People Inspired By Purpose - Purposely Podcast

Revisiting the Story of Benevity with Founder Bryan de LottinvilleIn this revisited episode of Purposely Podcast, Mark Longbottom returns to a 2021 conversation with Bryan de Lottinville, founder of Benevity.Bryan is a purpose-led founder whose work has had a significant influence on how companies think about employee engagement, giving, and corporate responsibility. In this conversation, Bryan reflects on the ideas that led to the creation of Benevity, the decisions that shaped its growth, and the belief that business can play a meaningful role in enabling social good.Benevity went on to scale globally and was ultimately sold for around a billion dollars, but this episode focuses less on the outcome and more on the thinking behind the journey — from reimagining corporate giving to building a platform designed around employee choice and participation.Bryan’s background and the origins of BenevityThe limitations of traditional corporate giving models, and why change was neededDesigning technology that enables and encourages employee participationLeading and scaling a purpose-driven businessMaintaining culture through growth, disruption, and CovidReflections on leadership, wellbeing, and long-term impactWhere purpose-led business is heading nextWhy purpose was always central to Benevity’s modelHow democratising giving changes behaviour and cultureThe realities of founder leadership at scaleLessons for leaders working at the intersection of business and impactBenevity has supported the Purposely Podcast as a sponsor for the past three years. Thank you to Bryan de Lottinville for the conversation and for his ongoing contribution to the corporate purpose movement.Follow Purposely Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform to stay connected with future episodes.

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we revisit insights from Simon Fulford, Executive Director of Parrott Creek Child & Family Services, based in Portland, Oregon.Simon explains why rebuilding self-esteem and identity sits at the heart of working with young people who have experienced trauma, and why care can’t stop at programmes and therapy alone. If the physical environment, daily routines, and adult behaviours send the opposite message, the work can be undermined.He shares how Parrott Creek takes a holistic approach. From unconditional positive regard and mindfulness, to staff self-awareness, food, learning, and intentionally beautiful spaces. All of it is designed to communicate one consistent message to young people: you are worthy, you belong, and you can grow.This is a practical reflection on how environment, care, and values need to align if we’re serious about helping young people heal and thrive.This episode of Purposely was brought to you by Benevity, the all-in-one software solution that benefits employees, customers, nonprofits and society, with thanks also to Trust Investments for their ongoing support.

Revisited Episode (Recorded April 2021)A Tribute to Lea MilliganThis revisited episode of Purposely is shared as a tribute to Lea Milligan, who passed away unexpectedly in April 2024.From Purposely host Mark LongbottomBefore returning to this conversation, I wanted to pause and honour someone truly special. I first met Lea in London in 2016 when he was working at Mercy Ships UK, and I was at the St James’s Place Foundation. He reached out in a fundraising role, but it quickly became clear that Lea was far more than that - a phenomenal relationship-builder, a deeply human leader, and someone you always enjoyed talking with. He was a natural connector of people, with an unwavering focus on mission and purpose.Lea would go on to become an impressive leader in the mental health sector, serving as CEO of MQ Mental Health Research. News of his passing came as a real shock, and with great sadness. Re-sharing this conversation feels like a meaningful way to honour his impact and leadership.In this episode, Lea shares:The mission of MQ Mental Health Research and why it was establishedWhy mental health research remains chronically underfunded compared to other health areasThe parallels between the journey of cancer research and where mental health research is todayThe role of stigma in slowing progress — and why research is the first step toward real system changeWhy research may not deliver quick returns, but offers extraordinary long-term impactThis conversation captures Lea’s clarity of thought, humility, and deep commitment to improving mental health outcomes globally.

This episode of Purposely was recorded live at a CEO roundtable in Auckland, bringing together leaders from across Aotearoa’s charity and for-purpose sector to explore one of the biggest questions facing organisations right now: how to use AI well, without losing the human heart of the work.Hosts Dr Kirsty Agar-Jacomb and Mark Longbottom is joined by Dr Megan Blakely from the University of Canterbury, whose research focuses on human-centred AI. Rather than talking about technology for its own sake, Megan challenges leaders to think about AI as a tool for augmentation, not automation, and to stay focused on people, trust, and wellbeing as adoption accelerates.The conversation moves beyond theory into the practical realities charity CEOs are facing. Megan discusses how AI is already showing up in areas like fundraising and health data, and why leadership matters more than ever when it comes to transparency, ethical decision-making, and psychological safety. She also unpacks the tension many organisations feel between legal compliance and ethical responsibility, and why meeting the rules is only the starting point.This live discussion is part of a series of impact lunches hosted by Mark Longbottom, designed to create space for honest, off-the-record conversations among charity leaders about emerging issues shaping the sector.A big thank you to Foundation North for hosting the roundtable and bringing together CEOs from across New Zealand’s charity community.Thanks also to Trust Investments and Benevity, the ongoing sponsors of the Purposely Podcast, for supporting conversations that sit at the intersection of purpose, leadership, and impact.

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we hear from Seumas Fantham, Executive Director of the Todd Foundation, on what happens when a funder realises their well-intentioned model is actually holding communities and charities back.Seumas explains how the foundation used to fund 60–70 groups a year, which meant most staff time went into processing the 89% who didn’t receive funding. It wasn’t strategic, and it unintentionally encouraged competition between community groups rather than collaboration.So they changed course.Instead of spreading funding thin, the foundation stepped back, listened, and focused on a smaller number of areas where they could genuinely shift outcomes. Staff spent a year talking to communities, understanding the landscape, and mapping where the real gaps were before committing any funding.One of those areas was youth employment. Seumas shares how they looked beyond “getting young people work-ready” and started asking a bigger question: How do we help employers become youth-ready too? By speaking with schools, employers, parents, youth organisations, training providers and more, they uncovered a fragmented system where no single group saw the whole picture. The foundation’s new approach aims to bring these parts together so young people are supported from leaving education right through to settling into a job.Purposely SHORT is brought to you by Benevity and Trust Investments.