The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 11: Spring 2019 | Page 6

BUSINESS NEWS
CHARITY CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Bath recently played host to the inaugural Business
Exchange South West Charity Conference.
In partnership with Milsted Langdon LLP, Fidelius
Group, Stone King LLP, and the investment arm
of Novia Financial – Copia Capital Management,
over 90 delegates from local firms and third sector
organisations came together to discuss new ways of
helping charities survive and thrive.
Attendees included Haynes International Motor
Museum, Cancer Research, Dorset Wildlife Trust,
Ethiopiaid, Age UK B&NES, Bath Preservation
Trust, Artists Together, Wildscreen and National
Osteoporosis Society.
The conference opened with a speech from
event organiser Anita Jaynes on the importance
of corporate social responsibility and the positive
impact it can have on a business from engaging
employees to winning new clients.
Anita discussed how the Third Sector in the
South West is a growing one and how through her
work she identified a need for a bringing together of
minds from both charity and the business world. The
theme of the conference was the future of the third
sector looking at fundraising, investment strategies,
alternative funding streams, charities in the digital
age and millennial engagement.
Andrew Taylor, founder of Running High events
and organiser of the Bath Half Marathon, the South
West’s largest one day fundraising event, took to
the stage to discuss the impact of the Bath Half in
terms of fundraising. The Bath Half has one of the
most developed charity schemes of any participation
event in the UK, with over 130 official charity partners
pre-purchasing a third of the race entries and raising
around £2.5m pounds each year, in total over £25m
since 2000.
Andrew said, “Since 2000 we have seen increases
each year in the number of charities taking part in
our event, the number of entries pre-sold to charities
and the amount raised per runner. The Bath Half
has the third highest average page value for any
road race in the UK after the London Marathon and
London Royal Parks Half Marathon.
“We very much see our race charities as partners.
We call them ‘The Beating Heart of the Bath Half.”
Henry Cobbe, Chief Investment Officer, at
Copia Capital Management, the investment arm
of well-known Bath firm Novia Financial held a
complementary session giving delegates food for
thought on how an investment strategy could boost
the funds generated through fundraising activities.
Wealth management and employee benefits firm,
Fidelius Group, headed up the Alternative Funding
Streams session.
6
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019
Jim Grant, CEO of Fidelius welcomed Nick Mayo,
CEO of Genesis Trust on stage with him to discuss
their partnership and how Fidelius donates company
time and resources to the cause – not just cash
donations.
Fidelius gives each employee two days a year
to donate time to a cause of their choice. At the
conference the company encouraged other firms to
do the same saying, “It’s good for business.”
Jim Grant said,“Given the general appreciation
of the challenges faced by the charities sector, it
was refreshing that this conference highlighted
the considerable opportunities that exist for both
individuals and companies to provide support. I
hope that sharing our experience of partnering with
The Genesis Trust will have planted a few seeds
to encourage an alternative perspective. It was a
privilege to engage and collaborate with a wide range
of experts involved in this sector and to improve my
understanding. I look forward to the next event.”
“It was great to see so many of our
clients and contacts gaining a huge
amount of value from this event”
Gill Freeman, Head of Charity and Not for Profit
at accountancy firm Milsted Langdon LLP partnered
with cancer charity Penny Brohn UK to look at the
benefits of investing in a digital and social media
strategy to drive donor engagement and raise funds.
Gill said, “I’ve been working with charities and
Not for Profit organisations for 30 years and much
has changed during that time, especially on the
technological front. Digital disruption has brought
amazing advantages but also its own challenges.”
Laura Kerby, CEO, and Tracy Tait, Head of
Communications, at Penny Brohn explained from a
practical perspective how a charity can innovate and
thrive in the digital age.
“It was great to see so many of our clients and
contacts gaining a huge amount of value from this
event. It was an ideal opportunity for our attendees to
meet lots of new contacts in the third sector, to share
best practice and raise standards. We’re already
looking forward to next year’s conference.”
Andrew Taylor, Bath Half Marathon
Anita Jaynes, The Business Exchange,
Les Redwood, Visit Bath and Ian Lloyd, Milsted Langdon