The document summarizes the 2016 AGM of CharityComms, highlighting the organization's vision of improving communications in the charity sector and its key achievements over 2015-16, including increased membership and event attendance. It outlines goals for the future, including enhancing services and celebrating ten years of CharityComms. The document also discusses the appointment of trustees and plans for improving member engagement in the coming year.

1. CharityComms AGM 2016
Welcome: Gail Scott-Spicer, chief executive,
Carers Trust and CharityComms vice chair

2. Agenda
1) Our vision and goals
2) Review of activities 2015-16
3) Approval of annual report
and accounts
4) Recent and future activity
5) Election of trustees
6) AOB

3. Our vision
Our vision is for effective and
inspiring communications to be
at the heart of every charity’s
work for a better world.
Our purpose
We improve the standard of
communications and
champion its role in the sector.
We represent, support, inspire,
connect and inform our
members and the wider charity
communications community.
“
CharityComms membership is
like a lifeline to me, as one of
the flotsam and jetsam of
charity communicators floating
in a sea of colleagues who
don’t really understand the
role!”
Sue Owen, marketing manager,
Mathematics in Education and Industry

4. Our 10-year goals for the sector
1) Communications will be recognised across the sector as an integral
part of the effectiveness of charities
2) Charities will have SMT/senior board representation from
communications (ie an equal voice at the top table)
3) More and better resources will be available to help charity
communicators improve their skills and the impact of their work
4) The planning and delivery of
charities’ communications
will take place in the context
of an integrated brand and
organisational framework

5. Review of activities 2015-16
Vicky Browning, director
“ CharityComms provides a really
valuable service, sharing best
practice, experience and new
approaches with a perfect blend
of theory and practical take-out,
great humour and invaluable
honesty. Ideas, tips, gags and
warts - what's not to like?”
Jack Lundie, director of
communications, Oxfam GB

6. Key achievements 2015-16:
financial
Income: £547,005 (2014-15: £434,683)
Expenditure: £470,292 (2014-15: £380,158)
Balance of funds at year end: £183,853 (2014-15: £107,140)
Cash in bank at year end: £372,617
Creative Commons: www.SeniorLiving.Org
“
If you are serious about communications
and want to get ahead you should join
CharityComms. Being an organisational
member is worth every penny.”
Emma Harrison, head of global
communications, VSO

7. Key achievements 2015-16:
membership
• We now have 525 organisational (whole charity) members
• We have 329 individual members
• Corporate partners grew from 67 to 84
• We matched 130 people through
our peer support scheme
“ Being organisational members has helped
my team develop our confidence,
knowledge and influence. Rubbing
shoulders with peers in other charities has
given the quality of our work a real lift, and
boosted our sense of pride in what we do.”
David Titmas, communications manager, Carers UK

8. Key achievements 2015-16:
events
• We ran 39 events across the year
• 2,602 charity communications professionals
attended (23% more than last year)
• 97% of event attendees rated our events as
excellent or good (up from 94%
last year)
“
You can always rely on CharityComms for
great value, great content and a feel
good environment. Inspiring as ever.”
Myra Johnson, director of communications,
Together for Short Lives

9. Key achievements 2015-16:
AskCharity
1,051 requests for information
were sent to AskCharity
registered charities
“ AskCharity has become one of the most
useful PR resources for me in my role at
DEBRA. It not only helps us pitch for slots we
may not have previously known about, it’s
also helped me build up a great media
contact list.”
Sara McIlroy, marketing and PR officer, DEBRA

10. Key achievements 2015-16:
content
• We posted 91 original articles on our website
• We supported the publication of Becky Slack’s Effective
media relations for charities: what journalists want and how
to deliver it
• We produced five Best Practice Guides and reports:
o Crisis communications for charities
o Charity marketing & communications salary survey 2015
o Insiders’ guide to social media for charities
o Pick ’n’ mix: a guide to technology choices for charities
o Business transformation and the role of heads of digital
o Perfect pitch: linking voice and values, 2nd
edition

11. Key achievements 2015-16:
Inspiring Communicator Awards
Recognising
inspirational
communicators in
the charity sector,
our second Inspiring
Communicator
Awards celebrated
12 worthy winners
from across the
range of
communications
specialisms

12. CharityComms is brought to you by…

14. Our impact on people
The mentoring scheme has
been fantastic for me. I
have implemented new
structures for the
organisation I work for off
the back of the sessions
which I now can’t believe
we didn’t have!”
Sophie Colwell, events
and communications
manager, Challengers
I met some top
communicators at the
behaviour change
conference and the
campaigns discussed were
inspiring. I came home all
fired up and am now
planning my first behaviour
change campaign.”
Jackie Firth,
communications manager,
Butterwick Hospice
“ “

15. Our impact on people
Everyone knows how stretched
a charity’s resources can be.
CharityComms enables us to
develop members of our team
so we are all committed to
communication within and
without brainstrust with very
little cost.”
Helen Bulbeck, director,
brainstrust
The Stepping into Leadership
course has been one of the
most helpful things career-wise
I’ve ever done. Talking to
charity chief execs with comms
backgrounds about how they
made their mark was really
inspiring and helpful. The time
spent chatting to peers about
the shared issues we all face
was also super useful. I couldn’t
recommend it more highly.”
Michelle Saxby, head of PR and
communications, Teenage
Cancer Trust
““

16. Motion proposed to approve the
annual report and accounts for
financial year 2015-16
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17. Activity for 2016-17 includes:
• Investing in our services to members
• Establishing and growing our UK-wide networking groups
• Creating and delivering a conference exclusively aimed at
small charities
• Reviewing and improving our members’ user experience
• Reviewing and improving our digital content
• Developing a real-time data dashboard for our Digital
Benchmark
• Launching our new freelance directory
• Celebrating 10 years of CharityComms!
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18. Board of trustees
Trustees for 2016-17:
John Grounds (chair)
Gail Scott-Spicer (vice chair)
Louisa Dallmeyer (treasurer)
Lara Burns
Katherine Hall
Donna Holland
Seamus O’Farrell
Steve Palmer
Victoria Shooter
Adeela Warley
Jessica Abelscroft
Hanif Leylabi

19. Motion proposed to approve
the appointment of the trustees
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20. Any other business?

21. Thank you for coming!