The Charity Changemakers Podcast

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.

The Charity Changemakers Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 0 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The Charity Changemakers Podcast, a business show with 0 episodes published.

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  Episode #13

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

  Aug 13, 202638 minS3

  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 level Sitting on a board teaches you what it is really like to be a CEO Charity job applications reward detail, not passion statements Proven programmes often can not scale because funding lags behind demand Lived experience across a team changes how a charity works, not just what it says Chapters 00:00 Introduction and quick fire questions 04:00 From WHSmith to Save the Children, an unlikely route into charity 11:00 Why volunteering and trusteeship open doors 19:40 Inside Power2, Teens and Toddlers and the programmes that followed 24:40 The funding gap holding back proven impact 35:15 How to actually get a charity sector job 38:40 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

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  Episode #12

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

  Jul 30, 202642 minS3

  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 sector Why business skills transfer directly into nonprofit leadership The value of career mentors, and being bold enough to ask for them Building a team culture around honest feedback and psychological safety Navigating funding setbacks without losing team morale Why the best charities are mission driven and commercially disciplined Chapters 00:00 Introduction and background 05:17 Getting into the charity sector 09:24 The two year plan that became a career 14:05 Building a team culture that isn't built by accident 18:18 Mentors, and being bold in who you ask 25:57 Success, setbacks, and what continues when you're not in the room 40:20 Why charities need mission and commercial discipline #CharitySector #NonProfitLeadership #CharityCareers #LeadershipLessons #ThirdSector #CharityChangemakers #Podcast

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  Episode #11

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

  Jul 16, 202646 minS3

  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 plan The moment that shifted focus from fun and games to child protection and basic needs Why a genuine, equal partnership model with local teams is central to impact How being a small charity enabled a fast pivot to emergency food relief during COVID The value of excellent donor stewardship in sustaining long-term growth Learning to set boundaries and protect wellbeing as a charity leader Chapters 00:00 Introduction and quick-fire questions 04:35 Olivia's route into the charity sector 07:12 Gap year in Uganda and the founding of Kids Club Kampala 17:03 The return trip and the moment that changed everything 23:44 Registering as a charity and building the UK–Uganda partnership 28:03 Why small charities can be more adaptable than large NGOs 31:02 Pivoting to emergency food relief during COVID 32:15 Olivia's personal journey to becoming full-time Chief Executive 37:36 The power of donor stewardship 39:56 Kids Club Kampala today: education, family strengthening and child protection 42:06 Reflecting on impact, pride and sustaining yourself for the long run #podcast #charity #careers #internationaldevelopment #nonprofitleadership #charitychangemakers

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  Episode #10

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

  Jul 2, 202647 minS3

  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 leadership What 23 years in the military actually teaches you about listening, chaos, and getting things done Why Ru walked into Hamelin's board interview and told them not to close it The Klingon Cloak of Care and what it costs people with learning disabilities and autism Why community building is the most important thing charities can do right now The danger of chief executives confusing their ambition with organisational readiness What chief exec loneliness really looks like and how Ru manages it Why letting a support worker leave to train as a nurse is a mark of success, not failure How 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

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  Episode #9

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

  Jun 18, 202646 minS3

  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 ground How a shared interest in Thomas Tank Engine taught Rushab more about inclusion than any disability training The "say yes to everything" approach that built a career in five years and a startup from scratch Why small and medium charities are currently beating large ones at adopting tech The tension between failing fast and working with vulnerable young people The 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

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