As the year draws to a close, we asked a few of the ACEVO members to look back and choose a highlight of 2024. Here’s what they said!
Darren York, chief executive, Base 51:
I joined Base 51 in August, delighted to be joining a such a great cause in my home city of Nottingham. Base 51’s history of supporting Nottinghamshire young people’s wellbeing, through youth space, counselling, and support, stretches back more than 30 years. I knew from my family, friends and wider network, how well regarded it is in the county, but I was still surprised to discover just how well. Within my first few weeks, I took part in our annual fundraising walk, the Big Track for Base 51 event and I wasn’t alone – I was blown away to be joined by more than 100 people from across the Nottinghamshire business community, giving up the best part of a day in the middle of the working week, to walk ten miles and raise much needed funds to support young people. Absolutely remarkable and definitely the first of many Base 51 highlights so far this year for me.
Beki Osborne, chief executive, SAASSBMK:
100% one of the 2024 highlights was meeting Daisy Srblin at the ACEVO Conference and setting up the Young CEO forum. Creating a space for peer support and solidarity has been something that has been so useful for me and the 150+ leaders who reached out to us.
Tania Cohen, chief executive, 360 Giving:
My highlight was the launch of UKGrantmaking in June. I was really proud of how it came together. This was a collaborative project involving a range of sector organisations as partners and advisory group members to provide a definitive picture of grantmaking in the UK. It’s a good demonstration of what we can do when we work together and we have plans to build on this approach going forward: https://www.ukgrantmaking.org/
Kate Allen, chief executive, Ategi:
One of the recent stand outs for me, was the speed and efficiency at which ACEVO joined with NCVO to write to the Chancellor about the impact of the autumn budget announcement on the entire sector. We may not have got the result we were hoping for, but it felt reassuring to know that for this particular situation ‘we are in it together’.
Carmel Miedziolka, chief executive, The Finchley Charities:
The highlight for me is our renewed commitment to refreshing our Values. Starting in January 24 Residents, Colleagues and Trustees met on a Saturday to review our Purpose and Values. The day brought out a consensus on key values Community Inclusion Security Safety Quality . The energy has remained high as we continue to hold these conversations
We have focused on Inclusion this year and are working with The Social Justice Collective who are supporting in our commitment to refreshed Inclusive behaviours. This is our most exciting journey and I am committed to ensuring space for our learning together.
