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 2025

JANUARY

23 – 24 January 2025: ICAEW’s annual Charity Conference is a two-day online event for charity finance leaders, trustees, and their advisers to gain essential accounting, governance, and tax insights for the charity sector. Listen to keynote speakers and kickstart the year with up to eight hours of verifiable continuing professional development.  

February

5 February 2025: The Voluntary Sector Fundraising Conference 2025 is an online conference sharing the latest insights and guidance from fundraising experts and charity leaders. Covering high-level keynotes and explore best-practice case studies that tackle key challenges, including enhancing donor engagement, embracing AI and understanding its risks and opportunities, fostering an inclusive culture of belonging, making your digital campaigns stand out in the ever-evolving social media landscape and more.

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April

2 – 3 April 2025: Held in Newcastle, UK, Advance HE’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Conference 2025 will address the multiple and intersecting dimensions in higher education of identity, such as gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, and more, in policymaking, education and innovation, whilst engaging with the reality of those challenges. 

29 April 2025: The theme of the Trustee Exchange 2025, organized by Governance & Leadership magazine, is “Exploding the boundaries: Changing charities for a changing world.” The one-day event held in London, will focus on new models of governance, new ways of operating, and new approaches to risk new ways for the charity sector. 

May

21 May 2025:  Charity Times Leadership Conference, held in London, will look at the issues around navigating the funding crisis while meeting a surge in demand. Charity CEOs, experts and thought leaders will share strategies, resources, and insights on diversifying funding streams.  

15 May 2025:  Governance Ireland 2025 is the biggest governance conference in Ireland. Held by the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland at the Printworks, Dublin Castle, attendees can connect with industry colleagues and hear about best practices in the profession.  

28 May 2025: The Wheel’s National Summit for Charities, Community Organisations and Social Enterprises will take place at Croke Park in Dublin. A line-up of expert local and international; speakers will cover a spectrum of relevant issues. Gain insights, perspectives, and strategies to amplify your organisation’s impact.

28 – 29 May 2025: The 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 to share best practices, innovations and future thinking to the advancement of the healthcare of Irish patients. The theme of the summit, which will take place in Dublin, is “Global Perspectives Delivering for Irish Patients.” 

June

25 – 26 June 2025: The Charity Retail Conference 2025 takes place in Harrogate Convention Centre, England. Don’t miss this chance to connect, learn, and grow alongside other charity retail professionals.

July 

14 – 16 July 2025: Hosted by the World Council of Credit Unions, the World Credit Union Conference is the largest global credit union event. Held in Stockholm, Sweden, the conference theme this year is “The Future Is Cooperative.” Credit union professionals from small and large credit unions will gather from around the world to attend sessions and workshops. 

November

1 – 5 November 2025: The LeadingAge and the Global Ageing Network are uniting for their 2025 conferences, bringing together more than 6,500 global experts to Boston, Massachusetts. Leading researchers on aging will unveil studies addressing the most pressing challenges in the field, from sustainable care models and workforce development to person-centered approaches and technological integration. Attendees include nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-driven organizations serving older adults. 

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.