Sam Husband, Director of Finance at North Devon Hospice, shares her thoughts on what it means to win the Large Charity of the Year title at this year's Third Sector Awards, and how financial leadership enables innovation and sustainability in challenging times.
When people think about the work of a hospice, their minds naturally turn to the nursing care — the skilled hands that bring comfort and compassion to patients, the emotional support offered to families, and the sense of safety and dignity that surrounds every moment. At North Devon Hospice, that care is at the heart of everything we do.
As Director of Finance, I see my role as ensuring the organisation has the resources and resilience to sustain that care and support, no matter what challenges come our way.
Being recognised as part of the team that helped North Devon Hospice achieve Large Charity of the Year is deeply humbling. Awards like this aren't about one individual or even one department — they're a reflection of the collective effort, dedication and love that everyone brings to the organisation.
I feel incredibly proud to play a part in that story, and to know that the behind-the-scenes work of finance contributes to helping people at the end of life.
Credit: Image courtesy of Third Sector Awards
The role of financial leadership in our success
In the charitable sector, we walk a constant financial tightrope — balancing unpredictable income streams against rising costs and ever-growing demand for our services. Economic and social factors can shift quickly, but one thing never wavers: our commitment to delivering the very best care to those who need us most.
Financial leadership has played a crucial role in navigating this uncertainty. For me, it's about empowering every team member — from clinical staff to retail colleagues — to understand the financial implications of their decisions. We work in true partnership across departments, helping teams see how their actions today impact the hospice's sustainability tomorrow.
Our five-year forecasting model is central to this approach, ensuring that each decision we make now supports our ability to deliver exceptional care well into the future. We pride ourselves on being forward-looking and agile. Accurate, up-to-date financial information is shared across the organisation so that managers and budget holders can make informed, confident decisions.
Within a couple of days of month-end, we produce management accounts, but we go a step further — translating numbers into visual 'easy accounts', using sunshine and clouds to illustrate our financial health in a way everyone can understand. It's simple, transparent and effective.
This culture of openness and innovation runs deep. Everyone is encouraged to question, challenge and find better ways of working. One standout example is Waggy Tails, our new secure dog-walking field developed on hospice-owned land. Born from a cross-team collaboration, it generated £1,000 in its very first week!
We continuously embrace technology to make our processes more efficient and data-driven, ensuring our non-clinical teams spend less time processing numbers and more time using insights to shape better decisions.
Ultimately, every financial choice we make comes back to one question: How does this benefit our patients?
Whether you're in housekeeping, marketing or one of our charity shops, every person at North Devon Hospice understands the impact of their role. I think this shared purpose and strong financial leadership has contributed to us being named Large Charity of the Year.
Credit: Image courtesy of North Devon Hospice
Enabling innovation and strategic growth
The hospice has delivered transformational impact this year, from launching SafeCare to expanding outreach and education. The finance function plays a pivotal role in turning vision into reality.
We see ourselves not as gatekeepers, but as enablers — working alongside clinical and operational teams from the very start of a project to shape it in a way that is both innovative and financially viable. When teams bring forward new ideas, our job is to help them understand the financial landscape around those ideas: what investment is needed, what risks we must manage and how we can create the greatest impact for every pound spent.
For example, when we launched SafeCare, finance worked closely with the project team to model the costs and efficiencies that would come from adopting this new system. It wasn't just about funding the project, it was about ensuring we could sustain it, measure its benefits and reinvest any savings back into patient care.
That same partnership approach underpins our outreach expansion and education programmes, ensuring growth is built on long-term stability rather than short-term gains.
Financial leadership at North Devon Hospice is about more than balancing the books, it's about building confidence, enabling innovation and ensuring ideas are grounded in sustainability.
Navigating sector-wide financial pressures
In a time of sector-wide pressures including a rise in Employer National Insurance Contributions, North Devon Hospice not only maintained but expanded its services.
As everyone in the charity sector knows, it feels like we continuously face a perfect storm of financial pressures, from rising costs and inflation to the increased demand for our services.
For North Devon Hospice, these challenges have only strengthened our commitment to careful planning, agility and collaboration. The fact that we not only maintained but expanded our services in this environment highlights the importance of the financial principles we live by.
The heart of our approach is foresight. We have long operated with a five-year financial forecasting model, which allows us to anticipate, where possible, pressures before they arrive and to plan accordingly. This long-term lens means that when costs rise unexpectedly, we're not reacting in panic – we're adapting from a position of strength.
Another key principle is shared financial responsibility. We make sure every team – clinical, operational, retail, and support – understands how their decisions impact the hospice's financial health. That sense of ownership turns financial awareness into part of our culture, not a separate process handled in a back office somewhere.
We've also embraced agility as a financial strength. Rather than cutting back when faced with pressures, we look at how we can work smarter – streamlining systems, embracing technology and constantly challenging how we do things. Our fundraising hitting new heights with a record-breaking commando challenge raising £110,000, is a testament to how the whole organisation pulls together to support the fundraising team.
We always hold fast to the principle of value for money. Every pound we spend has to deliver impact for patients and families. This mindset helps us prioritise effectively and ensures that even in a challenging climate, we never compromise on the quality of care.
Credit: Image courtesy of North Devon Hospice
The value of recognition
I think awards are incredibly important. They shine a light on the vital work being done across communities, often quietly and without fuss. Recognition helps raise awareness, attracts new supporters and reinforces public trust – all of which are essential for sustainability in our sector.
For us at North Devon Hospice, this award is also a validation of our approach: combining compassion with professionalism, care with innovation and strong governance. It tells our supporters that their generosity is being used wisely, and it reassures our teams that their hard work truly makes a difference. We exist for the community and because of the community.
Personally, it's a reminder of why I chose to work in the charity sector in the first place. To be part of something that changes lives, to use financial leadership not just to manage resources but to empower care, I consider myself incredibly privileged to be part of the team at North Devon Hospice.