Paris Smith’s annual Charity Conference – ‘Public Confidence’ – on 03 November 2016 at Southampton Football Club is fast approaching. Following key note speeches from Sam Younger (2013), Lord Hodgson (2014) and William Shawcross (2015) Paris Smith is delighted to have secured the Minister for Civil Society (Rob Wilson MP) as the key note speaker this year alongside other high profile speakers including Stephen Dunmore (Chief Executive of the Fundraising Regulator), Sarah Parish (a well known actress and Founder and Trustee of the Murray Parish Trust) and Laura Trapnell, Head of Intellectual Property at the firm

There are currently over 350 attendees, so if you haven’t already booked your free place then do so by emailing Sandy Wells. The firm are confident that the Paris Smith Charity Conference 2016 will be the most informative and best Charity Conference yet.

Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson MP, said:
“Charities depend on the trust and confidence of the public, which is why it is important that the actions of a few don’t tarnish the reputation of the entire sector. I am looking forward to attending the Forum and speaking about fundraising regulation, strengthening the Charity Commission and restoring trust in the sector.”

Chief Executive of the Fundraising Regulator, Stephen Dunmore Said:

“The Fundraising Regulator was launched in July, taking ownership of the Code of Fundraising Practice and the Rulebooks on Street and Door-To-Door Collections.   We are committed to working with the charitable sector and donors to help ensure that fundraising is respectful, open, honest and accountable to the public”.

Actress & Co Founder of The Murray Parish Trust, Sarah Parish Said:

“We are delighted to be invited to speak at Paris Smith’s annual charity conference.  My husband Jim and I set up the Murray Parish Trust back in 2009 and we are looking forward to sharing our journey so far, we will speak of our highlights and our challenges along the way.”

Head of Intellectual Property at Paris Smith, Laura Trapnell, said:

“These are competitive times for charities and in order to fundraise and recruit, charities need to manage and protect a good reputation. A good reputation is underpinned by valuable intellectual property rights which are often misunderstood or forgotten about.  The importance of intellectual property rights prompted the Charity Commission to issue guidance on risk management and the need for charities to protect their intellectual property rights and I aim to give the Conference some guidance on preparing their own Intellectual Property strategy and what to expect from the new General Data Protection Regulation.”

Nick Vaughan, the firm’s Senior Partner and head of the charity team, has more than 20 years’ experience of advising charities, in particular on governance, charity incorporation, mergers, property, trustee issues and fundraising.  He is a trustee of a number of charities and governor of 3 schools.

“We are simply delighted to have the government back us in our 4th Charity Conference.  The charity and not for profit sector has an invaluable role to play in support of our communities at a time when finances are stretched. The Conference and Forum will provide a practical and direct resource to those who operate our charities. I hope that many will take advantage of what the Conference and Forum can offer”

The Charity Forum enables chief executives and trustees of charities to keep up to date with developments in the sector.  It is free to join, if you are interested in becoming a member of the Charity Forum then please visit our Charity Forum page on our website for further details.