean water for 15 million people since inception in 2006 Globally revered, Charity: water has been recognised for their innovative, transparent, impactful approach by Fast Company, Forbes, and the New York Times among others. In 2019 Hannah brought the charity's model to the UK and Europe, she launched subscription giving, and forged partnerships with fashion, retail, and other brands to catalyse change. We touch on the charities origin story, with founder Scott Harrison transitioning from a decade long career as a New York City club promoter to running a charity helping millions. From 2004, Harrison committed two years of his life to the poor and marginalized through volunteer service in Liberia with Mercy Ships. He recognized that problems surrounding education, safety, and health may trace back to a lack of clean water and basic sanitation systems. Originally from Dorset, Hannah Bellamy has lived all over England and in Scotland, Norway, Alaska, Abu Dhabi, India, and Texas. Her degree in English and American Literature launched her career in publishing, but she transitioned into corporate responsibility and then the nonprofit world. Prior to charity: water Hannah was the founding CEO of United Way UK. In this episode we explore her purpose led work journey and also explore how she navigated the pandemic and adapted the way she worked. You will also hear how she believes in the power of mentoring, both to help motivate her and how she mentors women through FemMentored, and is an advisor for Good Brains for Good People.
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Alecia Hancock joins Purposely Podcast to share her founder story with Hancock Creative.
A former fashion journalist and editor, Alecia is now a celebrated businesswoman and entrepreneur who has a passion for helping charities, non-profits and for purpose businesses shine a light on the causes they support.
Alecia is a woman on a mission, an incredibly driven individual who is willing to take risks to deliver value to others. Her determination is evident in this episode as she describes ‘keeping on, keeping on’ through some tough times, refusing to be beaten by the pandemic or by her own health issues. Alecia’s mission is to high-light worthwhile causes around the world by providing accessible online education for cause based organisations.
Alecia founded Hancock Creative in 2010, initially focused on providing small business a range of creative services. The business Alecia runs today is very different to that early vision. Hancock Creative now focuses on worthwhile global causes by providing accessible education to not for profits and socially-motivated organisations, ‘We help them tell their stories in today’s digital world’.
Her education seminars and events aptly named change the world help cause-based organisations tell their story. They predominately teach causes to use social media to fuel their growth. Alecia describes social media as ‘the most powerful tool that exists today to reach out to an audience and get them to take action – with little or no money spent’. Hancock Creative also delivers impactful content through a podcast and global training events
While Alecia and her team are based in Perth Western Australia their reach is global and they regularly work with clients across North America, the UK and the rest of Australasia
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Talitha Nelson joins Purposely Podcast to share her leadership story as CEO of the Gloucestershire Community Foundation.
Talitha describes the enormity of the challenge faced by people in the UK in the early stages of the pandemic and how her foundation and the 46 other community foundations across the UK played an instrumental role in getting crucial support and aid to people in need. Talitha talks about surviving and thriving as a leader during this time and how the pandemic brought people, businesses, funders and charities together to fight a common enemy and serve the needs of the community. Talitha believes this experience will change the face of the sector in the future, from silo thinking to collaboration.
So what is a community foundation, it is a ‘tax-exempt, nonprofit, publicly supported philanthropic organization with the long term goal of building permanent, named funds, for the broad-based public benefit of the residents in a given area.’
A brief history, started in North America…
Community foundations in the United States boomed in the 1920s as the concept spread, especially in the Midwest and Northeast. By the end of the 1920s Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Rhode Island, Buffalo and dozens more American cities all had their own community foundations. In the 1930s community foundations faced a difficult period of decline during the Great Depression, when resources were scarce and the banking system was in difficulty and disrepute. In 1931 the first Donor Advised Fund was established by a community foundation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Talitha has developed a real passion for community foundations, although you will hear how she started her career in retail, 8 years working at fashion legend Karen Millen, ‘This set me up for a life of success in business, working with founders Karen & Kevin, a true iconic British premium brand’
Talitha has also worked in senior roles in the hospitality sector, owning her own hotel at one until she discover the charity sector and what she describes as ‘A truly fulfilling role as the CEO of the Gloucestershire Community Foundation, where we bring people who care together with the most disadvantaged within our community, influencing and driving change for those who really need it'
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Sarah Page joins Purposely Podcast to share her founder story starting the Kindness Collective Foundation (KCF). It began with Sarah bringing together a small group of people wanting to do good in the community, their vision to help build a kinder New Zealand. The collective is now a registered charity with a network of over 10,000 people including active donors, volunteers, brands and businesses. Described by Sarah as ‘quite simply a match-making service’, matching those in need with those who have more to share. They make it easy for people, brands and businesses to help kiwis in need. They work with schools, early childhood education centres, social services, community groups and other charities to donate time, tools, resources and money. KCF point to the poverty and family violence statistics that continue to climb in New Zealand. 1 in 5 children experience hardship, and at least 33% of New Zealanders experience some form of food insecurity. Sarah believes in the power of communities helping each other to offer creative resource solutions to the many problems families face in society. Before the Kindness Collective, Sarah worked in Marketing and PR for many years within hospitality, music industries and corporate event management. Working with bars, nightclubs and restaurant groups with their marketing, music, events and PR strategies. Sarah started the Kindness Collective in 2014 with a mobile food bank operation delivering food to a local Women’s Refuge group and has grown the charity to what it is now. Sarah has big plans for the Kindness Collective to impact the lives of as many people as possible in Aotearoa.
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Former Green Party MP Barry Coates joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story with Mindful Money. Mindful Money is a charitable social enterprise that aims to make investment a force for good. They aim to switch funding away from pollution and exploitation, and instead to massively increase funding for sustainability and the transition to a low emissions economy. Founded in 2018 the free platform https://mindfulmoney.nz/enables members of the public to find out what is in their KiwiSaver or investment fund and find an ethical fund that fits their values and criteria. Mindful Money also works with fund managers and the finance sector to raise standards for ethical/responsible/ESG investing and impact investment. They advocate for a legal and policy framework that will enable New Zealand to transition towards a sustainable finance system. Barry lived and worked overseas for many years, gaining a Masters in Management from Yale University, and experience in corporate strategy, fair trade, climate change and sustainability. When he returned to New Zealand he was Executive Director of Oxfam Aotearoa, initiator of a sustainability programme at University of Auckland and a Green Party list MP. Barry has been a member of the Government’s Trade for All Advisory Board and Technical Working Group of the Aotearoa Circle’s Sustainable Finance Forum, and he is a Board member of 350 Aotearoa. Barry was awarded the Sustainable Business Network’s Sustainability Champion in 2016. Barry is highly respected and an expert on a wide range of sustainability issues. He lives a low impact life and leading the way for others to do the same. He has been a frequent and compelling face in the media and amongst other topics he has highlighted the impact of climate change on vulnerable people and the measures that the New Zealand Government and businesses must do to stop polluting.
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Dan Corry, CEO of London based New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) joined Purposely Podcast to share his leadership story. NPC is a successful and respected charity think tank, launched 20 years ago by partners of Goldman Sachs. They wanted to shake up and disrupt the sector by focusing on impact measurement and accountability grading. Dan became Chief Executive of NPC in 2011 following a variety of posts in public policy and economics, ‘I feel like everything I did prior was preparing me to be CEO of NPC’. Dan was Head of the Number 10 Policy Unit and Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister Gordon Brown (2007-2010). The 2008 global financial crisis brought about a tumultuous time for the economy, Dan played a crucial financial advisory role in helping the government survive the crisis. During the episode you will hear how ‘late nights and difficult decisions’ played a role in turning things around. Dan has been Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Treasury and has worked as a special adviser to the Secretary of State in the Education Department. He was a Director in the Economics segment of FTI Consulting and ran the New Local Government Network, voted Think Tank of the Year in 2004. Dan is a member of the Early Action Taskforce, which helps make the case for a shift in priorities away from coping with the consequences of social problems towards work that prevents them arising. He is a member of the Advisory Boards for Big Society Capital, Impetus–PEF, and the Centre for Public Scrutiny, as well as a member of the Charity Tax Commission. He is a trustee of St Mungo’s, 19 Princelet Street and of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, and a former member of the Research Committee of the ESRC and of the Greater Manchester Economic Advisory Panel.
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Paul Ramsbottom OBE joins Purposely Podcast to share his leadership story. We also touched on how he got his name and what led him to be awarded an Officer of the British Empire.
Paul is CEO of the Wolfson Foundation and has been volunteer founder Chairman of Savannah Education Trust for almost two decades. We discuss the incredible contrast between the two organisations, one a large charitable foundation donating millions of pounds to good causes annually and the other a small effective charity saving young lives in West Africa on a limited annual budget of just over £200k. Paul is passionate about both organisations and wearing two hats , as a funder and fundraiser, has added to his knowledge and ability to understand the struggle smaller charities have fund their services.
Established in 1955 Wolfson Foundation has now passed over £1 billion milestone in terms of grants awarded (over £2 billion in today’s money). The funds have gone to support and promote thousands of remarkable projects across virtually every community in the UK – and within education, science, medicine, heritage, humanities, the arts and health and disability. Paul also shares the fascinating story of the Wolfson family where their success in commerce led them to an impressive philanthropy journey.
Paul attended Corpus Christi College, Oxford where he gained a First in modern history. Paul Ramsbottom is Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation and its sister charity, the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust. Paul takes a wider interest in issues relating to philanthropy in the UK as a speaker and writer. He has undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in History from the University of Oxford.
Outside of philanthropy, he has an interest in international development which includes founding the Savannah Education Trust - a charity which works in West Africa – and sitting on the Board of Mercy Ships UK. His hometown university, the University of Bedfordshire, awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2013. In January 2020 he was awarded an OBE for services to charity.
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Robert Gardner joins Purposely Podcast to share his fascinating story, from a childhood in inflation ravaged Argentina to disrupting the pension industry through his successful start-up ‘Redington’.
Rob is currently Director of Investment at St. James’s Place Wealth Management, a highly respected visionary, Rob is leading a responsible investment revolution in wealth management.
Rob is responsible for planning, growing and protecting the wealth of over c850,000 clients in the UK and Asia. St. James’s Place manages over c£150 billon of client funds, Rob’s main goal is to ensure that these clients have enough money to live a long and prosperous life, at the same time using this money to be a force for goodas delivering financial wellbeing in a‘world worth living in.’
Rob started his career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank working in foreign exchange. Rob then moved to Merrill Lynch where he helped pioneer a way for pension funds to manage their long-term interest rates and inflation risks. In 2006 he resigned to become an entrepreneur and co-founded Redington, “we wanted to do for pensions what Jamie Oliver did for school food”. Redington today is one of the largest investment consultants in the UK, employing over 200 employees in London, Bristol and Beijing. While Rob no longer works at Redington but remains a shareholder in that business. During his time at Redington, Rob also co-founded a charity RedSTART focused on delivering financial education to children across the UK especially those who need it most. Rob talks about his personal commitment to RedSTART’s mission and how they plan to play a key role ‘ in planting the seed for the financial security for young people across the UK.
I normally ask my guests about organisational mission but it struck me that you have your own personal mission?
‘Yes that’s right, over the last few years I have used a concept called Ikigai (Japanese philosophy) to decide my personal mission, it mapped what I love doing, what I think I'm good at, what will enable me to make an impact paired with what the world needs. Ideally something I can get paid for and suits my skills - the epicentre of that is financial well being in a world worth living in. So if you look at my career and the things I do, they basically fall under either helping to create financial wellbeing or helping towards ensuring a world worth living in.’
You spent some of your childhood in Argentina?
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Yes, my parents were teachers and moved there to take up roles at the end of 1985 when I was seven years old. One of the interesting things about Argentina in that period is that inflation was running at over 30% a month. So imagine being paid and then at the end of the month your spending power is 30% less than it was the month prior. Incredibly prices would change every day and Mum and Dad would get paid a wad of cash and we would then go and do the monthly shop. In the evening, we drove to this house, I don't know if you've ever watched a show called Narcos, this was a scary house big metal bars on the windows and Dobermans in the garden and my dad and one of the other members of staff would go up to change their money into US dollars. Then that night we’d head home with our US dollars and hide them typically in the old 35 millimetre film canisters and hide them around the house. So remember, I'm seven years old, my sister's five, and this is normal and I why are we doing that?! Well, there are two reasons, one was inflation and the second thing is that people didn't trust putting their money in banks.’
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Fellow Kiwi Sam Grice joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story with Guardian Angel.
Guardian Angel is categorised as a ‘death tech for good’ start-up focused on reducing the stress in the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death by enabling people to coordinate support from family and friends - simplifying the bereavement process.
Guardian Angel was founded in 2017 following the unexpected death of Sam’s mother in a road accident. Having been personally exposed to the end-of-life industry, the lack of digital efficiency became evident as he and his family struggled to coordinate the tasks and sudden influx of communications.
Sam said, “The support we received from well-meaning family and friends after mum’s accident was amazing. However, managing that support together with organising a funeral and a wake proved immensely difficult during one of the most stressful periods of my life. And I’m not alone. Most of us have or will experience the death of a loved one and face the same issues that I did.
Can you give some examples of what Guardian Angel provides?
‘The platform includes a ‘Key times’ function which informs people when they can visit and when the family would like to be alone. The ‘To-Do list’ allows the management of all tasks and ask friends for help. The user can share funeral information privately and it also staggers support, like flower deliveries, so they do not all arrive at once. These are just some of the features it provides.
Tell us more about your founder journey?
‘A lot of founder led businesses are linked or triggered by personal events – an ‘aha’ moment following a life experience and the thought ‘Can I improve this and make it better?’. Unfortunately, mine was linked to the death of my mother who was involved in a car accident. I was 27 and my siblings were young as was my mom who was only 60, she wasn’t prepared to leave us, and we had a lot of admin and things to sort.’
‘We found out how expensive and full of jargon the process was and we didn't know what was going on and there was no one really guiding us. There’s often no single point of reference and if you're speaking to a lawyer or your insurance broker and a funeral director and it feels fragmented and inefficient. It inspired my idea to help people plan but also manage the chaos that's left behind. If someone isn't prepared, then so often the family doesn't know what to do.’
‘We've helped over 100,000 people plan for a better managed death and that's a huge accomplishment. A positive outcome from something that was quite tragic for both myself and my family.’
https://guardianangel.network/
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Beth Breeze joins Purposely Podcast to discuss the launch of her book ‘In Defence of Philanthropy’. She is passionate about giving and fundraising and has championed adding academic rigour to the discipline, shining a light on the positive elements of philanthropy. Beth worked as a fundraiser and charity manager for a decade before founding the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent in 2008 where she now leads a team conducting research and teaching courses on philanthropy and fundraising, including an innovative MA Philanthropic Studies. Beth has written and edited five books, including ‘The New Fundraisers: who organises charitable giving in contemporary society?’ (2017), which won the AFP Skystone Research Partners book prize. Her latest book ‘In Defence of Philanthropy’ offers a robust response, based on both theory and extensive evidence, to the critiques against big giving. She has also written a wide range of research reports including ten editions of the annual ‘Coutts Million Pound Donors Report’. How did you get into fundraising and charity? ‘When I left university, all I knew is that I wanted to be useful. I didn't come from a particularly privileged background, so I didn't have a huge sense of what kind of jobs were out there. I only knew about social work and teaching and they're great jobs, but I didn't really think I had the personality or characteristics to do those sorts of roles. Instead, I looked at the charity sector because that seemed another obvious place where you can do good. My first job was as a fundraising officer in a youth homelessness charity called the ‘Cardinal Hume Centre’ in London and I became a fundraising officer rather than any other job because frankly, there's more opportunities in fundraising. I loved the way you could bring together a good organization that needs resources with generous people who have got resources with people who are good people who have got resources, you matchmake them together and the magic happens.’ How do you approach writing? ‘I have two strategies, the first is that I lied to myself a lot and I’d sit down at 10 o'clock at night and I would say to myself that I'm just going to do half an hour and of course what happens is you start writing and you get into it. The hardest bit is starting but once you start, you're glad you did it. Strategy number two is mint chocolates. I am an absolute sucker for dark mint chocolate, and I have boxes of them in my office and whenever my energy starts to flag I just open another box of chocolates then I can keep going for another hour.’ Beth has served as trustee for the Cardinal Hume Centre for young homeless people, as a commissioner on the Commission for the Donor Experience, as publications editor of Philanthropy UK, as a member of the President's advisory council at NCVO; as a member of the Advisory Group of the Charity Tax Commission; and is currently a member of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute Research Committee, Lilly School of Philanthropy, Indiana University, USA. Buy In Defence of Philanthropy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Defence-Philanthropy-Beth-Breeze/dp/1788212614
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Kevin Robert Frost joins Purposely Podcast to share his very personal leadership story in the fight against HIV. Kevin has been the CEO of amfAR, The American Foundation for AIDS Research, since 2007, first joining the organisation in September 1994. Kevin is fully committed to the work he does, and vividly remembers the dark days when people were dying in large numbers from AIDS in New York and other parts of the world. Kevin personally knew some of these men and still remembers the horrible stigma caused by fear and bigotry.
Fast forward to today and an HIV diagnosis is less likely to be a death sentence thanks to organisations like amfAR and committed, passionate leaders like Kevin. People diagnosed with HIV are less likely to suffer thanks to combination therapies, preventative medicine, and different attitudes towards sexuality. Kevin does stress, however, that things have not changed for everyone and unfortunately in many countries HIV and homophobia can still mean a death sentence.
Kevin talks openly about his own journey and why he decided to do something meaningful to fight AIDS and give hope to people diagnosed with HIV. He also discusses his parent’s reaction to his mission and about coming out as a gay man.
We talk about the current Coronavirus pandemic and Kevin’s frustration that lessons learnt from the fight against HIV have not saved the world from more pain and suffering. Kevin’s sense of mission is incredibly strong, and you can hear his passion and commitment for his life’s work over three decades.
Kevin’s amazing career includes:
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February 2010, appointed by President Obama to the Presidential Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), which is charged with providing guidance and recommendations to the administration on the U.S. government's domestic and international HIV/AIDS prevention and research programs.
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Served as a member of the international advisory committee for the XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain,
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Member of the Scientific Committee for the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada, in August 2006. H
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Served on the advisory panels for three U.S. Food and Drug Administration hearings on a new drug application for Chiron Corporation’s ganciclovir implant; a new drug application for Gilead’s cidofovir; and a review of the application for fomivirsen sodium.
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Published in The Lancet, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Journal of AIDS (JAIDS), Journal of Infectious Diseases, and The AIDS Reader.
As vice president, clinical research and prevention programs at amfAR and later, vice president, global initiatives, Kevin worked extensively in Asia, where he facilitated the development of amfAR’s TREAT Asia program. This network of more than 50 hospitals, community clinics, NGOs, and healthcare facilities works together with civil society in 17 countries to build the capacity necessary for scaling up treatment efforts in the region.
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Becky Endicott and Jonathan McCoy join Purposely Podcast to share their founder story about ‘We Are For Good’ from Oklahoma, USA. This is a special episode for me, I am a massive fan of their podcast and their approach, and I launched Purposely at the same time - sharing similar values to them. Heading into our late-night recording I got to ask questions that I had been sitting on for over a year. We talk about the joy of a successful launch and how deciding to take the leap in the first place was ‘most definitely’ a family decision. We talk about how they decided to reject start-up capital and instead bootstrap the platform using their own time and effort as well as their own money. They have worked as consultants in their spare time to keep money coming in to cover living expenses. The good news is that their launch success will mean they can go fulltime in the New Year. The topic of burnout soon comes up with both giving a very candid and honest assessment of how difficult it is to start and grow something at the same time as prioritising other family commitments. So what is We Are For Good? It is a digital kindness community that is working to revolutionize the nonprofit industry through profound compassion, best-in-class education/training, authentic storytelling and crazy good marketing all leading to an #ImpactUprising.’ Becky and Jonathan launched in 2019, they are long time colleagues and close friends, as well as the proudest Oklahomans you will ever meet – they are also ‘American philanthropy royalty’ who really believe in the power of giving and receiving ‘collective good’.
We Are For Good has big dreams to revolutionize the nonprofit industry’s professional development through online training and enhanced storytelling. Their vision is to cultivate an ‘Impact Uprising’ aiming to connect more people to philanthropy. Its podcast of the same name debuted at #1 in the USA in the nonprofit category and is frequented by nonprofit colleagues around the world How did it all start Becky? ‘I stumbled upon this graphic design intern who was in a senior year of college, which is John, and I decided to hire him, we just kind of grew up together in nonprofits! We're both ridiculous idealist and we call ourselves marketers disguised as fundraisers. We just have this optimism for the world!” ‘We just loved working together and we ended up having this amazing experience developing and running a revolutionary employee giving campaign at our health care foundation that raised over a million and really cemented our working relationship. 10 years later it's like that million dollar campaign with 1000s of employee donors all over again, except this time it is our company.’
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Kirsty Green–Mann joins Purposely Podcast to share her expertise on responsible business.
Kirsty is Head of Corporate Responsibility at Burges Salmon LLP, a Bristol based independent law firm, that thanks to Kirsty’s leadership skills in the field of CSR, has recently won awards for its innovative and impactful approach to responsible business.
This is a great episode for anyone involved in strategy build, Kirsty outlines some wonderful steps to ensure success.
I first met Kirsty when we were judges on a dragon’s den style panel assessing innovative and impactful community change projects, projects created and run by disadvantaged young people in Bristol. I know from this experience that Kirsty is passionate about community empowerment, more specifically helping young people to remove barriers to get on in life and be the best versions of themselves.
Kirsty has worked in the corporate sector for 20 plus years with a significant amount of that time focused on sustainability and ensuring better work practices along environmental, social and governance lines. Utilising this vast array of experience Kirsty provides some wonderful insights on how to develop and implement a successful responsible business strategy in a corporate setting. You will learn a lot from Kirsty and be impressed with her ability to engage key stakeholders to make a positive difference.
She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability and an associate member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. Kirsty has responsibility for framing and driving the responsible business agenda, leading on community engagement and social mobility, addressing business and human rights all in a global context applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding framework.
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Award winning social entrepreneur Jessica Macpherson joins Purposely Podcast to share her founder story and how she swapped wine selling for life as a social entreprenuer.
Jessica has now started a number of successful social enterprises and is best known as the founder of St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums, a much-loved organisation with thousands of volunteers supporting more than 20,000 babies and children each year across Victoria, Australia.
Jessica has also inspired and personally supported many other like-minded organisations across Australia and she has received several awards for her community work, including an Order of Australia Medal in 2019. She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2017, was an award winner in the Pro Bono Australia Impact 25, and the recipient of the coveted Golden Hoodie in 2020.
In April 2021 she established Blaze Your Trail she founded Blaze Your Trail was established in 2021 by Jessica Macphersons OAM, founder of St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums. Since 2014 Jessica has personally supported more than 200 skilled migrants to secure their first job in Australia.
Blaze your Trail provides practical hands-on learning opportunities, mentoring and support to find pathways to employment for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, who are also often parents trying to return to work, and people looking to change their career to technology roles. Without a level of training and support these people would most likely stay in casual and poor paying positions. Their main partner is SASS company Salesforce who Jessica talks highly of and she reminds everyone that they offer their free to small charities and enterprises.
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Cheryl Spain joined Purposely Podcast to share her story and her expertise on giving and philanthropy. Cheryl is the CEO of The Gift Trust, a New Zealand based donor advised fund focused on helping generous and wealthy donors to give effectively and ensure better outcomes. Cheryl has spent the majority of professional career in the UK and we discuss the differences between the UK and NZ charity sectors as well as touching on her passion for community action and how her work with Groundwork, a federation of charities, impacted positively on the environment as well as the local people in Hertfordshire. "I fell in love with the UK, fell in love with my husband, which helped as well, who was a Brit, and ended up staying over there for a very long time, having a couple of kids and then came back to New Zealand." We shine a light on what constitutes 'effective philanthropy' and Cheryl provides some insights as well as examples of how a successful donor advised fund works; "We try and connect the right donors with the right charitable organizations. On the face of it giving should be an easy task but actually once people start giving at quite a high level, people find it's not as easy as they thought it would be in the first place. We exist really to help donors to give more effectively and have a bigger impact and as easily as possible." Cheryl also talks about the rich history of The Gift Trust; The Gift Trust has been operating since 2009 and started when a generous family who had immigrated from the USA to New Zealand were looking for an independent ‘donor-advised-fund’ in NZ and found that there wasn’t a national version here. They started a conversation with some of their early trustees and this grew into the development of The Gift Trust. Until January 2015 they operated under the name ‘Prometheus Gift Trust’. The Gift Trust was previously an independent member of the Prometheus family which included Prometheus Finance Ltd – a specialist in social finance, providing Kiwis with ethical and sustainable savings and loan choices. In 2014, Prometheus closed its doors, but The Gift Trust continues in its own right, now completely independently.
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Welcome to episode 62 with Michelle Wright founder and CEO of Cause4 , originally a social enterprise (now a BCorp) that supports charities and philanthropists to develop and raise vital funds. Cause4 is known for its disruptive philanthropy and has so far raised over £50 million for their clients.
Michelle talks about how the 2008 financial crisis provided a catalyst to starting Cause 4, 'going out on her own', 'seeing the employees of Lehman Brothers leaving their building with just their belongings', made me realise that if things were changing in the commercial world they would need to change in the charity sector as well'.
Cause 4 was up and running and quickly became the darling of the Third Sector winning awards and attracting attention. While Michelle appreciated the attention, and the work that this brought, she didn't like the fact that they weren't always able to deliver on their promises. Eventually Michelle too the brave decision to re calibrated the business and returned it to the original mission, 'work with nonprofits in a deep way and make a real difference to their work'.
Michelle trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and played the violin professionally. A chartered marketer, manager and fundraiser, Michelle founded Cause4 after leaving the London Symphony Orchestra, where her achievements in private sector fundraising led to her being judged the Best Upcoming Fundraiser at the National Fundraising Awards in 2008.
Since setting up Cause4 Michelle has undertaken major strategic and business development projects, including campaign developments with a number of national charities and consultancy work for FTSE 100 brands developing their cultural sponsorship programmes. Michelle also specialises in philanthropy, having recently developed a number of major philanthropy projects for charities and corporates, and having set up new philanthropic foundations for sports stars, artists and entrepreneurs.
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Bridget Williams joined Purposely Podcast to share her inspirational founder story. Bridget had the courage to leave her career as a lawyer to help solve the world’s biggest problems one colourful bead at a time! In 2019, ‘after two years of sitting on the idea and testing with friends’ Bridget launched social enterprise, Bead & Proceed, which exists to educate people about the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and inspire action towards them through creativity. Her passion for sustainability and using creativity as a tool for innovation drove her to launch the enterprise and has made her a recognised SDGs expert, assisting businesses and organisations with SDG strategic alignment and target reporting. Her efforts have been recognised and endorsed by the Rt. Hon. Helen Clark and the JCI Osaka Outstanding Young Person’s Programme. More than 5,500 participants have attended their SDG workshops or purchased Bead & Proceed Kits. Bead & Proceed has grown to offer tailored SDG workshops and ongoing SDG consulting for businesses interested in growing their impact. They work with all types of businesses from corporates to councils, universities, professional service firms, schools and other leading businesses in agriculture and tourism sectors. Bead & Proceed Kit produce kits, it is their foundational product and kick-started Bead & Proceed. The Kit caters to 7 people and serves as a creative activity to educate participants on the SDGs, each person comes away with a 5-beaded necklace, keyring or bracelet that represents the top 5 SDGs they want to work towards. While users paint and make, they ideate innovative way to achieve their chosen goals and have a tangible tool that anchors their learning. Their Kits are SDG aligned and for every Kit purchased, another is donated to a low decile school or deserving community organisation to help spread SDG awareness.
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Episode 60 of Purposely Podcast with Melanie Sharma-Barrow founder of Ludo Consulting which advises individuals and companies on diversity as well as culture and strategy.
'My mission is to help people with their quality of life, mostly in the workplace, but also assisting them in their personal circumstances as well. It's also to facilitate and deliver a message about discrimination to decision makers, calling it out and making a difference to the people who are being discriminated against'.
Melanie is an activist and she was introduced to Purposely by a past guest who described her as one of the bravest people he knew. You will hear that Melanie doesn't mind hitting the headlines, 'as long as something positive comes out of if' for the people she protects and helps. Her activism is direct, she lets people and brands know where they have gone wrong and she demands action. You will hear that she deliberately stays away from online fights, citing Barack Obama for the inspiration to come off twitter and all other forms of social media, 'I don't believe in twitter activism'.
Melanie is also a writer, a guest speaker and a former lawyer born in Britain now residing in Auckland with her kiwi husband and their two children. We talk about local marketing strengths, 'New Zealand markets itself well and is not as egalitarian as it presents itself to the outside world' and we focus on her motivations for leaving the corporate world and a high flying career as a lawyer in London.
We go into her new career as a consultant/activist (and how her welsh upbringing has prepared her for this work).
Melanie takes on companies pointing out the racisim in their communications and advertising... 'most food brands and advertising was riddled with racism.' 'Companies needed to do a better job at educating themselves on the branding and imagery linked to their products'. She encourages consumers to harness the power they have to bring about change and speak up about racism.
She talks about the future and what motivates her to keeping going... 'I am hopeful provided I'm able to keep doing the work I do and believing that in 20 or 30 years from now, if things aren't any better, I can turn back and say, well, at least I tried. I'm only hopeful for the future because I hope that everyone else will be hopeful for a better future for their children.'
To hear more from Melanie you must check out her fortnightly column Ludology on diversity (as it happens) - 'I will be talking culture, race, gender, migration, in the work place, education, and the street.' 'I have written for the mainstream but I am frustrated with the curated approach to diversity.'
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27 year old Steven Zinsli is the founder of Fintech start-up HealthNow, Steven joined Purposely to share his founder story and his vision for the future of his business. A company that combines a focus on making profit alongside purpose and social impact. You could say a new kind of company measuring success in different 'better world' ways.
Steven is incredibly focused, competitive and driven, he is also determined to improve people's health outcomes, he talks about his parents struggling to meet doctors bills when he was young and how access to credit (from the doctor) had played a key role in ensuring the family stayed healthy.
Steven is now using these traits to play active role in creating a world where healthcare is more accessible, more equitable and he is using tech to facilitate this change. He has thrown himself into the tech start-up world which he describes as challenging ... 'dog eat dog'!
We also explore how an experience at school transformed his approach to work and life, from a student relying on natural intelligence to scrape through to what he has become... an overachiever hell bent on smashing every opportunity that comes his way. You will hear about his disciplined life sacrificing vices normal for most twenty somethings. Stevens early starts, long days and hours spent in the gym 'focused on his own health'. Don't worry I do push him on this.. 'surely you have some vices?...' 'do you like donuts?!'
Steven started his journey in healthcare in 2016 as the first musculoskeletal podiatrist in what was a small New Zealand rehabilitation company, Physio Connect with less than 10 staff. He joined as a partner and over the next 5 years, Steven and a business partner grew the company to 108+ staff and 14 clinics seeing 4 thousand plus patients per week.
This tangible experience provided Steven with an array of opportunities to... 'learn, gain scar tissue and meet some amazing people. It also gave me significant insight into customer challenges in the healthcare sector.'
Earlier this year Steven secured pre-seed capital from what he describes as committed investors and partners. Steven and his team are now working tirelessly to make healthcare more accessible to the public through a Fintech solution that will move healthcare into the palm of your hand and make healthcare more accessible to more people.
https://healthnow.co.nz/
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Simon Kitchen joined Purposely Podcast to share his story. Simon is the CEO of Bipolar UK having joined the organisation in 2018 during a difficult time for the charity when they lacked financial stability.
Simon is driven to help transforming the lives of the most vulnerable in society through voluntary action. He has a track record of influencing public policy, strategic development, building alliances to achieve social change and using co-production to drive service improvements.
His previous roles include leading one of the largest co-production initiatives in adult social care at Leonard Cheshire Disability and running the social action movement at the Dementia Action Alliance. He has also held a number of policy and research roles in Whitehall and in the regions. He is passionate about peer support and giving people with bipolar greater choice and control over their lives. You will hear that he has a family connection to bipolar and a passion for supporting people who have limited options.
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Christine Langdon joined Purposely Podcast to share her founder story with The Good Registry
Christine is a social entrepreneur and communicator with a passion for having a positive impact for people and the planet. Co-founder and Chief of Good at The Good Registry, a community and website that is helping to make giving more simple, sustainable and kind.
Christine has also taught yoga in prison and was once seconded to the New York Post to work as a journalist for an eventful time which included covering riots and celebrity gossip. Today she combines work on the registry with consultancy and she also writes a blog tracking her adventure from corporate life to social entrepreneurship at mykinderlife.org
What's the vision and mission of the Good Registry?
‘The Good Registry, based in New Zealand, is a gift platform where people give charity donation gifts. In the past it's always been stuff we buy from shops and it hasn't always been stuff that people necessarily want, need or ever use. The Good Registry is about recognising people without having to buy them stuff. Instead the money is helping good causes, stopping waste and saving the environment.’
Was it your idea? How did it come about?
‘It was my inspiration and four years ago (2017) I left my role as Community Manager at Z Energy and while I did not have an exact plan I knew that I wanted to create something that would have a positive social impact. The idea for The Good Registry came super quick and it was because I was doing a bit of decluttering in my house and come across things stashed in a drawer and under the stairs and I was thinking that I couldn't throw these things away because they were gifts and I just wished that I hadn't been given them at all so I didn't have to store them. I then had another birthday and received a few more things that I didn't want or need and at the same time I had been looking for ways that I could give to good causes and enable others to go to good causes as well. So the idea was conceived’
Great ideas don't always become a reality, what gave you the impetus to launch?
‘A walk with one friend, Sue McCabe and lunch with another, Tracey Bridges presented me with my two co-founders as well as the momentum to get the site off the ground. They both loved the idea and were willing to get behind it. We also received a lot of encouragement and support from others and we just kept driving it forward. It was funny because I bumped into someone recently who had the same idea 14 years ago but they didn’t do anything to make it happen. I think we all have great ideas and it just takes someone to do something with the idea. We were also inspired to launch in time for Christmas and we managed to get the whole thing set up and going by November 2017’
It's been a real success, however, have there been any pain points along the way?
‘I don’t regret a day I have given to The Good Registry and it has turned out really well, however, the 70 hour weeks I worked to get it launched were tough at the beginning. The website wasn’t great at the beginning and evolved over time to respond to people’s needs… we didn’t quite nail with the first version and if we'd had time to do more research and maybe some more money to get it perfect. That said… it may have stopped us getting it off the ground and just going for it is a good way to approach life.’
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Penny Wilson joined Purposely Podcast to share her story as CEO of Getting On Board a non-profit focused on supporting people from all sectors of society to become charity board trustees, and charities to recruit and retain a diverse range of trustees. Tell me about Getting On Board, what’s its mission? ‘Getting On Board is a really small charity based in Britain working to increase the accessibility and diversity of trustee non-profit boards… which are currently positively ‘victorian’ in their composition right across the sector. Two thirds of trustees are male, two thirds are over 50, 92% white and three quarters of trustees are from households above the national median household income. So as a body, our trustees are wealthier, ‘maler’, whiter, older than wider society and then we've got lots and lots of gaps for example… lived experience, so lived experience of the thing that a particular charity is seeking to tackle and Getting On Board works on that… important work that impacts on every single charity. ‘ Trustees perform vital and important roles right? ‘Charity board members are the most senior leaders in our charities and unfortunately not enough care and attention is given to how we recruit trustees or thought put into who goes onto a board. In fact the most common way of becoming a trustee in the UK is to be asked to be one, however, this does not necessarily ensure the right people are recruited and it does not match how we recruit our employees. In comparison if we need an employee with certain skills we advertise for the person that matches that requirement we don’t just ask friends, family members ex colleagues etc. We need to start doing this when recruiting trustees especially when you consider the level of responsibility they have’ How did the Getting On Board get started? ‘It was started in 2004, by Sarah Hodgkinson who sadly died a couple of years ago. At the time Sarah held a senior role in a big corporate and she recognized that there wasn't an easy path for senior professionals to step into charity board roles and she wanted to do something about it. I’m the CEO and I've been here for five years. I had met Sarah a few times and heard her talking about trusteeship and I thought that sounds absolutely brilliant. I want a piece of that. So that’s how my voluntary trusteeship career took off and it also led me to taking this role with Getting On Board.’ How is the charity set-up? ‘The first thing to say is that we are microscopically small with an annual income of just over 70,000 pounds but it is fair to say that we really punch above our weight and people are always really shocked when they find out how small we are both in terms of income and the size of the team. We've got three part time core team members. However, we've got like a really wide community of people who just think what we do is important and support us in lots of ways by amplifying our message.’ A core part of what you do is training? What else do you do? ‘We work on both sides of the trustee thing, so we work with people who are potential trustees and then we work with charity leaders who want to know about diversifying their boards and about recruiting trustees professionally, we do this by providing free guidance. That said we primarily focus on training people in what it means to be a trustee, to serve as an effective trustee as well as how to find a role. On the other side of the coin we advise and train charities on how to diversify their boards and how to recruit trustees. It’s fair to say that most charities trustees have to be hands on because there is nobody else to do the work although the medium to larger organisations that have staff again can take more of a governance only approach’
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Mike Seawright joined Purposely Podcast to share his founder story with ReliefAid.
Mike Seawright started ReliefAid because he was frustrated by the inability of many aid organisations to get staff and resources into conflict zones quickly and effectively. A decade prior Mike had switched careers from corporate consultant to aid worker and following his first experience in Sudan he has specialised in working in conflict situations.
ReliefAid has gone on to become a respected international aid organisation that is saving lives and alleviating the suffering of people affected by conflict through independent and impartial humanitarian action. They work closely with other international aid partners including ShelterBox.
What is the mission and vision of ReliefAid, the charity you’re founder and CEO of?
‘I'd been working in war zones for a number of years, and I realised from first-hand experience that not enough aid was getting into places like Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, the key conflict hot spots of the world. It was a kind of ‘aha moment’ a realisation that I could help families that no one else could help. Six years later we've supported over 210k people in conflict zones.’
There are 80 million refugees worldwide and 50 million people displaced by conflict or war, can ReliefAid make enough of a difference?
‘The numbers are absolutely staggering and of course you can feel overwhelmed and that not enough can be done. One of the challenges we have when communicating with the New Zealand public and people around the world is stressing that while the numbers are big and the problem is huge, making a positive difference starts with helping one family. We can help people, who through no fault of their own, are forced from their homes by the effects of war and conflict.’
So ReliefAid provides independent and impartial humanitarian action, why is that so important?
‘In a war zone the political parties and warring parties could perceive you to be part of the conflict itself. I have worked in Foreign Affairs as a Diplomat and during that time I could see aid decisions being made based on political and military objectives. We took a lesson from that and when we founded ReliefAid we knew we did not want to be at the mercy of a country's foreign policy. To that end we have had to stay clear of Government money and remain independent and neutral. We don't take sides in the conflict and our focus is on accessing people who need how help and support and the assessments made on the basis of need and not on the basis of political objectives.’
www.reliefaid.org.nz
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James Hurman joined Purposely Podcast to share his founder story with Previously Unavailable. A creative agency he launched in 2014 that focuses on delivering success for clients as well as a first class experience for employees. A new kind of workplace that evolves to match the needs of the employees at different life stages and an environment that means the team can be the very best version of themselves. Launching his agency followed a career as a strategic planner at Auckland ad agency Colenso BBDO. He has since led innovation and venture projects across fintech, energy, telecommunications, health, food, beverages, public sector, media, hospitality and professional services. James is also the author of The Case for Creativity, a book about the link between creativity and business success, described as "beautiful words of wisdom’.
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John Berry, co-founder of ethical investment company Pathfinder joined Purposely Podcast to share his story. John along with Paul Brownsey set-up Pathfinder Asset Management in 2009 and over the last decade they have marked themselves out as leaders in responsible investment. They launched their first ethical fund in 2010 and have since established a track record for not only delivering great returns, but also doing so responsibly and ethically. Pathfinder is now part of Alvarium Wealth. What's the mission and purpose of Pathfinder? ‘The way we invest our money has real world impacts. Our mission is investing ethically to grow individual wealth and collective well-being, so there's two parts to that. The first part wealth, where we're managing people’s money (as well as organisations) and we want to make them as much money as we possibly can and we're driven by financial purpose of fantastic investment returns. But the wellbeing part is just as important from a personal and a social and environmental well-being perspective. We're trying to generate good outcomes, not just avoid harm, but generate good outcomes through the way we invest.’ Have we reached a time in history when investing ethically no longer means low returns? ‘I think that is an excellent question. Because the biggest hurdle we've had to overcome over the last 10 years is the preconception that if you invest ethically, it will cost you in terms of returns. I think we're now at a point where people now know that you can have both. An example of this is our KiwiSaver ethical fund which has enjoyed stellar returns. We put that down to good investment decisions but also the fact that we're focusing on companies with good environmental and social metrics and these companies tend to be more resilient. So yes, you can have both.’ Does Pathfinder regularly generate funds for good causes? ‘We have taken a social enterprise approach with our KiwiSaver (pension fund) generating awesome returns for investors at the same time as making a positive impact on communities. We’ve both been personally involved in charities, Men's Health Trust for me and Paul’s been involved in Arthritis New Zealand. We understand the main problem for charities, particularly smaller charities, is sourcing consistent funding - long term passive income streams that they can rely on. We were scratching our heads thinking how we can use financial markets to overcome that problem. So, our solution is our KiwiSaver fund where we charge normal fees and give 20% of that to our family of charities. We want to be giving $50,000 a year to each of the 17 charities we support, and we are getting closer to that.’ You have spent a lot of time living abroad? What made you come home to New Zealand? ‘I lived overseas for years through the 90’s and originally I wanted to drive from London to Kathmandu. While we didn't make it, we did get to spend a lot of time in Syria and Jordan which was really interesting. I also worked in London for several great companies including Deutsche Bank. It was a difficult transition coming back, however, it felt like the right time to do it. The decision was based around my family and our kids were about to start school. I had also experienced anxiety issues while I was working and I just knew for my own mental health and for my family that I needed a change. I spent such long hours working through weekends and nights and it was very, very intense. Not the healthiest thing for me or for my family. So, coming back to New Zealand gave me some headspace, an opportunity to reset and eventually launch Pathfinder and it also gave me the opportunity to be really involved in my kids.’
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Lisa King joined Purposely Podcast to share her founder story with Eat My Lunch Lisa and her business partner Michael Meredith’s mission started in 2015 with a plan to ensure that no New Zealand school child goes hungry and this continues to be their mission today. They have just celebrated their 6th birthday and they are proud to have given away over 1.6 million lunches to Kiwi kids in need. Sadly there is still a waiting list with many schools in Auckland and Wellington needing their help. Lisa was inspired by a news article she read outlining the damaging effects of food poverty on children in New Zealand at the same time she reflected on a pair of Toms Shoes she was wearing, where she had bought a pair of Tom’s shoes and she had gifted pair of shoes at the same time. Eat My Lunch was born using the same, buy one gift one model. You will hear how an urgent start-up phase orchestrated from Lisa’s home kitchen was soon followed by a quickly scaled team and operation including a commercial kitchen and urgency to deliver on the need that was evident across New Zealand. In this episode she talks about her previous career as a corporate marketeer and brand expert and how she used this experience and the commercial skills she had gained to start, scale and grow Eat My Lunch. The episode also explores her early years, having been born in Hong Kong her parents moved Lisa and her siblings to New Zealand to start a new life. A new life built on some traditional values and views as well as some exceptional hard work where her family invested their energy into running a successful Chinese restaurant. Lisa expands on growing up on New Zealand as an Asian migrant and how her Hong Kong background and New Zealand experience has shaped who she is today. www.eatmylunch.co.nz
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Philanthropy Advisor Emma Beeston joined Purposely Podcast to share insights into her career, her approach and what it takes to successfully advise people on giving.
Emma advises foundations, grant-makers and families on creating and implementing giving strategies. She facilitates strategy and learning sessions for teams and families.
How did you get your job?
‘I worked for a number large foundations, initially giving grants to individuals for things like paying for cookers and writing off debt. I ended up working at BBC Children In Need, and then Lloyds Bank Foundation managing their grant programs and I really enjoy that side of things. You get to visit different charities and it's really interesting work. I left because I wanted to challenge myself and I felt I was getting a little bit too comfortable and I wanted to stretch myself. I decided to go freelance although there wasn't really a plan, you could say there still isn't really a plan. I'm in a very nice position now of being a consultant philanthropy advisor’
What have been the biggest changes in grant making practice?
‘The changes to grant making practice have really been amplified by events of the last year. For so long now fundraisers have quite rightly been complaining about the hoops they have to jump through and the power imbalance where a funder can ask them to do whatever they need them to do to provide whatever information they require. It's really good to see that shift recently and the changes have gained momentum and increased rapidly over the last. Best practice is much more focused on a partnership approach and trust based philanthropy. Participatory approaches and models are also coming through and all these changes have had a direct and positive impact on philanthropic decisions.’
Emma co-created the Advising Donors module for the University of Kent’s Masters in Philanthropic Giving, lectures on CASS Business School’s Charity Masters Programme and delivers training for the Association of Charitable Foundation’s Professional Development programme. She is a co-founder of a giving circle, Bath Women’s Fund.
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Danny Witter joined Purposely Podcast to share his co-founder story with Work for Good Danny spent 25 years in the City of London, including 17 years at Deutsche Bank where he worked with a range of FTSE100 corporate clients, to being the Chair of the UK Corporate Citizenship Committee to his non-executive directorships including Shakespeare’s Globe, The Microloan Foundation, Shape History and Ivy House Learning. Danny’s philanthropic work has led him to co-found Work for Good and is now on mission to change the face of business giving. Work for Good’s mission is to help charities raise funds from purpose driven small businesses. They enable small businesses to give to good causes at the same time including their giving into their brand story. It can seem overwhelming for businesses researching how to work with a charity and that is where Work For Good comes in, not only do they do the matching they also take care of the legal stuff and facilitate the giving transactions. Danny explain’s how Work for Good is actually the brainchild of Danny’s Co-founder Rupert Pick, who was inspired to give back to the amazing hospital staff who care for his daughter Ottie. Ottie was born 10 weeks premature, weighing less than 3lbs and with two rare genetic conditions that affect both her bones and her heart. When Rupert decided to donate the fees from his next workshop to the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, it made him wonder about all the wonderful things that could happen if only more businesses chose to give through their work. Work for Good was then formed to help businesses give and Danny joined offering seed funding as well as his time and expertise to get the platform built. 5 years on they have engaged thousands of businesses and good causes and on their way to creating a sustainable businesses doing good. https://workforgood.co.uk/
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Welcome to episode 49 with Marcus Exall
A really nice guy, angel investor, business founder and charity trustee.
We talk about how starting and eventually selling a digital agency in London (Blue Barracuda sold to Draftfcb in 2013) changed his life. The conversation starts with his current business helping start-up founders Up and to the right and then he shares hisfounder story, the successful exit, the freedom that brings and some of the investments he has made.
This is a good episode for people wanting to understand how an Angel Investor thinks or wants to understand how a quality funding relationship should work.
His colleagues describe him as a ‘master networker and if he can’t solve your problems he knows someone who can’
He has played a leading role at stellar start-ups such as Monese and Mendi. He is on a mission to make life easier for founders.
‘I am focused on backing the person first and foremost? Mainly businesses ideas change through the process of building them. Most certainly a large part of it for me when I consider an investment is asking myself the questions, do I want to go on a journey with this person. What are their values? that's always a very important bit to me.
‘I'm constantly surprised about the capabilities, the amazing capabilities of the people that I'm fortunate enough to get involved with and most of what interests me about the business is the people themselves. I'm excited in those first interactions, there's a spark to the conversation and maybe they’re challenging challenging me and my ideas.’
Marcus talks about investing in Clim8 Invest and Fairwill, two exciting companies disrupting their respective industry’s (investment and will writing).
Up and 2 the Right - https://u2r.co/
Fairwill - https://farewill.com/
Clim8 Invest - https://clim8invest.com/
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Episode #48 with Fairshot Café founder Bianca Tavella In her mid twenties Bianca Tavella has overcome significant barriers including funding, COVID-19 and her age to ensure her dream of a social enterprise café becomes a reality and she is almost there having raised thousands of pounds to help launch her enterprise. Fair Shot Cafe is a unique start-up social enterprise cafe that will bring training and future employment to disabled young adults in West London UK in the setting of a high-end stylish coffee shop. Fair Shot cafes offer Traineeships to help young people transition to Apprenticeships and finally to permanent paid employment. The Fair Shot cafe focuses on 16-24 year olds who have mild to moderate learning disabilities. This group are very capable, needing only a little support and are the most likely to find sustainable employment. 50% of the Fair Shot Cafe workforce have disabilities. ‘I would like for people to see our unique employability model and know that they can replicate it elsewhere to help other people with learning disabilities. They get involved in food prep, there’s working on the till, customer service and food hygiene… all of these skills quite naturally for them.’ https://www.fairshot.co.uk/
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Proud Irishman and Radio Host Takes TEDx Talks To The Bottom of the World Leon Hartnett, founder Greenlight Innovations Proud Irishman Leon Hartnett is the founder of the charity Greenlight Innovations, a volunteer led charity focused on bringing people together and encouraging a sense of belonging and community. Leon is also a radio host and an event organiser responsible for starting a St Patrick’s day festival and popular comic book event for local children. You will also hear how he has taken TEDx Talks to one of the very southern parts of the globe, Invercargill, a city he calls home having moved there from Dublin a decade ago with his wife and young family. So what is the purpose of Greenlight Innovations? ‘In simple terms it's focused on connecting people and bringing smiles to people's face - create happiness, share ideas and strengthen the community. Sometimes it's a fairly simple things, isn't it? You know like enjoying a nice day or having an ice cream or jumping in a bouncy castle. Yeah, just the simple things of gathering people together. We are volunteer led and we organise events all focused on community building’ You are responsible for taking TEDx to your home town in Invercargill? ‘Yes that’s right. TEDx actually stands for technology, education design and as a global charity that uses the tagline of ideas worth sharing. I've watched TED talks for many years and I thought it would be really good for the community once again it's all about connecting people. It's also about sharing ideas, and it's getting people together to contemplate ideas. So I thought it would be really good to get this down here, you know, in a place like Invercargill’ ‘Incredibly our talks have reached 40,000 people worldwide.’ I understand that it was a medical emergency that actually brought you closer to the local community? ‘Yes when my son Finn was three years of age he developed pneumonia and he got to a viral infection at the same time and experienced massive weight loss. He ended up in intensive care. We were really concerned at the time, but one thing I remember is the reaction of local people and we were amazed that people at my work and in the community were just reaching out to check that we were okay’
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‘Philanthropy is love for humankind, it’s not just about money’ Chris Belmont joined Purposely Podcast to share his founder story with Youth Philanthropy New Zealand. Originally from the US, he grew up in Queenstown, where he developed a passion for philanthropy. With some friends, and support from the Wakatipu Community Foundation, they established Youth Philanthropy NZ as well as Generation Give a programme focused on providing young people an education in positive philanthropy. Originally modelled after successful Youth Philanthropy programmes in North America and Europe, Generation Give has evolved to serve a uniquely Kiwi audience since 2019. The programme appoints high school students to a simulated non-profit board, and over the course of 20 weeks, they are guided through essential skills required in the philanthropic process. At the end of the programme, Generation Give students will apply these learned skills in the process of giving at least $10,000 away to worthy causes of their choice in their community How did Youth Philanthropy and Generation Give get started? ‘It all begin with this one after school program at high school where we brought 20 students together to cover 20 topics over 20 weeks. They were guided through essential skills required in the philanthropic process. They became qualified to make philanthropic decisions on behalf of the community around them. We actually ended up raising $10,000 and we said give it away to wherever you want’ How much have you raised and donated? ‘We've facilitated giving over $40,000 in the last in the last two years of the program, but what I always like to say is that's actually only 5% of our impact, or even less! The majority of our impact comes from the students we educate….these young people become philanthropists and they have a positive impact on their communities. Positive impact that they're going to have for the rest of their lives and what we've done essentially is jump started their philanthropic careers, that's our goal from this programme’ Tell us about your past and what motivated you to get involved in Philanthropy? ‘I'm from the States originally and some would say that modern philanthropy comes from comes from the United States. Obviously, New Zealand has a fantastic spin on a lot of stuff that the US does, but there's still some lessons to be learned from from how the US operates. Anyway, wherever we moved my mum always started a Community Foundation and for that reason alone I was always involved with charities and from a very young age.’ www.ypnz.org
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Sam Stubbs is the founder of non profit KiwiSaver fund Simplicity. A reformed investment banker and stockbroker his career also spans politics, philosophy and technology. His mission is to make the finance industry a force for good as a source of profit which he thinks can be achieved by companies embracing long term thinking, sustainability and full diversity. Sam Stubbs joined Purposely Podcast to share his founder story: What is Simplicity and what is its mission and vision? ‘We're a nonprofit fund manager. If you're overseas you might have heard of Vanguard… the vanguard of New Zealand… wouldn't be too far wrong. Our main aim is to give people dignity in retirement and how we do that is we give them choices. People who have choices in life have dignity. We run as a nonprofit fund manager, which charges the lowest fees and making people richer. Simplicity is a charity, a social enterprise, a nonprofit, a whole lot of things! We give 15% of the fees we do earn to charity. We've been running for almost five years now and we manage about $3 billion on behalf of over 60,000 members, in total we're giving away about $100,000 a month to charity, and making extremely good returns.’ The Kiwisaver scheme was the New Zealand waking up to the fact that its people owed more in debt than they had saved? ‘So it's about 14 years old now and when it started out and they didn't think it was going to be that popular. However it turned out to be wildly popular because the government gave everyone who joined $1,000 straight into their account. The vast majority of the population have now signed up to kiwisaver (voluntary pension scheme). In the first 14 years it's accumulated almost $80 billion, which for New Zealand is a lot of money. It will carry on growing and growing.’ Simplicity appears to run incredibly leanly, tell us about your set-up? ‘Yeah that’s correct, we have what we call a starvation mentality. So we never get used to having very much money because as soon as we are in danger of making money we lower our fees and we keep it really tight. Now that doesn't mean that we go stupid with it but it does mean that we have a really heavy emphasis on technology. So we spend a lot of money on that so we can automate as much as we can. We have 63 volunteers as well, people like lawyers, PR accountants, whole bunch of people who help us out because we're disrupting the financial services industry here. And also, you know, we're giving so much to charity, and we've given away over $2 million in their first five years’
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Edward Suttleworth joined Purposely Podcast to share his founder story
With his wife Kate, Ed founded SeeBeyondBorders in 2009. He is committed to providing Cambodian children with access to quality education
SeeBeyondBorders’ mission is to help children in Cambodia get to school while improving the teaching and learning that happens there.
Their vision is for children in Cambodia to have choices for their future because of a better education and they achieve this by motivating a support base to contribute time, skills and financial resources to initiatives run in collaboration with local communities and with other sponsors.
They invite people to see the situation for themselves, participate directly in our programs, and determine how they can continue supporting the people they have visited.
Their programs are informed by Millennium Development Goal No 2 and the Royal Cambodian Government's 'Child Friendly Schools' initiative, focusing on accessibility and quality of education.
'Accessibility' considers family needs and school infrastructure, while 'Quality' relates to the continuing professional development of teachers - teacher training and teaching resources.
https://www.seebeyondborders.org/
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Guillaume Dehan joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story with fintech for good company, 'Fund A Future'.
Guillaume is a French man who lives in New Zealand, from an early age he wanted to explore the world and was not afraid to try new things and exciting places. This led to a time working in China as well the UK where he worked for almost a decade in asset management.
In 2017 he emigrated to New Zealand to be with his children, in this episode he talks about the importance of his culture, ensuring that his children understand their French heritage as well as speaking the language.
‘I refer to my children as friwi’s, they are mixture of French and Kiwi and I make sure we speak French in the home’.
In New Zealand he bridged a gap between his asset management career and social entrepreneurship. Guillaume founded 'Fund a Future' in 2019 to help boost generosity globally, he stumbled across the idea while completing an M.A. in Tech (with Tech Futures Lab).
‘Our aim is to increase generosity worldwide. That is the inspiration… we all have in our minds. How far can we go to support organisations and create this long lasting, positive impact’
Utilising tech, 'Fund a Future' is keeping track of individual donations, claiming back any eligable tax rebates. They either provide personal refunds or funnel back the rebate to the individual's chosen charity. Their aim to make this as simple as possible.
‘We could see millions of dollars going unclaimed (from IRD) and in New Zealand we can claim back rebates for the past four years. So quickly we realised the size of the opportunity in front of us… up to a billion dollars of donation tax rebates that have never been claimed.’
‘So we want to make it as efficient as possible to give an option for these donation tax rebates to go back to the charities in the first place.’
www.fundafuture.co.nz
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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.’
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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/
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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
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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/
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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/
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Jake Stika founder of Canadia nonprofit Next Jen 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Rosie Mead joined Purposely Podcast to share her founder story Rosie combined her interest in music and dementia to start a successful social enterprise focused on improving the lives of vulnerable people. She shares her founder story launching UK social enterprise Musica in 2010 and outlines the benefits of listening to and interacting with live music for people with dementia, their carers and their families. She also shares details on her passion for music through her clarinet play and performances as well as her recent discovery of vinyl records at the same time some of the worlds leading artists like Bowie, Coldplay, The Cure and the Eeels. We talk the wonder of playlists also, both for their dementia work and her own personal love for playlists. Rosie talks about the challenge of the pandemic and how that negatively effected both their finances as well as their mission to help people in care homes (the worst hit by the early outbreak of the corona virus). However, she also talks about pivoting their programmes online to help reach people and take their brilliance to an international audience. Rosie is also engaging people online sharing favourite music. Musica’s work is underpinned by extensive research and Rosie describes how she believes more and more care homes will embed music into care plans Rosie is an award winner and has been named a Woman of Inspiration in this year’s top 100 WISE (Women in Social Enterprise) list. WISE 2020, in partnership with NatWest, focussed this year on how these stars of the social enterprise world had adapted to COVID-19 and showed it “who’s boss”. https://musica-music.co.uk
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Today we have a role reversal with Mark Longbottom being interviewed about his dual roles as CEO of Heart Kids New Zealand as well as founder and host of Purposely Podcast. The interviewer is the impressive Dhivya O'Connor (charity leader and podcaster) who is based in the UK. Show notes “Less about egos and logos and let’s think more about mission and (those) whose lives we are trying to help and change... People first, mission always.” Mark has 25 years of nonprofit experience both in the UK and New Zealand, leading fundraising, events, service delivery, community engagement, and commercial functions in well known charities such as The Prince's Trust, MS Society, Terrence Higgins Trust, Auckland City Mission, New Zealand Aids Foundation and the Auckland Foundation. Mark is currently Chief Executive of Heart Kids New Zealand, a charity providing lifelong care and support to children, young people and families impacted by childhood heart defects or CHDs. Previous to that, he was Head of the St. James's Place Charitable Foundation for over a decade. The Foundation is the seventh largest corporate foundation in the UK and is the charitable arm of St. James’s Place Wealth Management. Mark is also the Founder of the Purposely Podcast, interviewing inspirational people. Purposely was set up to amplify the stories of founders and leaders of nonprofits, charities, for-purpose businesses, as well as social entrepreneurs. Mark’s hope is that Purposely will inspire other people to make a positive and lasting difference to the lives of people living in our communities and those who need the help the most. https://heartkids.org.nz/ https://www.purposelypodcast.com/ Dhivya O’Connor is a charity leader, who has over 20 years' experience across the charity and commercial sectors. Most recently, Dhivya served as CEO of Children with Cancer UK. She is also a Trustee and Chair of the Development Board of the international development organisation, Book Aid International. Dhivya has deep knowledge of the charity sector, with expertise in fundraising and philanthropy. She has also volunteered with NGOs in India, South Africa and Cambodia. A passionate advocate for the work of charities, she launched The Charity CEO Podcast in August 2020, whilst on Maternity break with her second child. www.thecharityceo.com
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Sir Graeme Dingle joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story In this enlightening episode of Purposely you will hear his theory on family violence and how this has led to poor outcomes for children and young people in New Zealand. Sir Graeme is a renowned outdoor adventurer and mountaineer, He is also known for his writing. Sir Graeme and his wife Jo-Anne Wilkinson (Lady Dingle) formed the Graeme Dingle Foundation which was set-up to improve outcomes for young people. They both pledged to positively impact on New Zealand’s negative youth statistics using the power of self efficacy to help make a positive and lasting difference. This episode explores their founder story with their foundation as well as his own evolution from an unsure and weak child to a confident and celebrated adventurer, businessman, leader, part-time builder and life time teacher and mentor. Sir Graeme also shares a wonderful story about getting things wrong with the late David Lange and his dear friend Sir Edmund Hilary. He also provides insights into Sir Ed’s personality.
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Sonia Thursby ONZM joins Purposely Podcast to share her story and why she is motivated to support people with disabilities.
"at a very early age, I saw the prejudice, the bullying, and the meanness against someone who was different where she was just my friend Cat. We would hang out, swap beads, play with dolls, but to others she was something to be stared at…
I didn't think that was okay.. and that was all the motivation I needed to get into PHAB which in those days was physically handicapped, able bodied. she was the physically disabled one and I was the able bodied one.
So yeah, for me, it's about justice."
Sonia Thursby has worked in the Youth and Disability sector in New Zealand for over 25 years, with extensive prior experience in the UK.
As a trusted ally to the sector, she has been able to put the voice of youth with disabilities at the forefront of every board she has been a part of, including PHO, Health Boards and Council Advisory Groups. Thanks to these vast connections within the sector, and across the public and government sectors, she has been able to provide a safe space for youth with disabilities to come together and co-create opportunities for themselves and their peers.
You will hear how she identifies as both a kiwi and a Brit and how she wishes she could pick up all her family in the UK and transport them back to her home in Auckland.
You will also hear about the innovation she is leading in the disability sector and how service solutions are being co designed between the agency she runs, Government and those who need the help and support.
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‘my brother and his friends' battle with HIV motivated me to want to help’ – Anne Aslett joins Purposely Podcast to share her story Anne Aslett is the Chief Executive Officer of the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF). She has been with the Foundation for almost 20 years having joined from the commercial sector. Initially Anne joined as a volunteer and she is now their Global CEO and responsible for disbursing over $60 million in grants.
Anne talks about her brothers fight with HIV and misdiagnosed brain tumour that would eventually take his young life. How his experience along with that of his close friends led her to want to help others going through the same thing. She initially joined HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust (UK) as a volunteer moving on to help Elton John set up a supporter database for his own AIDS Foundation. You will hear how a bold suggestion to Elton and his manager, interrupting a conversation they were having in the office, led to a popup shop selling Elton’s used clothing and raised significant funds to help their early work. Anne shares the story of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and their mission to end discrimination, HIV infections and AIDS deaths. No matter who or where you are in the world. More specifically Anne talks about the incredible success they have had with a project in South London whereby they switched to automatic HIV testing rather than the traditional opt in test. Anne also talks about working what it is like to work Elton John as well Elton’s husband David Furnish who is the Chairman of the Foundation. How she travelled with the charity’s celebrity Patron Victoria Beckham to a project affecting girls at risk of HIV and she was up close and personal when President Macron awarded Elton with the Legion d’Honneur and they jointly launched their most successful partnership.
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Katy is the co-founder and Managing Director of Skylark Works, a purpose-led consultancy providing practical business support to organisations delivering positive social impact. Support can take many forms, including delivery of practical projects, making pan-sector connections and sharing helpful guidance.
Things changed for Katy when she was made redundant from Woodford Investment Management following a turbulent 2019, which saw the company close its doors.
‘Woodford was much more than just a job for me, colleagues were close friends and I’m someone who really cares, so I gave an awful lot to my job. It was a really difficult time, mentally draining and emotionally and physically exhausting as well. As cliched as it sounds, sometimes the hardest things teach you the most and I definitely look back on that period and think about how much I learned’.
Katy’s background in delivering strategic growth has enabled her to apply her commercial acumen to her new position, helping other organisations to scale, be sustainable and deliver positive social impact. Katy now places a much greater emphasis on her own wellbeing, after realising that she had been neglecting her health. She can provide great insight for Skylark’s clients, having been heavily involved in the corporate world and understands how businesses need to truly embed social purpose to remain relevant and enact real change for society. Consumers want to be involved with businesses that can really demonstrate a social and ethical compass.
‘People are no longer satisfied with just getting the best product or best financial return, it needs to have positive social impact or positive environmental impact too.'
You can find out more about Skylark Works on their website - https://www.skylarkworks.com.'She also had a successful career that led her to time in America, New Zealand, London and Australia. You will hear about Katy’s early years on her family farm, her love for New Zealand and what it is like for an English woman living in Edinburgh.
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Dave McKee joins Purposely Podcast to share his unique founder story
It all started with a phone call from his daughter Sophie seventeen years ago when she was in Guatemala and he was in Nottingham. Sophie was teaching disadvantaged children English when she discovered the school was on the brink of collapse because they had no funding. A call to her Dad changed both their futures and set them on a new path helping to transform the lives of children living in poverty.
Together they set up the UK Charity ‘Education for the Children’ which runs and funds a school in in the Jocotenango region of Guatemala. Over the last two decades they have dramatically raised local education standards and empowered thousands of children living in the region to reach their full potential through access to quality education. With one of the lowest literacy rates in the Western Hemisphere, many people in Jocotenango struggle to find jobs or put food on the table. The charity’s aim is set their students up with jobs and employment opportunities available to those with qualifications in neighbouring Antigua and Guatemala City.
Dave is both the founder and Chief Executive while Sophie is an active trustee and they both live in a small town near Valencia, Spain.
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Mary Storrie joins Purposely Podcast to tell her inspirational story On the 28th of December 2003 Mary’s world came crashing down. At a Christmas party, Rosie May their only daughter, aged 10 at the time, was brutally murdered by a 17 year old boy she knew. Mary talks about the devastation this caused both to herself, her husband and their two sons. How this violent and senseless act has changed them as a family for ever. In honour of her memory the family dramatically changed the direction of their lives with a focus on helping others. A year after the death of her daughter the family decided to escape the horrific recollections of the Christmas before and go on a family holiday to South East Asia. On Christmas Day, they planted a little palm tree in loving memory of Rosie May. On boxing day, as they stood on the shore of the Indian Ocean the tsunami hit. It claimed more than 230,000 lives across fourteen different countries and was one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. Mary talks about being lucky to survive that disaster, however, she also describes their sense of calm, as her son said succinctly, ‘we have already faced our worst nightmare’. Mary went back to find the tiny palm tree they had planted, and incredibly it had survive. Mary saw this as a clear sigh that Rosie May was watching over them and had kept them, her brothers and the tiny palm tree safe. This was the inspiration for the Rosie May Foundation. Their personal tragedy gave them the determination to do something extraordinary. To turn tragedy into hope and create a living legacy to the daughter they loved so much. They wanted to give children in crisis the right to a future, one that Rosie May has tragically been denied. Their very first project, the Rosie May Home for girls, was opened for children who had lost parents to the tsunami in Sri Lanka. Today the charity is at the forefront of the deinstitutionalisation (children out of orphanages into smaller loving homes) agenda in Sri Lanka, conducting research driving the process forward, and working with key partners, both in the UK and on the ground. Partners like Hope and Homes for Children (see #16 HHC founder Mark Cook speaks with Purposely Podcast). They also operate in Nepal and their fundraising reach has stretched as far as Australia. Impressively Mary has also been back to University to do a bachelor of arts and a masters in human rights and global citizenship. Mary sees the importance of this later life education to her current role as CEO of an international development charity. The time spent as an adult student proved therapeutic and she could choose if she wanted to share her story or just be ‘Mary the adult student’. She received several awards for her academic achievements while in Nottingham.
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Nic Russell joined Purposely Podcast to share her founder story
Nic reflects on the start of Kenzie’s Gift in 2006, founded with the intent of providing appropriate and research-based psychosocial support for children experiencing grief and loss within the family.
Nic Russell’s daughter Kenzie was only two years old when she was diagnosed with a paraspinal cancerous tumour. Although Kenzie won her battle with cancer, the prolonged and aggressive medical treatment was more than her small body could take. Kenzie died on the 29th of December 2005.
Through this tragedy came the hope for families that is Kenzie’s Gift. Since the establishment of Kenzie’s Gift, the charity has helped over 200 families through more than 2000 psychotherapy sessions and distributed over a 1,000 copies of their printed resource packs, the My Journey Kit and Memories Are Forever.
Nic reflects on Kenzie's life as well as her own health challenges with breast cancer, a degenerative condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and parkinsons disease (diagnosed at age 46). Nic also talks about her passion for sport and how she finds swimming and being by the seaside hugely therapeutic.
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‘Millennials Changing the face of Philanthropy’ Laurence Marshbaum joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story Laurence is Founder and Chairman of 10x10 Philanthropy, a non-profit, millennial based movement that has raised and distributed over $2M to grassroots charities around the world. In 2013 Laurence and a group of close friends started the movement in Sydney, engaging over 10,000 individual donors, 900 core volunteers. Not only is he the founder of an amazing charity enterprise but he also has a top job in finance, playing a key role in Alternative Strategies for Australian based fund Sunsuper. This role has taken him to New York, London and Australasia and has given him some amazing opportunities - but also made him realise how fortunate he was. His Jewish faith grounded him and gave him an appreciation of the power and effectiveness of giving. Laurence is a driven and passionate individual who is only just getting started! He has plans to further scale and grow this innovative nonprofit to more people, cities and countries. He lays down the challenge to others to join him on the 10x10 Philanthropy Mission. Listen to find out more about the people, podcasts and books that have inspired him throughout his journey. Episode Notes: 1. Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas https://www.amazon.com.au/Winners-Take-All-Charade-Changing/dp/0451493249 2. Mans Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl-ebook/dp/B009U9S6FI 3. 10x10 Website – www.10x10philanthropy.com
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David Pitcher joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story
David Pitcher utilised a brief volunteer experience in 2014 to reshape his future, from a corporate towards a life of purpose. This seminal moment led him to start the charity Wheely Tots a successful social enterprise helping hundreds of families and children in North London to live healthier lives. It utilises the process of learning to ride and enjoying cycling to lead people to empowerment, greater confidence and more resilience.
David talks about his own passion for riding and how that helped him settle on cycling as programme choice. However, he points to his own families lived experience providing the ‘real’ inspiration to start a charity to help improve people’s lives. His family a blend of English (Yorkshire) and Polish roots had been through some hard times and as he saw that they lacked resilience and confidence but had a drive to work hard. David explains that Wheely Tots works with a number immigrant families as well people who are struggling to get on life and challenged by the effects of poverty. focus on supporting families and young people in Haringey and North Hackney, London
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David Crosweller joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story
Sanitation First provide ecosan toilets to people in India and Africa. Incredibly they have helped to transform the lives of 350,000 people since their launch in 1997. Their slogan is to ‘tackle poverty one toilet at a time’.
David had been running a marketing agency in the UK which collapsed in the 1990 economic crash. This led him to re-focus his career deciding to help others and live a life of purpose. David started Sanitation First with his friend Andy Barr after a life changing visit to Africa where he saw the devastating effects of disease-ridden water and lack of proper sanitation. David talks about crying for an hour in a hotel room following a visit to a hospital where a third of patients had died from diseases directly related to dirty water. They started to construct eco-toilets in a country that had no toilets for millions of people.
In 2005 they developed the first composting toilet which was built in an Indian school, a unit that is still in use to this day. This school, like so many others, now has long-term sustainable sanitation and the impact, especially for girls, is enormous. There has been a 17.5% increase in the number of girls enrolling with almost 100% finishing senior school and approximately half going on to further education. A toilet has a big impact.
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Tara Arnold lost her first born son Buddy in July 2017, tragically he was stillborn.
Tara joins Purposely Podcast to share her story and how she recovered from her ‘catastrophic trauma’. Her deep grief propelled her to start a social enterprise, helping others who have also lost a baby. Tara has gone on to have a second child, a little girl who is now one year old.
Nova Foundation, the charity set up to honour Buddy’s memory, provides support so that other parents do not have to deal with the loss of a baby alone. The lack of therapeutic support she received was a motivator for Tara, she realised how little bereavement or trauma support was available to parents who lose a newborn.
Nova educates parents to understand the difference between trauma and bereavement and ensures that traumatised parents receive the support and understanding they need to rehabilitate into their ‘new normal’.
Nova Foundation’s vision is a world without babyloss. The mission is to ensure that every parent who experiences babyloss receives immediate comfort, trauma and bereavement support for as long as they need, as well as anxiety and practical support in any subsequent pregnancies.
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Jamie Feilden joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story about Jamie’s Farm.
Jamie’s Farm was set up to provide a life changing rural experience for disadvantaged inner-city children and young people.
The aim of the intense farming experience is to provide a catalyst for change, enabling disadvantaged young people to thrive academically, socially and emotionally long after their visit. They do this through a unique residential experience and rigorous follow-up programme, combining farming, family and therapy. Their vision is that vulnerable young people nationwide (across the United Kingdom) will be better equipped to thrive during secondary school years and beyond.
You will hear how the initial spark for the charity came when Jamie Feilden was teaching in the first cohort of Teach First participants in a Croydon comprehensive.
Shocked by the battleground the school had become stemming from poor behaviour and a lack of engagement, he initially brought lambs from his own farm in Wiltshire and set up animal pens in the school playground, charging his pupils with the job of looking after them; he observed that it was frequently the children who struggled most to focus and maintain positive relationships in school who benefited most from the responsibility and nurture needed to tend to these animals. At this point, he came up with the idea of taking pupils back to his home farm in Wiltshire.
Using his own farming experience and the 30 years’ worth of experience that Tish, Jamie’s mother, had built up as a psychotherapist, they developed an approach based on Farming, Family and Therapy and piloted weeklong visits through the family home. From day one Jamie was determined that the farm would not be a ‘petting zoo’ but that there would be real jobs with a real purpose. When combined with the therapeutic methodology that Tish devised and the essence of a loving, family framework of support, a powerful intervention was born. From the very first week, they witnessed the profound impact that this combination could have on disengaged teenagers. Thirty-five pilot weeks were run through the family home, before the need for a purposely-converted farm became apparent.
Farming, Family and Therapy, delivered via a five-day residential and follow-up programme, aims to addresses the root causes of exclusion by equipping vulnerable children to thrive during their secondary school years.
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Camila Batmanghelidjh joins Purposely Podcast to share her founder story about controversial charity.
Kids Company was set up to provide support to deprived inner city children across the UK. From its original "drop-in" centre in south London it expanded over the following two decades to be a prominent children's charity operating 11 centres in Greater London, Bristol and Liverpool. Camila and Kids Company had involved business leaders, A -list celebrities and government officials to help drive forward their charitable mission. The annual income topped £24 million with almost 500 employees before it controversially closed in 2015. Camila’s fall from grace was dramatic. Listen to her life story and what happened in those fateful years at Kids Co. She talks about how she spent lock down, her impending courtcase and what the future holds.
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Awarded an OBE and then recognised as Dame for her services to children and young people Benita (Benny) Refson is one of the most influential people in the nonprofit / charity sector. Benny joins Purposely Podcast to talk about her formative years, including the influence of her father, a false start in psych services and then an interlude in the fashion industry with Vogue as a junior runner. Benny then founded the children’s charity Place2Be and grew it and its impact exponentially over a 29 year period as CEO. Place2Be are committed to helping children with their mental health. Their approach to children’s mental health means they aim to intervene early to prevent life-long mental health issues. Benny offers leadership and commercial advice she also discusses the affects of COVID-19.
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Hope and Homes for Children was founded by Mark Cook OBE, a retired Colonel, and his wife Caroline. The first project was an orphanage in Croatia, in a town called Lipik. Cook was posted there as part of the United Nations Protection Force. Initially, he and other soldiers repaired war-damaged orphanages before realising that what children really required was a family. Hope and Homes for children then began to pioneer the deinstitutionalisation of orphanages and children's homes. By August 2018, the charity had closed 105 institutions in nine countries, prevented around 20,000 children entering or re-entering institutions and had helped to change childcare systems. Mark talks about how the early the early mistakes they made on their charitable journey; “We had presumed that what these children needed was food, a roof over their heads, a safe place to sleep and an education, but the children themselves guided us to their heart of our mission – they desperately wanted and needed to be loved. “Over the years we have visited numerous orphanages in many countries. Some were awful and smelled so bad that we felt sick and wanted to leave; others were better, being reasonably equipped and staffed. But the one thing we never found in any orphanage was the feeling of unconditional love that is at the heart of a caring family. “Love became the key to our work and we have quite unashamedly focused on and talked about it ever since.” The charity is still having a significant impact under the expert leadership leadership of CEO Mark Waddington. Hope and Homes for Children working alongside governments and civil society organisations in over 30 countries to dismantle orphanage-based care systems. Their model of transformation is driving reform and laying the foundations for long-lasting change globally.
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Annah Stretton joins Purposely Podcast to talk about her successful charitable work. How she has used her entrepreneurial skills to help empower and change lives, particularly women in prison through RAW (rescue another woman). We also delve deep into her other successful career in the fashion industry, initially in a non branded business which makes her significant amounts of money. You will hear how because of changes to the market and the introduction of cheap imports she loses this business almost over night. She then recovers and builds a second clothing business in Annah Stretton Fashion which is still operating to this day. You will hear how Covid-19 and demand for her stylish masks has been exceptionally good for business. But in true Annah style she also donates hundreds of masks to good causes. In the middle of that we also talk about in making a point to her father led her to accountancy and her early years at school and work led to a path destined for success. Enjoy
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Olly Belcher joined Purposely Podcast to talk about her founder story and her absolute dedication to helping people living in poverty in India.
She talks about how fatherly influence (as well as personal invite from Mother Teresa) led her to dedicate her career to helping people living in poverty in West Bengal. Her father’s career in India led to many bed-time stories focused the wonders and mystique of India to a young impressionable Olly. We go deep into her founder story at the same time reflecting on the charities (her staff in West Bengal) 'inspirational' response to COVID-19.
We also delve into her ability to chronically overachieve, this included her University years where she gained a first class honours degree in Geography and a distinction in her Masters degree both from Oxford University. Olly then joined the World Bank in Washington DC where, amongst other achievements, she was awarded the World Bank Youth Innovation Fund. Her time at the World Bank was followed by a move to London where she worked for Accenture Strategy and also helped prepare the 5 year strategy for Accenture Development Partnerships. Back to her founder story… starting the charity Shivia in December 2008 Olly has been the Chief Executive since 2010. It was a brave move, not only was she giving up a great opportunity at the World Bank (a job that paid well and was secure with great prospects) it was also the time of the global financial crisis. These things did not phase Olly though and she has no regrets about the move she made or the life philosophy it has given her... 'there is never a perfect time to do something, you just need to trust your instincts and follow your passion' So what does the charity do and what is Olly's role?
Shivia works with some of the poorest communities in West Bengal, India and its mission is to empower them to create livelihoods, boost income and inspire permanent change. Poultry farming is their ‘flagship’ programme launched in 2011. It provides the tools and training (the ‘toolkit‘) for families living in poverty to start a small enterprise from home by raising chickens and selling the produce.
You will hear how Olly has become a skilled but reluctant fundraiser. She also forms Shivia’s overall strategy and works hard to support operations.
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Kelda Wood experienced a life changing accident in 2002 which almost led to her leg being amputated. Despite these injuries she has turned turmoil into triumph. Kelda’s achievements include para-canoeist representing Great Britain on the world stage, she has climbed two mountains including the highest peak in South America, rowed across the Atlantic solo and unassisted (plus more). Despite all of this her proudest achievement has been the founding of UK Charity Climbing Out which offers intense outdoor activity to people who need it most. Life changing and affirming interventions for people of all ages who have experienced trauma, abuse or who lack confidence and are struggling to reach their potential. A must listen.
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Sarah Brook, the founder and owner of The Sparkle Foundation, was on a trip through Malawi when she suddenly fell ill. Being saved and cured in Malawi, Sarah made it her mission to give back to the country by bringing medical care, nutrition and education to children in need. Since its inception in 2015 The Sparkle Foundation has educated 800 children, conducted 4’700 medical interventions and served 66’000 meals.
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Join Purposely Podcast to hear my latest guest Howard Lake. In this podcast Howard talks about being an unlikely dotcom entrepreneur and while his friends, family and colleagues supported his start-up mission they also admitted to ‘not really understanding what he was doing’… locked away in his home office learning HTML and developing resources for sharing on the web.
While he is very happy with his contribution to the world he sites that one of his regrets it not fully realising the power and value of what he had in his hands. Had he been able to partner with someone he may able to grow faster and gain more reach. You suspect that Howard Lake the dotcom entrepreneur and digital do good Svengali could have easily been Howard Lake the dotcom millionaire… joining the founders of platforms like Just Giving say, those who cashed in on the do good tech boom. But hey that wouldn’t quite fit with the altruistic man I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing for Purposely Podcast. He also didn’t want to run a large organisation with all that brings.
So who is Howard Lake… he is a digital entrepreneur and one of the most influential and well respected people working in the non-profit / charity sectors anywhere in the world. Howards specialist field is fundraising and he has been personally responsible for upskilling, supporting and motivating two almost three generations of professional and voluntary fundraisers. People responsible for raising millions of dollars / pounds. He founded UK Fundraising (fundraising.co.uk), the world’s first web resource and community for professional fundraisers in 1994 and wrote the world’s first book on digital fundraising in 1995. Howard remains in control of UK Fundraising to this day and while he uses a small team of expert contributors he is the websites only official employee. Hear how his early and formative experiences at Oxford University fuelled his passion and love for the ‘power of asking people for money’. Howard talks about his involvement with the universities RAG (first coined in Victoria times when students took time out of their studies to collect rags to clothe the poor, to more recent uses to stand for ‘Raise and Give’). He then went on to work as as a fundraiser at Oxfam, Afghanaid and Amnesty International UK in the 80s and 90s. He is passionate about the discipline and although he no longer practices fundraising himself he is a student of the ‘art and science of fundraising’ and is responsible for a number of the most popular training courses in the sector. While his focus on the website has endured for 24 plus years he is also responsible for starting and scaling other ventures in the do good space. He was co-founder of Barcamp Nonprofits and founder of Fundraising Camp, a learning event for fundraisers. His most recent venture is co-founder of Good Jobs a market place for fundraising talent that promises to deliver value for money.
Importantly Howard Lake has not shied away from the issues hitting the charity and non-profit sectors due to COVID-19, in fact he has very much led from the front and as early as March 2020 (when the first lockdowns started to happen) he offered sage advice on how one can fundraise in a crisis “All fundraisers and charities are facing this problem. We need to talk to other organisations, avoid overlap, support and participate in existing networks and collaborative groups. This could be other charities, fundraising networks, businesses.”
ukfundraising #howardlake #charity #nonprofit #COVID-19 #training #development #founder #socialentrepreneur #digital #dotcom #svengali
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Hear how an incident on the way home from school on May 4 1972 changed Richards life forever. Richard Moore, then aged 10, was shot by a British Soldier. Luckily he survived, however, the rubber bullet did untold damage to his eyes and meant that he lost his sight completely. This was during the troubles in Northern Ireland where there was a huge divide between nationalists (catholic’s) and unionists (Protestants). Richards family had recently lost a family member to the violence and Richards blinding left the family further rocked. Incredibly many years later he met the very soldier who shot him that fateful day and while his Dad was not alive both Richard and his mother were willing to forgive the individual. Richard has never let blindness hold him back though and after a time at University he had a successful business career which included running and owning two pubs as well as nights spent playing guitar in a band. In 1996 Richard started his own charity. Children in Crossfire focused on compassion right from the start. Richard and his team based the entire ethos of the organisation on compassion. Although compassion with a plan which Richard refers to as crucial. It offers to support, educate and care for children living in poverty (poverty referred to as the conflict). Its Ambassador list includes the Dalai Lama of Tibet as well as tv star and activist Joanna Lumley. The charity uses donations from individuals as the Irish and British Governments to help children in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi as well locally. It continues to thrive to his day.
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There are approximately 260 million children worldwide who do not have access to education. Our latest inspirational founder believes that she has found a solution to this issue and the challenge she faces now is scaling that solution so it reaches enough children. Katrin McMillan founded Not-For-Profit HelloWorld in September 2018 at the same creating and designing solar powered ‘education’ hubs that brought the power of the internet to remote villages and cut off communities (See full description below). Hear in this podcast how Katrin overcame the debilitating effects of dyslexia at school and then the University of Bristol to overachieve in both her ensuing corporate career and her role as a social entrepreneur. Katrin was brought up in a house that despised injustice and this has helped to shape her thinking. Her parents are a South African / Australian mix and they both have close up experience of the damaging effects of bigotry through apartheid and subjugation of indigenous people. Katrin has lived in Nigeria, New York, Bristol, Australia and now London. She is a mother, a wife and a highly successful social entrepreneur hell bent on changing the world through he power of the internet to provide access to education. The Hubs Hello World deploys Hello Hub kits to communities in need of educational resource. Communities learn to build, use and maintain the hubs themselves, so that they can continue to gain benefit long after the Hello World team has departed. Each Hub provides wifi internet access, and is loaded with educational resources such as apps and games, in relevant languages. The hubs have weatherproof touch screens for easy interface, and are available 24/7. #Even if we combined the entire global budget for education, it wouldn’t come close to reaching every child. The traditional approach to tackling the education deficit is not working. There are 69 million too few teachers to hit current education targets, that’s just targets. We need an affordable, scalable and world-class solution for ALL children, no matter where they were born.” Katrin McMillan Project Hello World has a plan: a solar-powered digital education Hub where children can learn, and explore the world’s body of knowledge, right in the center of their community. Instead of “airdropping” a fully-built system into a community, Project Hello World works with the community to build Hello Hubs in places that are well below the baseline poverty index–where resources normally wouldn’t allow for these sorts of forward-thinking projects. Community members invest time, meals, lodging for Project Hello World volunteers, and responsibility for their systems as the Hello Hubs take shape. As the Hubs are built from the ground up, the entire community learns about its maintenance, importance, and possibility. https://www.projecthelloworld.org/
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Sanjeev Gandhi founder of education charity Reach to Teach. He launched Reach to Teach in 2003 with the aim of providing education to children living in poverty in Gujarat (Western India). British born Sanjeev had been a regular visitor to the region from birth. Gujarat is his parents homeland and they installed not only a love for the area and its people but also a respect and passion for education. Those values along with formative experiences lead him to launch Reach to Teach. It wasn’t easy though with some stern challenges thrown down from local leaders who initially doubted his sincerity and his staying power. They along with a rather forceful aunty wanted to know what value he could add to the lives of children living in India when he was British. And young. Sanjeev’s perseverance won the day though and Reach to Teach went on from strength to strength. His genius included attracting the attention of Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle. Larry’s foundation along with Indian state government helped Reach to Teach to develop a unique high quality, low cost primary education system which has grown to reach tens of thousands of children in India Sanjeev has also held leadership roles in the media, technology and investment management sectors including as partner at Marwyn Investment Management, Director of Strategy at Yahoo! Europe and Head of Strategic Development at BBC Worldwide. channel television market; at Yahoo! Europe Sanjeev was Director of Strategy, where he was one of the leadership team which established the business in Europe in early 1998 growing operations to every major European market in less than three years and turnover to over $100m. Sanjeev has a deep understanding of the need for companies to be seen as a force for good. This is based on the direct experience of growing a not-for-profit enterprise which has reached significant scale. He. Sanjeev is non-executive chair of the Eden Project Ltd, a non-executive director of the ECB’s New Competition Board and a trustee of the Fidelity Foundation.
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Join Head of Purpose Mark Longbottom interviewing the inspirational Sir Tim Smit. Tim dreamt about a gigantic ‘tree museum’ that would go on to become one of the largest and most popular tourist attractions in the world. He turned that dream into a reality around the time of the new millennium. The project centred on the build of these giant biomes that take people on a journey of discovery through the undergrowth of Africa, Asia, Australasia, the Mediterranean all while using green technologies. Sir Tim and his team raised £80 million as start-up and build capital, transforming a disused China Clay Pit in Cornwall to social enterprise that has brought over £1 billion to the once failing Cornish economy. He describes it as ‘kissing a frog to make a prince’ . The museum became so much more and had educated hundreds and thousands and promises to spread its magic across the Globe including China and New Zealand. Hear about Edens challenge with the effects of COVID-19, Tim’s founder story including the early years as a successful music writer and producer in Soho, his frustration with his beloved Nottingham Forest and so much more. It really is a great listen.
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Joseph Russo states his dyslexia is his super power. Tune in and hear how growing up with a disability propelled him to a life of purpose as founder and CEO of UK Charity The Enthusiasm Trust. A poignant interview that provides fantastic insights on what effective and impactful youth work does and should look like. Joseph also lays bare some of his toughest moments as a leader in the charitable sector with the relentless search for funding, sacrificing material wealth and the worry that he was falling into the trap of ‘founder syndrome’. Recruited by the UK Home Office as a special adviser on youth, criminal justice and gangs Joseph is a great listen.
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In 2012 Ian Thwaites swapped a career in the City with an Investment Bank for a life of purpose. Ian and his co founder and now Chairman Stuart Rhodes set up the UK charity Level Water. Level Water provides one-to-one swimming lessons for children with physical disabilities or sensory impairments. They used the buzz caused around the 2012 Olympics, particularly the Para Olympics to help launch and grow the charity. Also hear how the damaging effects of a serious cycle accident just 15 months after launching the charity effected Ian and meant greater impetus and drive for his mission. A great listen for all people who believe in the power sports activity and participation (particularly swimming)
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Lucy Buck swapped a successful career producing reality television for a life of purpose in Uganda helping orphan children. Love Island for a love of children. Lucy discovered that many of the orphanages operating in Uganda were in fact damaging to children and she was inspired to connect orphan children with loving alternatives and if possible helping them back to their families. Lucy’s ability to tell and share stories, like she had producing tv programmes, helped her to raise over £6 million over 11 years. These funds have helped to train foster carers, save and transform children’s lives and work with other agencies like UNICEF and Hope and Homes for Children to go a long way towards ending damaging institutional care.
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Hannah Underwood is a self-confessed charity and data geek with an unquenchable desire to improve as many young lives as possible.
In her early career Hannah learned how to measure performance and use data to improve organisations. At the age of 25, Hannah became CEO of The Key, a charity inspiring belief in young people. Working with venture philanthropists, Impetus PEF, they used data & metrics to build a vibrant, robust and well respected organisation.
Outside of running The Key, Hannah’s been a Director of Datakind UK since 2013 and became part of the ‘Data For Good’ movement. When she’s not trying to change the world, you’ll find Hannah chasing a mucky toddler or renovating their old farmhouse in Northumberland.
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Nyasha Gwatidzo was born in Zimbabwe and gained a degree in Chemistry from London University. She then went on to retrain at Reading University and gained an MA, to work with adults and children with emotional issues. She is a qualified psychotherapist, social worker, coach and mentor. http://walkwithmenetwork.com/
She is a serial social entrepreneur, working with disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa. She founded a multimillion pound social enterprise Banya, which finds foster families for children in the care of local authorities. www.banya.co.uk
She founded a charity in the UK, Vana Trust which raises funds for children affected by HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe, supporting their education. The Trust also supports adults and young people here in the UK who have learning and emotional difficulties, through her therapeutic organic farm in Buckinghamshire. www.vanatrust.org.uk
Nyasha wrote a book in 2015 after walking the length of the River Thames (206 miles) “Walk With Me through 16 Inspirational Business and Life Tips”.
Her vision for the future is to forge global connections with women in the developing world who inspire her everyday through the social investment fund she is setting up, World Impact Capital. She would like them to reach economic independence through enterprise and she currently mentors women starting up in business. WIC will be a £100 million pounds social impact investment fund for African women entrepreneurs/leaders. This fund will fund their enterprises to grow their businesses as well as hands on business support. www.worldimpactcapital.com
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Tune in to hear Dr Sarah Fane's incredible story... how this British woman continuously risked her life to play a key role in transforming the lives of thousands of Afghan people. Sarah is currently Director in charge of the Marylebone Cricket Club Foundation, the charitable arm of the MCC, and their aim is to utilise the power of sport and specifically cricket to enhance lives. Awarded an OBE by the British Government in 2013 for her charities services to the people of Afghanistan Sarah's founder story is incredible, from a war time doctor, to mother, to charity founder to twenty plus years of regularly travelling between the UK and Afghanistan and being at risk of kidnap. Sarah's story starts with her overcoming doubts about her ability to study medicine and become a doctor... Inspired by a gap year working in rural India, Dr Sarah Fane decided to switch from her degree course in French and Latin to study medicine at Bristol University. Her Elective, in 1987, was spent in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, working with an obstetrician in an area with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Once qualified, she returned to Pakistan, and worked from a Mujahideen camp on the border with Afghanistan, during the height of the Soviet Afghan war, running clinics for female refugees. In 2001 she was invited to Afghanistan, which was in the grip of the Taliban regime, to work in a mother and child clinic. The visit and the people she met inspired her to set up Afghan Connection. Closing earlier this year the charity supported education and sport in Afghanistan and has over the last 20 years built 46 schools for over 75,000 children. It also ran cricket projects backed by the Marylebone Cricket Club,M.C.C. which benefitted over 100,000 children in 22 provinces. Sarah was also made an Honorary Life Member of the M.C.C. in 2012
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Mark Johnson is a rehabilitated offender and former drug user, bestselling author of Wasted and the founder of the charity User Voice. User Voice was built on using the strengths of people and ignoring what others see as deficiencies. User Voice focuses on the strengths of lived experience not on the perceived weaknesses of lack of education, qualifications and professional track record. The lived experience of someone who has experienced drug addiction, or time spent in prison, as expertise.
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