The Charity Changemakers Podcast

Adam Stacey
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Careers
  • Updated Weekly

The Charity Changemakers Podcast dives deep into the world of non-profit leadership. Join us as we interview the CEOs and directors who are making a real impact in our communities. Each episode unveils the journeys that led these passionate individuals to the third sector. We explore the inspiring stories behind their charities, the challenges they navigate, and the exciting opportunities they're tackling. Get ready to be motivated by the power of giving and discover how you can get involved in creating positive change.

  1. 6d ago

    Season 3 | Ep 4 Julie Randles on why every charity leader should sit on a board

    In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Julie Randles, Chief Executive of Power2, a children and young people's charity based in Ashton under Lyne, working across Greater Manchester, the North West, West Midlands and Greater London. Julie's route into the sector was anything but obvious, starting on the WHSmith graduate scheme, moving through Waterstones and children's publishing, then into charity by way of unpaid volunteering at Save the Children. She talks candidly about why volunteering and trusteeship are two of the most underrated routes into senior charity leadership, what running Power2's Teens and Toddlers programme has taught her about self worth, and why the gap between proven impact and available funding remains one of the sector's biggest frustrations. Julie also reflects on the hardest leadership lesson of her career, learning when passion needs a little less heart on the sleeve. Takeaways Volunteering can be the fastest route into a charity career, even at a senior levelSitting on a board teaches you what it is really like to be a CEOCharity job applications reward detail, not passion statementsProven programmes often can not scale because funding lags behind demandLived experience across a team changes how a charity works, not just what it says Chapters 00:00 Introduction and quick fire questions04:00 From WHSmith to Save the Children, an unlikely route into charity11:00 Why volunteering and trusteeship open doors19:40 Inside Power2, Teens and Toddlers and the programmes that followed24:40 The funding gap holding back proven impact35:15 How to actually get a charity sector job38:40 The hardest leadership lesson Julie has learned If you enjoyed the episode, please like, share and leave a review. Your support helps more charity leaders and changemakers discover the show. Visit the Power2 website here. #CharitySector #NonprofitLeadership #CharityChangemakers #Power2 #CharityCareers #Trusteeship #SocialImpact

  2. Jul 30

    Season 3 | E12 Roxanne Lawrance on why she brought her business brain to the charity sector

    In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Roxanne Lawrance, CEO of Teens Unite, a charity supporting young people aged 13 to 24 living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis. Roxanne never planned a career in the sector. She built a commercial career in business analysis and contact centre management before volunteering with Teens Unite while on maternity leave, telling the founders she'd stay for two years. Nearly nine years on, she's leading the organisation. Roxanne and Adam unpack how she moved from founder led leadership to running the charity herself, the mentors and "be bold" mindset that shaped her career, and why she believes the best charities operate with the same commercial discipline as any business, just with a different kind of profit. A candid conversation on team culture, handling funding setbacks, and what it really takes to lead in the charity sector. Takeaways Career journey from commercial leadership into the charity sectorWhy business skills transfer directly into nonprofit leadershipThe value of career mentors, and being bold enough to ask for themBuilding a team culture around honest feedback and psychological safetyNavigating funding setbacks without losing team moraleWhy the best charities are mission driven and commercially disciplined Chapters 00:00 Introduction and background05:17 Getting into the charity sector09:24 The two year plan that became a career14:05 Building a team culture that isn't built by accident18:18 Mentors, and being bold in who you ask25:57 Success, setbacks, and what continues when you're not in the room40:20 Why charities need mission and commercial discipline #CharitySector #NonProfitLeadership #CharityCareers #LeadershipLessons #ThirdSector #CharityChangemakers #Podcast

  3. Jul 16

    Season 3 | E11 Olivia Barker White on turning a gap year moment into a children's charity

    In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Olivia Barker White, co-founder and Chief Executive of Kids Club Kampala, an international children's charity now working across Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Olivia traces her journey from an 18-year-old on a gap year in Uganda to running a 20-year-old organisation that has supported over 1.5 million people. She's candid about the discomfort of "voluntourism," the moment that turned a fun kids' football club into something much bigger, and why she believes small, agile charities are often better placed than large NGOs to respond to real need on the ground. Together, Adam and Olivia unpack: the ethics of gap years and international volunteering, the accidental, organic route into founding a charity, why a community-led partnership model (not a UK-charity-knows-best model) has been central to Kids Club Kampala's growth, how being small allowed the charity to pivot fast during COVID and feed thousands when larger NGOs pulled their staff out, and why donor stewardship and thanking supporters well has quietly driven two decades of growth. Olivia also reflects honestly on pride, burnout, boundaries, and learning that she isn't personally responsible for solving everything – and why looking after her own wellbeing is what keeps the charity sustainable for the long run. Takeaways The ethics of gap years, volunteering and avoiding "white saviourism"How Kids Club Kampala started organically from a gap year friendship, with no strategy or planThe moment that shifted focus from fun and games to child protection and basic needsWhy a genuine, equal partnership model with local teams is central to impactHow being a small charity enabled a fast pivot to emergency food relief during COVIDThe value of excellent donor stewardship in sustaining long-term growthLearning to set boundaries and protect wellbeing as a charity leader Chapters 00:00 Introduction and quick-fire questions04:35 Olivia's route into the charity sector07:12 Gap year in Uganda and the founding of Kids Club Kampala17:03 The return trip and the moment that changed everything23:44 Registering as a charity and building the UK–Uganda partnership28:03 Why small charities can be more adaptable than large NGOs31:02 Pivoting to emergency food relief during COVID32:15 Olivia's personal journey to becoming full-time Chief Executive37:36 The power of donor stewardship39:56 Kids Club Kampala today: education, family strengthening and child protection42:06 Reflecting on impact, pride and sustaining yourself for the long run #podcast #charity #careers #internationaldevelopment #nonprofitleadership #charitychangemakers

  4. Jul 2

    Season 3 | Ep 10 Ru Watkins on why he chose to save Hamelin instead of close it

    In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Ru Watkins, Chief Executive of Hamelin, a learning disability and autism charity growing rapidly across Essex and East Anglia. Ru brings a career unlike most in the sector. After 23 years in the British Army, he moved into corporate roles with BT and others before a phone call from a headhunter changed his direction entirely. That call led him to Noah's Ark Children's Hospice in North London, a struggling organisation with something worth saving. It was the first of what would become a defining theme across his leadership career: walking into complexity, listening hard, and building something better. His arrival at Hamelin tells that story at its most vivid. He was called in to close the charity down. Instead, he walked the sites, listened to families, and went back to the board with a different proposition entirely: invest and grow. Four and a quarter years later, Hamelin supports nearly 1,750 people and families, has moved from 100% statutory reliance to 60% self-generated income, and holds significant reserves. In this conversation, Adam and Ru explore: How a chance phone call took Ru from corporate burnout to charity leadershipWhat 23 years in the military actually teaches you about listening, chaos, and getting things doneWhy Ru walked into Hamelin's board interview and told them not to close itThe Klingon Cloak of Care and what it costs people with learning disabilities and autismWhy community building is the most important thing charities can do right nowThe danger of chief executives confusing their ambition with organisational readinessWhat chief exec loneliness really looks like and how Ru manages itWhy letting a support worker leave to train as a nurse is a mark of success, not failureHow Hamelin is getting young adults with learning disabilities into employment Ru is direct, self-aware, and genuinely funny. This is a conversation about what bold, values-led leadership looks like in practice, not in theory. Find out more about Hamelin: www.hamelin.org.uk

  5. Jun 18

    Season 3 | Ep 9 Rushab Shah on fixing charity's data problem with an F1 mindset

    What does Formula One have to teach the charity sector about impact? Quite a lot, as it turns out. In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Rushab Shah, founder and CEO of OneHive, a tech for good organisation helping youth charities streamline their admin and scale their impact. Rushab's route to the sector is anything but conventional. After studying mechanical engineering at Warwick, he worked in the F1 supply chain, drove test cars around tracks for a living, and led digital strategy for a business decarbonising maritime transport across the Shetland Islands. Running a youth club for disabled young people throughout university kept the mission close. When the engineering career reached its ceiling, he looked at the charity sector with an engineer's eye and spotted something striking: charities spend enormous time delivering programmes and then enormous time analysing what happened. By which point, it's too late to change anything. In Formula One, you know what the lap time will be by the end of the first corner. What if youth charities could work the same way? That question became OneHive, now supporting around 30,000 young people across 18 youth-focused organisations, with a county council investing to roll the platform across 10 charities simultaneously. Adam and Rushab explore: Why charities are measuring impact too late, and what real-time data actually changes on the groundHow a shared interest in Thomas Tank Engine taught Rushab more about inclusion than any disability trainingThe "say yes to everything" approach that built a career in five years and a startup from scratchWhy small and medium charities are currently beating large ones at adopting techThe tension between failing fast and working with vulnerable young peopleThe honest lesson on when to pitch and when to shut up and listen A candid, practical conversation about what genuine sector transformation looks like when someone builds it from the ground up. Find out more about OneHive at onehive.ai Chapters [00:00] Introduction and quickfire questions [05:00] A 17-year-old hosting a residential for young people with disabilities [08:30] From F1 data to the charity sector, and what the gap revealed [13:00] Building a career by saying yes to everything [16:15] How TutorHive became OneHive [21:20] What OneHive looks like today, 30,000 beneficiaries and growing [24:00] Real-time safeguarding, the Joe example [29:00] Sceptics, screen time and why tech is the solution but not the answer [34:20] The THRIVE framework and plans for Manchester and beyond [38:00] The personal cost of always saying yes [40:45] The hardest leadership lesson: knowing when to stop pitching #CharityChangemakers #TechForGood #CharitySector #YouthWork #SocialImpact #NonprofitLeadership #DataForGood #DigitalTransformation

  6. Jun 4

    Season 3 | Ep 8 Callum Dixon on leading before you're ready and finding where you belong

    In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Callum Dixon, Director of Service Delivery and Member Support at Citizens Advice, for a candid and reflective conversation about a career built on stepping into the unknown. Callum's journey started with a semi-dismissal at a law firm drinks reception that inadvertently pointed him toward Citizens Advice as a volunteer. From there he moved through Shelter, higher education, a chief executive role at 25, a merger, a housing association, and eventually home to the national Citizens Advice organisation, where he has held four different leadership roles in five years. Together Adam and Callum explore: Being told you're too young for a job, and taking it anywayWhat gorilla-glueing carpet while writing a National Lottery bid teaches you about small charity leadershipThe loneliness of the chief executive role and why peer community mattersLeading a merger and the strategic lessons around stakeholder managementHow federated organisations teach soft power over positional authorityWhat becoming an adoptive parent changed about Callum's leadership styleWhy the version of yourself you were 10 years ago shouldn't be recognisableThe importance of slowing down in a sector driven by passion and urgency Callum also talks openly about the complexity of Citizens Advice as a federated charity, the postcode lottery of advice funding across England and Wales, and the ongoing work to shift power dynamics through co-design with their member network. To find out more about Citizens Advice, volunteer, or access advice, visit: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk If you enjoyed the episode, please like, share and leave a review. Your support helps more charity leaders and changemakers discover the show. Takeaways Stepping into a role before you feel ready is often how the most valuable learning happensBuilding a peer community is essential for chief executives navigating isolation at the topParenthood can fundamentally shift how you understand and exercise leadershipFederated organisations require influence and relationship skills more than positional authoritySlowing down is a leadership discipline, not a weakness Chapters 00:00 Introduction and career journey08:50 Becoming a chief executive at 2515:00 Peer support, board relationships and early leadership lessons19:00 Merger, housing association and the road to Citizens Advice22:00 Career development, visibility and backing yourself26:00 Parenthood and evolving leadership style33:00 How Citizens Advice works and what it delivers38:41 How to get involved with Citizens Advice

  7. May 21

    Season 3 | E7 Jess Camburn-Rahmani on building charities and leading with humility

    Adam is joined by Jess Camburn-Rahmani, Chief Executive of Cerebra, a UK charity supporting children and families living with brain conditions. Jess takes us on a fascinating career journey from a VSO placement with an indigenous communities NGO in Uganda, to community development in Swansea, to building Elrha (a humanitarian innovation organisation) from a single grant into a 40-staff organisation with over £40 million of lifetime funding, before making a significant move into the disability sector. This is a conversation full of hard-won wisdom: about what it really means to lead without being the expert, how to build an organisation that isn't dependent on its founder, and why the relationship between a CEO and their board is one of the most undervalued assets in the charity sector. Together, Adam and Jess explore: How a VSO placement in Uganda shaped a career built on humility and listeningBuilding Elrha from a £250k project grant into a global humanitarian research and innovation organisationLeading through personal loss and learning to know when it's time to move onThe 18-month wobble many working parents experience and why having a brilliant board chair can make all the differenceWhy calling your charity "a family" might actually be doing your team a disserviceThe dangers of founder syndrome and how to leave an organisation at the right timeWhat drew Jess to Cerebra and the growth journey she's leading there nowWhy every CEO has imposter syndrome and why that's actually a good thingThe leadership mantra she's carried with her: give credit when things go well, take accountability when they don't Takeaways Career journey and international developmentBuilding organisations from the ground upFounder transitions and successionBoard and trustee relationshipsLeading dispersed and remote teamsParenting and leadershipImposter syndromeOrganisational culture About Cerebra Cerebra supports children and families across the UK living with brain conditions, from neurodivergent conditions through to rare diseases and birth injuries. All services are free of charge. Find out more at cerebra.org.uk and listen to their podcast, The Calm and the Complicated, on all major podcast platforms. Chapters [00:00] Introduction and quickfire questions[04:38] How Jess found her way into the charity sector[06:27] Reflections on VSO and the ethics of international development[08:41] Community development in Swansea and the role of Save the Children[12:42] The origins of Elrha, from a grant project to a global organisation[16:36] Leadership lessons from building something from scratch[19:35] The importance of a brilliant board relationship[21:43] Knowing when to move on and the guilt of leaving[26:13] Cerebra, what the charity does and why Jess was drawn to it[32:58] Leadership qualities that take organisations on growth journeys[34:42] Building culture across a dispersed team[39:48] Advice to your earlier self, nuggets of leadership wisdom #CharityLeadership #NonProfitLeadership #CharityChangemakers #HumanitarianSector #CharityCareers #DisabilitySector #Podcast #LeadershipLessons #ThirdSector #CharitySector #BoardGovernance #SocialImpact #PurposeDriven #OrganisationalGrowth

  8. May 7

    Season 3 | Ep 6 Rob Avann on governance, trusteeship and building boards that actually work

    In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Rob Avann, charity consultant, interim leader and seasoned trustee, for a conversation that gets into the real nuts and bolts of charity governance - and why so many organisations are still getting it wrong. With 20 years in the sector, eight years as a permanent CEO, a spell as interim CEO, and 16 years across five trustee boards, Rob brings a rare 360-degree perspective. He shares how his career began in local government - commissioning services around crime, domestic violence and community safety - before a growing connection to the charity sector pulled him across. His first trustee role came before his first charity job, and that sequence, he argues, shaped everything that followed. Adam and Rob dig into what makes the board-CEO relationship work, why it so often doesn't, and what both sides consistently get wrong. Rob is candid about the mistakes he sees in his consultancy work, from the absence of clear governance frameworks to boards that drift into the operational when clarity breaks down, and explains why governance is never a destination, always a journey. Together, Adam and Rob unpack: Why every CEO should serve as a trustee somewhere else - and what it changesThe chair-CEO relationship as the most important dynamic in any charityHow to build trust across the board without letting challenge slide into blameWhat a governance review actually looks like - and how to handle findings that surprise peopleThe honest realities of transitioning from CEO to consultant, including the sleepless nightsHow interim and permanent CEO roles differ in mindset, not just tenureThe power of mentoring and where to find it - from Cranfield Trust to the Kilfinan GroupWhy delegation isn't optional, and burnout is what happens when leaders forget that Rob also reflects on the managers who shaped him, why he wishes he'd told them so at the time, and what he'd say to his younger self about not carrying the weight of an organisation alone. Takeaways Trusteeship | Governance | Board-CEO relationships | Interim leadership | Charity consulting | Mentoring | Delegation | Career development Chapters [00:00] Introduction and background[08:23] Why trusteeship is pivotal — for trustees and CEOs alike[10:08] What goes wrong between boards and chief executives[16:44] Navigating the line between governance and operations[21:44] Leading through COVID and the value of strong foundations[23:36] Mentoring, great managers and how to find support[28:10] The transition to consulting — variety, freedom and the odd sleepless night[32:17] Permanent vs interim CEO — a different mindset entirely[36:55] Governance reviews — holding up a mirror to organisations[40:27] Leadership advice and what Rob would tell his younger self #CharityGovernance #Trusteeship #CharityLeadership #NonProfitLeadership #CharityChangemakers #BoardDevelopment #CharityCareers #CharitySector #InterimLeadership #ThirdSector

See All (45)

About

The Charity Changemakers Podcast dives deep into the world of non-profit leadership. Join us as we interview the CEOs and directors who are making a real impact in our communities. Each episode unveils the journeys that led these passionate individuals to the third sector. We explore the inspiring stories behind their charities, the challenges they navigate, and the exciting opportunities they're tackling. Get ready to be motivated by the power of giving and discover how you can get involved in creating positive change.

Information

You Might Also Like