Monthly Series on Charity Governance & Resilience
Hosted by Southampton Forward

Southampton Forward is excited to introduce SO: Governance, a monthly online series designed to strengthen governance skills, foster resilience, and enhance impact within Southampton’s non-profit sector.

These 90-minute sessions will dive into essential governance topics, offering tools, resources, and expert guidance for organisations looking to thrive. Whether you’re new to charity work or an experienced leader, this series will support your journey to building a strong foundation for your mission.

Next Session: Session 5: Compliance and Information Management – Tuesday, 29 April 2025

Future Sessions

The final session will take place in person in central Southampton on Wednesday, 28 May, 2025, allowing us to reflect on our learnings and plan future sessions based on participant feedback.

Who Should Attend?
Anyone involved in or supporting Southampton’s non-profit sector who wants to deepen their governance knowledge is welcome. Whether you’re part of a charity, social enterprise, or community organization, this series is for you!

FAQs

• Cost: All sessions are free.
• Format: Each session includes presentations from guest speakers, followed by a Q&A for interactive discussion.
• Recording: Yes, all sessions will be recorded and shared by Southampton Forward and Southampton Voluntary Services after the event.

Recap of Session 1: Friday, November 29, 2024, from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM GMT (Online)

Our November session, “Governance & Resilience: Strategy and Purpose,” focusses on the core elements that drive a charity’s success—defining your organisation’s vision, strategy, and purpose. Our guest speakers will provide practical insights, share real-life examples, and answer your questions:

• Sally Arscott, CEO of Solent Mind – Discusses how Solent Mind has developed a forward-thinking strategy to better serve the community. Sally brings over 25 years in the voluntary sector and is dedicated to empowering local people and championing sustainable change through collaboration.
• Matt Salvage, CEO of SoCo Music Trust – Shares his journey in transforming SoCo from a Community Interest Company to a registered charity, discussing the process and benefits of aligning with a charitable purpose. Matt’s commitment to accessible music-making has reshaped SoCo’s mission, bringing music to individuals facing challenging circumstances.

This session will be moderated by Rob Kurn, CEO of Southampton Voluntary Services.

Agenda:

• 12:00 PM – Introduction and Welcome
• 12:15 PM – Keynote with Sally Arscott: “Purpose & Strategy in Governance”
• 12:45 PM – Keynote with Matt Salvage: “Transitioning from CIC to Charity”
• 1:15 PM – Q&A Session with All Speakers

Watch the session here:

Recap of Session 2: Financial Resilience – Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Session 2 of SO: Governance explored how to build resilience, with a special focus on financial resilience for charities.

Gain practical advice and insights from expert speakers:

• Helen Alexander, Director of Finance, Southampton Forward: Budgeting for financial resilience.
• Emma Bovey, Head of Development, Southampton Forward: Diversifying income for fundraising success.
• Lou Gardner, Charity-business connections expert: Building sponsorship relationships.
• Dan Crow, Director of ‘a space’ arts: Lessons learned from diversifying income streams.

Moderated by Rob Kurn, CEO of Southampton Voluntary Services.

Recap of Session 3: Leadership, People, and Culture – Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Session 3 looks at how can we create truly inclusive leadership and governance structures? In our next free online session, we’ll explore what leading with inclusivity and resilience means.

Speakers:

Zoie Golding MBE – Artistic Director & CEO

Kristianne Drake (they/them) – Founder, In Focus Education & Development CIO

12.00 – 12.05 Welcome and introductions Rob Kurn, CEO Southampton Voluntary Services Claire Gevaux, Director, Southampton Forward

12.05-12.10 What is leadership? (RK)

12.10-12.25 Zoie Golding: leadership in Zoie Logic, lessons learned

12.25 -12.40 Q&A

12.40-12.55 Kristianne Drake: experience of inclusive leadership at In Focus Education

12.55-13.05 Q&A and discussion

13.05 -13.15 Next session and evaluation

13.30 Ends

Recap of Session 4: Risk Wednesday, March 26 · 12 – 1:30pm GMT

Southampton Forward is excited to introduce SO: Governance, a monthly online series designed to strengthen governance skills, foster resilience, and enhance impact within Southampton’s non-profit sector. These 90-minute sessions will dive into essential governance topics, offering tools, resources, and expert guidance for organisations looking to thrive. Whether you’re new to charity work or an experienced leader, this series will support your journey to building a strong foundation for your mission.

What We Covered in Our Fourth Session

Our March session of SO: Governance delved into the critical topic of risk management within the context of charity and not-for-profit sector governance. We explored how to identify, assess, and mitigate risks to help ensure the success of organisations. Whether attendees were seasoned professionals or new to the world of governance, the event offered valuable insights and practical tips to enhance risk management practices. There was plenty of time for questions and discussion throughout the session.

The session was moderated by Rob Kurn, CEO of Southampton Voluntary Services.

We were delighted to welcome our guest speakers, who shared their expertise on risk, how to mitigate it, the role of Trustees in managing risk, and real-life examples of navigating high-risk situations and projects.

Rob Francis, Capital Actuary at Quilter and Chair of In Focus Education and Development, shared what an Actuary does to analyse risk, his role as Chair of a charity, and some of the common types of risk along with how to mitigate worst-case scenarios.

Matt Goode, Chief Operations Officer at Mayflower, shared his insights into managing a capital project, how to keep it on track, and what to do when things go wrong.

Rob Francis In Focus Education Slides

Recap Session 5 – Evaluating Our Impact – Tuesday 29 April 2025

In this fifth session of Southampton Forward’s SO:Governance series, we focused on the theme of impact evaluation—a key area for charities and community organisations striving to understand and improve the difference they make.

Chaired by Rob Kurn, CEO of Southampton Voluntary Services, and featuring guest speaker Lucy Horne, Head of Impact and Insights at the Saints Foundation, the session explored the challenges and opportunities of evaluating impact in the third and voluntary sectors.

Together, we discussed:

• Why evaluating impact can be complex and nuanced
• Different frameworks and approaches that can support effective evaluation
• Real-world examples and lessons learned from across the sector
• How to create a culture of learning and reflection within your organisation

The session included an open discussion and Q&A, allowing attendees to share their own experiences and learn from one another in a supportive space.

This 90-minute session is ideal for anyone involved in governance—whether you’re just starting out or leading an established organisation.

Watch the full recording below to gain practical tools and insights to support your evaluation journey.