What if you could build a six-figure consulting business while still having time for the life you want? Cindy Wagman takes us on her fascinating journey from charity professional to thriving business coach who's helped over 100 nonprofit consultants create profitable, values-driven practices.

Cindy shares how she became an "accidental consultant" during maternity leave when her mentor suggested negotiating a contract instead of accepting a traditional job offer. With remarkable candour, she reveals the moment she shifted from feeling like she needed to "beg" for opportunities to confidently stating her terms—and how this fundamental mindset change transformed her career.

The conversation explores Cindy's evolution from running a six-person consultancy to developing her Fractional Fundraiser Academy (soon to be rebranded as the Non-Profit Fractional Operating System). Rather than continuing to grow her team when demand increased, she chose a different path: teaching experienced professionals how to deliver the same services independently. This pivot allowed her to scale her impact without sacrificing the quality of life she'd built.

Cindy's practical approach to work-life balance truly stands out. She details her strategy of alternating "CEO weeks" dedicated to deep work with client-facing weeks for meetings and connections. For those struggling with the "always available" mentality common in the charity sector, her framework offers an alternative that prioritises both productivity and personal wellbeing.

Cindy's advice on warming up your network, understanding your numbers, and letting go of the "workaholic" identity provides a roadmap for building a sustainable business aligned with your values. As she wisely notes, "focus on what you want, what you need right now out of consulting, and try to quiet the rest of the noise out there."

Cindy's always happy to chat with people exploring fractional consulting
Connect with her on LinkedIn and check out her private podcast Fracture.

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Jane Curtis helps charity professionals transition from 9-5 employment to flexible and profitable freelance careers.

With over 20 years in the charity sector, she led teams that raised tens of millions of pounds from events before launching her own business in 2020.

She supported over 100 event fundraisers through her membership during the pandemic. Now, she offers her signature "Charity Freelancing Course," a high-touch 1:1 programme for consultants, coaches, and freelancers seeking to make more money working fewer hours doing what they love, and in-person events like The Rich & Restored Retreat. She also provides occasional strategic events consultancy to charities.

Known for her positive, creative approach and calm, no-nonsense style, Jane is a mum of two humans and one dog. She loves swimming, cycling, avocados and being by the sea.

Ready to transform your charity expertise into a profitable freelance career? Join Jane's Feel Good Freelancing community.

Connect here:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Website

Jane sits down with Lesley Pinder, founder of Compass, her start up company that explores how charities can make generosity feel great by designing experiences that reflect human behaviour, not tidy funnels. 

We unpack the moment Lesley chose to leave the 9-5, why specialisation is key, and how “you don’t need a map, you need a compass” became the north star for her consultancy.

We talk practicalities too, from shaping consultancy offers from live demand, to carving out routines to protect deep work. 

Expect honest reflections on recovery after busy roles, the slow path from first chat to signed contract, and the money mindset required to hold your rate without flinching.  

You’ll take away actionable ideas on donor retention, supporter journeys, and human-centred design. You’ll also hear how mentors and community can accelerate the leap, plus the unglamorous moves that matter early: choosing a clear niche, having a memorable brand, hiring a good accountant, and keeping a savings runway. 

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If you're looking for support with supporter experience - Lesley's happy to chat even if you're not sure what that means yet.

You can connect with Lesley on LinkedIn, head to her website or drop her an email.

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Enjoyed the conversation? Subscribe, share with a freelance friend, and leave a quick review so more charity professionals can find the show.

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Send us a text

Jane Curtis helps charity professionals transition from 9-5 employment to flexible and profitable freelance careers.

With over 20 years in the charity sector, she led teams that raised tens of millions of pounds from events before launching her own business in 2020.

She supported over 100 event fundraisers through her membership during the pandemic. Now, she offers her signature "Charity Freelancing Course," a high-touch 1:1 programme for consultants, coaches, and freelancers seeking to make more money working fewer hours doing what they love, and in-person events like The Rich & Restored Retreat. She also provides occasional strategic events consultancy to charities.

Known for her positive, creative approach and calm, no-nonsense style, Jane is a mum of two humans and one dog. She loves swimming, cycling, avocados and being by the sea.

Ready to transform your charity expertise into a profitable freelance career? Join Jane's Feel Good Freelancing community.

Connect here:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Website

What happens when a scientist trades lab notes for writing stories that move donors to act? Richard Berks traces his path from research to charity communications to a sustainable freelance career, and the surprising tweet that sparked a community trusted by thousands for connection and clarity.

Richard shares the lesson many of us learn too late: offering everything is not a strategy. He breaks down how he narrowed his services to what medical research charities actually buy, offering donor-friendly content that shows how funding changes lives. We talk through shaping a niche without boxing yourself in, validating offers by listening to what clients repeatedly ask for, and setting boundaries that protect family time instead of burning it at conferences and events.

There’s practical marketing throughout: simple LinkedIn visibility, a “I’m now freelance” post, nudging ex-colleagues, joining sector directories, and sending respectful cold emails when you have a defined audience. We also explore the human side of freelancing- loneliness, winter slumps, and the mental load of working from home- and how small habits like a 20-minute walk, focus-friendly background audio, and a personal “energy playlist” can turn a slow afternoon into a productive one.

You’ll also hear how Charity Freelancer Chat began with a casual coffee invite, and became a monthly anchor for freelancers across the sector. 

You can connect with Richard and follow Charity Freelancer Chat on LinkedIn.

If this episode resonates with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a colleague who’s thinking about their own freelance leap.

Send us a text

Jane Curtis helps charity professionals transition from 9-5 employment to flexible and profitable freelance careers.

With over 20 years in the charity sector, she led teams that raised tens of millions of pounds from events before launching her own business in 2020.

She supported over 100 event fundraisers through her membership during the pandemic. Now, she offers her signature "Charity Freelancing Course," a high-touch 1:1 programme for consultants, coaches, and freelancers seeking to make more money working fewer hours doing what they love, and in-person events like The Rich & Restored Retreat. She also provides occasional strategic events consultancy to charities.

Known for her positive, creative approach and calm, no-nonsense style, Jane is a mum of two humans and one dog. She loves swimming, cycling, avocados and being by the sea.

Ready to transform your charity expertise into a profitable freelance career? Join Jane's Feel Good Freelancing community.

Connect here:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Website

This week Jane sits down with former small charity chief exec turned consultant, trainer, and social enterprise co-founder, Vic Hancock Fell. They unpack the power of a long runway, a clear offer, and a values-led business model. 

Vic shares how a master’s degree exposed the gap in sector support for small charities, and how that insight grew into two distinct paths: a personal consultancy of one-to-many leadership training, and Fair Collective, a not-for-profit matchmaking service connecting social good organisations with trusted freelancers.

We dive into the nuts and bolts of the associate model at Fair Collective and  we chat about her income mix of front-loaded course enrolments, evergreen e-learning, speaking, and one-to-one work, that creates stability without a 60-hour week.

This conversation covers the school-run, ADHD-aware planning, the constant pull to overcommit, and the skill of saying no. 

You’ll hear practical tactics for building a supportive community, publishing fair prices, and designing a work week where you can thrive not just survive.

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You can connect with Vic on: 

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vichancockfell/
Insta - https://www.instagram.com/vichancockfell/

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Enjoyed this chat? Subscribe, share it with a colleague planning their own freelance journey, and leave a review so more purpose-led charity professionals can find it.

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Send us a text

Jane Curtis helps charity professionals transition from 9-5 employment to flexible and profitable freelance careers.

With over 20 years in the charity sector, she led teams that raised tens of millions of pounds from events before launching her own business in 2020.

She supported over 100 event fundraisers through her membership during the pandemic. Now, she offers her signature "Charity Freelancing Course," a high-touch 1:1 programme for consultants, coaches, and freelancers seeking to make more money working fewer hours doing what they love, and in-person events like The Rich & Restored Retreat. She also provides occasional strategic events consultancy to charities.

Known for her positive, creative approach and calm, no-nonsense style, Jane is a mum of two humans and one dog. She loves swimming, cycling, avocados and being by the sea.

Ready to transform your charity expertise into a profitable freelance career? Join Jane's Feel Good Freelancing community.

Connect here:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Website

Ready to trade one-off wins for lasting momentum? Bright Spot founder Rob Woods joins us to unpack how charity professionals can build a sustainable, values-led business without burning out or getting lost in feast-or-famine cycles. Rob shares the pivotal moment he moved from training days to the Bright Spot Members Club, creating an environment where fundraisers stay inspired, practise proven techniques, and follow through long after the workshop buzz fades.

We talk strategy and structure: how to test offers by teaching, why consistency outperforms talent, and the daily habits that protect deep work. Rob describes the power of choosing one channel, and showing up reliably so trust compounds. He also offers practical guidance for a safer leap: reduce hours before resigning, calculate your financial runway, and treat your new venture as a business from day one. 

Community is at the core of Rob’s success. From early accountability groups to long-term learning cohorts, he shows how the right relationships shorten the learning curve, normalise ambition, and facilitate decision-making. If you want a clear, human blueprint for moving from charity role to thriving freelancer, built on generous marketing, practical tools, and steady consistency, this conversation delivers.

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Check out his website where you can find out more about Corporate Partnerships Mastery, Major Gifts Mastery programs, and Brightspot Members Club, and also listen to his Fundraising Bright Spots Show podcast.

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If this resonates, please follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review to help more charity professionals find it. 

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Send us a text

Jane Curtis helps charity professionals transition from 9-5 employment to flexible and profitable freelance careers.

With over 20 years in the charity sector, she led teams that raised tens of millions of pounds from events before launching her own business in 2020.

She supported over 100 event fundraisers through her membership during the pandemic. Now, she offers her signature "Charity Freelancing Course," a high-touch 1:1 programme for consultants, coaches, and freelancers seeking to make more money working fewer hours doing what they love, and in-person events like The Rich & Restored Retreat. She also provides occasional strategic events consultancy to charities.

Known for her positive, creative approach and calm, no-nonsense style, Jane is a mum of two humans and one dog. She loves swimming, cycling, avocados and being by the sea.

Ready to transform your charity expertise into a profitable freelance career? Join Jane's Feel Good Freelancing community.

Connect here:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Website