Lessons from Leading a Volunteer Based Charity with Simon Errington

In this special Podcaston Week episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton speaks with Simon Errington, CEO of Children in Distress, about the charity’s 35-year journey from supporting Romanian children after the fall of communism to evolving its focus toward funding grassroots projects in the UK while maintaining legacy work in Romania. Simon shares current initiatives including Casa Maria in Bucharest for children with neurological and physical disabilities, an annual 5,000-shoebox Christmas campaign, and UK pilot programs in Hull that build community, education, and confidence through cooking clubs and heritage-language learning. He discusses the leadership challenges of running volunteer-led organisations, emphasizing trust, relationships, community, and communicating impact to engage younger supporters, and he explains how to donate or volunteer via childrenindistress.org.00:00 Why Teamwork Wins00:46 Podcastathon Week Intro01:10 Meet Simon Errington01:59 Charity Origins in Romania03:19 Casa Maria and Shoeboxes04:09 Pivoting to the UK05:55 UK Projects in Hull09:48 Key Pillars for Youth11:59 Why Simon Volunteers14:42 Leading Volunteers as CEO18:43 Shoebox Campaign Community21:52 Engaging Younger Supporters25:16 Small Charity Big Impact28:04 How to Donate and Volunteer29:57 Wrap Up and SubscribeYou can learn more about Children in Distress and volunteer herewww.childrenindistress.orgConnect with Julia:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTake the IMPACTFUL Teamwork Quiz to assess your team's communication, creativity culture, goal clarity, and conflict resolution skills!Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on Spotify