Room 1

How to Find, Steward & Keep Your Challenge Event Fundraisers
Speaker: Marc Roby, Run for Charity
You’ve got the places, you’ve benchmarked the fundraising targets and you know where you’re going to be cheering on race day…but as it stands you’ve got no (or not enough) runners? Well this is where a lot of charities find themselves, as the hardest part of growing your fundraising through running events is physically getting a runner to sign up and getting them fundraising… In this session Marc will go through the main tends of 2023 to identify where and how you should be recruiting runners in 2024. This should give you a great mix of demographics, but also the tools you can use at your disposal to recruit them. The fundraising market has also got a lot more competitive, and you need to stand out amongst the noise. Marc will outline the essentials for keeping your runners engaged right up to race day and beyond. Finally Marc will look at the lifespan of a supporter, and how you can, just by taking a few easy steps, ensure your runners have a fantastic experience, and keep coming back for more!

How to Maximise Fundraising From Your Event Participants
Speakers: Martin Gill & Alex Mellor, Homemade Digital
Are your Facebook Challenges not performing as well as they did in 2021? Are you finding it harder to hit your IRL event fundraising targets? Could you improve your fundraising activation levels? If so, join Martin and Alex from HomeMade as we introduce tips and tested tactics to enhance 5 areas of your participant experience. We’ll share up-to-date insights to measurably improve your event fundraising returns in cost-effective ways.

A local feel for your national event: Together for Short Lives and the 3 Peaks Challenge
Speakers: Amber Dempster, Enthuse & Maya Lewis, Together for Short Lives
Hosted by Amber Dempster from Enthuse, this session aims to explore the ins and outs of the importance of community in events that have a wide geographical spread. Joining Amber is Maya Lewis from Together For Short Lives, and together they’ll be discussing TFSL partnership with Morrisons and their recent success taking part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. They’ll be discussing the key parts of organising corporate scale events, techniques on community building and exploring the huge success that their Three Peaks Challenge had.

Insights From Virtual Fundraising You Can Apply to Your Events
Speaker: Kamie Kilty, Social Sync
In this session we’ll pull out some of the key insights that make virtual events and Facebook Challlenges successful, giving you tips on how to apply them to your events portfolio. We’ll focus on:
– The best acquisition and onboarding journeys to get the most from your ad budgets
– Delivering multi-channel stewardship to drive deeper engagement
– Helping your supporters raise more money with multi-platform fundraising
The session will use real data from hundreds of campaigns raising millions in vital income for a range of causes, and will delve into the cutting edge tech that makes all of it possible.

Breaking Down the Silos and Turning Events Participants Into Donors
Speakers: Sarah Goddard & James Reid, Royal British Legion
In the first 15 minute power session, Sarah will look at how we break down silos and tackle some of the biggest challenges to why your “events participants” don’t want to become “donors. (Hint…it’s because they’re not either – they’re supporters of the change they want to see in the world!)
In the second half of the session, James from RBL will join to share how their charity is inspiring event participants to want to pledge a gift in their will.

What’s next in events fundraising?
Speakers: Mehreen Syed, Tereza Litsa & Becca Liversidge
Everyone talks about AI but how can you practically use it? This session looks at simple ways to integrate AI into your existing work.

Room 2

Event Fundraising: How to Raise More Online
Speaker: Alex Baillie, JustGiving
With thousands of charities launching event fundraisers on JustGiving every year, we’re able to see what the best performing campaigns have in common. In this session, we’ll share the secrets of success to raising more online for your next event and inspire you with examples of charities beating their event fundraising targets on JustGiving.

Maximising Events Income With Your Corporate Partnerships
Speaker: James Davis, Walking With The Wounded
The Cumbrian Challenge is Walking With The Wounded’s flagship event and 2023 saw them bring in £355k gross (excluding sponsorship), from 195 teams. Growing the event from £217k in 2022 and 115 teams, James will talk you through how to invest in your corporate relationships at all levels to grow your events in spectacular fashion.

The State of Facebook Challenges in 2024
Speaker: Dan Papworth-Smyth, Breast Cancer Now
The world of Facebook challenges has changed dramatically over the last few years. I’ll be highlighting the latest shifts and trends in the market, talking through the shift to PayPal Giving Fund, and answering the question “Is it too late to start?”

How to run a successful in-memory event

Part 1: How To Run A Successful In-Mem Event
Speaker: Stephen Roberts, North Devon Hospice
In-Mem events are a vital income stream for charities and one where there is substantial opportunity for growth. Building an In-Mem event based on a sense of place rather than any other factor can see a far higher engagement level with the community which in turns generates more income. Stephen will explain how based on this principle North Devon Hospice took their event from a £5k In-Mem event to a £30k event.

Part 2: RNLI Launch a Memory Events
Speaker: David Crossland, RNLI
This 15 minute session will explore our in memory events that we hold at the RNLI Support Centre in Poole after we have completed a Launch a Memory Campaign. We offer a free ticketed event and invite donors down to the RNLI to see their loved ones names up close and personal. The event comprises of several different elements but the main part of the tour is when supporters get to spend 15 minutes with the lifeboat where they can see their loved ones names on the Port or Starboard side decal of the unique Shannon Class lifeboat’s operational number. This can often be an emotional event for the supporters but also a heartfelt and sentimental one as supporters have the opportunity to see their loved ones name on the side of a Shannon lifeboat and know they will be there saving lives at sea for years to come. Leading the Launch a Memory campaign I have been able to add to the supporter journey over time and improve the different aspects of the event – this session will explore the planning, delivery and outcome of the event and great ideas we have seen blossom from it.

Room 3

Thoughts on Turning Event-Led Participants Into Cause-Led Supporters
Speaker: Kate Field, Royal British Legion
Supporter motivations are a powerful tool that can shape the design and structure of events. If we can understand why someone is doing our event we can tailor their experience to ensure they have the best time and, in turn reach our goal of turning them into supporters who are advocates for the cause and go on to do other things. I’ll chat about my thoughts around this, specifically how I’ve used this and seen success from designing meaningful events which lead to life long supporters.

Creating Fundraising Events That Are Great Experiences for LGBTQIA+ Folks
Speaker: Lucy Straker, Proud Changemakers
Creating spaces where everyone we connect with feel free and supported to be their true selves benefits everyone. However the majority of us have been raised in a society that is set up to standardise a certain type or group of people. But we can change that through education, empathy and self awareness. Most of us want to be inclusive but we don’t always know how or realise we aren’t being. Here we will look at ways we can broaden our offer so as to include the LGBTQIA+ community in events and communications. I am Lucy Straker, I have been around the voluntary sector for a while now and I am also part of the LGBTQIA+ community but I can not speak for all the community. It is such as wonderful multi layered and diverse group that sadly tends to share the feeling of exclusion. But I am here to share my experiences and those of the LGBTQIA+ folks I work closely with. Plus I really love helping people be more inclusive and I always learn so much every time I deliver these sessions. So come and let’s help each other be that bit more inclusive.

Making Events More Accessible
Speaker: Emma Ord
Want to make your events more accessible? Join me to find out the why’s, what’s and who’s so you can better embed accessibility best practice within your events. Key learnings include:
– Who should you consider to make your events more accessible?
– What should you consider to make your events more accessible?
– Why should we make your events more accessible?

Streaming, What’s All the Hype?
Speaker: Hannah Ashwell, Make A Wish
Want to know more about getting started with gaming and streaming campaigns? Find out about how I developed the programme and innovated gaming and streaming at Cats Protection for the cat-loving online world of content creators and what I’m doing now to shape a partnerships-led approach to gaming and streaming with Make a Wish.
This session will explore the opportunities, challenges, learnings and musings on this exciting area of digital fundraising.

Maximising Impact: Cost-Effective Digital Marketing for Fundraising Events
Speaker: Dani Hughes
In the forever changing world of digital marketing, charity event fundraisers face unique challenges when it comes to recruiting event participants on limited budgets. To help you navigate this changing landscape, Dani’s session will delve into the essential strategies and tactics for success.

Avoiding Burnout: Setting Sustainable Intentions and Owning Your Worth in 2024
Speakers: Caroline Doran & Judith Sabah
Owning your worth in 2024:
•  Prioritising you – How to identify your worth in 2024
•  The importance of believing in you and the value you bring to the table of life
•  Maintaining a healthy and realistic self reflection journey to support you personally and professionally
Setting sustainable intentions:
•  Identify what success in 2024 looks like – the what and the how
•  Define the expectations and boundaries you need to set to meet those intentions
•  Prepare for powerful prioritisation conversations based on this clarity

Events Fundraising 101: On-Demand Support

Available in the delegate bag

Safety First: An Event Guide
Speaker: Clare Hartley
Top tips on how to make sure that everyone attending your event is safe and has a great experience. This includes staff, volunteers, contractors, participants and spectators. Clare will discuss key learnings from her experiences at major events such as the King’s Coronation and Birmingham Commonwealth Games as well as practical tips on dynamic risk assessments and making decisions based on safety whilst on the ground.

How to develop your career as a multi-skilled fundraiser?
Speakers: Tanya White & Katharine Tinker-Switzer, Charity People
In this short snappy 10-minutes we will share insights on how people with a generalist fundraising background can progress in their career and how your diverse set of skills can prepare you for a fulfilling and successful career in fundraising. We’re also going to cover what essential thing you should be doing to progress all the way to the highest level of Director of Fundraising. As fundraising recruiters who work directly with community and events fundraisers and sole fundraisers, we have a deep understanding of what clients are looking for in a CV. This session will be packed with valuable tips and tricks that will help you understand the necessary skills for career advancement and effectively communicate them to prospective employers. So, get ready to grab a few golden nuggets that will make you stand out to potential employers!

Let’s Get Social
Speaker: Rebs Curtis-Moss
In this 10 minute session, you’ll learn top tips that you can take back to your desk on how to get even more fundraisers participating in your events, and how to ensure they have a fantastic supporter experience. Things that we’ll cover include:
– User generated content
– Community management
– Organic content

ADHD Is My Superpower When It Comes to Work
Speaker: Alex Talcer
Join me as I talk about my lived experience of getting an ADHD later in life and how it’s both challenged and improved my performance at work. I really do believe that it is the secret to some of the great things I’ve been able to achieve and why diversity of thought is so important.

More details coming soon!