Third Sector

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Jonathan Chevallier, chief executive of Charity Digital, and Angus Gregory, chief executive of Biomni, to talk about how the arrival of low-cost natural language AI tools has opened up opportunities for the voluntary sector. Jonathan outlines how ChatGPT could enable charities to deliver services more quickly and cheaply, from improving fundraising campaigns to conte...

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Mind, to discuss her plans for the charity, her views on the need to reform the voluntary sector and the state of mental health in charities. Sarah calls for bravery among third sector leaders in confronting notions of the role and place of charities in society. She identifies the heightened emotional relationship between charity staf...

Lucinda and Andy are joined by Catherine Johnstone, chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, and Matt Hyde, chief executive of The Scouts, to talk about the Big Help Out initiative, which aims to generate excitement about the possibilities of volunteering. Matt highlights the need for innovation in charities’ volunteer recruitment efforts, such as using digital channels to attract volunteer...

Lucinda and Alina are joined by Kirsty Marrins, the digital communications specialist and a trustee of CharityComms, to talk about the minefield that social media interactions can pose to voluntary organisations. The discussion follows a consultation by the Charity Commission on  new social media guidance , which was prompted by a growing number of complaints about charities’ social media act...

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Priya Singh, chair of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, who led the NCVO's internal reform after a review in 2020 identified structural racism, homophobia, sexism and classism. Priya describes the role played by the NCVO’s trustee board in guiding the organisation through the process, knowing when to lean in and when to step back. She offers advice fo...

Lucinda and Alina are joined by Georgia Paton, gaming and streaming manager at the British Red Cross, and Tom Downie, UK charity manager at the fundraising platform Tiltify, to discuss ways in which charities can take advantage of the growing livestream world. Georgia describes how the British Red Cross has reached a new fundraising demographic by collaborating with online content creators and the...

Lucinda and Alina are joined by Kat Dixon, outgoing director of partnerships at Catch22, whose team tripled the charity’s voluntary income in the space of four and a half years. Kat talks about the need to strategise and think deeply when forming and executing partnerships with forward-thinking corporate organisations, such as Microsoft and TikTok, in order to successfully link social and business...

Lucinda and Andy are joined by James Oakes, chief international officer at Omaze, and Paul McKenzie, director of engagement at the Teenage Cancer Trust. James describes Omaze’s business model as a for-profit organiser of high-value prize draws, with a proportion of its profits shared with selected charity partners. He outlines what the company looks for in a charity partner and addresses some of t...

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Keith Valentine, chief executive of Fight for Sight, to look behind the scenes of the sight loss research charity’s ongoing merger with the Vision Foundation. Keith describes how the merger was motivated by a quest for growth, responding to the absence of a national funder that combined scientific research with service delivery for visually impaired people. He talks...

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Campbell Chalmers, strategic engagement lead for the third sector at the RNIB and Joseph Howes, chief executive of the grant-making charity Buttle UK, to discuss how voluntary organisations can benefit from working together.  Joseph talks about Buttle’s experience of joining groupings such as the End Child Poverty coalition. He stresses the importance of taking...

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Stephanie Draper, chief executive of Bond, to talk about issues affecting the international development sector. Stephanie describes the impact of funding cuts on international development charities at a time of intensifying humanitarian crises. She suggests ways in which UK-focused charities can work with their international counterparts in campaigning to protect dem...

Lucinda and Alina are joined by Lord Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet secretary and chair of Pro Bono Economics, to discuss the findings and recommendations contained in the recently released final report from the Law Family Commission on Civil Society. O'Donnell talks about the need for civil society to be involved in discussions and decision-making alongside the government and private sector. He ou...

Lucinda and Alina are joined by Ian MacQuillin, director of the fundraising think tank Rogare, to consider the ethics around accepting monetary gifts from donors with questionable morality. They also talk about the implications of returning donations or other measures to atone for historical wrongdoing, following the Church of England’s recent acknowledgement of its connection to the transatlantic...

Lucinda and Russ are joined by the Charity Finance Group’s chief executive, Caron Bradshaw, and special adviser, Pesh Framjee, to talk about how charities can effectively manage their financial reserves in times of stress. Caron maintains that reserves are there to be used, rather than protected, to enable charities to continue fulfilling their mission during periods of financial difficulty. She s...

Lucinda and Andy are joined by Debra Allcock Tyler, chief executive of the Directory of Social Change, to discuss the year ahead in the voluntary sector. Debra provides insight into fundraising, campaigning and governance trends. As organisations who rely on government contracts are likely to be squeezed further in 2023, she emphasises the need to keep asking for funding, attract new volunteers an...

The Third Sector team looks back at the top stories of the year in a special festive episode. Acting editor Andy Ricketts is joined by reporters Lucinda Rouse, Russ Hargrave and Alina Martin to discuss the top stories from the voluntary sector in 2022. Lucinda provides a rapid round-up of the year’s charity news before the team discusses their picks in greater depth. These include  sexual har...

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Emily Wilson, chief executive of  Irise International , and Martyn Drake, founder of  Binley Drake Consulting , to discuss how charities can plan effectively in uncertain times. Martyn outlines how scenario planning can be a useful way of stripping back uncertainty and identifying the most important things for an organisation to consider in any eventuality....

Lucinda and Alina are joined by Nana Crawford, social media manager at the British Red Cross, and Hannah Akitt, strategist at the marketing agency Raw London. They discuss their favourite Christmas campaigns of the year, including Shelter’s “Brave Face ” television advert, Samaritans’ “Break the Silence” winter appeal and the British Heart Foundation’s “Gift that keeps on living ” campaign, along...

Lucinda and Alina visit London’s Portobello Road to peruse the rails and speak to the managers of some of the capital’s boutique charity shops about their views on the rising popularity of thrift shopping. The Charity Retail Association has reported a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in charity shop sales, bucking the wider trend of declining high street retail. The studio discussion features the...

Lucinda and Andy are joined by Antonia Bance, head of campaigns, communications and digital at the Trades Union Congress, and Idris Arshad, people and inclusion partner at St Christopher’s Hospice.  In the wake of a recent  strike announcement  by more than 500 staff at Shelter, they discuss how organisations can prevent employee relations from deteriorating to the point of industri...

Lucinda and Russ are joined by Zia Salik, head of fundraising at Islamic Relief, to discuss some of the innovations behind the charity’s record growth figures over the past four years. Zia explains how a shift before the pandemic to increase digital engagement with younger donors allowed the charity to adapt to the suspension of in-person fundraising events. He describes the organisation’s willing...

Lucinda and Alina seek to demystify TikTok with the help of Rebs Curtis-Moss, interim social media manager at Shelter, who previously worked at the RNLI and led preparations for the launch of the Lifeboats’ highly successful TikTok campaign.  Rebs highlights the importance of TikTok for raising awareness of charity causes among younger audiences, but stresses the need for a clear strategy pri...

Russ and Lucinda celebrate Trustees Week by speaking to Liv Clarke and Ria Shah, trustees at the youth leadership charity Reclaim and the conservation charity The Wildlife Trusts, respectively. Liv and Ria explain what motivated them to become trustees in the early stages of their careers and why they object to the term “young trustee”. They provide their views on the importance of including young...

Lucinda and Russ speak to Vic Turnbull, founder of the podcast production and training company MIC Media, about the various ways charities can use podcasts, from awareness-raising to educating service users. Vic provides practical guidance for charities looking to start a podcast of their own, from considerations of purpose, audience and content to funding options and utilising in-house talent. Sh...

Lucinda and Andy speak to Sue Tibballs, chief executive of the Sheila McKechnie Foundation, about attitudes towards campaigning by charities in the current political climate. This follows the release of a  Charity Commission guide,  the timing of which she questions in the context of a backlash to recent campaigns. Sue tells us why, despite some renewed calls for charities to “stick...