The Charity Changemakers Podcast

Robin Peake, Deputy CEO at Wycliffe Bible Translators, has just written the 8th edition of The Complete Fundraising Handbook, and he has a warning for the sector: too many charities are abandoning what works in favour of the next shiny thing.In this episode, Adam Stacey talks to Robin about why the fundamentals of fundraising never change, what he put into the new edition, and how to build innovation on tried and tested foundations rather than putting good money after bad.Along the way, Robin shares how a masters in 1920s football history led him into fundraising, the major donor meeting where he stopped himself five minutes before walking in, and why relationships don’t work in 12 month cycles. We also talk about the £50 a month budget that turns a supporter care team into donor delighters, why he only hires fundraisers who give, and the personal board of trustees that keeps his thinking sharp.If you work in fundraising, lead a fundraising team, or want to understand what actually makes donors give and stay, this one is for you.In this episodeWhy the fundamentals of fundraising don’t change, and why the sector keeps forgetting themWhat’s new in the eighth edition, from Facebook ads to AIWhy “people give to people” and “people give because they’re asked” still hold trueThe major donor meeting that nearly went wrong, and the mindset shift that saved itWhy Robin only hires fundraisers who are donors themselvesHow a £50 a month budget creates donors for lifeBuilding a personal board of trusteesTimestamps00:00 Welcome and introduction01:04 Quickfire questions: camping, electric scooters and Bible translation myths04:32 How Robin found his way into the charity sector06:50 Learning from other charities: lunches, coffees and generosity10:56 Donor-centric fundraising and why it works12:54 Hiring fundraisers who give, and building a culture of thanks16:02 Standing out: the £50 a month supporter care budget20:55 From Innovista to Home for Good to Wycliffe23:24 Mentors, coaches and a personal board of trustees26:58 Becoming Deputy CEO and the problem of quieter feedback30:17 Building culture in a remote-first organisation34:28 The Complete Fundraising Handbook, eighth edition36:52 Why the fundamentals never change39:13 The lesson Robin learned the hard way: relationships don’t work in 12 month cyclesAbout the guestRobin Peake is Deputy CEO at Wycliffe Bible Translators, with around 15 years in the charity sector, primarily in fundraising. He is the author of the 8th edition of The Complete Fundraising Handbook.LinksThe Complete Fundraising Handbook: Directory of Social Change website and AmazonWycliffe Bible TranslatorsRobin on LinkedIn

Why isn't major donor fundraising working for your charity? According to Louise Morris, it's rarely the cause, and it's almost never a lack of contacts.Louise is the founder of Summit Fundraising, a consultancy and training company specialising in major donor fundraising. She began her career in sales and marketing at Unilever, moved into the charity sector in her mid-twenties and held fundraising roles at Tommy's, Samaritans and RNID before becoming a Director of Fundraising. Ten years ago, she set up Summit and now works with charities of every size, from small local organisations to household names.In this episode, Louise shares:Why losing her Dad prompted her to leave Unilever and look for more meaningful workHow corporate negotiation training gave her confidence with donorsWhy she stepped away from a director role, and what a missed after-school football club taught her about flexible workingThe fear and "lumpy cashflow" of going it alone, and how Summit grew from thereWe then dig into how small and medium-sized charities can start or grow a major donor programme:Why it won't grow unless someone has protected time to lead it, even if that's just three hours a weekWhy trustees hold back on introductions, and why they don't need to ask anyone for moneyWhy doing major donor fundraising badly can be worse than not doing it at allWhere to find your first potential major donors (they're probably already involved with you)Why being a smaller charity can be a real strengthThe most common mistakes; impatience, skipping the building blocks and nobody owning itHow long a board should realistically wait, and the milestones to track besides incomeLouise closes with a reflection that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt stuck - leadership is not your job title.Chapters00:00 Welcome and introduction00:40 Quick-fire questions03:30 From Unilever to the charity sector09:40 Leaving the director role and starting Summit17:20 What Summit does today20:57 Where to start with major donor fundraising28:13 Making the case to your board30:34 The skills and support you need33:09 Common mistakes charities make36:21 How long before you see returns?41:21 Leadership is not your job titleResources mentionedThe Summit 3 Essentials guide and other free resources: https://summitfundraising.co.uk/free-resources/Join the free Summit major donor community: https://summitfundraising.co.uk/join/Find out more about the Major Donor Fundraising from Scratch programme: https://summitfundraising.co.uk/from-scratch/Connect with Louise on LinkedIn (Louise Morris, Summit Fundraising) or visit summitfundraising.co.uk

In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Kathryn Ward, a people leader, consultant, interim, fractional and coach who spent six years as Chief People Officer at Guide Dogs before founding her own consultancy, Zephyr People. Kathryn shares the moment a headhunter first called about the Guide Dogs role in January 2019 - and why she turned it down, convinced she didn't have the right background. By the time they called back in April, a shift from a fixed to a growth mindset had changed her answer, and it shaped how she's approached every big career decision since. Together, Adam and Kathryn unpack:Why she nearly said no to the job that defined her charity careerThe gendered confidence gap behind that hesitation, and how she moved past itWhy "you have to like people to be good at HR" is a mythTrusteeship as the smartest, lowest-risk way to test a move into the sectorThe breadth and loneliness of sitting on a charity exec teamWhy charity leaders need more peer-to-peer networks, not fewerLeaving Guide Dogs to build Zephyr People - a portfolio life of consultancy, interim work and coachingBurnout, trauma-informed coaching, and why change is so hard for people who've self-actualised through their causeKathryn also reflects candidly on loneliness in leadership, the staff reps she still stays in touch with more than former senior colleagues, and why making space for quieter voices has become central to how she leads. This is a warm, practical conversation for anyone weighing a move into the charity sector, sitting on the fence about a trustee role, or wondering whether "good enough" really is good enough to take the next step.TakeawaysCareer journey from commercial HR into the charity sectorImposter syndrome and the shift to a growth mindsetThe realities - and the myths - of a career in HR and people leadershipTrusteeship as a deliberate route into charity leadershipThe breadth and complexity of sitting on a charity exec teamPortfolio careers - consultancy, interim work, fractional roles and coachingPeer-to-peer networks and why the charity sector needs more of themBurnout, trauma-informed coaching and leading through changeInclusive leadership and making space for every voiceChapters00:00 Introduction and quickfire questions07:11 The phone call that changed everything - falling into charity leadership10:46 Overcoming imposter syndrome to become a Chief People Officer18:40 Why trusteeship is the smartest way in from commercial22:17 The hardest part of stepping up - holding the breadth of an exec role26:58 The power - and the gap - in charity peer-to-peer networks32:06 Leaving Guide Dogs and launching Zephyr People35:53 Coaching, burnout and why change feels so hard in charity culture38:40 Leadership lessons learned the hard wayIf you enjoyed the episode, please like, share and leave a review. Your support helps more charity leaders and changemakers discover the show. #CharitySector #CharityLeadership #NonProfitLeadership #CharityCareers #HRLeadership #PeopleAndCulture #Coaching #CharityChangemakers

In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by David Craig, Chief Executive of Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance, for a conversation about a career that was never planned. David talks candidly about falling into the sector almost by accident – from processing invoices in a hospitality company, into its public relations team running charity-of-the-year partnerships, and from there into professional fundraising with no formal background in it at all. He shares the pivotal, deeply personal moment that reshaped his path: after his son was born ten weeks premature, David became a trustee of Bliss, the charity for newborn babies, and helped establish Bliss Scotland from scratch. That experience of sitting on the other side of the boardroom table gave him his first real grounding in governance and strategy, and set him on course for his first chief executive role at 38. Eleven years into leading Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance, David reflects on what's kept him in one organisation for so long in a sector where leaders typically move on every five to seven years, what it's like leading a team whose work is genuinely life or death, why he's already thinking about succession planning, and why – whatever the job title – he still describes himself first as a fundraiser.TakeawaysA career that began entirely by accident, from accounts admin to public relations to professional fundraisingHow corporate charity-of-the-year partnerships can be a genuine route into the sectorWhy a personal crisis – his son's premature birth – led David to become a trustee of BlissThe case for taking on a trusteeship as a deliberate career development moveBecoming a first-time chief executive at 38, at Falkirk FC's Community FoundationWhy David still calls himself "a fundraiser" despite the CEO titleWhat's kept him at Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance for eleven years and countingSuccession planning, and the responsibility of leaving an organisation in a stable positionLeadership lessons learned the hard way: listening, clarity, and a culture of "no surprises"Chapters00:01 Introduction and quickfire questions05:41 Falling into fundraising by accident15:39 Recruitment consultancy and becoming head of fundraising at the Tulliken Trust18:56 A premature birth, a chance leaflet, and becoming a Bliss trustee28:22 First CEO role: rebuilding Falkirk FC's Community Foundation31:47 Joining Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance38:06 Eleven years on: why David has stayed, and planning for succession43:40 The leadership lesson David learned the hard way#CharitySector #AirAmbulance #CharityLeadership #NonProfitLeadership #CharityCareers #Trusteeship #Fundraising #CharityChangemakers

In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Julie Randles, Chief Executive of Power2, a children and young people's charity based in Ashton under Lyne, working across Greater Manchester, the North West, West Midlands and Greater London. Julie's route into the sector was anything but obvious, starting on the WHSmith graduate scheme, moving through Waterstones and children's publishing, then into charity by way of unpaid volunteering at Save the Children. She talks candidly about why volunteering and trusteeship are two of the most underrated routes into senior charity leadership, what running Power2's Teens and Toddlers programme has taught her about self worth, and why the gap between proven impact and available funding remains one of the sector's biggest frustrations. Julie also reflects on the hardest leadership lesson of her career, learning when passion needs a little less heart on the sleeve.TakeawaysVolunteering can be the fastest route into a charity career, even at a senior levelSitting on a board teaches you what it is really like to be a CEOCharity job applications reward detail, not passion statementsProven programmes often can not scale because funding lags behind demandLived experience across a team changes how a charity works, not just what it saysChapters00:00 Introduction and quick fire questions04:00 From WHSmith to Save the Children, an unlikely route into charity11:00 Why volunteering and trusteeship open doors19:40 Inside Power2, Teens and Toddlers and the programmes that followed24:40 The funding gap holding back proven impact35:15 How to actually get a charity sector job38:40 The hardest leadership lesson Julie has learnedIf you enjoyed the episode, please like, share and leave a review. Your support helps more charity leaders and changemakers discover the show.Visit the Power2 website here.#CharitySector #NonprofitLeadership #CharityChangemakers #Power2 #CharityCareers #Trusteeship #SocialImpact