‘All In This Together’: creating an income-generating mindset across your charity

Many charity leaders are navigating increasing financial pressure, shifting funding models, and growing expectations around sustainability. But what if income generation was not just about fundraising, but about building an organisation-wide mindset?

Too often, income generation sits in silos: a fundraising team working separately from delivery teams, commercial activity disconnected from a charity’s mission and values, or sitting in isolation on the leader’s shoulders. But when leaders intentionally connect component parts of their organisation, they can unlock stronger collaboration, shared ownership, and more sustainable income streams that are deeply aligned with purpose.

This highly interactive full-day workshop will explore how culture, leadership behaviours and organisational narrative can strengthen your charity’s approach to income generation. Through a series of practical sessions, peer discussion and reflective exercises, participants will explore how to move beyond seeing fundraising as a standalone function and instead embed income generation as a shared organisational responsibility.

The day will focus on three key areas:

• Culture – exploring how to reframe income generation through organisational purpose and values, and how leaders can create stronger integration between fundraising, delivery and innovation.
• Leadership – developing the confidence, behaviours and mindset needed to lead organisation-wide income generation and build stronger partnerships and supporter engagement.
• Narrative – creating a culture of storytelling across the organisation, including how to communicate impact in ways that inspire supporters, donors and partners to feel part of the mission.

Participants will leave with practical frameworks, new perspectives and actionable ideas to help build a more sustainable, collaborative and income-generating culture within their organisations.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Understand how organisational culture influences income generation
• Explore leadership approaches that support organisation-wide ownership of fundraising and partnerships
• Learn practical tools for integrating fundraising and mission delivery
• Develop approaches to storytelling that strengthen supporter engagement
• Identify opportunities to embed income generation more fully across their organisation

Facilitators

Karina Martin

Chief innovation officer, Better Story

Karina Martin

Chief innovation officer, Better Story

Karina has over 20 years’ experience as a charity founder, CEO and social venture leader. Skilled in strategy, project innovation and fundraising, she is passionate about helping charity leaders develop strong sustainable organisations that make a real difference to people's lives. Karina has a business Masters in Social Innovation and is involved with social impact work at her local church. She lives in Derbyshire with 1 husband, 2 cats and 3 chickens.

Dan Doherty

Founder & CEO, Better Story

Dan Doherty

Founder & CEO, Better Story

Dan has years of experience as a CEO and fundraising manager for several internationally recognised non-profit organisations. He has raised millions of pounds for charities over the last 10 years. He is passionate about charities having the resources they need to multiply their impact, helping more people to 'live a better story'. He lives in Wiltshire with his two girls and labradoodle.

Mel Carlisle

Head of copy, Better Story

Mel Carlisle

Head of copy, Better Story

For over 15 years, Mel has been using a combination of strategy and creativity to help charities make a positive difference to the world. She spent seven years working for charities in-house as a writer, communications officer and publications manager. She then served small and large charities and businesses as a freelance copywriter and communications consultant for six years, before joining Better Story in 2020. She lives in Bristol with her husband, daughter and office dog.