This powerful and provocative session will bring together eight inspiring women leaders from across the social good space to share their perspectives and examine the impact that female leaders can have on their organisations – and the impact that leadership roles can have on the women who hold them.

Alongside a discussion about the unique qualities that women leaders bring to the table, we’ll look at some developing initiatives aimed at getting women into top leadership positions and inspiring them to think big about the values-based paradigm shifts they’ll effect once they get there.  We’ll also have open and frank conversations around topics such as work/life balance, flexibility, resilience, burnout, fears, strengths, failures, and more.

The conversation will encompass numerous viewpoints, including the ‘70% women leaders by 2030’ initiative and the counterpoint that argues we should be focusing on the kinds of leaders we need to nurture and support in the 21^st century – as opposed to their gender.

We’ll hear about what true diversity looks like and unpack the issues around bringing it to our community.

Open to everyone, this is a highly participatory and thought-provoking session and sure to be a rich conversation!

This 3.5-hour workshop is for people who are sick of the power dynamics that hold them back from having real impact, people who are convinced that their organisations need to change fundamentally, people who are ready to build a new world by throwing out the old ways. We invite you to join us in dismantling paternalistic governance, breaking old power structures and allowing power to flow to where it works best towards our organizations’ missions. The provocations and discussions of the workshop will ask us to look at where power blocks us from being able to move, include and listen – and show us ways to change that.

Learning outcomes

We will:

• Have an honest conversation about outdated systems at play
• Share learnings and insights from brand new research conducted with global CEOs, ‘From reform of governance to transfer of power’
• Encourage and enable each other to create change and inclusion in our organisations now
• Explore a few tools to take into our work tomorrow that can help us start to disrupt and transform
• Experience a different way conversations can be run using the principles of Human-Centered Design and Liberating Structures facilitation tools

In 2014, Tony Elischer challenged us to be mosquitos. He inspired us to buzz and make noise and stir up change in the fundraising sector. This session is for the mosquitos. Because being a mosquito isn’t easy, and successfully leading even the smallest of waves can be tough. To be successful we need to not only avoid drowning, but also navigate the wave breakers that are often put in the way.

Meet two mosquitos who have led change during their time in non-profit organisations and are now supporting change from an external agency/consultant perspective. Hear about some of the tools and techniques they have used to avoid drowning, burning out, or losing all passion in the process.

This session will cover recognising the difference between stress and burnout, deciding when change is right, leveraging internal support, leading a team through change, supporting decision making, getting around obstacles when the going gets tough, and how to set an example of wave-making at your own organisation.

Learning outcomes

• The difference between exhaustion, frustration and real burnout
• How to protect yourself from burnout – well-being and productivity
• Techniques to push decision-making in the right direction
• How to have tough conversations with yourself and others when change is needed
• How to recognise, influence and leverage support from key influencers in your organisation

Who should attend:

• Fundraisers of any age and experience level
• Fundraisers feeling frustrated about the obstacles in the way of change in their organisations – and the greater industry

Session style: Presentation/lecture-style with lots of visuals, practical tips and some video content.

Three leadership strategies for being your best authentic self and building a resilient, high performing fundraising team.

Fundraising is facing a crisis. Too often successful fundraisers are frequently changing jobs due to feeling overworked and overwhelmed. Alternatively, they are leaving the profession altogether. Creating authentic leaders who can build resilient teams that respond proactively to this fast paced world has never been more vital.

In this reflective and interactive workshop you’ll learn about the connection between pressure, wellbeing and fulfilling your potential. You will discover what drives you and how to create the conditions whereby you can be your ‘best self’. You leave with the skills, knowledge and confidence to create a resilient, high performing fundraising team. You will learn how to thrive, no matter how demanding your role becomes.

Learning outcomes

• You will leave with greater self-awareness and the tools to be an authentic leader.
• You will know how to address negative beliefs that may be holding you back.
• You will also be able to readily identify your energising strengths and play to these at work.

The attendees will leave with a ‘My Personal Manual’ for how to be their best self.

Who should attend: This workshop is for any leader or future leader who has experienced feeling overwhelmed and overworked. It is for leaders who want to develop their own authentic leadership style and more comfortably meet the demands of their role.
It is for anyone who wants to increase their resilience and gain tools and techniques to thrive and be their ‘best self’

Session style:

It will be an interactive session with several exercises, including:

• Strengths finder exercise
• 5-5-5 questionnaire
• ABC Model for tackling negative beliefs

What do culture and personality have to do with our ability to inspire donors, attract new people to our organisations, and keep and grow great teams? Everything.

Through this dynamic panel, we will look at how organisations are building and supporting amazing cultures while encouraging the personalities of individuals and the organisation to emerge. We believe the only way to attract and keep donors and staff is to have a clear personality in the marketplace – one that allows people to connect and align with your values and your messages. It’s our cultures that support that authenticity and allow us to do more – but at what cost? How are they sustained and invested in? Our panel will explore what culture and personality mean for their own organisations and how you can support building positive cultures in your teams and organisations that allow you to do more in the future. We will talk about barriers to building cultures and challenges around personality – as well as the amazing payoffs of both.

Learning outcomes

• The power of culture on an organisation’s ability to raise money
• How personality can affect organisations – on an individual level and for the organisation as a whole
• Tools to bring back to your own organisation to build strong cultures and let their personality shine

Who should attend

• Any senior leadership fundraiser who is interested in building a stronger culture and personality for their organisation
• Any marketing or fundraising professional interested in how personality can drive fundraising

Session style

• Large-room panel session
• Attendees will be able to ask the panel questions about culture and personality

Never before has it been more important for fundraisers to take a leadership role in their organisations. Unless we as fundraisers influence and connect with the organisational leadership team, we will continue to be frustrated, and we will fall short of our full potential. Join Tony Myers and Jan Kroupa, consultants working on two continents helping fundraisers transition from fundraising to fundraising leadership.

Learning outcomes

• Identify leadership opportunities in your own organisation
• Learn what it takes to move from fundraising to fundraising leadership
• Identify various and specific positions in your organisation where you can apply influence and lead – these are not necessarily positions with titles attached to them

Who should attend: Fundraisers, directors of fundraising, volunteer fundraisers, board members, CEOs, executive directors, communications directors working with funders

Session style: Exercises, discussion, small groups, interactive, reflection, case studies

Great leaders lead their teams to greatness. But how? In this masterclass, we’ll tackle the issues – bravely and honestly – that make performance management a chore and hinder the growth of greatness in your organisation.  We’ll offer guidance but, more importantly, we’ll create an environment that will help you find your own answers to questions like:

• How do you ensure that high-performance team working is a habit?
• How do you balance personal style with the needs of your team, supporters and cause?
• How do you motivate your high performers so you don’t lose them?
• How do you have difficult conversations and face each other the next day?
• How do you tackle and turn around poor performance from your team, peers, senior staff and board?

We’ll take a truly practical look at the joys and challenges of fundraising leadership – how you survive it, thrive on it and build a team you can be proud of that possesses the skills and attitudes to keep your organisation moving forward.

You’ll walk away thinking beyond results to the parts of your job that generate or hamper results – feeling inspired to lead bravely, reassured that you can do it, and challenged to accept nothing less than fabulous performance.

Learning outcomes

• Tools to build a high-performance team environment
• Better self-awareness of personal style
• Clarity on what constitutes high, medium and low performance and how to manage in each case
• Ways to create a motivational environment
• Techniques and real help in having difficult performance conversations
• Ways to balance the performance needs of your team members, the team overall and the organisation you all work for

Who should attend: Fundraising directors and heads, heads of team, new managers who have a team and would welcome the chance to develop their skills, experienced managers who would value an opportunity to review and build upon existing skills

Session style: A balance of energetic input and teaching from the leaders, Q&A, full- and small-group discussions, exercises and personal action planning

The civil society sector is affected by a whole range of disruptions, including fast and fundamental technological, political and environmental changes — many of which have the potential to undermine if not destroy the work of local, national and international civil society organisations (CSOs). In order to survive and thrive in a disruptive environment, CSOs will have to continuously transform themselves, overcoming critical challenges and seizing new opportunities. CSOs’ need for continuous transformation demands a very different leadership style. While traditional leaders had to stand for stability and consistency, transformational leadership has to stand for flexibility and adaptability. While traditional leaders embody continuity, transformational leaders embody change. This masterclass will explore key strategies used by transformational leaders. Based on these experiences, participants will develop their own approaches to transformational leadership.

Learning outcomes

• Understand the difference between management and leadership – and be able to navigate between both
• Be aware of a range of key strategies of transformational leadership – and be able to use these strategies as appropriate
• Develop a personal approach to transformational leadership

Who should attend: The masterclass will be most relevant for participants with line management experience and for aspiring leaders who are willing to face the hard choices of managing and leading transformation.

Session style: Based on several structured inputs, there will be an open, highly participative process co-shaped by all participants. Work in small groups or, if necessary, individually will allow for maximum personal engagement and benefit.