Prospectus Podcast

Our Philanthropy Podcast series, brought to you by Catalytica Consulting and Prospectus, is a series where we delve into vital issues for the philanthropic sector with inspirational and innovative leaders.  For our very first episode, we were delighted to welcome Fabio Segura and Simon Sommer, who are Co-CEOs of the Jacobs Foundation, a Zurich-based philanthropic organisation with a unique focus on education. The Foundation invests in the future of children so that they are given the education and learning opportunities they need to thrive. In this episode, we gain an insight into what it really means to be a Co-CEO, how the foundation decides what areas to focus on, adapting to work with different cultures around the world, what failure and success look like, plus lots more.

In our latest Leadership Impact Podcast, we were delighted to speak with Carol Mack OBE, Chief Executive of the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF). ACF aims to strengthen trusts and foundations so they can rise to the challenges of our times. Their vision is diverse, vibrant and effective foundations, working together for social good. In our conversation we explore if funders should focus on immediate change or long-term impact, some of the challenges the sector is facing, governance and law, and the power dynamics in the grant-making process.  Want to learn more about ACF and what we covered in the podcast? Check out the links below.  ·       ACF Strategy ·       Stronger Foundations  ·       Funder Commitment on Climate Change ·       ACF Annual conference 2022

Patagonia is in business to save our home planet. From supporting youth fighting against oil drilling to suing the president, they act on the most pressing environmental issues facing our world. In the lead up to World Environment Day we were delighted to speak with Beth Thoren, Director of Environmental Action at Patagonia to discuss their mission and business purpose in more depth. How do they effectively balance purpose and profit, when every item they sell is potentially contributing to the climate and nature crisis? Beth is honest about the tension between being a business and trying to save the planet.

Patrick Dunne, the serial social entrepreneur and vastly experienced board consultant and non-executive director in the beyond profit sector, talks about the latest edition of his book ‘Boards'. In this talk with Associate Director, Board Appointments at Prospectus, Jessica Stockford, he touches upon the principles of good governance, board development, leadership, board culture and the changing nature of planning and strategy. Access via our website for a discount code on purchasing the full book.

Find out the ways that Boards can become more inclusive with practical tips and actions from Senior Social Justice Consultant at Ten Years' Time, Eli Manderson-Evans.

How can organisations facilitate change, both in methods and practically, to increase the representation of those with a disability on leadership teams in the charity sector and beyond?  Listen to this podcast with Disability Rights CEO, Kamran Mallick, and Steph Cutler, Founder of Making Lemonade, an organisation devoted to facilitating disability confident and inclusive workplaces. Hosted by Prospectus Associate Directors, Linda Griffiths and Jess Stockford.

Find out how both the British Museum and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra were able to both retain members and grow their potential membership bases throughout the pandemic to date. Senior Consultant at Prospectus, Matt Till, speaks with Claire Byfield, Membership Engagement Manager at The British Museum, and Eve Vines, Memberships and Appeals Manager at City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, about how they coped during the height of the pandemic, about increasing digital content and the opportunities this brought for new audiences, around the inclusion of less digitally-savvy members, and both their lessons learnt and plans as restrictions lift across the UK.

In conversation with Prospectus Executive Chair, David Gold, we're joined by the former Editor of Third Sector magazine, Stephen Cook, to talk about his recently released book co-authored with Tania Mason, 'What have charities ever done for us?'. He talks of his experiences in the sector, how charities are often seen as either heroes or villains with little inbetween, shining examples from the sector in response to the Covid pandemic, and other themes from his book. A must-listen for anybody in the sector.

This podcast features Michael Ighodaro, program manager with AVAC and Board Member of Global Black Gay Men Connect, organisers of Global Black Pride. Find out why he received a special honour from President Obama, about the importance of Black Pride as a standalone celebratory event and what we can all do to create more inclusive workplaces and societies, in conversation with Prospectus Managing Director, Borge Andreassen.

As part of Learning Disability Week 2021, Managing Director, Andy Tonner, talks in this podcast to Shaun Webster MBE about what he enjoys and contributes as a trustee of Keyring, a national charity supporting people with learning disabilities, as well as what he thinks organisations could do to onboard and support people with a learning disability onto their board.  Shaun is a board member at health and social care charity, Keyring, and an international project worker for human rights charity, Change, where he works on projects tackling issues experienced by people with a learning disability and autism, raising awareness and changing attitudes to stereotypes. Shaun uses his own experiences growing up with learning disabilities to improve the lives of others, providing training and support to those with learning disabilities and their families around  mental health, employment, parenting, sex and relationships and LGBTQ issues. He was awarded an MBE in 2015 for providing these services.

Florence Miller, Director at the EFN, talks about environmental funding, what the impact of the pandemic will be on future funding in the area and around environmental-led solutions for our future Earth in this enthralling chat with Adam Allnutt, Senior Fundraising Recruiter at Prospectus.

In this panel discussion, recorded to celebrate International Women’s Day, we discuss female leadership in sport with Tove Okunniwa, CEO of London Sport, Sarah Mortiboys, Managing Director, Dallaglio RugbyWorks, and Stephanie Hilborne, Chief Executive, Women in Sport. We look at how their careers have developed in a traditionally male-dominated sector, the emotional change that needs to take place to bring about greater quality and diversity, and their vision for the future of female leadership and the next generation of female leaders.

Principal Consultant at Prospectus Executive Search, Lottie Wihl, interviews Dr. Ambreen Shah, a newly appointed Trustee at the Smallwood Trust around female representation and diversity on Boards and her Board shadowing scheme, as part of celebrations for International Women's Day.Music credit: www.bensound.com

In the seventh episode of our leadership podcast series we are joined by Pat Armstrong OBE, Chief Executive of ACOSVO, the Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations. In this episode Pat talks to us about the power of peer support, good practice sharing and leadership development and growing ACOSVO into a key player in the Scottish voluntary sector with a growing membership of over 500+ leaders. 

In the sixth episode of our leadership podcast series, we are joined by Mark Williams, Founder and Chief Executive of Heart n Soul. In this episode, Mark speaks to us about how they’ve adapted to the new external environment and how if we want to get better as a society we need all voices and all perspectives to be heard, celebrated and understood.

In the fifth episode of our leadership podcast series Andy Harris, Director of Income Generation at Shelter, speaks to us about his passion to fight social inequality and how to him leadership is making time to reflect, being honest and fostering a culture that means it’s okay to talk about failure. Our leadership series is an opportunity to hear directly from sector leaders on how to get to grips with key strategic challenges. How do you deliver influence and impact, what’s the secret to communicating inspiring stories, where do you focus your energy to drive an organisation mission forward? Every leader has their own style – there is no right or wrong way but learning to be gained from past experiences.

In the fourth episode of our leadership podcast series we are joined by Fozia Irfan, CEO of Beds & Luton Community Foundation. Fozia speaks to us about how she moved from being lawyer to charity CEO, what role foundations have to play in affecting change in their communities, how philanthropy can become more accountable and how diversity, equity and inclusion different from anti-racism.

In the third episode of our leadership podcast series Harriet Lamb, CEO of Ashden, joins us to explore how we can create a fairer and more sustainable world by looking at innovative solutions that tackle the climate crisis and social injustice at the same time.    Our leadership series is an opportunity to hear directly from sector leaders on how to get to grips with key strategic challenges. How do you deliver influence and impact, what’s the secret to communicating inspiring stories, where do you focus your energy to drive an organisation mission forward? Every leader has their own style – there is no right or wrong way but learning to be gained from past experiences.

In the second episode of our leadership podcast series Ndidi Okezie, CEO of UK Youth, joins us to demystify leadership and explore why 63% of CEO’s are female and only 6% black and minority ethnic. Hear her thoughts on how to not let our own fears and self-doubt restrict us from making an impact.    Our leadership series is an opportunity to hear directly from sector leaders on how to get to grips with key strategic challenges. How do you deliver influence and impact, what’s the secret to communicating inspiring stories, where do you focus your energy to drive an organisation mission forward? Every leader has their own style – there is no right or wrong way but learning to be gained from past experiences. 

Most people know that the video games industry generates a significant amount of revenue. The global video games market is worth over $130 billion and around 2.2 billion people play video games worldwide. This is a huge source of supporters for beyond profit organisations! So, what are charities already doing in this space? and how can you start your own gaming income stream?  With expert panel members; Lucy Squance, Director of Supporter-Led Fundraising at Alzheimer’s Research UK, Natasha Stone, Head of Emerging Markets and Gaming for Social Good at JustGiving and Oscar Clark, Gaming Consultant and SpecialEffect Ambassador, this is one not to be missed.

Every leader has their own style – there is no right or wrong way but learning to be gained from past experiences. Our latest podcast series is an opportunity to hear directly from sector leaders on how to get to grips with key strategic challenges. How do you deliver influence and impact, what’s the secret to communicating inspiring stories, where do you focus your energy to drive an organisation mission forward?     In our first episode we are joined by Rachel Kirby-Rider, Director of Income and Engagement at CLIC Sargent, and discuss the benefits of involving service users at all levels, how to turn around declining income and Rachel’s personal experience with imposter syndrome.