You either make money or make a difference. The lie everyone believes. - Clare Sweeney, Keepace Consulting
Episode 22 - THAT MOMENT
There's a lie we've all been told. You either make money or make a difference. Pick one. Clare Sweeney spent years living that false choice until she couldn't anymore.
For years, Clare worked in commercial - CRM, FMCG, brand development. Senior Client Services Director. She was good at it. But in 2012, a friend's son was given a life-limiting diagnosis. Medical companies weren't interested. The disease didn't fit the commercial model. So Clare volunteered for a year to help set up a charity.
That year changed everything. When she returned to agency, she couldn't feel the same way. She didn't care whether FMCG organizations were selling more products at inflated prices. She wanted impact. And she realised: the lie wasn't true. Profit and purpose aren't enemies. They multiply.
Clare founded Keepace Consulting - a crossover practice connecting commercial skills with charity sector impact. She's proof the boundaries are artificial. That commercial marketing transforms how charities raise income. That partnerships between sectors don't compete - they compound.
But here's what made the real difference: at age ten, Clare had a moment of clarity. She suddenly realised adults weren't operating from some higher plane of certainty. They were just big kids - still making it up and winging it every single day. No magic age where you suddenly know your stuff. Just people, improvising, doing their best.
That insight removed the fear of not being qualified enough. It gave her permission to build something that didn't fit into either category neatly.
This episode tackles the false choice keeping both sectors separated and struggling. It's about why commercial skills look different in a charity boardroom, not worse. Why efficiency isn't a dirty word in the not-for-profit space. Why connection, not loyalty, drives giving.
The Uncomfortable Truths About Cross-Sector Work:
The Commercial Sector Has Tools Charities Need: Clare moved from commercial with CRM systems and brand strategies to charity and realised: they want these tools but don't have them. It's not that tools are wrong - they've been locked away as exclusively commercial. But marketing strategy, data management, audience insight - these are human. They work anywhere people are involved.
Loyalty Is a Myth - Connection Is Reality: Everyone talks about donor loyalty. But what keeps people giving? Connection. Being part of a story that matters. When Clare shifted to charity, she realised loyalty is transactional. Connection is transformational. It's the difference between someone giving once and giving for life.
The Charity Sector Ignores Efficiency: Charities celebrate passion and mission. But they often ignore the one thing that lets them do more: efficiency. Clare brought commercial discipline to charity - not to cut corners, but to stretch resources further. To serve more people. The most effective organisations treat money with respect, not guilt.
You're Not Here With a Begging Bowl: This is Clare's fundamental shift. Charities often approach partnerships like they're asking permission. Neither side recognises the truth: you're here to add value. You're here because partnership makes both sides stronger. That confidence changes everything.
Commercial Skills Transfer - If You Stop Apologising: The moment Clare stopped acting like commercial expertise was less noble than charity work, everything shifted. Marketing strategy is marketing strategy. The context changes application, not value. Confidence changes what's possible.
Key Insights Uncovered:
Why the sectors stay separate when they need each other - it's psychology and identity, not skills
How one year volunteering revealed profit and purpose aren't in conflict - they multiply
The ten-year-old who realised adults are improvising too - and how that removes the fear keeping people small
Why legacy giving isn't about death - it's about belonging
How commercial discipline applied to charity amplifies the mission rather than diminishing it
From Clare's perspective as someone who's built a career on both sides of the profit-purpose divide, witness how the lie persists because nobody breaks it down loudly. She's driven FMCG sales as Senior Client Services Director. She's built a medical research charity from nothing. She's now the bridge - proving commercial marketing transforms charity income and that the most powerful thing you can do is stop pretending profit and purpose are enemies.
Clare shares what she learned at ten: we're all winging it. Adults, leaders, CEOs - all improvising. That realisation gave her permission to trust her instincts. To build something at the intersection, where transformation actually happens.
This episode addresses the question every professional with a conscience asks: do I have to choose between making money and making a difference? Or is that choice itself the lie we need to stop believing?
About Supo:
Supo provides people-first intelligence software for professional services firms, helping businesses maximize profit and motivate their people through powerful, AI-enabled business intelligence dashboards. By connecting over 500+ platforms and providing real-time data analysis, Supo helps firms make better data-driven decisions about their profit, projects, and people.
For more information about Supo: www.supo.co.uk
About Keepace Consulting:
Keepace Consulting is a cross-sector fundraising consultancy founded by Clare Sweeney. Specialising in connecting commercial expertise with charity and heritage sectors, Keepace works with organisations across culture, heritage, music and social impact to build sustainable income models that honour mission whilst respecting commercial discipline. With 25+ years spanning both worlds, Clare brings proven strategies in legacy fundraising and corporate partnerships. She lightens the load and adds passion and creativity to fundraising - her infectious energy and nurturing approach help fundraisers maximise their potential. Keepace exists to prove that profit and purpose multiply.
For more information about Keepace Consulting: https://www.keepaceconsults.com/
Ready to discover why the choice between profit and purpose is a lie - and what happens when you stop believing it? This episode is about why the best work happens when sectors stop pretending they're enemies.