Stone King Charity Briefing: Hope in uncertain times

Stone King was delighted to be joined by friends, charities, and sector partners at another successful Charity Client Briefing, hosted this year at the Royal Society of Arts. 

The briefing featured as a news story in both Civil Society and Third Sector (paywall).

The briefing commenced with a legal update from Stone King Partners Hannah Kubie and Harriet Broughton, who delivered an engaging overview including in relation to the Charity Commission, the Fundraising Code of Practice, the Governance Code, Trustees’ duties as well as the latest employment and discrimination cases of relevance to the charity sector.

A highlight of the evening was personal testimony from Stone King apprentices, Keeana Calibuso (Apprentice Paralegal) and Tag Rowe (Apprentice Solicitor). Keeana spoke about her long-standing connection to the charity sector, starting when she volunteered after typhoon Yolanda at just 13 years old. She described it as a “formative experience that inspired her ongoing commitment to the charity sector”. Tag used his talk to emphasise the importance of opportunity, and echoed a sentiment shared by Rebecca Ajulu-Bushell of the 10,000 Interns Foundation, the organisation through which he came to Stone King: “Talent is everywhere”. 

The event ended with a thought-provoking panel discussion, chaired by Rosamund McCarthy Etherington, Partner and Head of the Charity Sector and  featuring five sector leaders: Dame Julia Cleverdon, Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund; Sarah Elliott, CEO of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO); Paul Farmer, CEO of Age UK; Matt Hyde OBE, CEO of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales; and Dr Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO of the New Economics Foundation. 

Uncertainty was a large feature of the panel discussions, with Sarah Elliott stating that the welfare reforms announced in the spring statement had added further pressure to the charity sector in the aftermath of COVID-19 and the current cost-of-living crisis. Elliott added that “increasingly, charities are replacing the state in delivering services, and for those in society who are falling through the ever-restrictive gaps, charities have become the safety net”. Julia Cleverdon echoed Sarah Elliott’s comments, adding that “as a sector, charities should look into partnerships with the private sector, since the Government will be restricted in its spending for a long time”. Matt Hyde said the sector needs to leverage people in other sectors: “That means we’re going to have to learn new languages, spend time together in different sectors and listen to each other.” Paul Farmer added that “there is an awful lot of wealth in this country that this sector has not tapped into .. partly because I think there is a new resetting required of what we mean by a genuinely civil society. And a genuinely civil society recognises that we all have a role to play in contributing to that society.”

The panel discussion closed on a high note, with the speakers referring back to the inspirational talks delivered by Keeana and Tag. Paul Farmer also highlighted the importance of mentoring within the charity sector, and its particular benefit when in collaboration with individuals outside the charity sector, stating: 

“That’s how you build the long-term bonds of creative relationships between public, private and the voluntary sector”.

Stone King is grateful to all attendees, speakers and contributors who made the evening a success; and would like to offer a special thanks to those who shared their personal stories and perspectives.