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Piers Townley: Hello and welcome to the Charity show, the podcast
for Charity Insiders by Charity Insiders. Please rate, follow or subscribe to
us on your usual podcast platform. And here's what's coming up in episode 13.
Tim Beynon: It's going to be interesting to see what the ripple
effect of Trump's second term is going to be for the Charity sector over there,
for the Charity sector over here and around the world. What do charities, you
know, like environmental charities, refugee charities, women's charities,
charities who, you know, charities over here who work a lot with the us. What
are they going to be, the implications for them? How do they feel about it?
Saskia Konynenburg: The challenge with National Insurance,
uplifts at the moment is we've done some calculations, some quick calculations,
so we can see that this will cost the sector, 1.4 billion between 25 and 26.
And obviously charities are now already worried about what their finances are
going to be like for next year. So even if you're a small charity, even to the
much larger charities, like, this is a, this is a cost that perhaps we haven't
budgeted or we didn't realise was coming.
Tracey Anne-Breese: There are more and more challenge events
being created. Some of them are charity owned, some of them are mass
participation, you know, some of them are third party suppliers that are doing,
you know, overseas treks and things like. And it's, you know, it's about
finding the right event for your charity and there's, you know, there's
different ways you can go about it and it's going to be different for every
charity.
Tim Beynon: You go to more black tie dos than James Bond Piers.
Piers Townley: I used to go to more website. Yeah, as we were
talk. Talked about earlier, too many late nights. Can't do late nights anymore,
so as long as they finish at a decent time.
The US election and the Budget
Hello and welcome to episode 13 of the Charity show with me,
Piers Townley, PR manager at the Brain Tumour Charity.
Tim Beynon: And me, Tim Beynon, head of marketing engagement at
the firefighters Charity.
Piers Townley: Well, it's been quite a couple of weeks, Tim, all
in all. And as we record this, it's only a few days after a, ah, historic US
election and a week or so after the UK budget. What have you made of it all?
Tim Beynon: Yeah, we've got to be careful. It's not a politics
show, this. We've got to be a little bit careful. But, yeah, what a. What a
couple of weeks has been, eh? What a. What a tumultuous time.
Will Donald Trump's second term impact charities around the world?
I mean, the US election doesn't really. Well, it does, doesn't.
It? Doesn't affect us in this show. But it's going to be interesting to talk
about it a little bit. You know, the fact that Donald Trump has made it into,
his second term, despite his, you know, ongoing dramas, something that made,
has made me really sort of think, this week. I used to work for nacro, the
crime reduction Charity. And during that time when I was there, on a daily
basis, we used to hear the stories of, of, of people who had, criminal
convictions and were, were struggling to find work as a result. not so in
America, it appears. You can have 34, convictions, and you can become President
of the United States. So quite, quite spectacular. I couldn't. I really, really
can't believe that that's the case. That someone with a, with record literally
is able to achieve the highest office in the land, which is amazing. But it's
going to be interesting to see what the ripple effect of Trump's second term is
going to be for the Charity sector over there, for the Charity sector over here
and around the world. And it's interesting looking at his stand on certain
policies and certain things. What do charities, you know, like environmental
charities, refugee charities, women's charities, charities over here who work a
lot with, with the us, what are they going to be, the implications for them,
how do they feel about it? and, you know, do we need to worry, or will they be
worrying about the impact of Trumpism and MAGA and all that that stands for?
Will that impact us over here and charities over here really, really keen to
hear from people about that. So if you do have a view, get in touch with us
through the links in the show notes. Tell us what you think. Are you worried?
Is it going to impact your day to day, your Charity day today? Fascinating
subject. Let's, let's hear from, hear from people who have an opinion on that
would be great.
Fire Fighters Charity team nominated for Charity Comms Inspiring
Communicator Award
In other news, just for me personally, really great week for us.
The marketing engagement team at the firefighters Charity has been nominated,
and shortlisted for the, Charity Comms Inspiring Communicator Award in the
category of Best in House Campaigns. This is as, a result of the incredible
work that my team, did and I'm not going to take any credit for it at all. It's
amazing work that my team, did, to support the launch of the Charity Suicide
Crisis Line, last November. A huge impact, very powerful stuff that the team
did, and it's really made a difference. And over the last year we've seen how
successful is the wrong word, but we've seen what an impact the line has had,
and how many lives it has potentially saved. So very, very proud of the team
for that. So, yeah, big week for us. Even bigger week, arguably for the world
in terms of Trump and everything. But what have you made of all beers?
Piers Townley: Oh, just first, Eaton, congratulations. Because we
did, I know, before offline, we've spoken about all the work that your team was
doing on the suicide line and stuff. So richly deserve the nomination. Fingers
crossed
00:05:00
Piers Townley: for you and, for the Charity itself. For that,
Trump has blindsided me. I think we're still going through the implications
personally, as a charity, possibly as, you know, as a state of the nation as
well. Who knows how the ripples of this world fan out. And there's a cliche
about, you know, sneezing here and everyone else catching the cold everywhere
else. You know, it's a huge, it's a huge thing. It's a huge thing. And, events,
I think will start to unfold, or not start to unfold, will start to develop
really, really quickly and the implications, some of which we can know about,
but there's plenty around the corner I think might trip us up. And for the, you
know, the third sector and the economy of this country, it could all have a,
knock on effect, or they will have a knock on effect. I think it's just the
sheer numbers, Tim. If you think about it, tens and tens of millions of people
looked at those candidates and decided to choose the choice that they did,
which is mind boggling. It is just mind boggling. Yeah. So back over in the uk,
obviously we're working through the implications of the budget and what it will
have in effect for the third sector for fundraising, for strategy, for economic
models of many, many charities. And this will lead us on to the interview we
have with Saskia Kananberg as she talks through the petition that's been
launched by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations has been sent off
to the Treasury, I think, at the time of recording. And then Saskia will talk
more about this. Thousands of charities have signed up to this, so we'll
monitor that very, very closely and we'll feed back and maybe get Saskia back
on the show to see the developments as the months go on.
Music Industry Trusts Awards honoured Jason Illey this year
In other news, in my own news, I was very, very fortunate to
attend this year's MYTHS Awards and that stands for the Music Industry Trusts
Awards Awards on Monday nights where Jason Ily, who is the current CEO of Sony
uk, was honoured this year. And those awards, they celebrate various music
personalities, and movies and shakers. And this year it was Jason's career over
the last few decades, the last 10 years actually at the helm of Sony in
particular and the incredible acts he's worked with and supported, the
musicians he has helped nurture. but it's interesting that Sony has also worked
with the Charity Mind and spearheaded by Jason's involvement as well, to invest
heavily into mental health training for employees, among other workplace and
industry initiatives. But interestingly from a Charity point of view, the MITS
has also raised 7 million for two brilliant charities, the Brick Trust that
offers opportunities to young people of all backgrounds and Nordhoff and
Robbins, which people may know of, which is the UK's largest music therapy
charity. So two amazing charities that were supported on a star studded events,
you know, the likes of Paloma Faith, Mark Monson and Brit Trust, student, well
Brit Trust talent Kat Burns performed and gave some speeches and there was a
well trodden silent auction fundraiser that is often at these sort of events
and he just saw donations rocket throughout the night for the two great
charities for the Brit Trust and the Nordoff and Robbins, which is a shout out
to them. So yeah, a really interesting evening.
Tim Beynon: Amazing. Sounds amazing. You go to more black tie
dues than James Bond, Pierce.
Piers Townley: I used to go to more birth sign. Yeah. Ah, as we
were talking, talked about earlier, too many late nights, can't do late nights
anymore. So as long as they finish at a decent time.
Tim Beynon: Nice, nice.
Piers Townley: But yeah, that was a real honour to do that and to
see those two amazing charities.
Saskia is back to talk about the impact of the Budget and National
Insurance Contributions
Tim Beynon: Excellent, excellent, fascinating stuff about Saskia
as well, which I think we should probably lead into. So here's an interview
that we recorded with Saskia a little earlier on this week when the petition
and the open letter that they talked to Saskia about had reached about the 2000
signatory, signatory mark. Since then and since this recording, since this
interview, I think that has passed well beyond the 5,000 mark. So incredible,
incredible, numbers that have signed that letter. But here is Saskia's take on
the budget. Saskia, welcome back to the Charity show. It's great to see you
again. Great to have you back on the show, becoming a familiar face now, which
is great. Fantastic to see you again. We want to talk to you today a little bit
about the autumn budget from last week. Now NCVO and Akiva have joined forces
and you guys are calling upon charities across the country to come together to
sign an open letter to the Chancellor in the wake of the budget. can you sort
of summarise for Us why this issue of increased employer national insurance
contributions is potentially so important and so dangerous and so, significant
for the sector.
Saskia Konynenburg: I don't think it will come as any surprise to
anyone that the Charity sector has gone through a couple of years of real
turbulence, and we call it a triple threat. So we're seeing higher demand for
our services, rising costs and also lower funding. So anything that impacts
our, finances at the moment obviously can be really detrimental. I think the
challenge with national insurance, uplifts at the moment is we've done some
calculations, some quick calculations, and we can see that this will cost the
sector A, 1.4 billion between 25 and 26. And obviously,
00:10:00
Saskia Konynenburg: charities are now already worried about what
their finances are going to be like for next year. So even if you're a small
charity, even to the much larger charities, like, this is a, this is a cost
that perhaps we haven't budgeted or we didn't realise was coming. So that will
come into force. From 1 April, people are looking at their budgets now going,
where am I going to get that, money from? I already. We're already squeezed.
We're already thinking, can we afford to employ a new person to do this, that
and the other? I speak to CEOs all the time who are CEO, come finance manager,
come HR manager. So, you know, charities are already extremely squeezed. We're
not sure how they'll be able to afford this.
Tim Beynon: And, this is exactly budget time, isn't it? It's this
time of the year, then people and charities are looking at those budgets for
25, 26. So you think this impact 1.4 billion is going to be something that
people need to consider now for their budgets for next year?
Saskia Konynenburg: Yeah, I mean, we're doing all we can to
campaign and say that charities need to be exempt from this or at least get
reimbursed for this. But there is no golden ticket. It's something that all
charities need to be considering now, how will we afford this? And, from our
members that have contacted us, the only way people think they can afford this
is through cuts. And whether that's staffing cuts or cuts to services or
closing buildings, these are all the real challenging decisions that charities
are going to have to make.
Any increases in budget to charities at this stage will ultimately mean
cuts to services
Tim Beynon: So you just absolutely answered my next question for
me. But I was going to say, so, any kind of cost implication, any sort of
increases in budget to charities at this stage, ultimately, this means cuts to
either services and. Or to jobs.
Saskia Konynenburg: Yeah. We have had the most contact since the
pandemic over this issue, our telephones, our emails, people even contacting me
on X and LinkedIn, and Sarah Elliott over the weekend from our members just to
say, what are we going to do about this? How can we afford. Doesn't government
know how already we're in such crisis like this is will push many people over
the edge, you know, and it's not just a small Charity issue, it's not just a
large Charity issue. Any Charity that is employing people will face this
challenge down and think how on earth were we able to afford this?
Saskia says reaction from charity sector was one of outrage
Piers Townley: And M, was the general, was the general reaction
Saskia from the members, one of just panic or was it kind of this is coming
down the line. We have to then take a measured approach to this. What sort of
reactions did you, did you get from the sector?
Saskia Konynenburg: I think the main reaction from the sector,
was one of outrage really. And you know, this is a Charity sector which is
there through thick and thin. We already deliver so much on behalf of the
state. We actually step in probably where the state should at times. You know,
we are feeding people, we are helping people through poverty, we are making
sure that women and girls are protected from violence, we are housing people.
We are doing absolutely all we can to keep communities going. We are filling
gaps when public services have had to be stripped back to the absolute core.
mental health support, all these things that, you know, society needs to
continue. Charities are there and are doing it. So to put further financial
burden on charities who are already completely overwhelmed and overstretched is
really tough. And it's a really hard message for us to all take because we
think we're trying to work in really good partnership. We're doing absolutely
all we can. But yeah, to hear this news I think has become as it's, you know,
it's really, it's a real test to us, like, you know, how can you, how can some
of us just keep going through this? How many knocks can you have?
Piers Townley: And as you said, as you pointed out, it's going to
affect all charities no matter their size or scope really. And at the time of
us talking, there's over 2, 000 charities that have signed up to the letter. I
guess it's a self explanatory question. Were you surprised by the reaction or
was it that this is what's going to be happening?
Saskia Konynenburg: We even had a surge over the weekend which I
think indicates that, you know, people who work in the voluntary sector don't
ever stop. So we're now over 4,000 signatures so I think this issue is just so
important to people. They know that this is going to lead to some real binary
decisions that they don't want to make. we've already planned, we're planning,
what can we do next year anyway to try and stay afloat. Now I've been hit by
this and I need to find an extra £10,000, £50,000. Several charities are
looking at bills of millions of pounds to, you know, to find. Where do you find
that from?
Tim Beynon: Yeah, it's, it's a, it's. Yeah, it's a awful dilemma
for charities to be facing. I remember, Saskia, when you were on the show, a
couple of months ago, and we were talking about the impact of a change of
governments, and what's, you know, what that. I think it was actually just
before the election, even maybe that we spoke so a little while ago and we're
talking about, you know, the mood in terms of a potential change of government
and you were talking, we're talking quite positively about, you know, what the
potential might be. Did this come from left field? Was this a genuine surprise?
Saskia Konynenburg: Well, we had already written, we did know
that there was this kind
00:15:00
Saskia Konynenburg: of might be on the card. So with our sister
councils, we had already written to, the treasurer to say, you know, what a
challenge national insurance uplift or any, you know, additional taxes on the
Charity sector would have and NCVO and in kivo, we're never quiet about how
much the Charity sector is facing times of challenge at the moment and what
support we need. I think we are still really positive that we can make progress
with having a really good relationship with government. We have already built
some really strong relationships and we're working on the covenant and that's a
really exciting partnership. One of the key parts of the covenant, though, is
building a strong and diverse and independent civil society. And, within that,
we have to be able to challenge and drive sound decision making. So if we think
that the government makes a decision that obviously impacts us negatively or
causes some sort of further, challenge further down the line, then it's our
kind of responsibility to raise that. So we're not campaigning to say the
government is completely wrong. We totally see the need for investment. We are
calling out for investment in public services. We totally see the need to
invest in preventative work. But there is a challenge in that. Investing in
preventative work will take a long time for the impact to be realised. And at
the moment, we are dealing with communities in crisis. As I say, we're dealing
with children who don't have beds in their rooms, families who don't have homes
and are living in hotels, you know, children going about meals. it's like the
situation is absolutely terrible. you kind of can't front load one way and then
withhold the other end where the charities are trying to support those people.
So I suppose we're, we're trying to outline that this is a really serious and
really worrying situation through the letter.
Tim Beynon: you did also point out in there as well, of course
that there was some good news that came out of the budget in terms of the fact
that, the Chancellor laid out the government's commitment to increasing
investment in local government, in send provision and in housing, which in the
longer term should relieve some of the pressure on charities that have been, in
the short term, plugging some of those gaps.
Saskia Konynenburg: the Treasurer has the most unenviable job, I
think, in terms of how on earth we can get, Britain UK working again in the way
it needs to. And there's so many challenges and we do fully recognise that
investment in our communities is massively needed. Public services are on their
knees. All of these kind of things, even the support around people and
universal credit and carers allowance are all really, really beneficial. But
that doesn't mean that at the same time we have to further put challenge on
charities because it needs to be a partnership and things like public service
investment. So, 600 million for, social care. That's absolutely fantastic. Will
it flow through into charities? We really hope it will. you know, so many
social care providers are charities, so we really hope that there's some, you
know, on a knock on positive effect for that. But we also know that local
authorities are in absolute financial turmoil as well. So, you know, this is a
really, really difficult situation to try and navigate.
Tim Beynon: Yeah. And you, I remember last time you were on the
show again, you talked about the importance of partnership and the importance
of having, having a seat at the table to have those conversations. On the
matter of national Insurance contributions, have you had any indication from
the government at all that they are listening, that, that maybe you will be
invited to take that seat at the table to have these conversations? Or is it
still too early days perhaps for, that to have happened?
Saskia Konynenburg: So we have got a meeting in the diary with
Steph Peacock, Charities, Minister, which has come off the back of, obviously
she's seen our work on the National Insurance, challenge and she's asked for a
meeting with us to really try and understand it more so that hopefully she will
speak to the treasurer and then get those conversations moving. There's never
any guarantees. It's not easy for the government to work out how to muddle
through some of these challenges. They do need to tax organisations, they do
need to tax people, they need to get money so that they can properly invest in
this country. So we totally recognise all of that. We just think it's really
important that we can outline what the knock on effect of that might be. So,
you know, if you want to invest in, for example, public service delivery
because you want to, I don't know, reduce something that's impacting the
community and try and alleviate poverty, that's absolutely fine. But what about
the Charity that is actually providing that crisis poverty work intervention
now? What about the Charity that is running that food bank? If that gets
withdrawn, then that's a lifeline withdrawn from the community. So you have to
look at it in the full circle. So that's what we're going to hopefully, have
that conversation with Stephanie Peacock this week and keep our fingers crossed
that that message really goes right into the heart of government and drilling
down.
Piers Townley: That message as well.
NCVO has launched an open letter urging charities to sign up
Saskia, it's a well worn phrase, but what does success look like
from the letter? What is it ultimately that you want to achieve?
Saskia Konynenburg: We would hope that there's
00:20:00
Saskia Konynenburg: two things that we can achieve. The ultimate
would be obviously for charities to be reimbursed for any margin insurance
uplifts that they need to do. we deliver £17 billion worth of public services.
So we know public services have been exempt from this. Is that something that
could happen for charities as well? But there are charities that don't deliver
public services that are also really filling gaps when there are gaps in public
service delivery or things have been tightened too much. So we can't forget
those charities as well. So I think the other thing that we would look at is
just making the operating environment for charities better and easier. Looking
at all sorts of our funding mechanisms. What levers can government pull to help
with some of that? And all the things that NCVO and Akivo laid out in our
manifesto around, you know, contract uplifts, fair, deals, philanthropy, all
these things that we could, you know, really do with some help on, which would
make charities less vulnerable when shakes like this happen. In the meantime,
we'll be continuing our work on the Covenant, which we're consulting on at the
moment, and really hope that charities will participate in that and say what
they need from their relationship with government and, you know, really
building that strong and diverse sector that, that can take shakes and knocks,
you know, isn't it doesn't automatically mean that we lurch to. We're in
complete crisis and we're probably going to have to close. Like what can make
the charity sector and the voluntary sector really sustainable for the future
and we would desperately want government's help with that.
Piers Townley: And where can charities go, Saskia, to get
involved? Where can the call to action to sign the open letter? How can a
charity doom go about that?
Saskia Konynenburg: So the open letter is on the NCVO website and
there's a form so you can fill it straight in there and share it as well. Share
the letter with your friends, your charity sector colleagues. Get as many, you
know, organisations as possible aware of this situation. I imagine that, you
know, there's probably quite a few charity leaders out there now completely
panicked and worried and thinking how on earth are we going to do this? So as
well as obviously signing the letter which is taking action, start preparing
and thinking about what you might need to do come 1st of April. And obviously
NCVO has a huge amount of resources that can help charities with that financial
budget planning.
Tim Beynon: Fantastic. Saskia, thank you so much for joining us.
I really appreciate you taking time out of your very busy day. Lots going on at
the moment. So thank you so much for joining us and taking time to do so. We
wish you all the very best of luck with it and would welcome you to come back
onto the show and tell us how it goes in perhaps a few weeks time.
Saskia Konynenburg: Thank you, I'd love to.
Tim Beynon: Great to speak to South Gear and plenty for us to be
thinking about there in terms of the budget and its implications for the
sector, for every Charity if everyone listening, listening to the show. So
while I think that might have pretty much taken up our regular news slot peers
in which we usually talk about what's going on.
Kevin Donaghy has written a book called Stories of Cancer and Hope
we've also heard this week from Kevin Donaghy who got in touch to
tell us about an inspirational book that he's written. So it's called Stories
of Cancer and Hope and it's a collection of personal essays from people
directly affected by cancer. It's born from the idea, of asking individuals to
share their stories and what hope means or meant to them. the book offers an
honest and inspirational look at different lived experiences of the disease
spanning from the initial diagnosis to the profound impact of treatments on
emotional and physical wellbeing. Something I know quite well personally as
well, as well of course as its effects, on loved ones compiled by an
extraordinary writer in Kevin. an amazing guy who himself is living with an
incurable and life limiting melanoma diagnosis. Each storyteller in the book
highlights the issues, emotions and reality of having or being affected by a
wide range of cancers. Contributions come from all over the UK and feature some
inspirational stories of everyday people. From the ultra marathon runner who
urges people to live life to the fullest, and the nurse who supported her
patients through treatment. To the partners, parents and siblings who remember
the loved ones they've very sadly lost to the disease. The book has been
created with the help of Kevin's friends and family. and Kevin is supporting
through the sale of the book, Maggie's Cancer Charity, with at least one pound
from the sale of each book being donated to help those living with cancer and
their families. So it's an incredible book by an incredible author, which I'm
more. Which we're both more than happy to shout about here on the show. and
yeah, what do you think, Piers? Amazing guy and an amazing book.
Piers Townley: Yes, he is, Tim. You're an amazing guy.
Win a copy of Stories of Cancer and Hope
And the Brain Tumour Charity, we know Kevin, he features Nicola
Nuttall in the book and she's talking about her incredible daughter, Laura
Nuttall, who sadly died from a glioblastoma Brain Tumour last year aged just
23. But you know, Laura had achieved so much and was an incredible advocate and
supporter of the Brain Tumour Charity and she was one of our young ambassadors
as well. And she sh. She remains, her legacy, remains a shining light in the
community, A huge legacy and sorely missed. And so thank you Kevin for
featuring Laura's story and also featuring her mum, a lovely mum, Nicola, in
the book.
00:25:00
Tim Beynon: Yeah, and thanks, thanks Kevin for getting in touch.
And Kevin's also given us a copy of Stories of Cancer and Hope to give away,
which is really, really kind of him. all you need to do, just head to the show
notes and our various social channels for details of how you can enter the draw
to win it. All we want to do is, is just pick a name out of the hat, simple as
that. but all we ask in return really is if you are lucky enough to, to win the
book, think, about honouring Kevin's wishes and maybe give a donation, give
what you can to Maggie's candid Charity in return. I think that would be a nice
touch. So you can find out that on the socials and in the show notes and you
can find out more about the book itself at his website. The link to which we'd
also put in the show notes, as well.
This week we take a closer look at challenge events with Tracey Anne-Breese
Piers Townley: this week we're going to take a closer look at
challenge events and the incredible feats that fundraisers across the country
routinely put themselves through. Whether it's climbing mountains, taking on
triathlons or pogos sticking the length of the country. Our, guest in this
episode knows a thing or two about challenge events, having taken part in a
vast array of self over many years. Indeed, Tracy Ambries, is so passionate
about challenge events that she set up her own business to ensure charities of
all sizes are able to embrace the fundraising opportunities that can come from
these challenge events. So, always up for challenge ourselves, Tim and I caught
up with Tracy to find out how we can all push ourselves that little bit further
and wage a huge amount more.
Tim Beynon: Hi, Tracy, thank you so much for joining us here on
the Charity show. It's great to see you. Great to welcome you onto the show.
We're going to be talking today about, challenge events, and how charities
should be, running more challenge events and getting more involved in that side
of fundraising. and also, of course, what you're doing to help them.
How do you define a challenge event?
but first of all, perhaps you should tell us how you define a
challenge event. Are we talking about Everest climbs here, or are we talking
about a gentle walk in the countryside? Are we talking about something in the
middle? How do you define a challenge? Eventually?
Tracey Anne-Breese: I'm not sure you can, really, to be honest.
Anything that gets the heart rate going, I guess, and puts you a little bit out
of your comfort zone. So, I mean, I tend to think about, you know, walking,
hiking, cycling, running, but then things like abseiling and. Yeah, you know,
if you're up for Mount Everest, then that's fantastic. If a challenge for you
is a mile down the road, you know, then that still applies.
Tim Beynon: Yeah, absolutely. We've seen that. We've seen a huge
variety of different sort of those kind of challenge events. I mean, especially
during lockdown, people seem to challenge themselves to all kinds of different,
different things. It seemed to. They seem to take lockdown as a challenge to
discover challenge, events of their own. So that's really interesting.
Tracey Anne-Breese: Well, it definitely got us all outside more,
didn't it?
Tim Beynon: It did. As one. One positive to take from it. and I'm
assuming because we're talking and because of, what I know you've. You've been
up to in terms of, the, business you've been setting up, that challenge events
have always been a really big part of your Life?
Tracey Anne-Breese: Well, not always, no. Since about, since for
about 25 years. and something happened in my personal life and it made me
realise I needed to get fitter and I wanted to raise money for a certain
charity, et cetera. So, yeah, so I started, you know, with a 5k M jumped out of
an aeroplane and it just kind of went from there, really. You know, half
marathons and various other events. and I just realised how much I got out of
them on a personal level. and the experiences that I was having as I wanted to
share that then with other people.
Tim Beynon: Are you an adrenaline junkie?
Tracey Anne-Breese: it depends. Not, perhaps not so much now. I
think I went through a phase, now. No, I try and keep it a little bit more
realistic these days.
Piers Townley: I think that generally, generally happens as you
get a bit older, doesn't it?
Tracey Anne-Breese: Yeah.
Piers Townley: I like the idea of some of these challenge events.
The reality is very, very different. But at, the Brain Tuber Charger, we've
seen so many. I mean we started off with marathons and it was tough mudders and
then everyone wanted to do something more. So it was the ultras and then it
snowed them by nightfall or then it's trekking up, you know, upside down in the
dark with the blindfold on or whatever it is. So over the 20, 25 years, Tracy,
you must have seen so many different and taken part in so many different
events. It's a two part question really. What was the pick of those events?
What's the standout one for you over those years? And has there ever been a
challenge event that has kind of defeated you?
Tracey Anne-Breese: so people that know me will be sick of
hearing about the nine mega marches because that is the one challenge that
really, I said at the end of it, it's a four day event. it started off as a
military, event 100 and something years ago. And you can now do four days. I
did 50k a day for four days, to get a medal, which is, accredited by the Dutch
royal family. I've got Dutch heritage. So when I saw this event I thought I
really need to do it. I say it's a four day event. It was 50k day, so 200 days,
200 kilometres in total. And I said at the end of that event that my CV and all
of the work experience,
00:30:00
Tracey Anne-Breese: this was back in 2009 that I did it, I was
going to rip up because I'd learned more about myself during that four days
than anything else had ever taught me.
Tim Beynon: M and what about the one that, as Pier said, is
there, I mean, any that have defeated you? Any of you thrown in the town?
Tracey Anne-Breese: Oh, I mean, yeah, it was a 50k that I signed
up for locally and I got. I wasn't prepared for it. I wasn't physically or
mentally prepared for it. And I got to 16K and just went, I can't carry on. and
so. Yeah, and so pulled out of that. I've done a 50k since then. Ah, just this
weekend, just gone. Don't know what it was that, I wasn't feeling it that day,
M. So, yeah, yeah, it just got the better of me.
Are there any key elements that make an event a success
Piers Townley: So, thinking about, your experience and the
business, the new business that you set up, Tracy, and all the events that
you've done over the years, are there any key elements of those kind of events?
If there's a variety of them, are there key elements that have made a success?
You know, is it the organisation, is it the support, is it the people that
actually take part in it? And is there something that can go across any event,
really, in terms of. That's what's made it a good event?
Tracey Anne-Breese: I think there's loads. To be honest, I don't
think I could. I could tell you all of them now. I think a factor and what.
When I was organising, because obviously I ran a business previously for 12
years, which was creating challenge events and working with loads of different
charities to, put on events for their supporters. And what we always said was,
you know, we can put every. We can plan these events to within an inch of their
life, you know, put everything into them. But actually, you never really know
what's going to happen until people start arriving and then it's the people
that are taking part and, you know, their, enthusiasm, their motivation, their,
positivity, you know, and that's all contributing to that event. But, yeah, obviously,
you know, it needs to be well organised because people need to feel, I think I
put a post out the other day and it said, you know, every. Every individual
that signs up for your challenge event has put their trust in you. And that is
a big deal because they, you know, they want to arrive and feel confident and
safe. and, you know, that all then contributes to the positivity and whatever
that they're bringing along.
Piers Townley: So I guess a lot of people, we have this a lot as
well. So they've had a. They've had. They've met the Charity through a certain
set of circumstances and one of these events might be the first time in their
lives that they've done it. So obviously that trust has got to be paramount to
them, hasn't it? Whereas you've got other people who, you know, run half
marathons every other day or whatever, and they just want it to be well
organised. So I guess it's just, as you say, it's just working out how each
event works, really.
Tracey Anne-Breese: Yeah. And what each individual needs. And I
know that's a lot for charities. you know, I used to like to say I'd like to
hold each person's hand, whoever needed it, that had signed up for those
events, because sometimes they just need that reassurance from somebody you
know, and they'll phone. Phone you up and ask you questions. And those
questions, you might assume that those questions have already been answered or
you might have sent those answers out in an email or a Facebook post or whatever.
But if they're not getting it, they're not getting it and they need that bit of
extra support. And, yeah, like you say, if they've not done anything like that
before, their motivation is to do it for that particular Charity that means an
awful lot to them, you know, and you need to do what you can to make that
successful for them so that they can go home with fantastic memories and know
that they've been able to support that cause that means so much to them.
Tim Beynon: Tracy, can you tell us a little bit about. So tell us
a bit about Challenge. Challenge, Challenge event experts. So your business,
how did that come about? How did you go from being someone who takes part in
Challenge events and clearly gets a huge amount from them, to someone who makes
a career out of that and wants to help charities to optimise the, potential of
Challenge events. How did you segue from one to the other?
Tracey Anne-Breese: well, I've always enjoyed event management.
It's always something that I've kind of done. and I worked for a Charity back
in 2000. That's when I first got involved in the Charity sector. And, you know,
I was organising all different kinds of events. I left there to go and do a
business, degree. Coming out of there thinking, actually, I think I'm almost
unemployable because I've got all this generic experience from the Charity, you
know, really wide reaching and then a business and. But I knew that I wanted to
support charities that was. And particularly, you know, smaller charities. I
knew that it had to be something to do with events and then. And I knew,
obviously, that I enjoy taking part in Challenge events. And then I met my
husband who was an outdoor person. He's now a mountain leader, expedition
leader. And it was like, well, if I'm going to set up this business, then
that's where I need to go. So it needs to be events, you know, outdoor
challenge events that support charities. And that kind of ticked a lot of boxes
then. But there's, you know, there was no courses on challenge event management
I could do. There was no, nobody I really, I knew to ask. so
00:35:00
Tracey Anne-Breese: we just kind of, you know, learned as we went
along. As I literally boots on the ground, I knew what I wanted to get out of a
challenge event, you know, so I could put that into, creating events. and then
we did that for 12 years. Obviously, Covid had a big thing to say about outdoor
challenge events. and things changed as they do, and I thought, well, I've got
all this experience now. There are still no particular courses on challenge
event management. so actually I can provide a platform that gives all of that
information. So it's m. A place where people that want to organise challenge
events, fundraise through challenge events, have got somewhere to go to find
the resources that they need, any training that they might need, support, mentoring,
et cetera. And, so that's where how the platform came about, really.
Tim Beynon: Sure. So tell me about the business model then. How
does it work for charities then? Are you essentially like an outsourced events
team? If you like, then. So if Charity hasn't got a small Charity pass, doesn't
have that in house capability, they can come to you and you can help them to
get to grips with what they want to do. Is that how it works?
Tracey Anne-Breese: Yeah, I mean, yes, it can, you know, I'm
quite happy to coach or actually, you know, provide hands on, support, but it's
also so that charities can learn. And again, you know, it does apply to bigger
charities, but they have got bigger teams and more resources. you know, the
smaller charities that might not have a designated challenge event fundraiser,
but their events fundraiser, you know, wants to look at, or just their
fundraising team wants to look at challenge events. where can we go? What can
we do? How do we go about it? What resource do? Right. What internal resources
do we need? What external resources do we need? Where do we go to find the
information, you know, and all that kind of thing. So, so one. Yeah, so one
place where they can go. One person they can come to.
Piers Townley: One stop, a one stop shop.
Saskia Konynenburg: Yeah.
Tracey Anne-Breese: And there's a lot, you know, there's a lot
that we'll just kind of Work, figure out together as we go along.
Piers Townley: so what, so do you think that's what some of the
charities who maybe not contemplate, these sort of events, are doing wrong? Is
it just that they're a bit, they just wouldn't, don't know where to start or
what is it, what is the common mistakes you've sort of seen in other charities
when they try to do these sort of events?
Tracey Anne-Breese: I think, I don't know if I'd want to call
them mistakes, but sometimes it's just identifying the right opportunity. I
think the important thing with challenge events, there are more and more
challenge events being created. Some of them are charity owned, some of them
are mass participation. You know, some of them are third party suppliers that
are doing, you know, overseas treks and things like, and it's, you know, it's
about finding the right event for your Charity and how that event is going to
be created, managed. You know, it might be that as a small charity you're just
going to take on one challenge event, it might be a mass participation event
and get, you know, just, just doing that right, rather than try and do lots of
different things and there's, you know, there's different ways you can go about
it and it's going to be different for every charity. but I also want charities,
you know, to think about creating their own events as well. Because with, with
more and more challenge events being created, you got that you're going to need
the aboriginal, you know, those events that stand out, are going to be
important and those events that stand out for your charity. So if it's got a,
you know, a twist to it that's actually specific to your Charity or your type
of Charity, then, you know, that will all help. But that's, you know, that's a
big, I know that's a big thing to take on.
Tim Beynon: I wanted to ask you about, about the whole, the whole
accessibility issue around challenge events and something that's very important
for us at the firefighter Charity. And I'm sure for a lot of charities that
making sure that the things we offer to our supporters are accessible for as
many people as possible. You've talked, you know, obviously personally, some of
the challenges you've taken on, very physical challenges requiring a lot of
fitness and you know, experience of that kind of thing, I could see how that
puts a lot of people off the thought of potentially, you know, maybe this isn't
for me because I don't have that Superhuman level of fitness. I've never taken
on a 50 or 100 kilometre walk or run before, so I'm not even going to bother
trying. I can see understand how a lot of people would think in that way. How
can charities go about trying to make challenge events exciting, but also
accessible?
Tracey Anne-Breese: I think that goes back to what I was saying
about that, that twist to your Charity so know who your supporters are, what,
what they need and incorporate that into, you know, the challenge events. it's
difficult. A lot of the mass participation events will have, you know,
accessible sections. I know, I mean one of my favourite events ever when we had
our own business was facilitating a guy going
00:40:00
Tracey Anne-Breese: up Snowdon in the wheelchair with a team. I
mean absolutely, you know, what I saw there, talking about teamwork was just
absolutely incredible. we also had a three day event at the time which he asked
if he could take part in and we were looking at how that could be, how we could
make that happen, make some changes to the routes etc, and then Covid happened
so, so that didn't happen unfortunately. But you know, again with events it's
not always about, with for charities it's not always about the people taking
part. Sometimes it's about your volunteer team and how they can get involved
and what's stopping them, you know, getting involved in the event, as a
volunteer supporting, you know, they might not be able to stand out and marshal
on the same spot for four hours. So think about things like that.
Tim Beynon: How can charities also go about making sure that the
costs of putting on a challenge event aren't prohibitive, especially for those
smaller charities who might again might not even consider it because they
assume that the costs are going to be too substantial.
Tracey Anne-Breese: Yeah, I mean that comes back to your business
plan again, doesn't it? Your business case, your feasibility study, knowing
what your capacity is, how many numbers, how many people, people you can have
on the event, what the, at the entry fees might be, etc. Yeah, it's, you know,
there's lots of things to consider. It would depend on and.
Tim Beynon: Sure. What would your advice be then? Perhaps for a
Charity that's not put on a major challenge event before and is setting out
their first challenge event that they're putting that sort of risk analysis
together in terms of all the elements, and all the costs, all the insurance
requirements and all the people requirements and things on the day and so on,
what would your advice be to them? To not get freaked out by all that paperwork
and administration and Due diligence that needs to be done to try and see the
sort of bigger picture at the end of the day. How. What would your, what would
their first step be? What would your advice be to them?
Tracey Anne-Breese: I think, I mean, for the first step, as far
as I'm concerned, would be making sure the idea is feasible. So, so knowing
that you are going to have a group of people that sign up to do that event, and
then, and then break it down, you know, look at, I mean on the site there will
be like, a draught event management plan that will have everything, all the
headings in, so you've got all of your information in one place. and you know,
involve other people. It's got to be about your team because that's where the
best ideas are going to come for, from, for a start. but also, you know, share
the workload. Yes, there is, there is a lot to go into it, but once you've done
it once, then you'll know.
Tim Beynon: Is it worth also testing the waters with your
supporters to see if they're likely to want to sign up in the first place?
Because there's not, there's not much point putting a lot of work in if there's
no appetite for it from them.
Tracey Anne-Breese: Yeah, I mean that, you know, to me that would
all be part of the feasibility. Yeah, just study, just to talk to supporters,
do some focus groups, get your volunteers in. You know, if you've got a group
of regular supporters or if there's a, if there's a theme that people are
talking to you about, I would quite like to do this. then, you know, bear that
in mind when you're putting your ideas together.
Piers Townley: So this part of the show, Tracy, let us know how
could charities get involved? This is a shout out. Where can people go then to
find out more about, about the company.
Tracey Anne-Breese: So the website is challenge event experts.com
that we're on. I'm on all over social media at the moment. I'm still testing
what works best for me. so, yeah, Challenge Event experts, Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, TikTok is a new one. just trying to find that.
Piers Townley: That's largely witchcraft though, isn't it?
TikTok, let's be honest.
Tracey Anne-Breese: Well, I think it's all witchcraft. You know,
I put a post on LinkedIn on a friend's post today and said, you know, I don't.
I've yet to be convinced that anybody that use social media isn't winging it
because it's so unpredictable. Yeah, and obviously LinkedIn. So challenge event
experts on LinkedIn as well.
Tim Beynon: Excellent. We'll put all the links in the show notes
Tracy, so people can find all the details there. Tracy. Thank you, everyone,
for joining us. It's been fantastic to have you on the show. We wish you all
the very best with, challenge event experts, and we'll keep in touch and we'll
keep track of your travels.
Tracey Anne-Breese: Fantastic. Thank you.
Tim Beynon: Really fascinating stuff there from Tracy. Really
interesting conversation about challenge events. But talking of challenges,
what's your next challenge going to? Bp? Has you got anything in the pipeline?
Piers Townley: Well, the last couple of years of the Brainstorm
of Charity, we've ran our Snowden at Night challenge. And I've always kind of
watched and done some press work for it and some comms work for it and never
actually taken place. And, it's such a beautiful part of the country and such a
magical thing to do with some incredible people. So 2025, I'm hoping to get my
name down for Snowden at Night. Can't think of anything better. So that's.
That's on my radar for. For a time ahead next year.
Tim Beynon: I like the sound of that. I like the sound of that. I
haven't got anything necessarily in the pipeline other than the fact that I
definitely do want to do another marathon. I've done one, did London in 2019,
00:45:00
Tim Beynon: and I haven't done another marathon since. But it is
on it, definitely. I could feel. Feel the urge building. I definitely need to
do another marathon at some point. I'm massively not fit enough for it at this
stage, but, you know, definitely on the horizon. I think at some point. Another
marathon for me at the moment, though, it's a challenge just getting out of bed
in the mornings. It's so sort of dark and miserable and wet out there. It's
like, that's a big enough challenge for me at the moment.
Piers Townley: I'm, going to be disappointed and I'm sure others
can join me in this if you don't want it in costume as well. So, you know, no
pressure. Not quite sure what that will look like, but I think you've
definitely got to up this. Up the ante this time. It's a costume on this one.
Tim Beynon: Might have to let the listeners decide, you know,
what do I. What would I do it dressed as? That could be a terrible, terrible
mistake.
Piers Townley: No, that would be down to a boating boat face
situation. Don't. Yeah, you choose it. We'll support you.
Tim Beynon: Yeah, okay, fair enough.
Piers Townley: So, in the spirit of Challenge Events. Let's take
a look at our set to Superstar this week, Tim, and see if we can pick out a
couple of people who've taken on a remarkable challenge or two over recent
weeks. And don't forget, you can nominate your deserving colleagues, volunteers
or fundraisers for a shout out too. Just email us@thecharityshowpodmail.com or
get in touch through the links in the show notes.
Group of Grey Dippers challenge themselves to go swimming in freezing cold
waters
So give us your challenge at Superstar for the week, Tim.
Tim Beynon: Well, it's not a superstar. It's a group of
superstars. This, this week that I've picked out. and this is for a challenge
event that I definitely wouldn't do. They're called the Grey Dippers and
they're fundraising for a food bank in North Ayrshire. Now this is a group of
guys, who basically voluntarily take it upon themselves to go swimming in like
Baltically cold waters, up in Ardrossan South Beach. so they, they challenge
themselves to see how many dips they can do in the freezing cold, sea, in order
to raise money for charity and to raise money for this food bank. and they seem
like a pretty insane bunch of guys, but you know, good, good luck to them. they
are aiming this year to hit 250 dips, so 250 times that go into the water and
freeze and come back out again. M. And they've already completed more, than 10%
of that challenge already. and they want to raise, as much as they possibly
can, and hoping to get the whole thing finished by Boxing Day. And
interestingly on Boxing days they're doing this challenge between the 1st of
November and Boxing Day, basically. And they're hoping on Boxing Day. They've
said on Boxing Day we will complete the journey with a family and friends dip.
Everyone is invited to come along and get involved. Now if I was a friend or a
member of their family, ah, there's absolutely no chance that they would
persuade me to do that. So good luck to all those friends and family who are,
who are thinking about that as well. But really good luck to the guys because
that's a, that's a hell of a challenge. Me and cold water don't go very well
together. I struggle to get into the swimming pool, let alone, let alone the
ocean. but there you go. What about you, Peter? You do you like bit cold water
or. No?
Piers Townley: No, I'm not at all. There's a nice bath that's
sitting out there. That's Just yet been used in my garden. My son uses it. But
now I'm not dipping in there and I can vouch for the water in the dross and I
know it very, very well, I swear. Near where my mum and dad live. So I've been
up that area as well. It's flipping cold up there, so that is amazing.
something.
Tim Beynon: Good luck.
Piers Townley: Watch from my dry robe on the side of the. They
look at the banks.
Tim Beynon: I'd watch from the pub around the corner. I don't
think I'd go in even close.
Colin Farrell's marathon challenge
Piers Townley: Oh, my. Superstar. Superstar. In fact, a well
known name and a well publicised. It was Colin Farrell, the, actor who had
raised €774,000, which is £644,000 for Deborah Island. Now, Deborah's a Charity
that supports people with a rare skin condition. E.B. i'm, desperately trying
to get this right. Epidermoleus bulosa EB or butterfly skin, the condition is
called. And huge apologies if I pronounce that wrong, please do correct me. But
anyway, so for Deborah Island, Colin ran the marathon, but for the last four
kilometres he pushed his long term friend, Emma Fogerty in her wheelchair. Now,
Emma's 40 years old and she's lived with this condition all her life. So for
the last kilometre, it was one kilometre for every decade of her life that Emma
has lived with this disease. And Colin, who was also born in Dublin, said, I've
known Emma for many years and she epitomises bravery. She is what courage and
pure determination are, ah, all about. So an amazing angle, amazing thing to do
during the marathon in itself, for an amazing charity over in Ireland, for
Deborah. So massive shout out there, Superstars status to a superstar
challenge. So that's it for episode 13. Huge thanks to Saskia and everyone at
NCVO and Akivo for taking a stand in regard to the impact of increased national
insurance contributions for the sector. And, thanks also to Tracy for inspiring
us to think about our next challenge. Time to get training, hey, Tim.
Tim Beynon: Well, I don't know about that, but yeah, we'll see
how it goes. Just had to find a challenge to look forward to first. and in
terms of things to look forward to, we've got lots coming up over the next few
episodes. We're going to be taking a look at philanthropy and working with
major donors, which should be really interesting. We're
00:50:00
Tim Beynon: also going to meet some young Charity ambassadors,
talk to them, find out what, what they do and why they do it, and we're going
to be talking to a sporting legend who's about to trek across the Sahara, so
you can find out how that who that is pretty soon.
Piers Townley: And don't forget, you can be part of the show too.
Just send us your voice messages or get in touch through any of the links in
the Show Notes to share your stories and tell us what you'd like like us to
cover in every episode.
Tim Beynon: We also want to know who your superstar fundraisers,
volunteers, or colleagues are too. So head to the Show Notes and share their
brilliance with the rest of us.
Piers Townley: And in the meantime, please follow or subscribe to
us on your usual podcast platform and leave us a review, both of which will
help others to find the show.
Tim Beynon: So that's it for another episode. Thanks for
listening, take care, and we'll see you soon.
Tracey Anne-Breese: Sa.
00:50:45
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