Charity Speaker for Webinars, Conferences, Podcasts & Events
As an experienced charity speaker and coach with over 15 years of valuable insights gained in the Charity Sector, I'm passionate about sharing my expertise in person and virtually. I offer a range of engaging and informative sessions tailored to the needs of charity professionals and freelancers, with a focus on personal well-being, professional growth, and sustainability.
Through webinars, guest speaking engagements, podcasts and events, I address the real challenges those dedicated to making a difference in the charity sector face. Scroll down for recordings from previous speaking engagements.
Topics I often discuss:
Charity Freelancing: How to do it sustainably and successfully.
Overcoming Burnout: Strategies to stop burnout in the charity sector.
Well-being in the Charity Sector: Promoting well-being and resilience.
Parenthood and Work-Life Balance: Navigating the challenges of balancing career and family life.
Upcoming Webinars, Workshops, Conference’s, Podcasts & Events
Topics I Speak About As A Charity Speaker
Managing Stress & Overcoming Burnout
Discover effective strategies to prevent and combat burnout within the charity sector. I provide practical guidance to help professionals maintain their passion for purposeful work.
Wellbeing in the Charity Sector
Explore ways to promote personal well-being and resilience. I share insights on maintaining a healthy work-life balance to enable organisations to have a sustainable impact.
Parenthood and Work-Life Balance
Parenthood comes with unique challenges, especially for those working in the charity sector. I share how to find a balance between your career and family life, so that parents can thrive.
Bethany Helliwell-Smith founded Awen Coaching in 2020 after working in the charity sector for over a decade. Her mission is to create a charity sector where people want to work, where they can be healthy, and still make a positive impact. She empowers individuals and teams through coaching, inspires audiences through speaking engagements, and delivers effective workshops and team development programmes.
About Charity Speaker, Bethany
Previous Webinars, Workshops, Conference’s, Podcasts & Events
Workshop
3 Decisions Charity Freelancers Need to Make This Autumn
Recorded live on Thursday 10th September 2026
If you are an experienced charity freelancer and you are already tired in September, this workshop is about why that happens and what to do about it before the autumn runs away with you.
This is the full recording of a live workshop run on the 10th of September 2026 for freelancers and consultants who work with charities and non profits. It is not about how to find more clients, because most of the people in the room did not need more clients, they needed a business that could carry the work they already had.
We talk about pricing your work properly rather than selling your availability, why a full calendar and a healthy business are not the same thing, and what actually changes when somebody else can see your pipeline.
Podcast
From fundraiser to freelancer with Bethany Helliwell-Smith
Released on Wednesday 2nd September 2026
Have you ever quietly wondered: Could I go freelance?
For many fundraisers, freelancing can feel like the risky option. But what if stepping outside the org chart could actually bring more security, control and a more sustainable relationship with your work?
In this episode of Raise, Christine Neubeiser and Sian Wilkinson-Iles are joined by Bethany Helliwell-Smith, founder of Awen Coaching, to talk about her journey from in-house fundraiser to coach, facilitator and business owner.
After a career spanning telephone fundraising, Individual Giving, Major Gifts and Legacies, Bethany experienced burnout, furlough and three redundancies before the age of 30. But she hadn't fallen out of love with fundraising or the charity sector, she needed to find a different way to work within it.
We talk about the identity shift that comes with leaving the org chart, why the skills that make a great fundraiser can also make a great business owner, what you need to unlearn when you go freelance, and how to build a sustainable business without recreating the burnout you left behind.
And for anyone thinking about making the leap, Bethany has one particularly important message: Don't just recreate your employed life without the regular salary. If you're considering freelancing, already building your own business, or simply wondering what else your fundraising career could look like, this episode is for you.
Workshop
3 Ways to Get Paid for Your Impact, Not Just Your Availability
Recorded live on Wednesday 8th July 2026
In this free workshop, I share 3 ways charity freelancers can get paid for their impact, not just their availability. So many experienced charity freelancers are brilliant at the work they do, but still find themselves stuck in the “availability trap” where income is capped by how many hours or days they can physically deliver.
In this session, we look at how to move beyond always charging by the day, and start thinking about pricing, packaging and positioning your work in a way that better reflects your experience, expertise and the outcomes you help charity clients create.
Workshop
Stop saying yes to work you didn't agree to
Recorded live on Wednesday 6th May 2026
This workshop focused on teaching freelance charity professionals how to better manage client requests using the S.L.O.W. Method (Stop, Look, Outline, Write).
Bethany led participants through exercises where they practiced responding more deliberately to client requests instead of automatically saying yes, helping them recognise when work was outside their scope and how to set appropriate boundaries.
The group discussed common challenges including handling urgent requests and the habit of over-accommodating clients, with participants sharing specific examples from their work.
Workshop
3 Practical Shifts for Charity Freelancers
Recorded live on Wednesday 1st April 2026
Join me for a short, practical workshop exploring three simple shifts to help you set clearer boundaries, protect your energy, and keep doing meaningful work without burning out.
Designed for experienced charity freelancers, this session will help you move from reactive, pressure-led work towards a steadier way of working that can hold, even when the sector doesn’t.
Webinar
How External Support Can Actually Help Charities Thrive
Recorded live on Wednesday 4th March 2026
This is a free 60-minute webinar for charity leaders and charity freelancers across the UK, particularly those feeling the pressure to keep everything moving with limited time and capacity to think.
In this candid, practical session, Bethany Helliwell-Smith, founder of Awen Coaching, and Analiese Doctrove, draw on their combined experience inside charities and as external consultants to explore when external support genuinely helps — and how to use it in ways that build clarity, trust, and sustainability rather than adding pressure.
The session focuses on real-world decision-making, healthy collaboration, and how charities can grow without grinding people down.
Podcast
From Redundancy To Resilience
Released on Tuesday 10th March 2026
What if redundancy wasn't a setback but your invitation to design work on your terms? We sit down with Bethany Helliwell-Smith, a former fundraiser who turned crisis into clarity, building a coaching practice that helps freelancers and fundraisers do good and be well.
We explore the habits that transfer from fundraising to freelancing, diving into the mindset work that frees many charity professionals: deprogramming nine-to-five thinking, moving from time-based pricing to output-based value, and holding boundaries so other people's urgency doesn't run your week. Expect practical tips on building community online and offline, protecting your energy from compassion fatigue, and planning your year around rhythms so you can thrive without burning out.
Enjoy the conversation, then subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.
Webinar
Making AI Work for Your Fundraising and Your Well-Being
Recorded live on Wednesday 4th February 2025
This is a free 60-minute webinar for charity fundraisers, freelancers, managers and leaders across the UK charity sector, whether you’re AI-curious or already experimenting and want to use it more intentionally.
In this candid, practical session, Bethany Helliwell-Smith, founder of Awen Coaching, and Phoebe Broad, Director at Constellation Fundraising, draw on their shared experience as former fundraisers to explore how AI can support both effective fundraising and healthier ways of working.
Webinar
Building a Healthier Career in Fundraising
Recorded live on Tuesday 2nd December 2025
The charity sector has never needed its fundraisers more, yet many feel stretched, uncertain, or ready for change.
Join Katharine Tinker-Switzer from Bamboo Fundraising Recruitment and Bethany Helliwell-Smith from Awen Coaching for an honest, hopeful conversation about the current state of fundraising recruitment and how to build a career that supports your purpose and well-being.
Webinar
Building Client Relationships That Feel Good
Recorded live on: Wednesday 15th October 2025
Are you a freelance marketer, fundraiser, or comms pro working for a charity? Do you want to build strong client relationships without the stress?
Join me, Bethany Helliwell-Smith (Charity Coach and founder of Awen Coaching), and Alex Fearon (Email Expert and founder of Maybe Later) for a practical session on growing your audience without burning out.
In one hour, you’ll learn simple, sustainable strategies for building effective client relationships that benefit both you and your clients.
Co-hosted with Alex Fearon.
Webinar
Building Supporter Relationships That Feel Good
Live on: Wednesday 1st October 2025
Re-recorded on: Friday 3rd October 2025
Are you a marketer, fundraiser, or comms pro working for a charity? Do you want to build a strong supporter base without the stress?
Bethany Helliwell-Smith (Charity Coach and founder of Awen Coaching), and Alex Fearon (Email Expert and founder of Maybe Later) share a practical session on growing your audience without burning out.
In one hour, you’ll learn simple, sustainable strategies for building loyal supporter relationships that benefit both you and your supporters.
Co-hosted with Alex Fearon.
Podcast
How to Avoid Burnout
Live on: Thursday 19th September 2024
On the Charity People Podcast, Katharine Tinker-Switzer, Charity People’s Fundraising Senior Recruitment Consultant, and former Fundraiser, will be joined by Bethany Helliwell-Smith from Awen Coaching. This episode will explore how to prevent burnout and the things you can put in place to help. We will be delving into tips on how to set boundaries in a new role.
Workshop
Navigating Burnout in the
Nonprofit Sector using AI
Recorded: Tuesday 16th April 2024
Charity professionals are, unfortunately, no strangers to the challenges of stress burnout. The demanding nature of the nonprofit sector often leads to exhaustion, decreased productivity, and emotional strain. In this webinar, we'll delve into how AI solutions can offer valuable support in preventing and mitigating burnout among charity professionals.
Co-hosted with Jordan Patrick, founder of CharityGPT.
Workshop
Ignite Change
Recorded: Wednesday 6th March 2024
Join experienced coaches, Bethany Helliwell-Smith and Caroline Doran, for this FREE one-hour workshop - Ignite Change. This transformative experience is designed for individuals working in the charity sector who are tired of feeling stuck and are ready to create a life they truly desire.
Co-hosted with Caroline Doran, Deliver Grow.
Webinar
Empowering Purpose-Driven Leaders: Overcoming Burnout
Recorded: Thursday 9th November 2023
If you are a purpose-driven leader and are feeling burnout, check out this recorded webinar where we enter into a conversation about burnout and how to prevent it.
Co-hosted with Mantle.
Webinar
Balancing Career and
Parenthood without Burning out
Recorded: Thursday 7th December 2023
If you are striving to balance the demands of your career alongside the responsibilities of parenthood listen to Bethany, Fran and Jodie to discover the secrets to achieving a balance between your work and family life without burning out.
Co-hosted with Mantle.