Martyn Drake
@martyndrake.bsky.social
Works with some of the UKs most loved charities and social businesses. Consultant, coach, author of The Commercial Charity. www.binleydrake.com
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Martyn Drake
@martyndrake.bsky.social
· Nov 22
The Commercial Charity
How successfully to use business principles & techniques not just to raise money but to create long lasting & self-sustaining social impact.
fundraising.co.uk
Charities need to be more commercially astute. Whether it’s commissioned services or corporate partnerships or changing mainstream practices, you need to understand business. If you can’t buy, beg, borrow or steal a copy, DM me and I’ll post you one for free.
fundraising.co.uk/books/the-co...
fundraising.co.uk/books/the-co...
Reposted by Martyn Drake
“We know people don’t 'present' with a single issue – their challenges are often complex and intersectional, which is why agencies need to work together if they want to make a real difference”
@martyndrake.bsky.social
@martyndrake.bsky.social
Martyn Drake: The power of relationships and community
Charities can bring organisations together across sectors and have conversations about common purpose
www.thirdsector.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 8:43 AM
“We know people don’t 'present' with a single issue – their challenges are often complex and intersectional, which is why agencies need to work together if they want to make a real difference”
@martyndrake.bsky.social
@martyndrake.bsky.social
This is brilliant. Their album had been no. 1 in the charts for over a month, having knocked "With the Beatles" off top spot. And they're playing 5th on the bill at a Uni gig where the champagne and buffet are the main attractions. Such innocent times.
February 6, 2026 at 4:41 PM
This is brilliant. Their album had been no. 1 in the charts for over a month, having knocked "With the Beatles" off top spot. And they're playing 5th on the bill at a Uni gig where the champagne and buffet are the main attractions. Such innocent times.
Reposted by Martyn Drake
Good leaders make good appointments. It's what makes then good.
February 5, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Good leaders make good appointments. It's what makes then good.
Interesting early research on AI in the workplace and how it can reduce our ability to learn new skills
Interesting paper, especially interesting it's coming from researchers at Anthropic arxiv.org/pdf/2601.20245
February 3, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Interesting early research on AI in the workplace and how it can reduce our ability to learn new skills
Reposted by Martyn Drake
It's like watching a doctor remove all the infected organs and wondering if they'll be enough left to allow the uninfected patient to live.
New: Nigel Farage unveils Suella Braverman, former Home Secretary, as his latest defector
January 26, 2026 at 12:18 PM
It's like watching a doctor remove all the infected organs and wondering if they'll be enough left to allow the uninfected patient to live.
Reposted by Martyn Drake
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
January 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
In fact, don't take my word for it, CNN analysis here has multiple video angles and pretty solid evidence that Pretti's gun was in its holster and was removed by an agent, while Pretti was being restrained, all before he was subsequently shot. edition.cnn.com/2026/01/24/u...
January 25, 2026 at 11:27 AM
In fact, don't take my word for it, CNN analysis here has multiple video angles and pretty solid evidence that Pretti's gun was in its holster and was removed by an agent, while Pretti was being restrained, all before he was subsequently shot. edition.cnn.com/2026/01/24/u...
Watch the man in the tan coat, blue jeans, black gloves, approaches the fracas from the left with empty hands. He then runs directly towards the camera, seemingly with a pistol in his right hand. Possibly Pretti's pistol, having removed it from his person, BEFORE the first shot is heard.
January 25, 2026 at 10:55 AM
Watch the man in the tan coat, blue jeans, black gloves, approaches the fracas from the left with empty hands. He then runs directly towards the camera, seemingly with a pistol in his right hand. Possibly Pretti's pistol, having removed it from his person, BEFORE the first shot is heard.
Another good piece of analysis from @samfr.bsky.social
This line: "no government has bothered coming up with a coherent theory of regulation" - it sounds academic but it's absolutely central.
You can't coordinate any improvement without describing at least what you *think* good looks like.
This line: "no government has bothered coming up with a coherent theory of regulation" - it sounds academic but it's absolutely central.
You can't coordinate any improvement without describing at least what you *think* good looks like.
January 25, 2026 at 10:20 AM
Another good piece of analysis from @samfr.bsky.social
This line: "no government has bothered coming up with a coherent theory of regulation" - it sounds academic but it's absolutely central.
You can't coordinate any improvement without describing at least what you *think* good looks like.
This line: "no government has bothered coming up with a coherent theory of regulation" - it sounds academic but it's absolutely central.
You can't coordinate any improvement without describing at least what you *think* good looks like.
When one person starts with coercion and another responds with compliance, the pattern is set. Sure, pick your battles, but remember Angelou: "when they show you who they are, believe them the first time" works both ways.
January 23, 2026 at 9:42 PM
When one person starts with coercion and another responds with compliance, the pattern is set. Sure, pick your battles, but remember Angelou: "when they show you who they are, believe them the first time" works both ways.
Reposted by Martyn Drake
“No one man can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.”
-Edward R. Murrow
-Edward R. Murrow
January 23, 2026 at 8:01 PM
“No one man can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.”
-Edward R. Murrow
-Edward R. Murrow
If you're interested in civil society and/or national renewal, this is an excellent read. It's about the lessons learned and the movement that's growing around community-led development.
Well done @jamestplunkett.bsky.social for bringing it so eloquently together and @samfr.bsky.social for sharing.
Well done @jamestplunkett.bsky.social for bringing it so eloquently together and @samfr.bsky.social for sharing.
New post just out:
"Power to the People"
Today we have a guest post from @jamestplunkett.bsky.social on how Labour can counter the "Britain is Broken" narrative by investing in civic life and giving people more control over their community.
(Free to read)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/p...
"Power to the People"
Today we have a guest post from @jamestplunkett.bsky.social on how Labour can counter the "Britain is Broken" narrative by investing in civic life and giving people more control over their community.
(Free to read)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/p...
Power to the People
How Labour can restore civic life and counter the "Britain is broken" narrative
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 9:52 AM
If you're interested in civil society and/or national renewal, this is an excellent read. It's about the lessons learned and the movement that's growing around community-led development.
Well done @jamestplunkett.bsky.social for bringing it so eloquently together and @samfr.bsky.social for sharing.
Well done @jamestplunkett.bsky.social for bringing it so eloquently together and @samfr.bsky.social for sharing.
I try to avoid party politics on here, but forgive me one post: If you have no agenda you end up being driven by everyone else's.
That every email I get from my local Labour Party is that "we need to mobilise to keep out Reform" or to "end the Tory shambles" is as depressing as it is telling.
That every email I get from my local Labour Party is that "we need to mobilise to keep out Reform" or to "end the Tory shambles" is as depressing as it is telling.
January 15, 2026 at 6:33 PM
I try to avoid party politics on here, but forgive me one post: If you have no agenda you end up being driven by everyone else's.
That every email I get from my local Labour Party is that "we need to mobilise to keep out Reform" or to "end the Tory shambles" is as depressing as it is telling.
That every email I get from my local Labour Party is that "we need to mobilise to keep out Reform" or to "end the Tory shambles" is as depressing as it is telling.
Reposted by Martyn Drake
Reminder that in the UK an incoming radical, populist government would have immediate access to immense, unchecked executive power.
And the current government is doing nothing to protect us from that.
And the current government is doing nothing to protect us from that.
NEW
The UK constitution is even more vulnerable than the US constitution
In the face of an illiberal radical assault, what has happened politically in America could easily happen in the UK
By me, at @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
The UK constitution is even more vulnerable than the US constitution
In the face of an illiberal radical assault, what has happened politically in America could easily happen in the UK
By me, at @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
January 15, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Reminder that in the UK an incoming radical, populist government would have immediate access to immense, unchecked executive power.
And the current government is doing nothing to protect us from that.
And the current government is doing nothing to protect us from that.
Reposted by Martyn Drake
Keep watching - Trump and his circle almost have their precious goal: invoking the Insurrection Act.
As per said before: a great deal of what is being done is simply Trump and his circle working backwards from this objective.
As per said before: a great deal of what is being done is simply Trump and his circle working backwards from this objective.
January 15, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Keep watching - Trump and his circle almost have their precious goal: invoking the Insurrection Act.
As per said before: a great deal of what is being done is simply Trump and his circle working backwards from this objective.
As per said before: a great deal of what is being done is simply Trump and his circle working backwards from this objective.
Manchester is the fastest growing local economy in the UK and also has the most holistic and integrated approach to community, health, and voluntary sector development. That's no coincidence. Join me to find out how it works: binleydrake.com/event/in-goo... @hayleylever.bsky.social @gmmoving.co.uk
In Good Company: Manchester, with Hayley Lever and Warren Heppolette - Binley Drake Consulting
Martyn Drake in conversation with Hayley Lever (Greater Manchester Moving) and Warren Heppolette (Greater Manchester Prevention Demonstrator)
binleydrake.com
January 15, 2026 at 9:36 AM
Manchester is the fastest growing local economy in the UK and also has the most holistic and integrated approach to community, health, and voluntary sector development. That's no coincidence. Join me to find out how it works: binleydrake.com/event/in-goo... @hayleylever.bsky.social @gmmoving.co.uk
Reposted by Martyn Drake
For years now, the charity sector has faced a lot of headwinds that only seem to be strengthening. The question is, can we use them to move us forwards instead of blowing us backwards?
@martyndrake.bsky.social
@martyndrake.bsky.social
Martyn Drake: How can charities take advantage of adversity?
The headwinds facing the sector are strengthening, but some organisations have worked out how to become ‘antifragile’
www.thirdsector.co.uk
January 13, 2026 at 8:54 AM
For years now, the charity sector has faced a lot of headwinds that only seem to be strengthening. The question is, can we use them to move us forwards instead of blowing us backwards?
@martyndrake.bsky.social
@martyndrake.bsky.social
Do these people just watch Black Mirror and think "hell yeah, there's the business opportunity we've missed"?
If you made a Venn diagram of every weird person I knew in Silicon Valley during the first dot-com boom, centrifuged it, extracted the pellet, and re-suspended it in high-proof eugenics with a splash of AI, you'd end up with something like this.
It'll take a strong stomach to read this "gift" link.
It'll take a strong stomach to read this "gift" link.
Can You Optimize Love?
www.nytimes.com
January 8, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Do these people just watch Black Mirror and think "hell yeah, there's the business opportunity we've missed"?
Reposted by Martyn Drake
The right to life comprises a right not to be unlawfully killed and a right to have any killing properly investigated.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota investigators say they can't access evidence after fatal ICE shooting and FBI won't work jointly on probe.
@reuters.com
@reuters.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:07 PM
The right to life comprises a right not to be unlawfully killed and a right to have any killing properly investigated.
Reposted by Martyn Drake
“This is how radicalised American media and politics is becoming on the right”
“It’s really, really disturbing”
Lewis and Jon discuss the “grotesque” reporting by MAGA media after a women was shot dead by ICE.
“It’s really, really disturbing”
Lewis and Jon discuss the “grotesque” reporting by MAGA media after a women was shot dead by ICE.
January 8, 2026 at 6:31 PM
“This is how radicalised American media and politics is becoming on the right”
“It’s really, really disturbing”
Lewis and Jon discuss the “grotesque” reporting by MAGA media after a women was shot dead by ICE.
“It’s really, really disturbing”
Lewis and Jon discuss the “grotesque” reporting by MAGA media after a women was shot dead by ICE.
Reposted by Martyn Drake
The prize goal for Stephen Miller and others who surround Trump is to trigger both the Alien Enemies Act and the Insurrection Act - formal bases for unlimited executive power.
A great deal of what is being done is simply them working backwards from that objective.
A great deal of what is being done is simply them working backwards from that objective.
December 19, 2025 at 7:44 AM
The prize goal for Stephen Miller and others who surround Trump is to trigger both the Alien Enemies Act and the Insurrection Act - formal bases for unlimited executive power.
A great deal of what is being done is simply them working backwards from that objective.
A great deal of what is being done is simply them working backwards from that objective.
Reposted by Martyn Drake
Trump says he’s “designating people” to run Venezuela
Says “the people behind me” will be running Venezuela
Ie Rubio, Hegseth and the US military
It could hardly be more imperial…
Says “the people behind me” will be running Venezuela
Ie Rubio, Hegseth and the US military
It could hardly be more imperial…
January 3, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Trump says he’s “designating people” to run Venezuela
Says “the people behind me” will be running Venezuela
Ie Rubio, Hegseth and the US military
It could hardly be more imperial…
Says “the people behind me” will be running Venezuela
Ie Rubio, Hegseth and the US military
It could hardly be more imperial…
Reposted by Martyn Drake
Rubio says Cuba is run "by incompetent senile men" in a moment of spectacular projection.
(Yes they're threatening Cuba now).
(Yes they're threatening Cuba now).
January 3, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Rubio says Cuba is run "by incompetent senile men" in a moment of spectacular projection.
(Yes they're threatening Cuba now).
(Yes they're threatening Cuba now).
Reposted by Martyn Drake
Just gonna leave this here
January 3, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Just gonna leave this here
For five bonus points, Europe, who sang, "If you tolerate this, your country will be next?"
January 3, 2026 at 6:27 PM
For five bonus points, Europe, who sang, "If you tolerate this, your country will be next?"