Reset and Rise 2026: Start the Year with Purpose

In a sector where time is precious and budgets are tight, investing in our own development can feel like a luxury. But it’s not. It’s a necessity.

This January, join us for a day designed to energise, equip, and empower charity professionals at every level. Whether you’re leading change, navigating complexity, or simply trying to stay afloat, this conference offers practical tools and fresh perspectives to help you work, communicate, and respond with greater impact.

Why now?

Because the start of the year is more than a calendar reset — it’s a chance to realign with your values, sharpen your purpose, and set the tone for the months ahead. This isn’t about resolutions. It’s about renewing your purpose and revitalising your resilience.

Expect sessions that speak to the real challenges of charity work — from inbox overload and conflict navigation to writing with influence and managing wellbeing. Expect humour, honesty, and hands-on strategies. And expect to leave with renewed confidence in your ability to lead, collaborate, and thrive in your role.

Let’s make 2026 the year we invest in ourselves — not as an afterthought, but as a catalyst for sector-wide impact.

Who should attend?

• Anyone working at any level in the sector who wants to ensure they have an impact in their role in 2026 and beyond.

What’s included in the price?

• Attendance to the online conference, keynote sessions, session talks and networking sessions
• Recordings of keynote sessions
• Access to all presentation slides and handouts
• PDF of Speed Read: Managing your Manager

Agenda

09.20 – Welcome from the Conference Chair

Join us for introductions and housekeeping.

9.30 – Opening Keynote: The Value of Values

Values-led behaviours positively impact your own performance and your organisation’s culture. What opportunities do you have every day to demonstrate them?

Speaker: Debra Allcock Tyler, CEO, DSC.

10.00 – Work with Impact: Choose from the following workshops:

• Define your Purpose – It’s very easy to get caught up in tasks or activities which are time wasting. In this session Eileen will help you to identify and define your High Pay Off activities and how to prioritise work accordingly.
  • Speaker: Eileen Browne, Training Consultant, DSC.

• Define your Goals and Targets – “If you don’t know where you are going, you are almost bound to end up somewhere else” (Lewis Carroll). This session will provide you with a simple framework for defining goals, whether you do this collaboratively with others or need to pin down these things for yourself. We’ll also take a look at why ‘unreasonable’ goals can sometimes be a greater springboard than SMART goals.
  • Speaker: Cathy Shimmin, Senior Training Consultant, DSC.

• The Positive Impacts of AI at Work – Discover how AI can be a powerful ally in the charity sector — not a threat to values-led work, but a tool for amplifying it. This session explores practical, ethical ways AI can reduce admin overload, enhance communication, and support smarter decision-making.
  • Speaker: George Knight, Training Consultant, DSC. 

11.00 – Break

11.15 – Create Impact with Others: Choose from the following workshops:

• Present with Impact – Don’t let the word ‘presentation’ hold you back from communicating with clarity, confidence and passion about your work.  In this fast-paced workshop Cathy will share 10 Top Tips for planning and delivering presentations which help you prepare and execute a presentation with impact.
  • Speaker: Cathy Shimmin, Senior Training Consultant, DSC.

• Communicate with Impact – In this session we’ll explore communication style preferences, uncover how they shape influence, and consider how we adapt our approach to connect more effectively across roles, teams, and contexts.
  • Speaker: Eileen Browne, Training Consultant, DSC. 

• Write with Impact – Learn how to build compelling stories that put your beneficiaries at the heart of your message. We’ll explore how to write story-driven hooks that draw people in. You’ll leave with tips for putting beneficiaries at the centre of your message.
  • Speaker: George Knight, Training Consultant, DSC.

12.15 – Networking Activity

Sounds that make you go – or go aahhh!; Music that makes you move; Music that makes you mindful; Music that makes you move on.

12.30 – Lunch

13.30 – Respond with Impact: Choose from the following workshops:

• Respond to Conflict – Conflict doesn’t have to be seen in a negative light. When handled well it can promote positive change and best outcomes for all. In this session we explore a model which moves us from conflict to collaboration and what that means in practical terms when working with others.
  • Speaker: Cathy Shimmin, Senior Training Consultant, DSC.

• Respond to Interruptions – How many times a day are you ‘interrupted’? How many times do you react to the interruption? What is that telling others? In this workshop we will look at how we move from respond to react, how to say no – or caveat a yes and how to manage others’ expectations of us.
  • Speaker: Eileen Browne, Training Consultant, DSC.

• Respond to your Inbox – An organised inbox is the key to organised communication and productivity, allowing you to focus on those important tasks. George will take you through easy-to-use tools and techniques to quickly and efficiently use your inbox. You will learn how to action tasks with stress-free productivity.
  • Speaker: George Knight, Training Consultant, DSC.

14.30 – Leading without the Title

Developing personal and professional leadership skills increases your chances of getting noticed and getting opportunities for career development. Let’s remember, leadership isn’t just about job titles — it’s about influence, integrity, and the everyday choices we make.

In this interactive workshop your speakers will each share a short story highlighting what leadership looks like when it is lived, not labelled. You will have the opportunity to explore where you sit on the “Quiet Influence” to “Bold Action” Spectrum and where you would like to stretch.

Speakers: George Knight, Training Consultant, DSC; Eileen Browne, Training Consultant, DSC; Cathy Shimmin, Senior Training Consultant, DSC.

15.00 – Break

15.15 – Closing Keynote: Impact your own Wellbeing

While we can’t control everything life throws at us, we can take steps to strengthen our own wellbeing and resilience. In this session, George Knight will share practical ways to support yourself when pressures mount and challenges feel overwhelming.

Speaker: George Knight, Training Consultant, DSC.

15.45 – Closing remarks

16.00 – Conference Ends

Ticket prices

Early bird to the end of Monday 8 December:

• Band A: £138
• Band B: £148
• Band C: £168

Standard from Tuesday 9 December:

• Band A: £148
• Band B: £158
• Band C: £178