Chapters:

(0:00:00) – Social Entrepreneurship and Community Impact

(0:05:23) – Campaigning and Charity Governance

(0:12:56) – Fundraising and Funders

(0:15:31) – Being Youth Led

(0:20:04) – Leadership in Social Impact Organizations

(0:24:26) – Risk-Taking and Learning in Social Entrepreneurship

(0:30:30) – Finding Hope and Doing Good.

Episode keywords:

Community Impact, Social Entrepreneur, Reclaim Project, Rekindle School, Communities, Lived Experience, Fundraising, Funders, Grassroots, Non Profit Organizations, Boards, Governance, Campaigning, Sustainable Funding Models, Diversity, Evaluation, Critical Thinking.  

Episode transcript:

You can access the transcript for this episode here. It is AI generated and not 100% perfect but I think it is good enough to follow the conversation. Unfortunately I don’t have the resource to manually make the corrections. 

Episode description:

Discover the inspiring journey of Ruth Ibegbuna, a serial social entrepreneur who has founded multiple organisations – Reclaim Project, Roots Programme, Rekindle School, and Northern Soul. We learn how Ruth transitioned from being a teacher to a social entrepreneur, focusing on the importance of listening to communities and addressing their needs. Master how to balance grassroots care and thought leadership in your social impact organization and understand how to make a lasting difference in your community.

Navigating the challenges of fundraising and board meetings can be daunting, but through our discussion with Ruth, we uncover valuable insights into building relationships with funders and selecting the right people for your organization’s board. Unveil key strategies and celebrate the successes that have led to significant changes in Ruth’s organizations. We explore the power of having difficult conversations and taking a genuine approach in professional settings.

We also delve into the importance of risk-taking and cultivating a culture of learning within social entrepreneurship. Ruth sheds light on Rekindle School, which operates alongside the regular school curriculum and provides young people with a space to explore topics like feminism, toxic masculinity, and race. We also discuss finding useful resources for social entrepreneurs, and the power of taking action by connecting with organizations making a positive impact. Join us for this enlightening conversation with Ruth Ibegbuna and get inspired to grow your own organisation’s impact.

Links to resources:

• Reclaim Project
• Roots Programme
• Rekindle School
• Northern Soul.

Ruth Ibegbuna, Social Entrepreneur and CEO

Ruth Ibegbuna is a serial social entrepreneur. Ruth is the founder of:

• the multi award-winning youth leadership charity RECLAIM;
• The Roots Programme, a radical new approach to bridging divides between UK communities;
• Northern Soul, with a mission to amplify a more powerful Northern voice and presence in the UK;
• Rekindle School, a supplementary school in Manchester; supporting young critical thinkers and changemakers from working-class communities.

Ruth has won numerous awards and plaudits in the youth, voluntary and business sectors. She is a Clore Social Fellow, an Ashoka UK Fellow, and wrote ‘On Youth’ to showcase the stories of five working-class young people.

Ruth was listed in The Sunday Times as one of the 500 most influential people in the UK, in The Debrett’s 500 in 2016. She was also listed by Virgin and Ashoka as one of the top six female change makers internationally.

You can find Ruth at Northern Soul and on Linkedin and Twitter.