Share

Third Sector
How far has the sector come in tackling systemic racism?
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Collette Philip, founder of the anti-racist brand agency Brand by Me, to discuss the findings of its recent audit of anti-racism work by the top 30 charities listed in Third Sector’s Charity Brand Index.
Collette explains why adopting a non-racist organisational approach and focusing primarily on diversity and the representation of racialised communities will never go far enough in the fight against systemic racism.
She outlines the areas where progress has been slowest and describes ways in which charities can take meaningful action, starting with making a public commitment to anti-racist practice in order to promote accountability.
Also in the episode, senior reporter Emily Harle talks about her recent long read, which suggests measures charities can take to enable meaningful contributions from their young trustees.
Read Brand by Me’s Dismantle report.
Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email lucinda.rouse@haymarket.com for further information.
Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.
More episodes
View all episodes

A perspective on being a Jewish charity leader in 2026
28:58|Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Jo Grose, chief executive of the United Synagogue, to discuss how her charity’s operations have been affected by recent attacks on the UK Jewish community.Jo shares some of the operational adjustments made by the United Synagogue to protect staff, volunteers and service users, and describes the impact of a growing sense of insecurity on the charity’s long-term strategic direction.She explains why she considers the phrasing of some recent statements of solidarity by sector leaders to be problematic, and conversely why Dame Julia Unwin’s first speech as chair of the Charity Commission resonated strongly with her.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.
Reflections on CIoF’s final Fundraising Convention
19:53|Lucinda Rouse is joined by Andy Ricketts and Emily Harle to discuss their highlights from the final edition of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s Fundraising Convention, which took place in London on 4 and 5 June.Emily chooses a panel discussion that focussed on the need to break down siloes between different fundraising channels. She also shares lessons about brokering successful partnerships with corporate donors.Andy talks about some of the small changes that charities can translate into easy fundraising wins, such as including a heart on fundraising materials to encourage more donations. He also discloses his most memorable convention moments from over the years.Find out more about the Third Sector Conference on 23 and 24 June.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.
How to collect the data you need for impact reporting
24:32|Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Sarah Derbyshire, chief executive of the orchestral music charity Orchestras Live, to discuss the organisation’s path to data maturity.Sarah explains the importance of having data systems that are designed to show the stories behind the numbers, and how a data audit can help reduce the information collected by charities.She also provides insight into the charity’s income-generating impact measurement tool, the Social Value Engine, which helps other social impact organisations with their evaluation work.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.
How Stonewall’s chief is navigating turbulence
19:42|Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle discuss snippets from a recent interview Emily conducted with Simon Blake, chief executive of Stonewall.Simon explains how the LGBT rights charity has refined its clarity of purpose with a renewed focus on advocacy, stressing the importance of closed-door meetings over “noisy” tactics.He provides insight into how Stonewall is supporting the mental health and wellbeing of its staff following a restructure, including by taking time to celebrate the charity’s achievements.Find out more about the Third Sector Conference.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.
Lawfare, trustee whistleblowing and how Reform UK could affect the voluntary sector
27:07|Lucinda Rouse is joined by Third Sector colleagues Emily Harle, Dami Adewale and Andy Ricketts to talk about three significant sector stories from the past month.Emily describes recent cases of so-called “lawfare” affecting Scope and the 10,000 Interns Foundation, both of which have been threatened with legal action on potentially vexatious grounds.Dami provides insight into the resignation of ex-British Psychological Society trustee Nigel MacLennan from his post as chair of Playground Proms, after a tribunal rejected his claim to whistleblowing protections in a dispute with the BPS. And Andy considers why charities working under a Reform UK-led council seem so reluctant to speak about their experiences, and what any future government led by the party could mean for the sector.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.
What the RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s charity gardens can teach us about philanthropy
21:40|Lucinda Rouse visits the RHS Chelsea Flower Show as grantmaker Project Giving Back marks its fifth and final year of supporting “gardens for good causes” at the event.She hears from PGB chief executive Hattie Ghaui about how its approach has encouraged participating charities to experiment and take risks in their public engagement and storytelling.She visits four of the PGB-funded gardens and speaks to Matthew van Duyvenbode, co-chief executive of Trussell; Kit Stoner, chief executive of the Bat Conservation Trust; YoungMinds’ garden designer Charlie Chase and chief executive Abigail Ampofo; and Paul Jackson-Clark, director of fundraising and experience at Parkinson’s UK.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.
Why it’s important to ‘meet people where they are’ to encourage behaviour change
35:20|Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Andy Glyde, strategy and insight lead at Bowel Cancer UK, and Phillipa Williams, strategy director at the behaviour change and communications agency Claremont.Andy describes the development process for Bowel Cancer UK’s recent campaign to encourage more people to report symptoms of bowel cancer to their GP. He explains how the campaign sought to bridge the gap between having an awareness of the symptoms and taking action when identified.Phillipa recounts how the campaign trod the line between instilling a sense of urgency to act without causing fear and paralysis in its target audience. She shares her tips for securing board approval for a new campaign or approach.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.Subscribe to the Third Sector Podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify.
How to undertake meaningful anti-racism work
36:39|Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Joy Warmington, chief executive of the equality charity Brap.Joy highlights some of the limitations of standard equity, diversity and inclusion approaches and explains why adopting a flexible and responsive mindset is preferable to following an EDI toolkit. She shares her optimism that racism will be eliminated in the future and provides tips for charity leaders seeking to place their anti-racism commitments at the heart of their operations.Listen to The Quiet Revolution.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.
Feminist leadership, conflicts of interest and a legacy boom
28:24|Host Lucinda Rouse is joined by Third Sector colleagues Emily Burt, Andy Ricketts and Emily Harle to talk about three significant sector stories from the past month.Emily Harle shares her reflections from an event run by the Women in Charity Network, including the need for female leaders to make space for their more junior counterparts.Emily Burt provides context to Third Sector’s recent findings about legacy trends across 100 major charities. She and Lucinda share clips from a video discussion with Alex McDowell, vice-chair of Remember a Charity, which is included in The Legacy Map. And Andy considers the circumstances surrounding new regulatory guidance on conflicts of interest, after the Charity Commission reported an increase in cases.Listen to When Charity Goes Wrong.Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.