In any job, it can be difficult to find the time to step back and reflect. Day-to-day tasks and important regular projects naturally have to take priority, but stepping off this daily treadmill of activity is important to do.
By taking a moment to pause, it becomes much easier to see why some things succeed, why some have not worked as well as hoped, what can be done to make improvements and what completely new ideas could be implemented.
It is pleasing to see that more and more of the UK’s largest charities (as measured by average three-year income) are increasingly taking a more reflective approach in their annual reports and accounts. Research published in this issue shows that the majority are now reporting their successes measured against their strategy.
But as well as individual charities and teams within them needing time to reflect, it is also good to take time to consider our challenges and opportunities as a sector, and as finance professionals working in it.
This is what Charity Finance Week (which this year runs from 2-6 October) gives us a chance to do.
The theme for the week (and Charity Finance Summit which takes place on 5 October) is “doing more with less”. This is a concept that almost all of those working in charity finance will recognise. Coming into a cost-of-living crisis, hot on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic, has meant that demand has soared at the exact same time as resources have got much tighter.
The Summit is an opportunity for delegates to not only listen to a wide range of expert speakers sharing valuable updates, knowledge and experience, but also to network with peers and share ideas, challenges and make useful connections.
Charities are in this together and, as Nick Moore points out in this month’s cover theme article, action taken now will help you get through this crisis and also set your organisation on the right path for the future, when hopefully better economic times will return.
As I write this, it has just been announced that inflation has fallen for the third month in a row and now stands at 6.7%. Of course, this remains higher than in recent times (and well above official targets) but, as I said last month, hopefully the downward trend maintains, and even accelerates.
In the meantime, if you are coming to the Summit then I look forward to seeing you there.
Tristan Blythe is editor of Charity Finance
