A Labour win & how to generate income through enterprise

07/05/24 • 30 min

Lucinda and Emily are joined by James Dunbar, chief executive of the poverty reduction charity New Start Highland.

James describes how the charity was able to move from being a predominantly grant-receiving organisation to generating three-quarters of its income through trading and contracts.

He explains how he identified income-generating opportunities for New Start Highland, from furniture-making to removal services, as well as some of the risks of taking a more commercially-minded approach.

He provides pointers for other charities considering taking a similar route and stresses the importance of communication with all stakeholders.

Also in the episode, news editor Andy Ricketts joins Lucinda and Emily to consider Labour’s landslide election victory and its implications for the voluntary sector.

Do you have stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better thanks to your charity? If so, we’d like to hear them! All it takes is a short voice message to be featured on this podcast. Email [email protected] for further information.

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Read the transcript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda and Emily are joined by James Dunbar, chief executive of the poverty reduction charity New Start Highland.

James describes how the charity was able to move from being a predominantly grant-receiving organisation to generating three-quarters of its income through trading and contracts.

He provides pointers for other charities considering taking a similar route and stresses the importance of communication with all stakeholders.

Also in the episode, news editor Andy Ricketts joins Lucinda and Emily to consider Labour’s landslide election victory and its implications for the voluntary sector.

Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.

Read the transcript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Behind the scenes at the RNLI

Lucinda and Emily reflect on a recent visit to the RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset, where Lucinda met the charity’s outgoing chief executive, Mark Dowie.

Mark identifies the principal challenges of his five-year tenure as having been the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and small boats crossing the Channel. He explains how his corporate background helped him to implement operational efficiencies, and describes measures to increase female representation in the RNLI workforce.

Lucinda also meets Daniel Sharp, production and control manager at the All-Weather Lifeboat Centre, for a tour of the charity’s boat-building operations, and heritage archive and research manager Hayley Whiting.

Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.

Read the transcript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Promoting your cause through drama, and charities under Labour

Lucinda and Emily are joined by Rebecca Linford, senior legal adviser, and Mark Ellis, head of communications, at the whistleblowing support charity Protect.

Rebecca describes Protect’s role in the development of a storyline about whistleblowing for the BBC medical drama Casualty. She outlines the scripting process and stresses the need to be clear on timelines to help manage workloads.

Mark explains how the charity weighed up the benefits and risks of getting involved, after being approached by the programme’s producers. He describes how Protect measured the impact of its participation in furthering its cause.

Also in this episode, Lucinda and Emily speak to Sarah Elliott, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, to consider what’s next for the voluntary sector under the new Labour government.

Sarah advises how charities can best establish relationships with new government stakeholders, starting with offers to help achieve Labour’s missions and agenda.

Tell us what you think of the Third Sector Podcast! Please take five minutes to let us know how we can bring you the most relevant, useful content. To fill in the survey, click here.

Read the transcript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.