Sustaining Impact in an Uncertain World

Cancer research requires patience, public trust and sustained investment. This keynote will reflect on what it means to lead a mission measured in decades while navigating short-term pressure on funding, policy and public confidence. A perspective on stewardship, resilience and building organisations that endure.

Pooled Pots, Shared Reporting and the End of Business as Usual

Open programmes are closing. Invite-only funding is increasing. More money is being distributed through pooled funds with shared reporting and aligned priorities. For many charities, the rules have changed without warning.

This fireside brings funders into the room to explain what is happening and how decisions are now being made. Why are funds closing? How are invite lists formed? What makes an organisation stand out in a pooled fund? And is reporting really becoming simpler?

This will be a practical conversation on how to position your organisation, protect your pipeline and adapt your fundraising strategy when funding models shift.

A CFO peer discussion on risk, resilience and oversight

This peer discussion brings CFOs together to share how they are managing rising cyber, fraud and data risks as AI and automation accelerate across charities.

The conversation will focus on what CFOs are seeing in practice and how they are deciding what controls really matter. It will explore what “good enough” cybersecurity looks like at different scales, how expectations from insurers, auditors and regulators are shifting, and how CFOs are challenging both underinvestment and overconfidence at board level.

CFOs will leave with clearer judgement and a practical checklist they can take straight into audit and board conversations.

Governing in an age of legal change

Trustees carry ultimate legal responsibility for their charities. Compliance is non-negotiable, yet today’s legal landscape is increasingly complex and often contentious, with trustees on the hook for everything from whistleblowing to cyber attacks to rows over legal duty

In these moments, boards are required to make difficult decisions that may carry significant reputational and regulatory consequences.

This keynote will offer practical advice on how to keep ahead of a crisis before it happens. 

Key discussion points include: 

• Approaches for determining the risk a threat poses to the charity: its staff, beneficiaries, volunteers, finances or reputation.
• Learning from previous crises to strengthen your resilience and response 
• Communicating transparently with your executive team and wider charity as you navigate a crisis 
• What qualifies a serious incident, and when should the regulator be involved?

As social media expectations grow, many charities face pressure to expand activity across every platform - often without a clear link to outcomes.

This presentation looks at a structured methodology for determining the appropriate scale of social media investment. The approach helps organisations align channel strategy with audience need, organisational capacity, and mission priorities.

This session will equip leaders with a practical framework to evaluate requests, challenge default assumptions, and make defensible decisions about where - and where not - to invest time and resources.

Making infrastructure decisions that support scale, control and resilience

Many charity CFOs are constrained by finance systems that no longer fit their organisation, but replacing them feels risky, expensive or politically difficult.

This practical session focuses on how CFOs make sound infrastructure decisions in imperfect conditions. It will explore what “good enough” finance systems look like at different stages, when to adapt rather than replace, and how to manage procurement, migration and internal resistance.

Drawing on real examples from peers, the discussion will centre on risk reduction, resilience and long-term value.

Ambitious Leadership Models for a Changing Sector

This closing panel asks a direct question: are our structures fit for what comes next?

From devolving power and rethinking traditional fundraising narratives, to experimenting with co-leadership and shared executive models, some organisations are actively redesigning how authority, accountability and decision-making work. These shifts change how strategy is set, how money flows and how risk is carried.

Panellists will explore what it really takes to move beyond hierarchical leadership, the advantages and tensions of co-chief models, and the practical implications of shifting power closer to the communities that charities exist to serve.