Speaker: Nadia Alomar, Chief Executive Officer, Clore social leadership 

This keynote will set the scene with some of the key trends in public donations and how to build organisational resilience to stabilise income through change.

Talking Points:

CAF’s recently-published UK Giving Report and Local Giving Report and how external issues are affecting fundraising.

CAF’s six pillars of resilience

Considerations to remain financially and operationally fit for the future

Speaker: Ashling Cashmore, Head of Impact and Advisory at Charities Aid Foundation

Opening Keynote - The State of Charity Tech 

This session gives an overview of tech in the charity sector and discusses the following:

• What tech should you be using now?

• Digital code of practice 

• AI friend or Foe? 

Speaker: Zoe Amar, Founder and Director, Zoe Amar Digital

Volunteer programmes should truly represent the communities they aim to support. In this session, John Strawson-Rooney, Volunteer Coordinator Lead for Bradford 2025 – City of Culture, joins forces with Sam Bennett, Volunteer Management Software Consultant at Rosterfy, to explore how organisations can design more inclusive, accessible, and community-led volunteer experiences. Together, they’ll share practical strategies and digital solutions for creating a more equitable approach to volunteering in 2025 and beyond.

Key Talking Points:

* The current state of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in UK volunteering

* Lessons learned from Bradford 2025’s inclusive volunteering model

* How technology can drive diversity and broaden participation

* Identifying and overcoming key barriers within your volunteer programme

* Communicating your diversity efforts with authenticity and impact

Join realbuzz, global leaders in charity running programmes, to see how the charity running sector has evolved over the last five years, what is driving the market boom and how to maximise your fundraising through endurance events. You’ll also hear from on one of their global charity partners on how they’ve exponentially grown their charity running portfolio with realbuzz. 

Talking points:

Market growth in the charity running sector

Understanding the world’s most popular running events

The changing shape of fundraising through endurance events

Charity case study with Make-a-Wish UK

Maximising your own fundraising with realbuzz  

Speakers:

Kirsty Angove, Chief Marketing & Operations Officer, realbuzz

Alison Doidge, Challenge Events Manager, Make-a-Wish UK 

The way consumers, donors and beneficiaries interact with brands is evolving, driven by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, gamification and evolving search engine tools. These tools accelerate shifts in behaviour and make brands more valuable to organisations. Charities often miss opportunities to create value and curate their user journey.

 This practical session will take a big-picture look at strategic issues charities face - such as staying relevant, building trust, and integrating new technologies - and how a clear brand strategy can help generate value.

Speaker: Ben Travers, Head of IP at Foot Anstey

What steps are needed to integrate equity and inclusion into your organization’s core strategy, ensuring it’s more than just a superficial commitment?

Talking points:

How can charities cultivate and promote true inclusion within their teams?

What can leaders do to ensure equity remains a priority, even during challenging times?

Why is it important to prioritize lived experience as a central element of your organisation’s mission?

Speakers: 

Malcolm John, Founder, Action for Trustee Racial Diversity

Amar Abbas, Chief Executive, Youth Action. 

Hayley Brown, CEO, Link to Change

Moderator: Andy Ricketts, Acting Editor, Third Sector

In this session, our panel discuss the challenges they foresee in the sector and hosts an honest discussion on the difficulty behind funding decisions and why unrestricted funding is not so easily achieved. 

Talking points 

• Why have there been so many closures of grant-giving?
• How can we work together to help fix the problem? 
• What more can charities do? 
• Viewing the relationship with  funders as partners and not transactional 

Speakers:

Connor Moore, Head of Philanthropy & Partnerships, Turn2us

Mary Rose Gunn, CEO, The Fore 

James Fletcher, Chair, KFC Youth Foundation

Speaking representative, M-Hance 

Moderator: Emily Harle, Senior Reporter, Third Sector

This panel provides an overview of the tech available and what you can start using today! 

Talking points:

• Overview of tech 

• AI

• Learned experience - what has worked for our panellists 
  
  

Speakers: 

Kieren Bennett​​​​, Digital Strategy and Integration Manager, Crohn's and Colitis UK

Jon Curry, Chief Information Officer, National Deaf Children's Society

Tory Cassie, Director of Nonprofit, M-hance

Moderator: Dami Adewale, Reporter, Third Sector

In the light of recent surveys on diversity within the Third Sector and the challenges experienced by charities large and small in attracting and retaining trustees, Sophie Hamlet and Claire Fargeot will be exploring why diversity in governance is important, the key difficulties faced by organisations and the lessons they can learn from the progress within the large corporate sector.

Speakers: 

Claire Fargeot, Managing Director, Governance and Sustainability Board Advisory, Grant Thornton

Sophie Hamlet, Audit Manager, Grant Thornton UK LLP

How I led my charity from nothing to £1.5m unrestricted income. 

Speaker: Ian Thwaites, Founder and CEO, Level Water and Swim Collective

Imagine a person who has recently escaped an abusive relationship, only to have their confidential address exposed due to a data breach. Or think about someone living with HIV whose medical information is accidentally disclosed. These are not rare or exaggerated scenarios - they are quite real, and they happen. Such breaches can lead to stigma, fear, discrimination, or even physical danger, and for those in already difficult circumstances, the effects can be devastating.​ 

The Ripple Effect campaign delves into the real-life impact that a data breach can have, particularly on those who may be in vulnerable situations. The insights used to develop this campaign were gathered directly from, trauma-informed engagement with individuals affected.

Third-sector organisations are uniquely placed, and are often balancing a dual role of both being responsible for handling sensitive personal information of their service users alongside acting as a trusted organisation who can provide information and support.

Join the ICO to learn about the Ripple Effect campaign. This session will share insights from the impact on individuals, alongside clear guidance on what is expected from organisations in their role as data controllers.

Speaker: Catherine Evans O’Brien, Head of Communities, Information Commissioner’s Office

Join Cats Protection who, over the last 18 months, have been trialling several alternate volunteer models and discuss how their new 'Community Volunteer Teams', and 'Centre Volunteer Teams' add a blended approach to volunteering within the organisation, and support, and build upon traditional 'Branch Committee' models of volunteering.

Discussion points:

• Changing volunteer demographics across the UK
• Changing appetite for Committee Structures
• Accessing remote and deprived committees for volunteering
• The 'one size does not fit all' approach

Speaker: Pete Shergold, Associate Director of Community Operations, Cats Protection

With the launch of a new organisational brand identity, the Alzheimer's Society Events team saw an opportunity to promote their products in a new way. Leaning into audience motivators, as well as using bold visuals, created cohesion and stood out across the portfolio. Two years on, a review has been conducted, so what's working, what's not, and why? 

Talking points:

• Why was event-specific creative needed? 
• Does it still stand out? 
• What's coming next? 

Speakers: 

Kiera Ridge, Head of Events, Alzheimer's Society

Elly Bowran, Senior Marketing Manager, Alzheimer's Society

When social media first became a big deal for creators and charities alike, everyone thought we had levelled the playing field. 

Over time, this reach has been whittled down by social media platforms, but the shift to vertical video and short-form content has provided an opportunity to gain back earned reach algorithmically. 

Talking points:

• Learn how to use reels and TikTok to expand reach within niche audiences without having to focus on your follower count
• Working out your ‘bullseye’ audience
• Learn how to ‘game the algorithm’ to increase your reach. 

Speaker: Athar Abidi, Head of Social, Cancer Research UK

The Charity Commission for England and Wales has continued its programme of updating key guidance documents aimed at trustees and charity leaders, designed to help good decision-making and to further support public trust in the sector. This update from the regulator will include an overview of:

Advice on trustee recruitment and the payment of trustees

Guidance on trustee decision-making

How the Commission handles complaints about charities

Speaker:  Paul Latham, Director of Communications and Policy, Charities Commission

More session info to follow! 

Speakers: 

Josie Isherwood, Head of Individual Giving, Medical Aid For Palestinians

Edd Rhoades, Digital Fundraising Manager, Medical Aid For Palestinians.

More session info to follow! 

Speaker: Kieren Bennett​​​​, Digital Strategy and Integration Manager, Crohns and Colitis UK

The volte-face in international aid at the start of 2025 – the dismantling of USAID and slashing of UK Aid – was shocking but not unexpected.

It confirmed the new reality for global health funding, and an accelerated need to create innovative income streams.

This presentation from Amref Health Africa explores how we ensured that we remained Africa-led in response to this crisis. It will discuss:

• How our governance structure supports autonomy, but pulls together in crisis
• The platform we created to convene African voices to be heard on the global stage
• Securing top tier media coverage to support our advocacy
• Focussing our fundraising to centre the stories of the people on the frontlines of the crisis

Speaker: Camilla Knox-Peebles, CEO, Amref Health Africa UK

More session info to follow soon! 

Join Xledger and Trussell as they discuss how to deliver finance digital transformation that brings insight and clarity to departments across an organisation.

To include discussions around: planning for a new finance system, change management, practical advice for Finance and digital teams, and what charities can learn from peers in other sectors.

Speaker: TBC