Sally Williams returns to The Charity Show to talk governance, not philanthropy this time. As chair of trustees at Veterans With Dogs, she's spent two and a half years learning what it really takes to lead a small charity through a founder-to-CEO transition, all while holding down her day job as Head of Philanthropy at the Royal College of Physicians.
Tim and Piers dig into the realities of trusteeship, the impact of assistance dogs on veterans living with PTSD and other trauma-related conditions, and why being small doesn't mean being unambitious.
What's in this episode:
- Sally's 24 years in the British Army and how that experience shaped her move into charity governance
- The origin story of Veterans With Dogs, founded after one veteran noticed his own assistance dog helping an entire support group
- What it's really like governing a small charity through a leadership transition, including stepping into operational gaps without a CEO in place
- How the charity balances demonstrating impact for funders with protecting the privacy and dignity of veterans and their dogs
- The "magic formula" for building an effective board of trustees, and why lived experience matters as much as governance experience
- Third sector news: the London Marathon's move to a two-day event in 2027, and the Big Give's Summer Campaign for Small Charity Week
Plus the usual small charity shoutouts, this week featuring Roundabout Drama Therapy and MK Cat Rescue.
Useful links:
- Veterans With Dogs: veteranswithdogs.org.uk/
- Roundabout Dramatherapy: roundaboutdramatherapy.org.uk/
- MK Cat rescue: mk-cat-rescue.org/
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