Our Charity Mash-Up features a packed programme of inspiring speakers, informative presentations, workshops, a marketplace and lunch.

Our Charity Mash-Up, sponsored by charity I.T. providers Qlic, returns for 2026. With Local Government Reorganisation already in progress, the introduction of a new single Integrated Care Board for Surrey and Sussex, the most challenging funding landscape to date and demand for services increasing, this year's theme is 'No Charity Left Behind'.

(View a video of a previous event here.)

Our event features:

Keynote speech

Maddy Desforges OBE, CEO at NAVCA

Workshops

Our 40 minute taster sessions include:

(AM)

Making AI work harder for your charity: How to use recent developments to do more with less - Emma Ewing, Big Fish Training

Most charities have made a start with AI but, with budgets under more pressure than ever, there's a strong case for going further. AI has moved on hugely in the last two years and some of the newest developments are well suited to stretched teams. In this practical session, Emma will show you what's changed, which tools are worth your time and how to work out where AI can make the biggest difference in your charity. No technical knowledge needed, just a willingness to pinch some ideas. Emma Ewing is a career coach and founder of Big Fish Training, where she uses AI daily and trains others to do the same. She spoke at this conference two years ago on getting started with AI and has spent over twenty years helping people build skills and confidence at work.

National Lottery Community Fund: Partnership Bids - Kat Wayne, The National Lottery Community Fund

The National Lottery Community Fund is the largest community funder in the UK, supporting people and communities to come together and thrive. The Local Reaching Communities team will be hosting a workshop focused on partnership working within a funding context. Through insights from currently funded partnerships and learning from previous and existing collaborations, we'll explore what effective partnership working looks like in practice, share key considerations for developing and managing partnerships, and discuss common challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned along the way and the opportunity to ask questions about partnerships from the local team.

Volunteer Management - Olivia Stanton, Moore Barlow

Volunteers are the lifeblood of many charities, but managing volunteers can present a range of legal and practical challenges. We will explore the key issues charities should consider when recruiting, engaging and managing volunteers. We will also highlight common pitfalls, share practical tips to help minimise legal risk, and discuss best practice for creating positive and effective volunteer relationships.

(PM)

Purpose to Pounds: Connecting Your Marketing Strategy to Fundraising Growth - Dan Chidley, Business Surrey

Dan will present a marketing roadmap outlining key goals, growth strategies, and practical actions to boost your charity’s fundraising, while ensuring your approach remains aligned and flexible in the face of change. Followed by a Q&A to discuss your biggest marketing challenges and opportunities.

Succession Planning: Why it matters, even if you're not planning on leaving - Carla Gill, Your Charity Coach

Succession planning often arises only after someone has handed in their notice, but what if we considered it from the moment a role is created? What would we learn from this? How would this change our way of working? And what difference would it make to the organisational structure and strength?

Led by Carla Gill, coach & consultant at Your Charity Coach. Supporting CEO's, founders and long-term leaders to be the best for themselves and the organisations they serve.

Nailing Your Strategy: Strategy Made Simple - Vic Hancock Fell

Strategy has a reputation problem. Too often it means a 40-page document nobody reads, written in language nobody uses, gathering dust on a shared drive. This 40 minute interactive workshop is the antidote.

Join Vic Hancock Fell for a quick fire session of practical, no-nonsense top tips on getting your strategy right. We'll cover theory of change, the key questions every organisation should ask itself before putting pen to paper, and the exercises worth building into any strategic planning process. We'll also spend time on co-production, and what it looks like to genuinely involve the people you exist to serve in shaping your direction.

This session is open to charities of all sizes, but it's designed with smaller organisations firmly in mind. If you're strategising around the kitchen table rather than in a boardroom with consultants on tap, this is for you.

Expect a mix of listening, small group discussion and individual working time, so you'll leave with ideas you've already started applying to your own organisation, not just a page of notes.

Plenary

Vic Hancock-Fell

Vic Hancock Fell has spent 20 years working exclusively with small charities, from small chari

Description supplied by the event organiser.