Voluntary sector
28
MENTIONS
5
EPISODES
5
PODCASTS
Search complete. 28 mentions across 5 episodes found for "Voluntary sector".
Sep 15, 2026
Oliver HackGUEST
Hmm.
Kian AlaviHOST
Um, the exciting thing here for me is that when we talk about innovation in the nonprofit sector, what more innovative than saying yes to folks who are looking at a problem, who have tons of ideas on how to solve them, and the will, the courage, and the desire to doing it?
Oliver HackGUEST
Yeah.
Kian AlaviHOST
You know? And the ability to say yes with them and share infrastructure and wisdom and guidance and support, like this is where innovation lives-
Oliver HackGUEST
Yeah
Kian AlaviHOST
...
Kian AlaviHOST
in the nonprofit sector, not full stop, but almost.
Oliver HackGUEST
Yeah.
Christine NeubeiserHOST
And there's a whole other thing to like learn about once we've kind of figured out is as fundraisers, we tend to be really good or we have to get really good at managing bureaucracy and being a diplomat in organizations, but not necessarily how to run a business.
Christine NeubeiserHOST
And those aren't things that People teach you in the charity sector and your fundraising career.
Christine NeubeiserHOST
So we're kind of talking about that sort of that moment, that pivot, what that looks like, and also just that thing, your story and kind of how you have gotten to the point where you are with Awen Coaching.
Bethany Helliwell-SmithGUEST
Yeah, sure.
Bethany Helliwell-SmithGUEST
I'd always thought that going freelance was the risky option.
Bethany Helliwell-SmithGUEST
I'd always liked the idea of it, but it had always felt kind of risky and that was buying a house and thinking about starting a family and it just felt too scary.
Bethany Helliwell-SmithGUEST
But I was made redundant from the charity sector three times before I was 30.
Bethany Helliwell-SmithGUEST
So actually, I now feel more secure running my own business than I ever did in in-house roles.
Donna BeddisHOST
More than 30 years later, Janine has not only proved these predictions very wrong, she also has three grown up children and has built an incredible career dedicated to making a genuine difference to people's lives.
Donna BeddisHOST
Her career has taken her across the third sector from campaigning, counselling and advocacy through to several chief executive roles, with accountancy and strong financial management forming an important thread throughout.
Donna BeddisHOST
Today, Janine is CEO of Money Advice Scotland, as well as an elected councillor for Clackmannockshire Council, continuing to challenge, campaign and speak the truth to power when she believes change is needed.
Donna BeddisHOST
What really struck me about Janine's story is that her resilience doesn't just seem to be about getting through difficult things.
Janine RennieGUEST
So while I was working there, we delivered a mental health service in Clip Manager and I was part of a lot of consultations to create the mental health strategy back then.
Janine RennieGUEST
Now that was way back in 2016, but it kept stalling as time went on.
Janine RennieGUEST
So when I became an elected councillor and I joined the integration joint board and one of the roles of that was to produce the mental health strategy I got very actively involved in making that happen but also when the first draft of the strategy was pulled together to say the bits of it that I didn't think were appropriate and that needed to change so and they listened and I thought this is great you're a councillor and people listen to you so Do you know where I was when I was a third sector person? Not so much, but it was really good to have that influence.
Janine RennieGUEST
And we're now in the position where we're moving forward to the implementation stage and I'm like a dog with a bone, I keep pushing.
Charles Kojo VandyckHOST
Welcome to a special edition of Charles Speaks on Alternative Convos.
Charles Kojo VandyckHOST
Today's episode is titled Rethinking Systems Change in the Nonprofit Sector.
Charles Kojo VandyckHOST
Imagine a small community organization in a rural town.
Charles Kojo VandyckHOST
Every year, they run the same program.
Charles Kojo VandyckHOST
Because systems change is not about doing more projects.
Charles Kojo VandyckHOST
It's about changing the conditions that produce the problem in the first place, and that is a very different journey.
Charles Kojo VandyckHOST
For decades, the nonprofit sector has operated largely through programs and projects.
Charles Kojo VandyckHOST
A project has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
PennyGUEST
So I thought I'd just very quickly, and I'm sorry for those who were there last week in Motuika, just give a very brief introduction as to how this happened.
PennyGUEST
In 1986, Anne Herkus, Minister of Community and Voluntary Sector, set up the Community Organisation Grant Scheme.
PennyGUEST
And I was very fortunate to be chosen to be the community worker here for the Nelson Marlborough University.
PennyGUEST
Tasman area and of course I'd only been in Nelson three years at that stage so I was thinking how do I do this and so but we used to have and I would love it if we could still have them community camps a week's camp and we would go to places like Matakitaki and there'd be community people from Haast all across the top of the south to Kaikoura and we didn't take experts we were the experts we would get there together work out what we wanted to learn from each other and of course I said I've got this job and I've got to go and ask everyone in Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough how are we going to set up the COGS committees that will then make the decision on where the money goes? And I look back and realise what an amazing community development process that was.