Igniting debate and tackling challenges on our 20th anniversary

This year’s NPC Ignites, 11-13 October, is even more special as we are also celebrating our 20^th birthday. 20 years of helping the charity and philanthropy sector to maximise social impact in the lives of the people they serve.

To celebrate, we’ve been talking to leading sector figures for our anniversary essay and interview series, asking: Where next for social impact? Including to Samuel Kasumu, former Number 10 advisor, and Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter. At our annual conference, we will continue to bring you the thoughts of the biggest names in our sector, delving deeper into the three themes from our essay collection, over the course of three exciting afternoons. These are: ‘Charities and the state’, ‘Charities and society’, and ‘Where next for philanthropy?’.

Tackling the cost of living crisis

We will be igniting thought-provoking discussions and tackling the biggest opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for all of us. One of the big topics for NPC Ignites this year is tackling the cost of living crisis. We think the cost of living crisis is as big a crisis as Covid-19, possibly bigger. We need the kind of mobilisation among funders that we saw at the start of the pandemic, yet right now we’re not seeing this. Our latest guide aims to help you understand the pressures facing people in poverty in Britain, and how to fund effectively to help charities adapt.

On day 1 of our annual conference, we will unpick the big themes in this guide, and you will have a chance to discuss charities and society, and what the climate crisis means for social charities. Plus our fantastic panel, featuring Paul Farmer, CEO of Mind; Manny Hothi, CEO of Trust for London; and Kester Russell, Chair of Trustees of The Cowshed, will debate what the sector can do to adapt to current trends and crises.

Expert speakers

On day 2, we are delighted to welcome Torsten Bell, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, who will provide the keynote presentation on navigating unprecedented economic change. Also, on day 2, we will explore charities and the state and you can put your questions to Kathy Evans, Chief Executive of Children England, and David Knott, CEO of The National Lottery Community Fund.

On day 3, we will be focussing on where philanthropy and grant-making go next. Jason Arthur, Director of Sir Lewis Hamilton’s foundation, Mission 44, will discuss shifting power in philanthropy, and Fran Perrin, NPC Trustee and Founder and Director of The Indigo Trust, will explore maximizing impact through open philanthropy.

We listened to your feedback

Last year, you felt that attending three consecutive full days was difficult to manage alongside day-to-day work. There was a 50:50 divide on preference for in-person or online attendance, although many of you said that you missed the in-person networking element last year. So we have listened, and this year NPC Ignites will be spread across three consecutive afternoons, allowing time for your commitments in the morning, and come the afternoon you can join our speeches, panels and breakouts. Two afternoons (11 & 13 October) will be online only, and one afternoon (12 October) will be in-person, with the option to watch the in-person day online as well. We hope that this provides networking opportunities for those that wish to meet in-person, and we look forward to meeting you as well.

Book before 9 September for 25% off

Get your early bird ticket today. By signing up to NPC Ignites before 9 September, you will get a 25% discount. Or, you can bring a friend and take advantage of our multi-buy savings.

We look forward to seeing you soon for some more …

Challenging, thoughtful and inspiring conversations

NPC Ignites 2021 attendee

… and don’t forget, thanks to Barrow Cadbury Trust, we are able to offer a number of bursary places for small charities, ethnic minority charities of all sizes and ethnic minority representatives from charities of all sizes. To apply for our annual conference bursary places, please contact us. Plus, take a look at some of the highlights from NPC Ignites 2021 in this short video.