Show Notes
Lani Evans, founder of Fundsorter and former CEO of Thank You Payroll, shares how AI is transforming grant writing and charity funding for New Zealand's not-for-profits, plus the story of a social enterprise she helped gift to a charity.
"Community isn't convenient. If we want to build community, we have to be willing to be inconvenienced by it."
In this episode, Lani takes us from a Brisbane childhood and a rock-climbing film to leading some of Aotearoa's best-known social enterprises. We talk about gifting Thankyou Payroll into charitable ownership, starting Fundsorter on parental leave, how AI is taking the grind out of grant writing, and who keeps getting left out of funding. It is a warm, honest conversation about money, motherhood and building community that lasts.
About Lani
Lani Evans has spent over a decade working across charities, philanthropy and purpose-driven business, focused on moving resources more equitably. She co-founded Share Collective and Generous Ventures, was the inaugural CEO of Thankyou Payroll and has held leadership roles in corporate and family philanthropy. She is an Honorary Member of Philanthropy New Zealand and a recipient of a New Year’s Honour for services to social enterprise.
Lani is the co-founder and CEO of Fundsorter, a tech platform reshaping how community organisations access funding. Fundsorter uses data and AI to match charities with grants and streamline applications, reducing the funding burden so organisations can focus on delivering impact.
Chapters (00:00) Intro: Building Fundsorter to make giving more equitable (02:45) From Brisbane to Aotearoa: A rock-climbing documentary (05:16) Teenage activism: 4,000 students walk out over nuclear testing (09:41) How motherhood reshaped her leadership (14:02) The truth about balance: "Community isn't convenient" (16:54) Staying grounded: Support, running & non-negotiables (20:41) The Female Founders group: 12 years of support (23:48) Thankyou Payroll & steward ownership explained (29:17) Choosing values over the job: The day she quit (30:48) Founding Fundsorter: Desperation meets AI (37:09) "Nobody's good at AI yet": Advice if you feel behind (42:57) The funding puzzle: Why the average $6k grant isn't enough (48:11) Who gets left out of funding (50:44) Core values & advice for every new mum
Learn more about Lani and her work 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanievans/ 🌐 Website: https://www.fundsorter.com/
Learn more about Azoora and her work 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azooraali/ 🌐 Website: https://fernlightcfo.co.nz/
Listen to Care Beyond Profits on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Care Beyond Profits on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/53LKFfDC5hvyxKWBxpTsGg
Care Beyond Profits on Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/care-beyond-profits/id6798932297
❤️ If Lani's story resonated with you…
Please like, share, and subscribe for more conversations with leaders who prove that care and profits can grow together.
#CareBeyondProfits #CharityFunding #GrantWriting #SocialEnterprise #Philanthropy #AIForGood #PurposeDriven #leadershipinspiration
More from Care Beyond Profits
Diana arrived with years of leadership behind her. Her first job in New Zealand was vacuuming a casino floor.
Mike Casey, cherry orchardist and CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, shares how electrification, solar and climate action turned his New Zealand business profitable.
"My daughter was young when I had one of my cancer diagnoses… her little life literally fell apart."
Paul Button, CEO of Rotorua Canopy Tours, shares conservation tourism, regenerative business, and purpose-driven leadership in this Care Beyond Profits podcast on sustainability and ecotourism."Humans...All we crave for is just connection."From a whitewater kayaker chasing rivers across North Canterbury, Canada and Central America, to running one of New Zealand's most awarded ecotourism businesses, Paul Button's story is one of adventure, environmental conviction, and people-first leadership.As CEO of the Rotorua Canopy Tours Group, Paul leads a zipline and treetop experience set inside an 11,000-year-old native forest, alongside the Canopy Conservation Trust that funds its restoration work.In this conversation, Paul shares how a tourism business became a conservation engine: 12 years of native forest restoration, 700 self-resetting predator traps, a B Corp certification (the first in Rotorua), and a soil-carbon breakthrough that suggests a predator-free New Zealand could one day be carbon neutral. Throughout the episode, Paul returns to a simple idea, that the staff are the stars of the show, and that connection, not infrastructure, is what people truly remember.About Paul ButtonPaul Button is the Chief Executive Officer of Rotorua Canopy Tours Group, leading Rotorua Canopy Tours, widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s premier nature-based tourism experiences.His career began as a young kayaker on wild rivers, sparking a lifelong connection to adventure and the natural world. From guiding on the Kaituna River to leading teams internationally, Paul has built his career around creating meaningful, high-quality experiences that connect people to place.Since returning to Aotearoa in 2017, Paul has focused on innovation and regenerative tourism, restoring native forests, inspiring visitors, and demonstrating that business can be a force for good. He also oversees supporting businesses in Queenstown, including Million Dollar Cruise and Canyon Explorers.Outside of work, Paul is a hands-on dad who stays active through CrossFit, mountain biking, and endurance runningIn This Episode / Chapters00:00 New Zealand's carbon-neutral hypothesis00:07 Introducing Paul Button & Canopy Tours01:07 The importance of consistency in leadership13:29 Why people are the real product in tourism17:59 Partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC)20:20 The Canopy Conservation Trust funding model24:22 Why conservation budgets should never be cut25:18 B Corp certification and holistic business32:38 Setting ethical boundaries with clients40:13 The 40% carbon ground composition discovery41:16 Predator-free forests as a carbon solution41:53 International research partnership & future scalingLearn more about Paul and Rotorua Canopy Tours Rotorua Canopy Tours: https://www.canopytours.co.nz/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-button-93241b187/
Michael Eaglen didn't draw a salary for eighteen months. There was no demand.