We can't fix it until we face it: Insights from Engage 2025
Missed this year's influencing and campaigning conference from DSC? Here are the highlights from Gabby.
Last week, charity leaders, trustees, and policy professionals gathered for DSC’s Engage 2025 conference, set against the backdrop of a divided and volatile political landscape. As we near the end of a busy and chaotic year in politics – with surely more to come – the conference came at an important time for charities.
The day brought together sector experts, campaigners, and thought leaders to explore how Civil Society can advocate effectively in challenging times, and why now, more than ever, we must.
What on earth is going on in UK politics?
Jay Kennedy, DSC’s Director of Policy and Research, kicked off the day with a data-driven examination of the current state of UK politics. Just over a year after its massive General Election victory, the Labour Party’s popularity is at a historically low level. What’s going on?
Interestingly, nearly all political leaders are also extremely unpopular, with 2/3rds of Brits thinking the country is “going in the wrong direction”. The data shows that living standards have not kept pace since the pandemic and many people are still struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, with food bank use still vastly higher than just five years ago, so this is perhaps unsurprising.
However, when we look at the polling in context, some interesting things emerge. First, many of Labour’s policies are very popular, they just aren’t well-known – which suggests a problem with the government’s communications.
Second, in terms of charities, international surveys show that they are more trusted than other institutions such as the media, business and government. Further, they are seen as a force that can bring people together. Charities should therefore leverage public trust to influence government and not shy away from taking risks on behalf of their causes and the people they serve.
The Civil Society Covenant: Holding the government to account
A major focus of the day was the Civil Society Covenant, a potential turning point in how charities engage with government. Caroline Slocock, Director at Civil Exchange, laid out the bold ambition behind the new Covenant: to reset the relationship between civil society and the state, not just in words, but in practice.
“It does get us into the machinery of government, which is going to really help us create that system change.”
The Covenant is not a silver bullet, but it provides a set of shared principles and a framework to hold the government to account. With over 1,200 responses from organisations and multiple roundtables shaping its development, the panel saw it as a chance for a reset between civil society and government, however, all parties must actively take part in building stronger relationships.
Anna Fowlie, CEO at SCVO, noted the Covenant’s limited reach in Scotland so far but welcomed it as a “hook” for similar frameworks. And as Julian Blake, Partner at Stone King, emphasised, for it to succeed, the commissioning and procurement systems must evolve too — relationships must be purpose-aligned, not transactional.
Speaking out in polarised times
The session on Politics in the Age of Polarisation offered both sobering reflections and hopeful paths forward for charities. It explored how charities can stay true to their core values, contribute to important debates and continue to support and stand up for their beneficiaries.
Sanjiv Lingayah, Director at Reframing Race, reminded us that civil society cannot shy away from difficult truths: racism, exclusion, and pain caused by broken systems must be confronted, not ignored, including those from within the charity sector: “We can’t fix it until we face it… We must start describing a future beyond racism, an anti-racist future that people can feel. We need to give people a future for people to fight for and demand.”
Paul Abernethy, Government Relations and Public Affairs Manager at Bond, spoke from an international development perspective and highlighted that, despite the divisive rhetoric, the British public are generous and want to support causes abroad. Paul noted how interconnected our global challenges truly are. From climate to conflict, from poverty to public health, our future is shared and advocacy must reflect that reality.
Mairi MacRae, Director of Communications, Policy & Campaigns at Shelter, noted how the environment for campaigners is becoming increasingly more hostile. Offering advice, she said “We have to frame it as a decades-long political failure, and steer people away from scapegoating others. We have to use values-led messages and have a duty of care to people who are out there doing this work in the community.”
Oliver Robertson, Head of Witness and Worship at Quakers in Britain, gave us an interesting perspective on combating polarisation:
“We need to think about how people actually change their minds – you change minds by listening and creating uncertainty in their opinion, not by telling them what to think. Repeating the same arguments that have already been rejected by somebody doesn’t change their mind. You need to first give them reason to doubt their own certainty about the views they hold. Other actions can also do this – for example, in a protest, part of the strength is more than speech or the messages people are saying, it’s about showing leadership and solidarity with others, and showing that a lot of people think a similar way. It’s about shifting the frame of certainty that a person or group of people might have about the world.”
Building networks and relationships
Vicky McGuire, Strategic PR and Communications Consultant, then delivered a session on using networks to influence and offered practical advice to sustain momentum beyond a campaign launch. Key takeaways included:
- Keep surfacing your data and revisit it often
- Use timely moments (like winter fuel campaigns) to push your message forward
- Build relationships strategically, even with those you disagree with
“Find common ground. Put your grievances to one side and take them on the journey.”
Don’t stop, believe!
DSC’s CEO Debra Allcock Tyler closed the day with a passionate call to action:
“It’s the pressure from the bottom that gets those at the top to make real changes.”
She reminded us that influencing is not a quick win. It’s about relentlessness. Campaigning takes time, courage, and a willingness to persist in the face of resistance. “Persistence overcomes resistance. Never give up.”
Looking to the future
Engage 2025 left us all feeling inspired, better equipped, and perhaps most importantly, connected. Whether through the Civil Society Covenant, strategic advocacy, or persistent campaigning, the message was clear: charities have both the right and the responsibility to influence change.
In a landscape filled with complexity, this conference was a reminder that our voice matters, our relationships matter, and our collective action matters.
