Third Sector Podcast
Episodes
How to build new income streams and secure board buy-in for left-field ideas
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Stephen Roberts, chief executive of North Devon Hospice, to discuss the organisation’s response to some ...
How to scale your impact when local authority funding shrinks
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Emma Turner, chief executive of Mind in Croydon.Emma lays bare the operational realities of meeting s...
Remembering an HIV charity pioneer
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Richard Angell, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, and Rupert Whitaker, psychiatrist, imm...
Schrödinger’s air ambulance, AI summaries and unions for charity workers
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Host Lucinda Rouse is joined by Third Sector colleagues Emily Burt, Emily Harle and Andy Ricketts to reflect on three significant sector stories from ...
A whistlestop AI tour for small charities
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Andy Ricketts and Dami Adewale are joined by John Fitzgerald, digital evolution project manager at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.Jo...
How to raise money through livestreaming
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Emily Cotter, marketing, PR and communications officer at Leeds Mind, and Col Grist, co-founder and creativ...
Sector salaries, City & Guilds pay-outs and CIC complaints
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse is joined by Third Sector colleagues Emily Harle, Dami Adewale and Andy Ricketts to reflect on three significant sector stories from the...
What charities can learn from the Salt Path exposé
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Chloe Hadjimatheou, narrative editor at the Observer, who conducted an award-winning exposé of the main c...
Why two chief executives can be better than one
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Harle and Emily Burt discuss snippets from a recent interview with Hannah Bond and Taahra Ghazi, the new co-chief executives of ActionAid UK.Han...
How Islamic Relief UK is responding to Islamophobia
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Burt and Emily Harle are joined by Zia Salik, interim director of Islamic Relief UK, to talk about the rising levels of Islamophobia and r...
Engaging civil servants and politicians to further your charitable mission
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Harle and Dami Adewale are joined by Madeleine Jennings, head of policy and communications at the Local Trust.Madeleine describes how her team h...
What does 2026 have in store for charities?
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Kate Lee, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, to discuss some of the issue...
How the RNIB has navigated a restructure
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle discuss snippets from a recent interview Emily conducted with Matt Stringer, chief executive of the Royal National Insti...
How did the sector fare in 2025?
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse is joined by Emily Burt, Emily Harle and Andy Ricketts to dissect the leading stories from the voluntary sector in 2025.Lucinda delivers...
Under the bonnet of the People’s Postcode Lottery
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Clara Govier, chief executive of the People’s Postcode Lottery.Clara outlines the process for disbursi...
A stocktake on charity leadership concerns
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Jane Ide, chief executive of the charity leaders body Acevo, to reflect on some of the issues facin...
What is the ‘impact economy’? And refugee charities in far-right headwinds
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse, Emily Harle and Emily Burt reflect on two significant sector issues from the past month.Emily Harle shares findings from a recent round...
How a national charity is fostering hyperlocal connections
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Vic Harper, chief executive of the food redistribution charity The Bread and Butter Thing.Vic describes how...
How to engage with partners in effective lobbying
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Leicia Feare, associate director of communications and campaigns at the youth empowerment charity Mission ...
Getting project endings right
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Ruth Hollis, chief executive of the Olympic legacy charity Spirit of 2012.Ruth reflects on the responsib...
A new Charity Commission chair
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts share their thoughts on the announcement this week that Dame Julia Unwin has been named the preferred candidate t...
The editorial team talks change at the RNLI, volunteering trends and Manchester Pride’s liquidation
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse, Emily Harle, Emily Burt and Dami Adewale reflect on some of the top sector stories from the past month.Emily Burt gives her thoughts on...
Muscular Dystrophy UK’s big fundraising ambitions and bold advocacy pledge
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle discuss snippets from a recent interview Emily conducted with Andy Fletcher, chief executive of Muscular Dystrophy UK.As...
How Prostate Cancer UK is dealing with political and ethical concerns
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Laura Kerby, chief executive of Prostate Cancer UK. Laura outlines the due diligence conducte...
Charity consultants: sector lifeblood, luxury, or symptom of tough times?
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by the civil society consultant Alex Evans to talk about the role of freelancers in the charity workforce.They...
The editorial team meeting
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse, Andy Ricketts, Emily Harle and Dami Adewale reflect on some recent voluntary sector news.Emily shares snippets from an interview with B...
Juggling innovation with the daily grind of service delivery
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Helen McShane, director of research, innovation and systems change at Young Lives vs Cancer.Helen explain...
What you need to know about the new Code of Fundraising Practice
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Paul Winyard, head of policy at the Fundraising Regulator. Paul provides insight into the new Code of...
Bonus episode: The outlook for corporate partnerships
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Manny Amadi, chief executive of C&E Advisory, to talk about the firm’s Corporate-Non-Profit Partne...
The Children’s Society’s boss on the challenges of leadership in a time of polycrisis
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children’s Society.Mark speaks openly about the challenges of lea...
The latest AI developments that matter for the voluntary sector
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Stuart Pearson, head of innovation at Citizens Advice Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford, and Zoe Am...
How Trussell is trying to drive systems change
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Emma Revie, co-chief executive of Trussell, and the strategy and change management specialist Martyn Drak...
An impact measurement overhaul at DofE
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Ruth Marvel, chief executive of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, to talk about the charity’s new impac...
How the Dogs Trust is dealing with new demands
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse visits the Dogs Trust’s head office to meet the charity’s chief executive, Owen Sharp.Owen talks about the recent restructure o...
Founder’s syndrome and how to avoid it
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Toby Freeman, chief executive of the Robin Cancer Trust, and the charity finance and governance specialis...
Reasons to be optimistic as a charity in a changing world
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Nicole Sykes, director of policy, communications and research at the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England an...
Why more funders should consider a shift to participatory grantmaking
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Natasha Friend and Robin Morgan-Chu, the director and chair respectively of the grantmaker Camden Giving,...
Bonus episode: What you need to know about the Civil Society Covenant
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle summarise the contents of the recently-launched Civil Society Covenant between the government and civil society.They ref...
How to engage Gen Z in your charitable mission
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by are joined by Dan Lawes, co-chief executive of the youth democracy charity My Life My Say, to consider how...
The path to financial security in the face of shrinking grants
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Nihara Krause, chief executive of the youth mental health charity Stem4, to talk about the organis...
Demystifying apprenticeship schemes for charities
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Gary Laybourne, chief executive of the sports coaching apprenticeship charity Coach Core.Gary outlines so...
Third Sector: The Conference snapshot
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse hears from some of the speakers at Third Sector: The Conference 2025, which was held at the Barbican Centre in London this week (18 and ...
When Charity Goes Wrong, Ep. 3: Mermaids
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode contains a reference to suicide in the first two minutes.In November 2022, the transgender youth support charity Mermaids was in crisis. ...
The London Marathon
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Victoria Askew, senior marketing campaign manager at Pancreatic Cancer UK, to hear about the organisatio...
When Charity Goes Wrong, Ep. 2: The Captain Tom Foundation
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In April 2020, 99-year-old war veteran Captain Tom Moore became an unexpected national hero after raising £38.9m in less than four weeks by walking 1...
Cultivating a more flexible volunteering offer
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Janet Thorne, chief executive of Reach Volunteering, and Nathan Miller, director at the East London Water...
When Charity Goes Wrong, Ep. 1: Kids Company
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In August 2015, one of the country’s most prominent children’s charities, Kids Company, was declared insolvent. Its collapse has been followed by ...
Solutions to some common volunteering challenges
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Saskia Konynenburg, executive director of voice and impact at the National Council for Voluntary Organisat...
How one charity has adopted a more strategic approach to its corporate partnerships
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Russell Winnard, chief executive of the care leaver support charity the Drive Forward Foundation, to disc...
The changing landscape for trusts and foundations
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Lynne Guyton, chief executive of John Lyon’s Charity, and Sacha Rose-Smith, chief funding director at th...
How a pivot to social enterprise solved one small charity’s funding woes
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Dan Tickle, chief executive of the National Migraine Centre, and Peter Holbrook, chief executive of Soci...
Back to the basics of cost-effective programming
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Ben Williamson, director of recruitment at the incubator organisation Charity Entrepreneurship.Ben outlin...
Successfully navigating a restructure
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Iain Heaton, deputy chief executive and chief financial officer at the Blue Cross, and Tiggy McCool...
Self-care for overworked charity professionals
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Claire Goodwin-Fee, chief executive of the psychological support organisation Frontline19, to consider the...
Ways forward after the aid cuts
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Philip Goodwin, chief executive of Unicef UK, to discuss the realities facing international development an...
Furthering DEI through brave leadership
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Louise Harris, chief operating officer of the homelessness charity Crisis, to learn about successful and m...
Co-designing communications campaigns for maximum impact
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Claire Gauci, public safety campaigns and programme manager at the Canal and River Trust, and Emily Rayne...
Bringing co-creation into the core of charity strategy
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Okela Douglas-Norgrove, chief executive of Sister System, which supports young women and girls who have ...
How to manage a charity rebrand
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Acting editor Andy Ricketts and senior reporter Emily Harle are joined by Emma Guise, director of marketing and communications at Great Ormond Street ...
How ditching fundraising targets has led to income growth for one charity
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Keith Wilson, director of income and engagement at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.Keith ex...
What’s happening to major donor giving?
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Mark Greer, managing director at the Charities Aid Foundation, and Charlotte Prothero, external affairs ma...
A beginner’s guide to Zakat
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Sohail Hanif, chief executive of the National Zakat Foundation, and Taqwa Sadiq, presenter and producer o...
Impact measurement and the systems change approach
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Elliot Trevithick, principal consultant for charities evaluation and learning at the think tank NPC, and A...
How Hospice UK has built a national hospice movement
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Toby Porter, chief executive of Hospice UK, to discuss the charity’s function as a membership platform...
Why charity leaders should pay more attention to economics
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Danny Sriskandarajah, chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, to discuss his views on the need fo...
The merits of a corporate advisory board
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Tamsyn Hanrahan, director of partnerships and philanthropy at Save the Children UK, and Beth Knight, soci...
How being more controversial has paid off for the Alzheimer’s Society
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andy Ricketts and Dami Adewale are joined by Kate Lee, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society.Kate provides insight into the brand work rec...
What does 2025 have in store for charities?
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, and Wanda Wyporska, chief executive of Safe Passage Internation...
How did the sector fare in 2024?
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse, Andy Ricketts and Emily Harle dissect the leading stories from the voluntary sector in 2024.Lucinda delivers a speedy round-up of the y...
Michelle Mitchell on innovation at Cancer Research UK
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, to discuss the charity’s approach to fundrai...
How the Royal Academy of Music increased its fundraising income twelvefold
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Kirsty MacDonald, deputy principal for advancement at the Royal Academy of Music, to discuss the charity’...
How to seize an unexpected major fundraising opportunity
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse is joined by Paul Watkins, fundraising director at Leeds Hospitals Charity, to reflect on the charity’s delivery of a £6.8m appeal fo...
Fozia Irfan on the conundrum facing funders
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Fozia Irfan, director of impact and influence at BBC Children in Need, to reflect on the challenges facing...
Impact measurement: theory of change
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Zahra Hedges, chief executive of the youth empowerment charity Winning Scotland, and Helen Rafferty, sen...
How is the telemarketing space evolving?
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Jack Boardman, head of development at the telemarketing agency Angel, and Phoebe Cooper, marketing manager ...
Developing the right leaders for the modern charity sector
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Dami Adewale are joined by Nadia Alomar, chief executive of Clore Social Leadership, and Beki Osborne, chief executive of Sexual Ass...
Chris Sherwood on the RSPCA's growth, governance and coalitions for change
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the RSPCA, to reflect on his six years at the charity before he moves on...
The secret to a successful CEO-chair relationship
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Jayne Taylor and Matt Jones, chief executive and chair of the Elephant Group, a charity that helps state-ed...
A day in the life of a head of philanthropy
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse shadows Charlotte Holmes, head of philanthropy at Leukaemia UK, to experience the day-to-day realities of a job in major donor fundraisi...
How are corporate partnerships likely to evolve?
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Manny Amadi, chief executive of C&E Advisory, to discuss the company’s latest Corporate-Non-Profit Partn...
Mental health in the charity sector
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Alicia Nagar, head of people, wellbeing and equity at Mental Health First Aid England, and Samantha Stapley...
A day in the life of a Donkey Sanctuary data wiz, and Dan Corry interview
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse travels to the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon, to meet the charity’s senior statistician, Stuart Norris, and find out about his p...
Stimulating a more joined-up charity sector
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Ndidi Okezie, chief executive of UK Youth, to discuss the need for the voluntary sector to overcome its sil...
How far has the sector come in tackling systemic racism?
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Gemma Peters on Macmillan’s metamorphosis
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Gemma Peters, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, to discuss the charity’s ‘year of transforma...
Overcoming charity banking challenges
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Clare Mills, deputy chief executive of the Charity Finance Group, and Mike Conroy, director of commercial ...
Open data for social good, and responding to racism
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Nathan Coyle, senior peace tech adviser at the Austrian Centre for Peace and author of the book Open Dat...
Creating a more inclusive charity sector for people with lived experience
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Andy Ricketts and Dami Adewale are joined by Abi Long, executive team manager, and Yusuf Ciftci, head of refugee involvement at the Refugee Council.Ab...
Organising successful charity events post-Covid
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Bekki Wilkins, special events manager at the Willow Foundation, and Sam Dimond, director of the event pr...
Taxes for private schools, and building a major donor base from scratch
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda Rouse and Andy Ricketts are joined by Robyn Mountain Wade, director of income generation at Martin House Children’s Hospice, to find out how...
Charities and strategic climate action
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Senior reporters Lucinda Rouse and Emily Harle are joined by Berenice Levenez, director of strategy, technology and transformation at Girlguiding, and...
Promoting your cause through drama, and charities under Labour
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda and Emily are joined by Rebecca Linford, senior legal adviser, and Mark Ellis, head of communications, at the whistleblowing support charity P...
A Labour win & how to generate income through enterprise
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda and Emily are joined by James Dunbar, chief executive of the poverty reduction charity New Start Highland. James describes how the charit...
Behind the scenes at the RNLI
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda and Emily reflect on a recent visit to the RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset, where Lucinda met the charity’s outgoing chief executive, Mar...
MrBeast, influencer philanthropy and reconfiguring power
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a session recorded at the Third Sector Conference, Lucinda and Emily are joined by Rhodri Davies, director of Why Philanthropy Matters, to reflect ...
The importance of building trust
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda and Emily are joined by David Welch, chief executive of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance, to consider how charities can effectively b...
Getting the most out of skilled volunteers
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda and Andy are joined by Liz Cooke, chief executive of The Hive Avon, and Kevin Barker-Lee, a people partner at Lloyds Banking Group and chair o...
Navigating volunteering trends
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda and Andy are joined by Denise Hayward, chief executive of Volunteer Now, which supports and promotes volunteering across Northern Ireland,&nbs...
Election, inflection and the Chelsea Flower Show
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda and Andy discuss the road ahead for charities following Wednesday’s general election announcement.Later in the episode, Lucinda and Emily ar...
Paul Streets on small charity cockroaches
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lucinda and Emily are joined by Paul Streets, chief executive of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, to reflect on more than a decade of...