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CFG launches new leadership tool for finance teams

New edition of The Finance Journey will empower a new generation of charity leaders.

Charity Finance Group (CFG) is proud to announce the launch of the second edition of The Finance Journey.

The Finance Journey is a development and leadership model for charity finance teams and professionals. It was first published in 2014 by Simon Hopkins and CFG. Since then, it has been used by charities and social change organisations to develop their finance team’s skills.

Simon Hopkins explains: “The Finance Journey is targeted at charity finance professionals and is designed to help them make the transition from the ‘back office’ stereotype into redefining finance as a platform for strategic organisational leadership. The model contains a set of techniques and approaches to help charity finance operate at an ever more transformational level.

“Ten years ago, myself and a group of like-minded people within CFG recognised that if we want to grow transformational and strategic leaders in charity finance, then we must give them the tools to embark on that journey with confidence. The finance professional is critical in making sure that we create sustainable social businesses. We do that not for reasons of technical purity, but because we understand the direct link between organisational health and genuine social change.”

The second edition of The Finance Journey includes case studies and research from charities which set out how the model has been used in real-world settings. The new edition also reflects the ongoing integration with CFG’s flagship leadership course – Inspiring Financial Leadership (IFL), which is run in partnership with Bayes Business School and Sayer Vincent.

Judith Miller, Partner at Sayer Vincent and IFL course leader, commented:

“We’re proud to have co-edited this new edition of The Finance Journey. The language of ‘bean counters’ or ‘number crunchers’ really needs to be a thing of the past. Charity finance professionals are key to changing this and being true enablers within their organisations - they have the potential to shape the strategic direction of their organisations and bring about transformational change in society. The Finance Journey empowers them to do just that.

“We’ve seen first-hand just how powerful combining CFG’s The Finance Journey and the Inspiring Financial Leadership course has been for dozens of finance professionals and their organisations. We are excited to be launching this second edition and commend it to all finance professionals at every level within charity and social change organisations, large or small.”

The Finance Journey was launched at CFG’s Annual Conference on 12 October 2021 featuring the case studies of Pete Knight, Finance Director of Mercy Ships UK; and Dan Haigh, Director of Finance & Information at St Richard’s Hospice and it was introduced by Judith Miller. They are among the co-authors of the 2021 edition.

CFG would like to thank all those involved in the authoring and editing of this revised edition.

View and download the 2021 edition of The Finance Journey (CFG members-only currently)

To find out more about The Finance Journey and the Inspiring Financial Leadership course, email Charity Finance Group.

 

About The Finance Journey

The Finance Journey was first launched in 2014 by Charity Finance Group as a model for CFG members to use to develop their leadership skills. The second edition of the model, published in 2021, builds on the first edition and includes case studies, new insights and a handy toolkit. Its aim is to help grow transformational finance leaders and a financially confident, trustworthy and dynamic charity sector.

 

About Charity Finance Group (CFG)

Charity Finance Group (CFG) is the charity that inspires a financially confident, dynamic and trustworthy charity sector. We do this by championing best practice, nurturing leadership and influencing policy makers.

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