On Friday 24th March, MK Community Foundation hosted a successful CPD conference for the Voluntary Sector of Milton Keynes.

Attendees had the opportunity to participate in interactive workshops on topics such as fundraising, marketing, diversity, leadership and more. The series of workshops were designed to help professionals in the charity sector improve their skills, network with colleagues, and learn about the latest trends and best practices.

Last year, MK Community Foundation carried out a survey to identify the training needs of the Voluntary Sector.

The results highlighted a huge demand for training, whilst also showing that many budgets had been cut due to the cost-of-living crisis. Further to our commitment to supporting the Voluntary Sector of Milton Keynes, we therefore decided to offer the Voluntary Sector Conference at an accessible rate.

“It was a pleasure to host our very first Voluntary Sector CPD Conference.”

“It was so lovely to be able to run the event in person and it really reminded us of the power we all have when we come together.” Michaela Clark, Capacity Building Manager, MK Community Foundation.

The conference brought together professionals from various charities and organisations in the sector, as well as expert speakers and facilitators, such as: MIND BLMK, The Open University and MK CIL (Centre for Integrated Learning).

The conference received positive feedback from attendees, who praised the quality of the workshops, the professionalism of the speakers, and the opportunity to connect with colleagues in the sector.

Many attendees also expressed an interest in seeing a similar conference in 2024.

“We are grateful to our speakers, and attendees who made the first Voluntary Sector Conference a great success.”

The conference closed with a special Awards ceremony, in which three recognition awards were presented by Emily Darlington, in Carol Baume’s late memory.

 The Micro, Medium and Large awards were awarded to the following charities,

• Worktree
• MK Money Lifeline
• Yis (Young Peoples Mental Health)

As Vice Chair of MK Community Foundation, Carole was an invaluable contributor to our board, and loved by her community. We’re honored to have been able to present these awards in Carol’s late memory.

“We now have a save the date for next year’s conference, Friday 22nd March 2024, for you to mark in your calendars.”

A special thanks to the stallholders from the day, Thrive and MIND BLMK.

What would you like to see at next year’s conference? Let us know at info@mkcommunityfoundation.co.uk

You can register for to be notified of future MK Community Foundation events by clicking here.

For more information about MK Community Foundation, please visit: http://www.mkcommunityfoundation.co.uk/