People Inspired By Purpose - Purposely Podcast

Welcoming Dan Leverington, founder of The Ocelli Group, to Purposely Podcast. The Ocelli Group is a for-profit business built around a clear purpose: connecting organisations that need to do sustainability work with the right partners to deliver it. Dan sits in the middle, not as a consultant doing the work himself, but as a connector who understands both sides of the equation and knows how to bri...

Welcoming Kate Sclater, Head of Community Investment at Rātā Foundation, to Purposely Podcast.   Rātā Foundation is one of twelve community trusts acrossAotearoa New Zealand, formed following the deregulation of the banking sector in the late 1980s. With a fund of around $700 million, it operates in perpetuity across Canterbury, Nelson Marlborough and the Chatham Islands, striving for an equitable...

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we’re back with NedWills, on an unexpected place his community engagement journey began, and what it taught him about ethics, incentives, and connecting elite sport to grassroots impact.   Ned’s eyes were first opened to community work through anunlikely route: working in the oil industry in the early 2000s. Large infrastructure projects in unstable parts of the...

Welcoming Liz Gibbs, CEO Burnett Foundation Aotearoa, to Purposely Podcast. Burnett Foundation is the organisation on a mission to get New Zealand to zero HIV transmission by 2030, while ensuring LGBTQ+ communities have the best possible health and wellbeing. The conversation starts with the foundation's origin story. Formerly the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, it was set up 40 years ago by thre...

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we’re back with Rose Challies – founder and director of Terra Nova Foundation – on the uncomfortable truths about how philanthropy actually works, and what it would look like if funders finally put people at the centre. Rose has a view that cuts through a lot of the noise in this space: we’re not funding projects. We’ve never been funding projects. We’re funding...

Welcoming Helen Hughes to Purposely Podcast, Chief Executive and Tai Oroni of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, one of New Zealand's most remarkable conservation stories and the world's largest pest-proof fenced sanctuary, sitting in the Waikato near Cambridge. 3363 hectares of restored native forest. 47 kilometres of predator-proof fencing. Kiwi, kokako, giant weta and hundreds of native...

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we’re back with Duncan Matthews – founder of Good Numbers – on funder reporting, the pain of being a volunteer treasurer, and why small charities deserve better tools. Duncan opens with a familiar frustration: tier four charities – those under $140,000 in annual expenditure – are everywhere in Aotearoa (around 15,000 on the charities register alone), yet virtual...

Welcoming Ned Wills, CEO of Laureus Sport for Good, to Purposely Podcast - a global foundation that uses sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage, working with young people across 40 countries through more than 200 programmes, and chaired by All Black legend Sean Fitzpatrick. Laureus was born from Nelson Mandela's words - that sport has the power to change the world - and 25 year...

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we’re back with fundraising strategist Craig Pollard – and this time he’s asking a question that most of the sector is too busy to sit with: what is enough?   Craig opens by naming something that rarely makes it into funding conversations: wellbeing. He works alongside people carrying enormous weight – Afghan exiles, communities under pressure, leaders navigatin...

Welcoming Gary Stannett MBE to Purposely Podcast, Chief Executive of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, the UK charity that uses sport and the creative arts to open up opportunities for young people in communities that have historically been overlooked and underinvested. Gary came into this work through youth work and community sports development, not through a career plan. He built programmes from the...

Welcoming Steven Moe to Purposely Podcast — partner at Parry Field Lawyers, founder of the Seeds Podcast, author, event organiser, governance leader, and one of the more consistently active people in New Zealand's for-purpose sector. Steven's career has had two distinct chapters. The first was corporate law - big firms, big transactions, time in Japan, London and Sydney. The second, starting about...

Welcoming Duncan Matthews, founder of Good Numbers, to Purposely Podcast - a purpose-driven fintech built to solve a problem Duncan couldn't stop thinking about after 15 years working in and around small charities in Aotearoa: why is it so hard for volunteer treasurers to do the basics? Good Numbers is a bookkeeping and reporting tool designed specifically for tier four charities - organisatio...

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we’re back with fundraising strategist Craig Pollard – on mission creep, funding models, and why confidence might be the most underrated tool in the sector. Craig opens with a candid look at mission creep – that drift that happens when organisations become a flag in the wind, chasing sustainability instead of staying anchored to purpose. It’s a pattern he sees o...

In this episode of Purposely , Mark Longbottom sits down with Simon Bowden, Head of Philanthropic Services at Forsyth Barr. Simon has spent more than 30 years across the for-purpose sector, including nearly two decades leading the Arts Foundation of New Zealand. Today, he works with charities and clients to help them think more clearly about giving, funding, and long-term impact. A big part of the...

In this SHORT episode of Purposely , Craig Pollard, Founder of Fundraising Radicals, cuts through the noise on fundraising and brings it back to basics. He lays out a clear way to think about building funding partnerships. Start with your principles. Be clear on your purpose and values. Then get real about your platform, what you stand on as an individual and as an organisation, including your str...

Welcoming Jessica Zarzycki, Portfolio Manager at Nuveen and a leading voice in sustainable fixed income investing. In this conversation, she explains how fixed income, often seen as the steady part of a portfolio, can deliver reliable returns while also creating real social and environmental impact. While the podcast is for everyone, the bond strategies Jessica manages are built for large institut...

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we revisit insights from fundraising strategist Craig Pollard, looking at what it really takes to build meaningful, high-value partnerships in the social sector. He challenges a common assumption in fundraising that money is the ultimate sign of impact. In reality, a lot of important work starts without funding and often continues that way. When organisations re...

Welcoming Marc Leckie, who leads one of the UK’s most prominent football club foundations - part of the wider Premier League network of community charities. In this conversation, he explains how the Foundation uses the power of the club’s brand to deliver programmes that improve wellbeing, build skills, and create real pathways into work. From safe spaces and mental health support to apprenticeshi...

What if philanthropy wasn’t an add-on to business, but built into its DNA? In this episode of Purposely, we welcome Rebecca Roberts, Head of the Simplicity Foundation , to explore how one corporate foundation has embedded giving into its core model in a way that grows alongside the business. Established alongside Simplicity NZ Ltd in 2016, the Foundation receives 15% of KiwiSaver and Investment Fu...

Welcome Rosie Challies to the Purposely Podcast. Rosie is the Founder of the Terra Nova Foundation, which is focused on environmental action and being a catalyst for positive change for people and planet here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Rose brings more than 20 years of international experience working across Europe on complex social and environmental challenges. Rosie has partnered with governments,...

In this episode of Purposely, I’m joined by Craig Pollard, Founder and CEO of Fundraising Radicals, to talk about what it really takes to build high value funding partnerships that actually last. Craig brings three decades of experience working alongside civil society organisations and funders in more than 100 countries. He’s seen what works, what fails, and where organisations quietly undermine t...

People connect with people, not causes. In this episode of Purposely , filmmaker and social entrepreneur Kiran Patel shares what charities and community organisations can learn from good storytelling and why authenticity matters more than polished campaigns. Kiran explains how strong stories give people agency, build trust, and help audiences see themselves in the work, rather than being talked at...

In this episode of Purposely Podcast, we’re joined by Eleanor Cater, CEO of Community Foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand, to explore how local giving can become one of the most powerful forces for long-term community change. Eleanor is deeply passionate about philanthropy, not as a lofty idea, but as something practical and grounded in place. From growing up in Porirua to now leading the national...

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we revisit insights from a past guest working at the intersection of financial advice, ethics, and values-led investing. She reflects on the decision to formally position her firm as an ethical investor, not because clients demanded it, but because it reflected who they already were. What surprised her most was how many clients moved quickly once the option was...

In this episode of Purposely , Mark Longbottom sits down with Tilda Bostwick, founder of Fundraising Talent, to unpack what fundraising really looks like as a profession. How getting the right people into the right roles matters more than ever for charities. Tilda lifts the lid on how fundraising has evolved in New Zealand. While many people still picture fundraising as street appeals or bucket co...