10,000 Volunteers and Counting: The Cats Protection Story - With John May CVO OBE

In episode 43 of The Charity Show, Tim and Piers sit down with John May OBE CVO, Chief Executive of Cats Protection, for a wide-ranging and genuinely fascinating conversation about what it really takes to lead one of the UK's most recognisable charities at serious scale. Cats Protection is approaching its centenary, operates with around 1,000 staff and over 10,000 volunteers, and draws 50% of its income from legacies. John brings a career spanning the Scout movement, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Young Enterprise to his role - and that deep background in volunteer-driven organisations shapes everything about how he thinks about leadership, culture and change. Together, Tim, Piers and John explore: • Why the balance of power between volunteers and staff has shifted over the past 40 years and where the "sweet spot" really lies • How volunteering is changing, from micro-volunteering and bite-sized commitments to the challenge of aging branch committees • Why Cats Protection is moving away from a one-size-fits-all volunteering model towards a more flexible, mixed ecosystem approach • Whether you need to have been a volunteer yourself to lead a volunteer-powered organisation • The advice John would give smaller charities about getting the most from their volunteers, including the value of a proper skills audit • How Cats Protection has refreshed its brand and is using everything from a paper magazine to TikTok and its own podcast (The Cat's Got Your Tongue) to reach new audiences without alienating loyal supporters • Why John doesn't believe there's a crisis of generosity, but does think charities need to be far more sophisticated about the donor lifecycle • The surprising resilience of legacy income and the turnaround in Cats Protection's retail operation • How the charity's Lifeline programme supports survivors of domestic abuse by fostering their pets • His one piece of advice for charity leaders: trust your people, trust your intuition, and explore the tension when the two conflict Also in this episode, Tim and Piers discuss the return of the Big Help Out (5th–8th June 2026, this time in partnership with The Big Lunch), fresh data from Marie Curie showing 47% of UK adults plan to volunteer in 2026, and findings from the Enthuse Charity Pulse Report showing 77% of charities saw fundraising income grow or hold stable in 2025. And in the Small Charity Spotlight, huge shoutouts to Tom's Trust - the UK's leading charity providing psychological support to children with brain tumours and their families - and Northumbria Blood Bikes, whose unpaid volunteers deliver blood, urgent medical supplies and donated breast milk across the North East of England, often overnight and largely unseen. Useful links: • Cats Protection – https://www.cats.org.uk • The Cat's Got Your Tongue podcast – search on your usual podcast platform • The Big Help Out – https://thebighelpout.org.uk • Enthuse Charity Pulse Report – https://enthuse.com • Tom's Trust – https://www.tomstrust.org.uk • Northumbria Blood Bikes – search Northumbria Blood Bikes • The Good Studio – Creative content for good causes – https://www.thegoodstudio.co.uk Get involved: • Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform • Email us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) • Send a voice message to TheCharityShow • Find every link you need: https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show! 💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK. This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at www.thegoodstudio.co.uk (http://www.thegoodstudio.co.uk)