Northern Conference

In this session, Leeds Mind shares how collaborative financial benchmarking across the wider Mind network helped uncover significant cost-saving opportunities. By conducting a comprehensive review of expenditure and working openly with peer organisations to compare key cost areas — including IT, telephony, insurance, utilities and staffing structures — the team established meaningful benchmarks that drove action. The result was renewed supplier scrutiny, smarter procurement decisions, and substantial year-on-year savings. This session will demonstrate how benchmarking can create urgency, strengthen financial leadership, and unlock efficiencies while maintaining service quality.

Andrew Lowe, Head of Finance and Resources, Leeds Mind

Effective collaboration is essential for charities navigating rising demand and limited resources. This session explores how to build purposeful partnerships that go beyond good intentions, helping organisations share expertise, pool capacity, and strengthen their collective voice. Attendees will gain practical insight into creating equitable collaborations, sustaining cross-sector relationships, and ensuring partnerships deliver meaningful outcomes for communities as well as long-term organisational resilience.

AI and digital tools are rapidly transforming how charities operate, but many organisations face barriers around capacity, cost, and confidence. This session explores practical ways to adopt AI and technology to reduce administrative burden, improve insight, and enhance service delivery without overwhelming teams. Attendees will discover realistic tools, ethical considerations, and low-cost approaches that help charities work more efficiently while staying focused on mission and impact.

Suzanne Begley, Co-Founder, Make Sense of It