The Charity Show

The show for charity insiders, by charity insiders. Hosts Tim Beynon and Piers Townley tackle the topics that matter for charity staff, fundraisers and supporters.

The Charity Show is a business podcast hosted by Tim Beynon and Piers Townley, with 71 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Tim Beynon and Piers Townley hosts The Charity Show, a business show with 71 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #52

  The Journalist's Charity: The pressures on journalists, Dickens and Queen Camilla - with CEO James Brindle

  Sep 13, 202644 minS1

  James Brindle spent nearly 20 years as a journalist before taking the helm at one of the UK's oldest charities. In this episode, the CEO of the Journalists' Charity joins Tim and Piers to unpack an extraordinary history, one that starts with Charles Dickens in 1864 and now carries the patronage of Queen Camilla. From financial hardship to online abuse, James explains what modern journalism support really looks like. In this episode... The Journalists' Charity was founded in 1864 by Charles Dickens, who served as its first chairman, with a royal charter granted by Queen Victoria in 1890 James Brindle's journey from nearly two decades in broadcast journalism, including setting up television channels, to becoming a charity CEO The realities driving journalists to seek support, from freelance financial instability and redundancy to rising online abuse and mental health pressure How the charity's "Lockdown Without Journalism" campaign during COVID reconnected the public with the value of the profession and drove tens of thousands of pounds in donations The newly launched Queen Camilla Future of Journalism Awards, offering cash support, mentoring and recognition to journalists starting their careers Why pride and the word "charity" itself can be a barrier to journalists asking for help, and how the sector is working to change that Guest links The Journalists' Charity: https://journalistscharity.org.uk/ James Brindle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbrindleceo/ Get involved: Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thecharityshowpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send a voice message to TheCharityShow Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show! If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK. This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

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  Episode #51

  Rebranding in-house: Julian House becomes Alongside - with Zoe Conn and Keira Park

  Aug 9, 202656 minS1

  Changing your charity's name is never just a logo refresh. On this episode of The Charity Show, Tim Beynon and Piers Townley are joined by Zoe Conn (Fundraising and Development Director) and Keira Park (Marketing and Comms Manager) from Alongside, formerly Julian House, to unpack how the Bath-based charity rebuilt its identity from the ground up after a legal dispute forced a name change. From stakeholder research to donor retention, this is a masterclass in how to lead a rebrand from inside a small charity team, without a big agency and without losing the trust you've spent decades building. In this episode: Why Alongside chose to treat a legally forced name change as a strategic opportunity, not just a compliance problem How the team ran stakeholder consultation with donors, staff and trustees at every stage of the naming and design process, checking back in repeatedly rather than asking once and moving on Why they decided to lead the rebrand in-house, using targeted external support from a specialist agency rather than a full-service consultancy The practical challenges of a charity rebrand rollout: budgeting, running down old stock, IT systems, and keeping "formerly Julian House" visible during the transition How the comms and fundraising teams managed donor anxiety around the change, including direct debit continuity and stewardship of long-standing supporters Advice for any charity considering a rebrand: do the brief work before you touch a single name, and be ready to article your due diligence to a nervous board Learn more about Alongside's work supporting people facing social exclusion across the South West of England, and follow their journey as the new brand continues to roll out. If you're leading, or thinking about leading, a charity rebrand of your own, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch at thecharityshowpod@gmail.com . Know a small charity doing brilliant work that deserves a shout out on the show? Drop us a line at the same address, we'd love to feature them. If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. It really does help other charity people find us. Guest links: Alongside: alongsidecharity.org.uk/ DCHS: dchs-alnwick.org/ Alex, The Leukodystrophy Charity: alextlc.org/ Get involved: Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thecharityshowpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send a voice message to TheCharityShow Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show! If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK. This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

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  Episode #50

  Why charity comms professionals are burning out - with Adeela Warley, Chief Executive, Charity Comms

  Jul 19, 202649 minS1

  One in three charity comms professionals is currently burnt out, and an equal number are planning to leave the sector altogether. In their landmark 50th episode, Tim Beynon and Piers Townley are joined by returning guest Adeela Warley, Chief Executive of CharityComms, to unpack what her organisation's latest Salary and Organisational Culture Survey reveals about burnout across charity communications teams, and why the values-driven nature of our sector makes it so hard for people to say no. In this episode: Why 33% of charity comms professionals are experiencing burnout, and what's driving middle managers to feel the squeeze hardest How values-driven work in the charity sector can tip commitment into overwork and self-sacrifice, and the warning signs to watch for Why burnout isn't confined to senior leaders, and how junior and entry-level comms staff are equally at risk Practical first steps for CEOs and senior teams wanting to build a burnout-resistant organisational culture Advice for small charities working with limited resources and no dedicated HR function Sector news: the proposed under-16 social media ban and its implications for charity communicators, plus new Charity Commission findings on threats and intimidation faced by charity staff and trustees Guest links and resources: Adeela Warley LinkedIn CharityComms: charitycomms.org.uk CharityComms Salary and Organisational Culture Survey: charitycomms.org.uk/salary-and-organisational-culture-survey-2025 CharityComms Wellbeing Guide for communicators: charitycomms.org.uk/wellbeing-guide CharityComms "signal template" resource: charitycomms.org.uk/the-signal-framework Bank The Food (app connecting food donors to local food banks): bankthefood.com/ Slade Gardens Community Play Association, Stockwell and Lambeth: sladeadventure.co.uk/ Get involved: Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thecharityshowpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send a voice message to TheCharityShow Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show! If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK. This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #49

  Sally Williams: Life as Chair of a small charity and leading through change

  Jun 28, 202655 minS1

  Sally Williams returns to The Charity Show to talk governance, not philanthropy this time. As chair of trustees at Veterans With Dogs, she's spent two and a half years learning what it really takes to lead a small charity through a founder-to-CEO transition, all while holding down her day job as Head of Philanthropy at the Royal College of Physicians. Tim and Piers dig into the realities of trusteeship, the impact of assistance dogs on veterans living with PTSD and other trauma-related conditions, and why being small doesn't mean being unambitious. What's in this episode: Sally's 24 years in the British Army and how that experience shaped her move into charity governance The origin story of Veterans With Dogs, founded after one veteran noticed his own assistance dog helping an entire support group What it's really like governing a small charity through a leadership transition, including stepping into operational gaps without a CEO in place How the charity balances demonstrating impact for funders with protecting the privacy and dignity of veterans and their dogs The "magic formula" for building an effective board of trustees, and why lived experience matters as much as governance experience Third sector news: the London Marathon's move to a two-day event in 2027, and the Big Give's Summer Campaign for Small Charity Week Plus the usual small charity shoutouts, this week featuring Roundabout Drama Therapy and MK Cat Rescue. Useful links: Veterans With Dogs: veteranswithdogs.org.uk/ Roundabout Dramatherapy: roundaboutdramatherapy.org.uk/ MK Cat rescue: mk-cat-rescue.org/ Get involved: Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thecharityshowpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send a voice message to TheCharityShow Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show! 💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK. This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

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  Episode #45

  How engagement first funding keeps Air Ambulance flying - with Keith Wilson

  Jun 7, 202651 minS1

  <p>Air ambulances are among the most trusted charities in the UK, but most people have no idea how they're funded, what it costs to keep them flying, or the sheer scale of engagement needed to make it all happen.</p><p>In this episode, Tim and Piers sit down with Keith Wilson, Director of Income and Engagement at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, to find out exactly that.</p><p>Keith spent a decade at a children's hospice before joining HIOWAA, and in the years since, he's overseen a major transformation in how the charity thinks about...

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