The CharityComms AGM held on September 28, 2017, outlined the organization's vision to enhance communications within the charity sector while reviewing activities from the past year and approving financial reports and trustees. Key achievements included hosting 53 events attended by nearly 4,000 professionals, recognizing outstanding communicators, and supporting member development through mentorship programs. The meeting focused on future goals such as improving member experience and compliance with regulations, as well as expanding outreach to new regions.

1. CharityComms AGM 2017
28 September, 2017
Welcome: Adeela Warley, CEO

2. Agenda
1) Our vision and goals
2) Review of activities 2016-17
3) Approval of annual report
and accounts
4) Approval of trustees
5) Recent and future activity
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.
“
Being an organisational member is
very useful for WaterAid, having
access to all the seminars and
resources enables people to
attend events throughout the year
and develop their skills.
Lisa Martin, senior media officer, WaterAid

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. “
CharityComms has been an
excellent resource for me
personally, as part of a relatively
small comms teams it’s been great
to keep up to date with what’s
going on in the sector, hear from
other charities and make use of
what’s on the website. It’s definitely
helped us shape our own strategy
and approaches.”
Hannah Chambers, marketing and
communications manager, Royal Parks

6. Income: £598,477 (2015-16: £547,005)
Expenditure: £527,369 (2015-16: £470,292)
Balance of funds at year end: £254,961 (2015-16: £183,853)
Cash in bank at year end: £468,447
“
Running a tiny organisation means making
every penny count… I don’t think I’ve ever
left a CharityComms event without either a
brand new idea to try out straightaway, or a
set of questions to ask back at base.”
Liz O’Neill, GM Freeze

7. Key achievements 2016-17: membership
“
CharityComms membership allows me and
the wider team the opportunity to learn
from other organisations, regardless of their
size and mission. Their events are specific to
the needs of comms professionals in
charities, and a great way for us to help
develop our teams’ skills.”
Anil Ranchod, deputy director PR and
communications, Stroke Association

8. Key achievements 2016-17: events
• We ran 53 events across the year.
• Nearly 4,000 charity communications professionals attended (50% more
than last year).
• 95% of event attendees rated our events as excellent or good.
“
CharityComms always put on the best
conferences. They are so well organised
and thought out with high quality
speakers, plenty of breaks and
refreshments. I always leave not just
feeling inspired, but with action I can
implement in my own organisation.”
Fran Swaine, digital marketing consultant.

9. Key achievements 2016-17: AskCharity
1,044 requests for information were sent to
AskCharity registered charities.
“
As a magazine journalist focusing
on real life stories, AskCharity is an
invaluable service when it comes to
finding moving, uplifting and
thought-provoking case study led
stories. Contacting multiple charities
at once is a hugely helpful tool, and
the service always gives me great
results – I have nothing but praise!”
Ella Dove, freelance journalist

10. Key achievements 2016-17: content

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

14. The mentoring scheme has
been really important at this
early point in my marketing
career…my mentor had been
at Macmillan for an impressive
stretch and brought a great
deal of insight and experience
to our meetings…getting an
independent view on a project
can really add value or
something you’d just never
thought of before.”
Kate Palmer, brand marketing
manager, The Floating Cinema
CharityComms’ ‘Stepping into
Leadership’ course has been
one of the most helpful things
career-wise I have ever done.”
Michelle Saxby, head of global
PR and media, Shelterbox.
“ “

15. CharityComms conferences offer
an opportunity to step back from
the day to day and reflect on
new comms approaches and
opportunities…it’s great to share
challenges and experiences
with colleagues, helping to
stretch ourselves, build comms
skills and improve the way we
communicate with our members
and other audiences.”
Jane Hughes, deputy director of
communications and campaigns,
Royal College of Nursing
Being a corporate member of
CharityComms has been
fantastic for our cooperative.
We’ve had many referrals from
our listing on the supplier
directory, giving us the
opportunity to work on brilliant
projects for game-changing
organisations. Thank you
CharityComms.”
Nadiya Donovan, director, wave
““

16. Motion proposed to approve the
annual report and accounts for
financial year 2016-17
Proposed: Jess Abelscroft
Seconded: Aidan Warner
www.rawpixel.com

17. Trustees for 2016-17:
John Grounds (chair)
Gail Scott-Spicer (vice chair)
Louisa Dallmeyer (treasurer)
Katherine Hall
Seamus O’Farrell
Hanif Leylabi
Donna Holland
Jessica Abelscroft
Lara Burns
Steve Palmer
Victoria Shooter
Adeela Warley

18. John Grounds (chair)
Gail Scott-Spicer (vice chair)
Louisa Dallmeyer (treasurer)
Katherine Hall
Seamus O’Farrell
Hanif Leylabi
Donna Holland
Jessica Abelscroft
Trustees for 2017-18:
Chrystyna Chymera-Holloway
Clive Gardiner
Lucy Abell

19. Motion proposed to approve trustees
Proposed: Phil Barros
Seconded: Natasha Roe

20. • implementing audience insight to improve the membership
experience
• ensuring we are compliant with GDPR requirements
• focusing on 5 main conferences to ensure sustainable income and
best meet our charitable objectives
• reviewing and improving our digital content
• improving the remote experience for our seminar delegates
• growing and reaching new groups in Birmingham, Cardiff and
Edinburgh
• exploring opportunities to support personal development through
training
• launching our resources and tools hub to support best practice across
the sector
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