The best charity and nonprofit events board members should know about this year

Industry events give your leadership and board members opportunities to share resources and network, as well as learn about best practices, industry trends and innovations. They also offer opportunities to connect with peers and identify potential collaborators.

This year brings a variety of interesting and useful events for charities and nonprofits. We have put together this handy list of key events we think board members of mission-driven organisations should know about this year.

Why it’s important for mission-driven organisations to attend events

Your board may decide to send one board member to an event and ask them to report what they learned to the rest of the board. Or, it may be beneficial for the entire board to attend certain events. Either way, attendees can learn and develop by attending a conference or industry event.

Here are some of the specific benefits board members can enjoy by attending events for nonprofits:

• Networking: Board members will have formal and informal encounters with other organisations, potential donors, and other influential individuals that may help your cause.
• Professional development: Sessions, workshops, seminars, and panel discussions can help board members expand on their knowledge of the sector through best practices and tips for effectively overseeing their organisations.
• Fundraising knowledge: Events provide opportunities where mission-driven organisations can share fundraising tips and bring new ideas back to the board. Fresh ideas and innovative approaches can contribute to the financial sustainability of the nonprofit.
• Sector trends: Sector events often feature keynote speakers and other valued professionals who can speak to emerging trends, regulatory issues, and societal shifts that mission-driven organisations need to be aware of.
• Collaboration and partnerships: Events bring people from various sectors together and they may provide opportunities for board members to explore partnerships with other organisations, government agencies, or businesses that align with their mission and goals. Collaboration may ultimately amplify impact.
• Celebration of achievements: Conferences and other events commonly award organisations and celebrate their achievements. Success stories inspire and empower board members to succeed.
• Donor engagement strategies: At events, board members may learn about innovative strategies for engaging donors, cultivating relationships with donors, and learning the best ways to thank donors.
• Policy and advocacy insights: Certain events include sessions that focus on policy issues or advocacy efforts which may help board members navigate regulator challenges or improve advocacy engagement. Attendees may also have a chance to contribute to policy discussions to make their voices heard.
• Community engagement ideas: Board members are always looking for ways to engage with their communities, mobilise volunteers, and address their community’s unique needs. Events are a good place to learn more about community engagement initiatives.
• Inspiration and motivation: Board members often return from events feeling inspired and motivated. Enthusiasm is welcome and refreshing.

Month-by-month calendar of events for 2024

JANUARY

18 – 19 January 2024: ICAEW’s annual Charity Conference organised by the Charity Community has been designed to prepare you with the knowledge and inspiration to succeed with vital accounting, governance and taxation updates affecting the charity sector and inspiring keynotes

February

9 February 2024: The Charity Times Leaders’ Forum is an online event with the opportunity to learn more about the recent challenges that have emerged for nonprofits in the last few years. Speakers will talk on such issues as job sharing, social media, remote leadership, building media relationships, and more.

March

4 – 8 March 2024: The CMAA 2024 World Conference and Club Business Expo is a specialised event and business expo for club leaders and club managers. This year’s expo will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Attendees can attend educational sessions, special speaker sessions, an expo and network with peers.

6 – 7 March 2024: Held in Liverpool, UK, the two-day Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Conference will focus on best practices for equality, diversity, and inclusion in higher education.

13 – 15 March 2024: The 24NTC (Nonprofit Technology Conference) N10 is designed to bring people involved with nonprofits together so they can learn best practices for nonprofit technology. This year’s hybrid conference will take place in Portland, Oregon.

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April

24 April 2024: This year’s Trustee Exchange 2024 will be held in London. The one-day event will focus on technology, regulatory updates, governance, and leadership for trustees. This year, trustees will be able to attend small groups where they can continue discussing topics from forum sessions.

May

8 May 2024: This year’s Charity Times Annual Conference will be held in London and this year the event will focus on strategies for long-term survival. Learn more about charity strategies, culture, climate change, economic markets, fundraising trends, and new technologies.

22 May 2024: Now in its tenth year, Governance Ireland 2024 is the annual conference for all governance professionals in Ireland. This year the conference will take place at the Printworks, Dublin Castle giving you the opportunity to connect with your industry colleagues and join the biggest governance conference in Ireland.

29 – 30 May 2024: Future Health Summit is an Irish and International gathering of the brightest minds in the healthcare industry featuring renowned speakers from Ireland, USA, UK, Europe, and further afar. This year’s Summit will take place at the Royal Dublin Convention Centre.

July

21 – 24 July 2024: Hosted by the World Council of Credit Unions the World Credit Union Conference is the largest global credit union event. Credit union professionals from small and large credit unions come from around the world to attend over 25 sessions and workshops.

October

27 – 29 October 2024: Senior care professionals will gather in Nashville, Tennessee for the Leading Age Annual Meeting: an ideal opportunity to learn more about trends, innovations, and connections in aging services. Visit their website for registration details when they become available.

November

6 – 8 November 2024: The annual AHP International Conference event is open to philanthropy professionals. Attendees can learn more about ways to raise funds and better serve communities this year in San Diego, California.

Whether your volunteer board members attend a local or distant event, they can store documents and materials from the event on their board management solution to share what they learned with fellow trustees. Board members can also receive notifications on when to register for events and share documents from events in real time.

Leverage technology for conference and event attendance

BoardEffect is designed to allow your board to work collaboratively in workrooms and share documents easily. Look through the events listed above and decide which ones will benefit your organization, then set notifications for registration dates in your calendarso you can be sure your board doesn’t miss out.

Once your board member has attended, encourage them to share what they learned at the next board or committee meeting and store key documents and notes they brought back in your resource library.