Contribute More – Details, episodes & analysis

What key skills do charity professionals need to stay relevant and effective? What have you learned from working with podcast guests? Should charity professionals have communications training as part of their onboarding process?

In this final episode, the tables are turned and Zac gets interviewed by Rebecca Dallimore. Rebecca was the Chair of Trustees for the Charity Professional Development Company and is the Corporate Liaison Officer with SEED Madagascar.

You can find out more about Rebecca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccadallimore/

And you can stay in touch with Zac on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/

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A request that you continue to try to contribute more to your cause.

// RESOURCES

Rapoport's Rules https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Rapoport%27s_Rules

Organisations that support charities:

Charity Learning Consortium https://charitylearning.org/

CharityConnect https://www.charityconnect.co.uk/

Cornerstone Foundation https://www.cornerstoneondemand.org/

Cranfield Trust https://www.cranfieldtrust.org/

Directory of Social Change https://www.dsc.org.uk/

Ethical Angel https://www.ethicalangel.com/

The Fore https://thefore.org/

Getting on Board https://www.gettingonboard.org/

Matchable https://wearematchable.com/

Media Trust https://mediatrust.org/

NCVO https://www.ncvo.org.uk/

NPC https://www.thinknpc.org/

Philanthropy University https://www.philanthropyu.org/

Pilotlight https://www.pilotlight.org.uk/

Rogare https://www.rogare.net/

TrustLaw https://www.trust.org/trustlaw/

The Whole Story https://www.thewholestory.org.uk/

Journals focusing on the charity sector:

Nonprofit Management & Leadership https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/15427854/homepage/productinformation.html

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly https://journals.sagepub.com/home/nvs

Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26911361

Philanthropy & Education https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/833

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations https://www.springer.com/journal/11266

Voluntary Sector Review https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/vsr/vsr-overview.xml?tab_body=latest-issue

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(0:00) Intro

(1:40) Why is the Contribute More podcast ending?

(3:50) What key skills do charity professionals need to stay relevant and effective?

(5:27) How can charity professionals stay on top of growing their skillset with limited time and skills?

(9:07) What have you learned from working with podcast guests?

(12:07) Were all of your guests addressing the barriers of time and money?

(13:36) Is there anything you want to explore further following hosting the podcast?

(16:41) Should charity professionals have communications training as part of their onboarding process?

(19:10) Should charity professionals be asking for professional development to be written into employment contracts?

(30:10) Zac gets on his soapbox about unrestricted funding

(23:26) Outro

(25:03) Reflection

How can co-creation lead to more successful projects? How do you avoid being tokenistic? How do you check your ego? When should you not co-create?

In this episode, you’ll hear from Madi Pollard-Shore, a Business Analyst at Girlguiding and a charity consultant.

You can find out more about Madi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-pollard-shore/

Or her website, Kalechi Consulting: https://www.kalechiconsulting.co.uk/

Contribute More is hosted by Zac Parsons. Find out more about him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/

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Have a conversation with a colleague about the extent to which you currently co-create with your service users. Could your work benefit from co-creation? What small projects do you have in the pipeline that could pilot co-creation?

// RESOURCES

Girlguiding: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/

// CHAPTERS

(0:00) Intro

(1:00) What is co-creation and inclusivity in decision-making?

(2:02) How does co-creation inclusivity help us contribute more to our cause?

(5:58) What are the alternatives to co-creation and why are they problematic?

(8:45) How do I deliver a co-creation project?

(11:45) Why recording learning is good, but using that learning is better

(14:08) How do you avoid being tokenistic in co-creation projects? How do you select a representative sample?

(18:32) Dealing with service users telling you your service isn’t good enough

(22:09) What types of projects aren’t appropriate for co-creation?

(30:10) Key takeaways

(27:54) Outro

(28:27) Reflection

What is the overhead cost ratio? Can focusing on overhead hurt the charity sector? What's the relationship between overhead and outcomes? Are there better ways to measure charity effectiveness? These questions are answered in this episode.

You'll hear from Hala Altamimi, an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas. Hala's research focuses on efficiency and effectiveness in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Find out more about Hala:

On the University of Kansas website: https://spaa.ku.edu/people/hala-altamimi

On Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=c2QxxsAAAAAJ

You can find out more about your host, Zac Parsons, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/

For resources, reflection, and the transcript, visit: https://contributemore.org/ha/

Chapters:

(0:00) Intro

(0:35) What is the overhead coat ratio?

(4:24) What is the nonprofit starvation cycle?

(7:21) Why do we rely on the overhead cost ratio and is there a benefit to keeping overhead costs low?

(13:47) Can we spend as much as we want on overhead?

(15:06) Hala Altamimi’s research into the relationship between overhead and outcomes

(18:38) How much variance is there in optimal overhead spending?

(22:48) What metrics should we use instead of the overhead cost ratio?

(26:49) Should we be encouraging nonprofits and donors to agree on their own metrics of success?

(29:12) Outro

(30:46) Homework

What's involved in a charity rebrand? Why did Ripple Effect change their name from Send a Cow? How much does a charity rebrand cost? How did people respond to Ripple Effect's name change? Find out in this episode. 

You'll hear from Joanna Brownbill, the Director of Communications and Marketing at Ripple Effect. To find out more about Ripple Effect's work, visit their website: https://rippleeffect.org/

You can find out more about your host, Zac Parsons, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/

For resources and the transcript, visit: https://contributemore.org/jb/

Chapters:

(0:00) Intro

(0:21) What does Ripple Effect do as a charity?

(1:47) Why did you want to change your name from Send a Cow?

(4:52) What made you take the plunge and change your name?

(5:41) What was the process of rebranding your charity?

(10:23) How did you choose the new name for your charity?

(12:54) How did people respond to your rebrand?

(15:01) What did you learn about people’s reactions to change?

(18:06) How did you balance proactive communication and giving people time to reflect?

(19:55) How much did it cost to rebrand your charity?

(22:42) The cost-benefit of rebranding

(24:07) A final thought

Lockdown and enforced working from home seemed to level us somehow – CEOs working from home in their comfy clothes, children and pets causing chaos in the background of online meetings, glimpses into people’s perfectly imperfect lives – leaders and those in positions of power suddenly didn’t seem so ‘other’. In this episode, we talk about how to get comfortable leading as your authentic self and bringing your whole self to work, using tools that will help you and the people you work with achieve more and enjoy yourselves along the way.

For resources and the transcript, visit: https://contributemore.org/vhf/

Vic is the Founder of Fair Development. She has almost 15 years of experience working within the small charity sector and is passionate about helping small charities access the appropriate and affordable support they need and deserve. Vic specialises in strategy, organisational development, systems thinking, and change and transition management. She loves supporting charity leaders to turn chaos into order! 

To find out more about Vic’s work, visit: https://www.fairdevelopment.co.uk/

You can find out more about your host, Zac Parsons, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/

Reporting how much impact you have is a vital part of your charity’s work. How do you ensure you're collecting the right data? How do you get your team on board with data collection? How does impact reporting fit into your strategy? Find out in this episode.

For resources and the transcript, visit: https://contributemore.org/cp/

Chloe Parker has been working with charities and their data since 2015. She’s passionate about demystifying data and reporting and making it into something everyone can do rather than just ‘techy’ people. She has helped people in the charity sector go from being afraid of using tech to being confident in their reporting and data abilities.  If your charity is moving away from spreadsheets to a new database or is having problems with your database, Chloe can help: https://www.coreinsightsuk.com/

You can find out more about your host, Zac Parsons, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/

Every charity in the UK has a board of trustees; but, what is a trustee? And how does someone become a trustee? These questions are answered in this episode.

For resources and the transcript, visit: https://contributemore.org/lw/

Leon Ward has been a trustee since he was 18. He has published a best practice guide on young trustees in partnership with the Charities Aid Foundation. More recently, he has been the Deputy Chair of Brook Young People - the largest sex and relationships charity for young people in the UK. Hear more from Leon here: https://twitter.com/LeonjWard

Getting on Board is a charity aiming to diversify who sits at the board table and leads charities. Find out more here: https://www.gettingonboard.org/

You can find out more about your host, Zac Parsons, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/

Non-profit organisations and startup companies have more in common than most would think. From constant fundraising to the never-ending quest for traction, non-profits and startups face similar obstacles on their journey to solve problems that are large enough to matter. Learn how collaborating to eliminate shared obstacles can benefit your non-profit organization, startup company, and ultimately, the world.

For resources and the transcript, visit: https://contributemore.org/cf/

Our guest, Chris Foltz, is a renowned startup advisor, social impact strategist, and a global Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Founder Institute. Foltz was named to the Institute for Real Growth’s prestigious ‘IRG100’, a cohort of the top 100 CMOs, change agents, and growth leaders in the world. You can find out more about Chris' work by visiting: https://responsible.com

You can find out more about your host, Zac Parsons, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/

Good governance can make a huge difference in what a charity can achieve. All too often, people think of it as legal duties and compliance – but it’s also about positive relationships, clarity of roles, and shared goals.

For resources and the transcript, visit: https://contributemore.org/rd/

Our guest, Ruth Dwight, is a strategy and governance consultant with 20 years’ experience in the charity sector, including director roles at Coram Family & Childcare and Young Citizens. Ruth is also a trustee and has an MSc in Voluntary Sector Management (Distinction) from City University. You can find out more about Ruth's work by visiting: https://www.ruthdwight.org/

You can find out more about your host, Zac Parsons, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/

Maintaining good bookkeeping is key to a charity’s ongoing success. From restricted and unrestricted income to Gift Aid, this episode gives a rundown of best-practice bookkeeping in a charity setting.

For resources and the transcript, visit: https://contributemore.org/np/

Natalie Pieri FCCA is a chartered certified accountant with 18 years’ experience in the accounting industry.  She currently runs her own firm of local accountants in Medway and works closely with the Medway Foodbank and Rapport Housing & Care in a volunteer capacity. You can find out more about Natalie’s work here: https://www.aconnect.co.uk/

You can find out more about your host, Zac Parsons, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zwparsons/