Exploring the future of the impact economy at NPC Ignites 2026

When I joined NPC, I invited someone to a roundtable. Their response was: ‘As long as it is not another talking shop!’

My response: ‘What is wrong with a talking shop?’

Talking is not the opposite of action; it is a requirement for it.

We need to talk so we can include multiple voices, learn from other people’s experiences, and turn ideas into deliverable actions. We need to agree – to create confidence, consensus and momentum – and we need to disagree: to hone ideas, see where we have misread something and, occasionally, discover that we are simply wrong.

We need to uncover evidence. We need to see new angles. We need to challenge our assumptions.

We do all of this by talking. Talking and telling stories is part of what made human progress possible. It allowed us to share ideas, learn from one another and, crucially, cooperate at scale—to organise, build and achieve things together.

And we need that collective effort now.

The opportunity of the impact economy

Tackling society’s biggest challenges requires charities, businesses, investors, philanthropists and communities working towards shared goals, with the right capital behind them.

That is where the impact economy is strongest: as a connected system that mobilises money, ideas, expertise and commitment towards positive change.

This is not a future ambition; it is already happening.

Our Impact UK report found that the UK impact economy contributes £428bn in gross value added, equivalent to 15% of GDP. That includes charities, social enterprises, purpose-led businesses, philanthropists, investors and community organisations working to create positive social and environmental impact.

This is brilliant. But the opportunity is much bigger.

Because another way to look at that number is to think about the other 85%.

The billions—indeed trillions—of pounds flowing through our economy that do not currently prioritise social or environmental impact.

That money should be our target.

How do we influence more of it? How do we connect mainstream capital to social and environmental outcomes? How do we ensure that money already intended to create impact actually delivers meaningful change?

And how do we make this easier?

Because at the moment too much of this world remains fragmented. Charities talk to charities. Philanthropists talk to philanthropists. Investors talk to investors. Government talks to government. Each has its own language, institutions, networks and assumptions.

Yet the problems we are trying to solve do not respect those boundaries.

A conversation worth joining

This is why convening is central to NPC’s mission, and why I am so looking forward to NPC Ignites this October.

Ignites has always been about bringing together people who might not otherwise find themselves in the same conversation: charities and social enterprises, funders and philanthropists, investors and policymakers, community organisations and national institutions.

Not because talking is an end in itself, but because better conversations can lead to better action.

Better conversations can lead to better action

This year we will be exploring three themes that I think are fundamental to the future of the impact economy:

• Representation. How do we ensure communities and people with lived experience have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect them? Not simply being consulted but helping to shape where money goes and what gets done.
• Place. What does good growth look like in practice? How do we make sure economic and social renewal is felt in every postcode? And what can we learn from organisations already driving change in towns, cities and communities across the UK?
• Finance. How do we unlock more money for impact? How do we break down the barriers between different forms of capital and build stronger connections between those who hold capital and the organisations creating impact on the ground?

These questions are all connected. You cannot really talk about finance without talking about who gets to make decisions about it. You cannot talk about place without listening to the people who live there. And you cannot seriously talk about shifting capital without bringing together the people who control it and the people who understand where it can make a difference.

We will be joined by an exceptional group of senior leaders from across civil society, philanthropy, finance and social impact, including:

• Kate Lee OBE, CEO of NCVO;
• Fiona Spellman, Chief Executive of SHINE;
• Kelly Fowler, CEO of Belong Network;
• Joshua Meek, Chief Impact Officer at Unity Trust Bank;
• Adiva Kalms, Deputy CEO at Prism the Gift Fund;
• Michael Stickland, Director of Partnerships and Philanthropy at Macmillan Cancer Support.

The day will be chaired by our newest trustee, Patricia Hamzahee OBE.

But the speakers are only part of it. The conversations between sessions matter too. The disagreement over coffee. The person from a completely different part of the system who challenges something you have always assumed to be true. The conversation that starts with “Why don’t we…?” and ends six months later with something actually happening. That is what a good talking shop should do.

Human progress has always depended on our ability to exchange ideas, create shared understanding and cooperate to achieve things we could never achieve alone.

So, I say: talk on.

Come and disagree. Come and challenge. Come and listen. Come and share what you have learned. Come and meet people outside your normal world.

And then let’s work out what we can do together.

I look forward to seeing you at NPC Ignites.