Milly Durrant, Head of Membership at CFG, looks ahead to another exciting and busy year for the growing CFG membership community.
Each new year starts with a reflection on the past and a commitment to improve – whether that means achieving more, aiming higher, or sometimes doing less in the months ahead.
These past few weeks, the CFG team has been discussing our successes in 2024. Another incredible sold-out Annual Conference (my first day in the new job!) which remains the largest charity finance event in the sector; delivering an extensive programme of 100+ events, training and meetings; successes in our vital policy and advocacy work, a new Turnaround Specialist Interest Group launched, and our biggest successful Gift Aid Awareness Day campaign to date. I could go on – the list is endless.
It's a truism for a reason: none of this is possible without you, our members. Our successes belong to you because it’s your participation and support of our membership community that fuels our impact. Thank you.
With a flurry of important charity finance events taking place in early 2025, we’ve not had time for much deeper reflection but we are excited about what’s coming up this year.
In January, we launched the new Charity Investment Governance Principles which have been developed through broad consultation to help trustees and charity leaders manage their investments more effectively.
We also started to prepare for the SORP consultation which we’re playing a leading role in alongside working with our corporate partner members on. Keep your eyes peeled for more on how you can get involved in this important piece of work.
In February we will review the useful feedback our members provided via our NEW member survey ensuring we are delivering the right services to meet your needs across our benefits, resources and support activities.
Through our research and communications work – again, supported by you – we successfully secured national media coverage on the impact the rise in Employer National Insurance will have on our sector.
We know that economic uncertainty remains, and that many charities are looking to find ways to adapt and remain resilient. We’re tackling this head-on by increasing opportunities for members to share knowledge, boost learning and access support. Our membership is designed to help charities of all sizes achieve financial management excellence, ensuring that organisations are equipped to thrive in an ever-changing environment.
This year, our popular peer-to-peer mentioning scheme will run not once, but twice. Members have found these to be hugely supportive. As one participant said:
“I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I’d been cynical about something so relational being online but it was facilitated really well – thank you. The frequent very small breakouts were really helpful for getting everyone involved and engaged.”
We’re also excited to announce that we’re planning to bring you more regular policy insights with the launch of a quarterly policy webinar briefing, led by our Policy Team. It’s going to be more important than ever to stay abreast of all the policy and regulatory changes that impact us and we’re looking forward to sharing more on that soon.
In June, we’ll once again gather in person for our flagship Annual Conference. It’s being held at a new, bigger venue, close to St Paul’s, so that everyone has the chance to join us.
These are just a few of the plans we’ve got up our sleeve. Supporting our members and inspiring a confident, dynamic and trustworthy charity sector is why we exist. And there’s never been a more important time to be part of our community than now.
Connection is our watchword for 2025 and we’re looking forward to going on this journey with you.
If you have any comments, questions or ideas about your CFG membership, and our services and activities, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Membership Team.
We love hearing from our members and those thinking about joining our community.
Thanks again for YOUR support.