Best Adam Zmith Podcasts (2024)

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158. Engage your community with a podcast, with Stephanie Fuller and Adam Zmith 34:14

4d ago34:14

34:14

Have you ever thought about creating a podcast to engage your community? This time we look at an award-winning podcast, The Log Books, which has run for three successful seasons. Rob talks to Stephanie Fuller, CEO of Switchboard and Adam Zmith from Aunt Nell, who collaborated to create the show. We explore why and how they made it, how it helps the…

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157. What Major Donors Want, Tom Hall Part 2 23:25

26d ago23:25

23:25

In our second interview with the experienced philanthropy advisor Tom Hall, we share a fundamental element that most wealthy philanthropists are looking for when deciding whether to make a major gift. Tom is Managing Director, Global Head of Social Impact and Philanthropy at UBS and over the last ten years he has had conversations with more than 40…

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156. Philanthropy advisor’s insight on how to attract major donors, with Tom Hall 27:54

2M ago27:54

27:54

What do wealthy donors most prize when they weigh up whether to make a major investment in a charity? In 10 years as a philanthropy advisor at UBS bank, Tom Hall has had conversations about philanthropy with more than 4000 wealthy people, and he has witnessed a vast number of major gifts. This opportunity has given him precious insight into their p…

1
155. Inspiring your corporate partners, with Chris Salt 29:12

2M ago29:12

29:12

One of the best ways to grow fundraising income is to find ways to add value to relationships with supporters and partners. This makes sense in theory, but how do you do it in practice, and with consistency, especially if your resources are limited? Events can be very effective! Though many charities use them to raise funds directly, it is less com…

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154. More ways to make Wow Moments, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart 29:19

3M ago29:19

29:19

There are many ways to deepen relationships with people who care about your good cause. At Bright Spot, one of our favourites is to create Wow Moments - something that makes them feel great or helps them connect with your charity at a deeper level compared to what most would expect. Sometimes this involves a creative, ambitious approach that other …

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153. Using focus to grow fundraising, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart 30:14

4M ago30:14

30:14

When you concentrate more effort developing relationships with a relatively small number of supporters or corporate partners with high potential, it becomes much easier to grow high value income. We’ve also found that although this idea makes sense to many people in theory, it can be hard to apply in practice. So what can you do to overcome the var…

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152. Spotting opportunities to add value, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart 32:52

4M ago32:52

32:52

An effective way to grow fundraising income is to add value to relationships with high value supporters. But how do find ways to do it? One approach is to start looking at your existing resources differently. When you ask yourself what potential assets you could make use of, rather than what is difficult for your charity; and what you can give (to …

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151. Game-changing grants from trusts – 4 keys, with Caroline Danks 35:33

5M ago35:33

35:33

What can fundraisers do to increase our chances of securing large, multi-year donations from trusts and charitable foundations? Rob was delighted to talk to Caroline Danks, a wise fundraiser with 20 years’ experience of working with Trusts and Foundations. In the last two years, three different charities she’s worked with have received six-figure, …

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150. High Value Fundraising using LinkedIn, with Michelle Benson 37:38

5M ago37:38

37:38

One greatly under-estimated tool for building relationships with potential funders, corporate partners and major donors, is LinkedIn. But what’s the most effective approach? Rob was delighted to talk to fundraising and LinkedIn expert Michelle Benson. After many years as a fundraiser and grant giver, Michelle has found that most fundraisers are fai…

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149. How to succeed in a tough fundraising environment, with Grant Leboff 41:05

6M ago41:05

41:05

There are plenty of factors that make fundraising difficult at the moment. Whether it’s the cost of living crisis, the pace of change, the sense of political chaos, shorter attention spans etc…it’s true that connecting with people who care about your cause can feel harder than ever. So what can we do to defy the odds and achieve great fundraising r…

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148. How to smash silos, Part 2, with Joe Jenkins 37:36

6M ago37:36

37:36

Is silo working inevitable in charities? Or is it possible to create a culture where it’s the norm for the different teams to proactively help each other, so that efforts combine to make a bigger difference? This is the second part of Rob’s interview about integrated working with the brilliant Joe Jenkins. They build on the Team of Teams concept fr…

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147. How to smash silos, with Joe Jenkins 38:39

6M ago38:39

38:39

One of the biggest sources of stress for people working in charities is conflict between teams. Many find that however committed they are, and however hard they work, the default structure and culture often hamper genuine cooperation and progress toward a common goal. Given how difficult this problem can be, Rob was thrilled to talk to Joe Jenkins,…

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146. Three More Key Listens, with Ben Swart and Rob Woods 33:30

7M ago33:30

33:30

Rob is again joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart to talk about some of the episodes that most inspired us in 2023. Our discussion of fundraising ideas and examples includes: how to ace your event or media appeal (ie what content makes all the difference to results); ways to beat the Curse of Knowledge – and how …

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145. Three Inspiring Listens, with Ben Swart and Rob Woods 37:01

7M ago37:01

37:01

If you’d like practical lessons and a bunch of encouraging stories from our fundraising podcast in 2023, or you’d like tips on what to listen to next, we recorded this special episode for you! Rob is joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart for this round up of our podcasting year. They pull out key insights from som…

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144. Lessons from a successful capital campaign, with Steph Pisharody 38:38

8M ago38:38

38:38

This time we’re looking at capital campaigns and appeals, and in particular how to make them work if the charity you work for is relatively small. Successful appeals are not an easy undertaking for any charity, but there are at least examples of various famous appeals by well-known charities in books about fundraising. Given how many smaller charit…

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143. How to smash a media appeal, with Sally Flatman 33:56

8M ago33:56

33:56

Just occasionally we (hopefully) have a bigger opportunity to reach more people and raise money. Whether it’s being chosen for a media appeal that reaches thousands or millions; or the chance to tell your charity story at an event in front of hundreds of people…there are a few moments when the fundraising rewards can be HUGE…if we get it right. So …

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142. Precious! How to get and keep your supporters’ attention, with Grant Leboff 36:40

9M ago36:40

36:40

Changes in technology over the last three decades mean our supporters’ now have less time, and more demands on their attention, than at any point in history. This makes it tougher than ever to deepen relationships with people who care about our cause. In this environment, what can we do to create effective marketing and communications? To better un…

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141. Winning a £1m partnership for our small charity, (from the archive) with Pippa Hind-Walsh 34:39

9M ago34:39

34:39

Many charities see the advantages of creating strategic, long-term partnerships with companies, rather than applying for those intensely competitive Charity of the Year partnerships. But how do you initially approach companies where there is a good fit? Even after you get that first meeting, how do you inspire them to want to partner? And how do yo…

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140. Fundraising for Unpopular Causes, with Sarah Jane O’Neill 33:04

10M ago33:04

33:04

Some types of cause are less popular than others. If your charity is relatively less attractive to many people, what can you do to raise funds successfully? Rob talks to the experienced major gift fundraiser, Sarah Jane O’Neill, about things you can do to raise funds in spite of the challenges, whatever cause you serve. They share tips, practical t…

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139. Generating major gifts momentum (from the archive) with Paul Davies 25:54

10M ago25:54

25:54

What can you do to build warm, generous relationships with High Net Worth individuals who care about your cause? Rob talks to Paul Davies, who at the time worked for an orchestra and charity named Manchester Camerata. Paul explains a range of ideas from the Major Gifts Mastery Programme that he used to transform his results, including: what he focu…

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138. Doing things differently, with Ben Akers 31:11

10M ago31:11

31:11

In just four years, the small UK charity Talk Club has grown rapidly, making an ever bigger difference to the community it serves. There are now 78 talk clubs where men can talk, listen and improve their mental fitness. In this episode Ben Akers (Joint CEO) and Rob Woods discuss the innovative approach that has helped achieve this growth. An import…

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137. Influencing colleagues, (from the archive), with Ben Swart 35:28

11M ago35:28

35:28

One of the most difficult challenges for many fundraisers is encouraging colleagues see things from the supporter or partners’ point of view, and to want to do things that would deepen relationships with those supporters and help grow income. And in corporate partnerships fundraising, excellent partnerships are never possible if they’re solely driv…

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136. AI and fundraising - tips, ideas, ethics, with Emily Casson 27:54

11M ago27:54

27:54

Artificial intelligence / AI is here to stay and it’s transforming the way many sectors do business. In this episode we explore what difference AI is already making to fundraising, and what do we need to be aware of? The very experienced digital fundraiser, Emily Casson gave a fascinating talk at Bright Spot’s summer Breakfast Club for Fundraising …

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135. The value of failure, and how to find it, with Richard Turner 19:13

12M ago19:13

19:13

In this episode we look at failure, and why embracing it has a powerful effect on your results. To understand this in the context of fundraising and a charity’s effectiveness, I was delighted to talk to Richard Turner, Director of Fundraising at the international development charity, Solar Aid. For many years Richard and his colleagues have been de…

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134. Attracting new corporate partners, with Laura Webb (From the Archive) 26:14

1y ago26:14

26:14

If your charity aims to win and grow corporate partnerships, then one important asset is a proposition or first step that’s both easy to understand and genuinely enticing to companies. This isn’t easy, so I was really interested to hear how Laura Webb approached it for Leeds Hospitals Charity. In mid-September 2020, she got inspired by the brillian…

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133. The Top 20% Rule for growing Individual Giving results, with Craig Linton 30:46

1y ago30:46

30:46

The 80/20 Principle states that results will never be evenly distributed. A minority of your donors have the potential to give much more than the majority. Of course, many charities treat major donors differently, but we’ve found that within a file of individual donors giving at lower levels (or event participants), The 80/20 Principle still holds …

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132. Winning multiple corporate partners, with Cara Hoofe and Sabrina Nixon 31:46

1y ago31:46

31:46

Corporate partnerships can make a huge impact on not only your fundraising, but also your mission directly. One of the valuable things they often bring is far greater reach to key audiences than a charity would achieve on its own. Clearly this effect is multiplied if you build not one, but many partnerships, and especially if they are all in a cate…

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131. How to create a happy, rewarding career. (From the archive), with Liz Tait 27:40

1y ago27:40

27:40

We spend so much of our life at work, it clearly makes sense that we should aim to make this time rewarding and enjoyable. But how do you deliberately build a happy, successful career? In this episode Rob Woods talks to Liz Tait, Director of Fundraising at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Charity. Liz explains some of the ideas and activitie…

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130. Smashing silos and promoting legacy giving (from the archive) with Claire Routley 27:31

1y ago27:31

27:31

This episode with Dr Claire Routley, an expert in expert legacy fundraising, was recorded in early March 2020, when the world felt very different. Nevertheless, in a time of increased home-working, our subjects of culture change and breaking down inter-team barriers now feel more relevant than ever. So I’m really pleased to share the episode again.…

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129. Attracting younger supporters, Victoria Roe (Part 2). 23:00

1y ago23:00

23:00

What can charities do to better attract younger philanthropists to their cause? Many believe this is now an especially important challenge and opportunity. They cite research suggesting that in the next ten years, millennials and generations X and Z are likely to be in a position to make an especially valuable contribution to causes they care about…

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128. Next Generation Philanthropy, with Victoria Roe 30:46

1y ago30:46

30:46

This time we’re exploring how charities can better develop relationships with supporters in their teens, twenties and early thirties. Younger supporters tend to see the world differently to older generations – as charities, how can we respond? Rob speaks to Victoria Roe, a Senior Philanthropy Manager at UNICEF UK about her charities’ ‘Next Gen’ app…

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127. Building self-sufficiency, with Tess Nixon Spiller 28:09

1y ago28:09

28:09

This time we are again exploring ways to thrive and make a difference when you’re in a new fundraising leadership role. Rob talks to Tess Nixon Spiller, who is very experienced at taking on interim leadership roles, and as such has become adept at spotting the opportunities and pre-empting many of the pitfalls when you’re new. In particular we expl…

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126. How to play to your strengths, with Joanna Dew 28:48

1+ y ago28:48

28:48

To help us survive, the human brain evolved to be very sensitive to threats in the environment. But if we’re not careful, this negativity bias also causes us to focus too much attention on our weaknesses, and at the expense of our strengths. This tendency to can reduce our energy levels and resourcefulness. Rob’s guest for this episode is an expert…

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Introducing: Queer Roots and Routes 0:48

1+ y ago0:48

0:48

We'd love to introduce you to this new podcast we've been working Queer Roots and Routes! Queer Roots and Routes is made by a collective. We are queer. We are migrants or descended from migrants. And we want to tell our stories. Stories of where we’ve come from and how we move in the world today. We don’t have a boss or a Beyoncé. So each episode o…

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125. Growing major donor income from zero to £2m / year. From the Archive Ep. 7 32:30

1+ y ago32:30

32:30

How can you increase high value income for your charity? In this episode, Rob Woods talks to Tony Gaston about the strategies he feels contributed to the way EMMS International transformed its high value results so dramatically in five years. He talks about how he manages to pause and see the bigger picture and how this habit has helped him focus o…

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124. Making the most of a new leadership role, with Tess Nixon Spiller 25:15

1+ y ago25:15

25:15

This time we’re looking at how to thrive in the first few weeks and months of a new fundraising leadership role. Rob was thrilled to talk to a wise leader named Tess Nixon Spiller, who loves taking on interim leadership roles. In fact, she has done this repeatedly for a range of charities, across various sectors in recent years. By specialising in …

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123. Working with celebrities and influencers, Part 2 with Paul Katz 27:31

1+ y ago27:31

27:31

Obviously well-known people who share the values of your charity have the potential to make a big difference to your fundraising and mission. But how do you find the influencers who care, and how do you manage these relationships effectively? And how do you maximise the impact? Paul Katz is an expert in this area, with more than 17 years’ experienc…

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122. Winning a £1m media appeal, with Beatrice Sayer 31:58

1+ y ago31:58

31:58

If your charity is relatively small or less well known, how do you increase your chances of winning valuable partnerships and media appeals? This time Rob spoke to Beatrice Sayer, a smart corporate fundraiser at the UK charity Magic Breakfast, about the innovative approach she used when applying to the Times and Sunday Times Christmas Appeal 2022. …

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121. How do you get your board to invest in fundraising? From The Archive Ep. 5 30:40

1+ y ago30:40

30:40

Most fundraisers agree that you won’t achieve serious growth without first investing in fundraising. But how do you actually persuade the board to invest? In this episode from the archive, originally released in December 2019, Rob Woods talks to Adam Heuman. In three separate charities, of varying sizes, Adam has asked the board to invest, and all …

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120. How to add Wow Factor to funding applications, with David Burgess 36:40

1+ y ago36:40

36:40

120. How to add Wow Factor to funding applications, with David Burgess by Rob Woods, Bright SpotBy Rob Woods, Bright Spot

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119. Harnessing The Influencer Effect, with Paul Katz 34:58

1+ y ago34:58

34:58

Clearly influencers can boost your charity’s effectiveness in various ways, including through more successful fundraising. But assuming you don’t already have amazing personal connections, how can you find and work with influential people who could further your cause? Rob was delighted to interview Paul Katz, who has been helping charities and non-…

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118. What a year! FOUR more listens to help now, with Louise Morris and Rob Woods 31:27

1+ y ago31:27

31:27

If you’d like to hear some key ideas and stories from the podcast in 2022, or you’d like tips for what you or your team could listen to, to help with current challenges, here is the second of our special round-ups. Rob is joined by the brilliant Louise Morris to talk about a handful of ideas / episodes they’ve been finding most helpful in the last …

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117. Four Valuable Listens, with Louise Morris and Rob Woods 35:25

1+ y ago35:25

35:25

If you’d like to hear some useful lessons and stories from the podcast in 2022, or you’d like tips for you or your team on what to listen to next, we recorded this special episode to help. Rob is joined by the always-inspiring Louise Morris of Summit Fundraising to talk about a handful of episodes they’ve been finding most helpful in the last year.…

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116. An effective value proposition – WHY and HOW? with Tim Kachuriak 34:11

1+ y ago34:11

34:11

In conducting thousands of fundraising experiments, Tim has found that the most reliable way any charity can grow digital income (and boost the other fundraising streams) is to develop what he calls an effective Value Proposition. Rob and Tim discuss what he has found to be the four key elements of effective propositions: Appeal, Exclusivity, Credi…

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115. Focus is Power, with Louisa Dodd and Rob Woods 31:01

1+ y ago31:01

31:01

This time Rob talks to the brilliant Louisa Dodd about several ideas that have brought her success this year. This includes: getting super clear on who your ideal donors / partners / supporters are; adding genuine value to them; how to be outcome-focused; and story-telling. These themes sometimes get discussed in fundraising, but they’re not always…

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114. Three ways to increase giving in tough times, with Tim Kachuriak 34:48

1+ y ago34:48

34:48

What can charities do to maintain and grow income at a time when the cost of living is making life so difficult? In this episode Rob talks to Tim Kachuriak, founder of the digital fundraising agency and research lab, Next After. They explore why a testing mentality is so valuable. And Tim shares three practical examples of things you can do now to …

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113. Catalyst! Using match funding to lift giving results, with Ilana Jackman 28:39

1+ y ago28:39

28:39

One tactic that can transform fundraising results is match funding. But how do you achieve the initial gifts from major donors, and how can you make effective use of the enticing offer? In this episode Rob talks to an innovative fundraiser named Ilana Jackman about how one university has made match funding work in exciting, new ways this year. She …

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112. The power of consistency, with Grace Cannings 29:10

1+ y ago29:10

29:10

If you’ve ever been inspired by a good fundraising idea or principle, but failed to put it into practice, I hope you’re going to find this a valuable listen. Grace Cannings is a smart fundraiser who has found a way to improve her chances of building proactive habits that generate improved fundraising results. In this episode she explains the techni…

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111. Stewardship that inspires – Trust Fundraising Part 2, with Neela Jane Stansfield 24:53

2y ago24:53

24:53

What can you do to build better, more long-term relationships with funders? In my second interview with trusts and foundations fundraising expert, Neela Jane Stansfield, we explore ideas for creating fabulous stewardship and stronger relationships with funders. Our conversation includes creativity, the personal touch, story-telling and the importan…

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110. Growing trusts income through better relationships, with Neela Jane Stansfield 30:09

2y ago30:09

30:09

This time we’re looking at successful fundraising with trusts and foundations, with an interview with Neela Jane Stansfield, author of Grants Fundraising, a new book published by the DSC. Central to Neela Jane’s philosophy is the importance of working hard to build relationships with funders. This is not always easy, so I was delighted to discuss v…

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