Third Sector

Lucinda Rouse is joined by Emily Burt, Dami Adewale and Andy Ricketts to talk about three significant sector stories from the past month.Emily considers the likely consequences for the Civil Society Covenant of Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as Prime Minister and Labour Party leader, and the impact of ever-shorter political cycles on the voluntary sector’s work to address long-term challenges. Andy provides an assessment of the current state of charity retail, after the British Heart Foundation became the latest major charity to announce a raft of store closures.Dami gives an update on the investigations into the sale of the training and awards arm of City & Guilds of London Institute, including the payment of £5m in unsanctioned bonuses.And Lucinda signs off after nearly four years as host of the Third Sector Podcast. 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.

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Max Newton (he/him), director of fundraising, marketing and communications at Cerebra, and the digital communications and fundraising specialist Rebs Curtis-Moss (they/them).Rebs outlines the common causes of friction between a charity’s communications and fundraising functions, from perceptions of brand being prioritised over fundraising needs to unrealistic social media engagement goals set by fundraisers.Max stresses the importance of building relationships and developing a good understanding of each team’s respective functions, as well as an acknowledgement that terminology can hold alternative meanings on different sides of the fence.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.

Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by the communications and community engagement specialist Jayne Cravens to discuss the opportunities for charities on the social media platform Reddit.Jayne describes the different ways charities can make use of the site, from promoting events to recruiting volunteers.She also explains how organisations can repurpose existing material published elsewhere to gain visibility and improve SEO.Read Jayne’s Nonprofit & NGO guide to using RedditTell 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.