Chartered Institute of Fundraising North West Fundraising Conference 2026

Following the huge success of the 2025 Conference, we are delighted to announce that the North West Conference will be back for 2 days in 2026.

Once again, we will be taking over the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Chester to celebrate, learn and network - and we are looking forward to seeing you there!

To keep up with the latest announcements about the North West Fundraising Conference, join our LinkedIn Group by searching 'Chartered Institute of Fundraising North West'. For more information about our other upcoming events, please visit https://ciof.org.uk/volunteer-with-us/national-regional-and-special-interest-groups/north-west/ or our Eventbrite page.

NB THE SCHEDULE BELOW IS AN OUTLINE OF A FANTASTIC TWO DAYS OF TALKS, WORKSHOPS AND PANELS. SOME SESSION TIMES AND SPEAKERS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

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For full ticket Terms & Conditions, please visit click the link and scroll down to 'Terms and Conditions for Short Courses and Events'

Info: Taking place in Kings Suite

Info: Chester Room - Join Damian Chapman from Fundraiser In The Room to understand the systemic causes behind common fundraising struggles, not just the symptoms. You will learn how culture, clarity, and decision pathways shape fundraising performance more than effort. You will leave with practical steps to diagnose and address dysfunction inside your own organisation. STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP TRACK.

Info: Christleton Room. Adam Dixon, Community and Events Manager Alder Hey Children's Charity shares his insight and expertise in Virtual Challenges. Taking you through an overview of virtual challenges and how to run successful campaigns and events including recommended platforms and stewardship ideas for charities of any size. INCOME & STRATEGY TRACK.

Info: Malpas Room - Unlocking Growth: How Outsourcing Response Handling Can Create Growth Potential for Small and Medium Charities with Woods Valldata.
Explore how individual giving response handling programmes can grow exponentially without internal capacity restrictions . Learn practical routes to create the best possible supporter experience and listen to trends and benchmarks on individual giving in the sector. INCOME GENERATION TRACK.

Info: Christleton Room - Rose James CEO of Hull & East Yorks University shares how to approach corporates, what makes your charity attractive to corporates and how to maximise your partnerships.INCOME GENERATION STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP TRACK.

Info: Chester Room - Tim Rogers from Sapphire Running Zone presents The Power of Podcasts in Challenge Event Fundraising. Join the session to understand how:

: 1. Podcasts can play a major role in attracting new supporters and help them fundraise more

2. Podcasts should be a key part of your stewardship programme

3. Podcasts can help with retention

Info: Tony Banks from Unforgettable Experiences Unforgettable Experiences shares a clearer framework for purposeful event design, including; How to anchor special events in audience and strategic intent, rather than defaulting to format or tradition. A broader definition of success for special events Moving beyond one-night income to include engagement, long-term value, and organisational impact. Greater confidence to challenge and improve existing events Practical ways to have better internal conversations about support, expectations, and sustainability without feeling defensive or negative. INCOME GENERATION TRACK.

Info: Kings Suite.

Info: Chester Room. Join Rachel Williams from Evelyn Partners as they advise on making Charity Investments work for your organisation. Could your Charity’s reserves do more? How Effective Investment and Cash Management Can Strengthen Financial Resilience, Build Donor Trust and Support Long-Term Impact.

This session will demonstrate how a well-designed investment and cash management policy can do far more than protect a charity’s reserves. In an increasingly competitive funding environment, demonstrating responsible stewardship of charitable funds can be a powerful differentiator. This session will show how robust governance and investment policies can enhance credibility, build trust and support more effective fundraising conversations. STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP TRACK.

Info: Christleton Room - Join Sarah Burgess from Maggies as she shares : 1. Practical prioritisation tools – simple, effective methods to organise fundraising demands and focus on the activities that deliver the greatest impact. 2. Strategies for sustainable working – learn how to set healthy boundaries, manage expectations, and stay motivated while avoiding burnout in small team or solo roles. 3. Stronger support networks – how to strengthen internal support, build helpful peer relationships, and create simple, inclusive and fundraising practices. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING TRACK.

Info: Malpas Room - Robin Peake from Wycliffe Bible Translators teaches the five areas of mastery for career progression: managing tasks, managing projects, managing people, managing change, and managing yourself . The six questions to ask yourself to understand what you want from your next career move – your answers may surprise you! And finally, how to land the job you deserve. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING TRACK.

Info: Christleton Room - James Davies from Young Epilepsy shared how to incorporate positive mental health strategies into a hectic fundraising career, learning true resilience in the face of adversity and that is and will always be ‘ok to say’ when you’re not ok. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING TRACK.

Info: Chester Room - Top tips on how to achieve your career aspirations (regardless of your level) - Confidence to know how to navigate the market, and showcase your skills and abilities. This session from Charity Horizons also shares real life case study evidence of tangible career progression in the sector. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING TRACK.

Info: Malpas Room - Ben Swart from Bright Spot Fundraising delivers Wow Your Donors, a session designed to help understand why certain fundraising moments are so effective for increasing income and how to target them. Hear lots of real examples of successful Wow Moment fundraising, in a range of disciplines, to inspire your own ideas Feel energised and more confident to get creative and add Wow Factor to your own fundraising. INCOME GENERATION TRACK.

Info: Kings Suite.

Info: Kings Suite

Info: Christleton Room. Nathan Gonzalez & Jade Asia from Harmony and Resonance present Stories in Your Pocket: Smartphone Photography & Storytelling for Fundraising Impact
During the session you will learn: How to identify the stories your organisation should actually be telling
Practical guidance on capturing high-quality, usable content.
How storytelling supports growth, funding, and engagement. INCOME GENERATION TRACK.

Info: Malpas Room. Join Marla Cunningham from Emsy Fundraising in discussion with Kate Kendall from National Lottery Heritage Fund, Mel Sproston from Cheshire Community Fund and Laura Messenger from Pets Foundationas they discuss funding bids top tips, share knowledge from the sector and take questions from the audience.

Info: Christleton Room - Confidence isn’t something you either have or you don’t. It’s not something you’re born with, or something that comes from experience, qualifications, successful bids or smashed targets. Confidence is something you can create for yourself. Come along to this practical workshop – packed full of takeaways – to understand why confidence might have been eluding you and learn the 3 key skills you need to become a more confident fundraiser. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING TRACK.

Info: Chester Room. Mark Horne, Head of Philanthropy at University of Liverpool presents How strong stewardship builds major donor relationships in a multi-cause setting. Take aways from this session will include:
How to navigate a wide and varied prospect pool by focusing on real interest, behaviour and connection rather than data alone .How treating stewardship and cultivation as one long relationship strengthens major donor giving. How to work with internal experts so stewardship is timely, personal and easy for them to contribute to. INCOME GENERATION TRACK.

Info: Christleton Room. Samina Taj, Head of Digital at Human Appeal leads a session on scaling growth from what you already have. Most charities use only 40% of their existing platforms' capability. This session shows how to unlock a smarter digital experience, auditing your current tools and data, and scaling from there - growth can certainly come from what you already have, not from buying anything new. STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP TRACK.

Info: Malpas Room. Emily Petty, Church Army Director of Engagement leads a workshop that will help you: Learn what is stopping you from thinking and acting strategically Learn how to empower, inspire and motivate your team without you burning out Learn tools to help you think strategically, because you are clear on the big picture you can get out of the weeds. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING TRACK.

Info: Kings Suite

Info: Chester Room. Susannah Lopez Major Gifts Fundraising Consultant & Stacey Lavery from Anthony Nolan. Building a successful Philanthropy programme; a case study in how Anthony Nolan reanimated its high value programme and doubled high value income within 18 months. Takeaways from the session will include:
1. The critical success factors in founding and growing a Philanthropy programme 2. influencing across an organisation to secure vital buy in for Philanthropy 3. Where to unearth interesting high value suspects and prospects INCOME GNERATION TRACK.

Info: Christleton Room. Mary's Meals UK is a registered global charity that sets up school-feeding programmes in some of the world's poorest communities. Anoushka Negi, Philanthropy and Partnerships Officer at Mary's Meals UK will share top tips from their mid level giving programme. INCOME GENERATION & STRATEGY TRACK.

Info: Malpas Room. Join Stephany Armstrong, New Business Corporate Partnerships Manager from Anthony Nolan for My Zig Zag Theory:Saying Yes, No and Not Yet.

Successful corporate partnerships (and careers) rarely follow a straight line. Through her Zig Zag Theory, Stephany shares how job rejections, career detours and partnership setbacks became the experiences that shape success. Leave with practical tools to embrace uncertainty, build resilience and navigate your own fundraising journey with confidence.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING TRACK.

Info: Chester Room. Join Max, Cerebra's Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Comms and Lindsay, Head of Community Fundraising at Shelter to learn a process to follow to get you from task to delivery. The session includes top tips, essential tools and sharing mistakes made and lessons learned.

Info: Malpas Room. George Collins workshop - Creative is the new targeting, winning on Meta in the Andromeda era
Key Takeaways will include:
1. Learning how creative is now the primary lever
2. Volume and variety accelerates learning and lowers CPA
3. Repeatable frameworks beat random testing INCOME GENERATION & STRATEGY TRACK.

Info: All fundraising should be sensitive to the needs of our supporters and potential supporters, especially those in vulnerable circumstances. This interactive session will provide tips on identifying people in vulnerable circumstances and what to do when you think you are working with someone who may be vulnerable.

Info: Come together for a final uplifting session as we bring the conference to a close and share our key learnings from our time together.

Event venue & nearby stays

Crowne Plaza Chester, Trinity Street, Chester, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

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