Permission to Fail Podcast

Is the charity sector a place for true disruption and can embracing failure help tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues? In our new podcast, ‘Permission to fail’, we shine a light on our experience of trial, error, philanthropy and entrepreneurship when delivering solar energy to rural last-mile communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

With nearly 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lacking electricity and with less than a decade to go until 2030 when the world is to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals, SolarAid advocates for the importance of not only embracing, but also championing failure in a true attempt to learn and succeed together.

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Episode One: Big Hairy Audacious Goal

Host Kirsty Adams explores how setting big ambitions and daring to fail can inspire, elevate and take projects in new unexpected directions together with guests from SolarAid, John Keane (CEO), Richard Turner (Director of Fundraising) and Brave Mhonie, (General Director, Malawi), .

Episode Two: What does it mean to truly listen?

Why is Monitoring and Evaluation vital for change driven organisations and what does it mean to really listen to the people we work with on the ground? What can we learn from involving rural communities when we innovate to drive change, and what are some preconceptions development organisations often bring with them into the field?

Episode Three: Funding with Permission to Fail

Is restrictive funding holding back sustainable development for charities, and can funding with permission to fail better support organisations’ innovation work? Can funding with permission to fail work hand-in-hand with accountability, and what can funders and philanthropists learn from the development sector to ensure their investments are really put to good use?

Episode Four: Changing the narrative in storytelling

Images and stories are fundamental for charities to spread awareness about the problem they are trying to solve, to harness support and show impact of the funds they are receiving. These images and stories are being used for campaigning, fundraising and advocacy. But with charities operating in complex environments, and often with people in vulnerable situations, there is debate around the portrayal and representation of poverty and images of suffering. How can we tell better and more authentic stories and who ultimately owns the story? What are the risks with charity storytelling and can it do more harm than good? And most importantly, how can we learn from past mistakes?

Episode Five

Coming Soon

Episode Six

Coming Soon