Room 1:

Community fundraising: The key to your career development and charity growth
Speakers: Bushra Ahmed, Lloyds Bank Foundation, Lauren Williams, Age UK, Gemma Sherrington, Refuge & Kerry Thomas, Pancreatic Cancer UK

Community Fundraising can help kickstart your career. Don’t believe us? Then hear from four sector leaders, each with very different and inspiring careers as they share how their experiences working in partnership with communities and in community fundraising have helped them be where they are today.

From CEO to board member, to heading up fundraising teams and working across services, our four panellists will share their insight, expertise and learnings that we hope will inspire you in your career path.

There will also be a live Q&A on the day. This plenary session is not to be missed!

Big Impact, Small Budget: Community Fundraising for Small Charities
Speaker: Claire Nethersole, CN Fundraising

Community fundraising may feel out of reach for small charities, as many believe it takes more time, money, and people than they have. However, I don’t believe this is true! With the right approach, community fundraising is possible and worthwhile—even on a shoestring budget.

This session will show you why community fundraising is important for all charities, no matter what their size, and how you can achieve this with limited resources while keeping an eye on the budget. Having started my community fundraising career at a really big charity, I have since moved to much smaller charities, giving me the perfect experience of learning how the ‘big guys’ do it and adapting this for small organisations. I’ll share how you can do this when you don’t have a big database of supporters, people don’t know who your charity is or what it does, and the budget is looking barer than your fridge before payday! You’ll leave with actionable ideas and the confidence to get your community involved.

Join me to discover how small charities can punch above their weight with community fundraising, and why I’m passionate about helping you make a big impact on a small budget.

Key learnings from this session:

• Why community fundraising is important for small charities.
• What practical steps can you take to start (or boost) your community fundraising.
• How to manage and grow community fundraising with limited time, budget and staff.

“You’ve raised more that you’ll ever know” – Measuring the full impact of your community fundraising
Speaker: Paul Courtney, Children’s Hospice South West

These seven words were uttered to a downcast fundraising volunteer as she tended to a donation stall at a cold and wet Christmas market where the footfall had been low and the donations even lower! But these words spoke of the true impact of consistently showing up to maintain a presence in the hearts and minds of our donors in a way only community fundraising can. But what does that activity look like and how do measure it to ensure it delivers results in the short and long term for our beneficiaries?

Key learning from this session:

Understanding and measuring the value of community fundraising – now and in the future

Balancing personalised stewardship when every supporter matters
Speaker: Ruth Dunkin, Thames Valley Air Ambulance

Do you find yourself saying “yes” to everything—even when you know you shouldn’t? Are your weekends filled with work events? Do your hours regularly stretch far beyond what you’re paid for? Do your friends and family only see you when they’re roped into volunteering?

Welcome to the wonderfully chaotic world of community fundraising! As fundraisers, we often feel compelled to say yes to every opportunity—but is that really sustainable?

This session will offer practical tips on how to set boundaries, manage expectations, and prioritise your workload—so you can protect your time, avoid burnout, and still deliver an exceptional supporter experience (without giving up every weekend!).

Key learnings from this session:

• Know how to value ‘you’ as a resource
• Meaningful stewardship doesn’t always have to be in person
• How to say no… nicely

How to find, recruit, and manage volunteers from existing and new audiences
Speaker: Laura Elson, Laura Elson Consulting Ltd

The volunteering landscape is shifting fast. The tried-and-tested methods we’ve relied on for years to recruit vital support are no longer delivering the same results. In many organisations — especially larger ones — there’s a disconnect between how we engage those who give time and those who give money, despite them often being part of the same supporter community.

The good news? Most people would consider volunteering — but it’s up to us to make it easy, accessible, and compelling.

This practical session will explore how community fundraising volunteering is evolving and how you can apply a marketing mindset to attract and retain volunteers. Packed with case studies, real-world examples, and actionable tips, you’ll learn how to modernise your approach — whatever your budget.

• How the volunteering landscape is shifting, and what that means for your approach
• How to identify different audiences and use the right tactics for each
• Top tips and ideas for success

Empowering your community supporters to share their story
Speaker: Rachel Simkin

An experienced fundraiser, Rachel has overcome barriers and time constraints to ensure a change in mindset and regular flow of supporter stories.

Rachel firmly believes that fundraising isn’t just about asking people for money, it’s about inspiring people to give and the power of storytelling. Rachel has proven experience most recently at Youth Talk that story telling is a simple, effective and rewarding tool that will not only help you raise more but lead to new conversations and wider supporter.

In this session she will cover

• How to overcome any internal challenges on speaking with service users
• Simple tips to help you prioritise story telling alongside a busy workload
• How to sensitively support, reassure and help fundraisers tell their story
• How to empower the fundraiser to share their story, particularly when they feel uncomfortable asking for money when purse strings are tight or people are fundraising in memory of a loved one
• The importance of celebrating success and a smile

Key learnings from this session:

• Tips and recommendations to help get internal buy in
• How to make the time and persevere
• How to make it easy for your supporters to share their story

Room 2:

Community Corporate: Where do you start when you don’t know where to start
Speaker: Mags Rivett, Family Holiday Charity

When time is short, where do you focus for corporate results? This session runs through the basics of community corporate but focuses on the bits where you should spend your time to get the best results. Sometimes doing the small stuff well brings the big stuff. We’ll think about how you can repurpose, where to sit at your desk and focus and when to get out and about. And how you can involve others in building your success.

Having sat in the seat of few resources coupled with big expectations, this is your chance to get the shortcuts I had to work out.

Key learnings from this session:

• A straightforward process to follow
• Where to focus time for results
• Where to ask for help from others

Fireside Chat: The similarities and differences between traditional and digital communities
Speakers: Claire Milloy, Crohn’s & Colitis UK & Tom Downie, Tiltify

As fundraising evolves, so do the communities behind it. In this 30-minute conversation, we’ll explore how traditional fundraising activities like bake sales and fun runs compare to the fast-paced, interactive world of gaming and streaming-based fundraising. Joined by Tom from Tiltify, we’ll unpack the motivations, similarities and differences behind digital fundraising communities, and how they align (or differ) from more traditional approaches.

Whether you’re new to the world of streaming or simply curious about the possibilities, this session will offer real-world insights and first-step actions. Expect practical advice, authentic examples, and tips on how to build relationships with digital creators — all designed to help your charity confidently enter this exciting space.

Key learnings from this session:

• Understand the motivations, similarities and differences behind digital fundraising communities
• Tips for getting started in the gaming and streaming space
• Explore real-life examples of successful campaigns and partnerships

Managing boundaries and difficult conversations
Speaker: Megan Short, Community Hospice

Community fundraising is wonderfully rewarding world to work in, filled with inspiring supporters and heart-warming stories. But it’s also unpredictable, emotionally demanding, and sometimes overwhelming. Balancing the privilege of hearing deeply personal stories with the realities of relentless demands can take its toll on even the most passionate fundraisers.

In this honest and practical session, Megan will guide you through strategies to protect your wellbeing while thriving in this unique and challenging landscape.

Key learnings from this session:

We’ll explore ways to set healthy boundaries, manage expectations (both yours and others’), and develop tools for saying no without guilt. You’ll leave with actionable steps for finding balance in your work.

Fundraising and comms: two sides of the same coin?
Speakers: Rebs Curtis-Moss, Rebs Curtis-Moss Consulting

You want to create more buzz on your charity’s social media for your fundraising events, but the communications team isn’t keen. This is a common problem faced by community and events fundraisers across the sector – but it doesn’t have to be this way. What if there was a way to steward your supporters on social media, whilst creating engaging content that meets both public fundraising and communications teams’ KPI’s? When done right, working with your comms colleagues can be transformational for your supporters. This session will discuss the challenges both public fundraising and communications teams have when wanting to use social media to tell stories and engage with supporters.

Key learnings from this session:

We’ll explore each team’s challenges and discuss how fundraisers and comms staff can overcome them together. You’ll hear advice, top tips and strategies on how to best work with comms colleagues to offer excellent stewardship to your supporters and audiences.

Supercharge Your Outreach: Next level digital marketing for community fundraisers
Speaker: Muna Hussen

For community fundraisers who are juggling busy jobs with multiple priorities, it can be overwhelming to get the marketing right.

From AI usage, to email stewardship tools, to the best fundraising platform and journeys to ensure maximum engagement and support from your donors – this session will take you back to basics, then capapult you forward to set you up for an amazing springboard into success.

Let’s dive deep into how to reach donors, how to get them excited from the very first touchpoint, and how to keep them engaged with your charity – even when they’re no longer donating or fundraising.

Finally, we’ll have a look at how to make sure the entire digital journey is tightly connected and aligned, across every platform your charity uses.

With over 15 years of marketing and fundraising experience, I’ll be bringing my expertise from working with charities of all size to you!

Key learnings from this session:

1. How to go beyond social media to reach & engage supporters (getting supporters excited via email, Whatsapp and Discord)
2. How to use email stewardship to keep donors and fundraisers engaged (let’s deep dive into segmentation and journeys).
3. How to create a cohesive digital journey for community fundraisers (taking a holistic look at all your digital channels and making sure they are aligned).

Tap into Giving: How to boost community fundraising with contactless donations
Speaker: Lisa Evans, PayaCharity & Toucan Giving

Traditional fundraising methods are changing fast—so how can your charity keep up? In this session, we’ll explore how contactless and digital giving are making fundraising easier, more accessible, and more successful for charities of all sizes. We’ll share real-world success stories, practical steps to implement digital fundraising, and insider tips on maximizing your community fundraising efforts. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to optimize your current approach, this session will give you the confidence to future-proof your fundraising. PayaCharity has helped organizations like The Royal British Legion, hospices, and local food banks embrace cashless technology, removing donation barriers and increasing supporter engagement.

Key learnings form this session:

• Understand why digital and contactless giving is essential for modern fundraising and how charities of all sizes are adapting.
• Learn from real-world case studies of charities that have successfully transitioned to contactless and digital donations.
• Discover the different types of digital fundraising tools available (contactless terminals, mobile giving, tap-on-phone, QR codes) and which one is right for your charity.
• Get practical tips on removing donation barriers and making it easier for supporters to give, even when they don’t carry cash.
• Leave with a step-by-step plan to introduce or optimize digital giving for your charity, no matter your budget.