Charity Finance and Compliance: SORP Update & Strategic Planning

A charity expert-led session covering key Charity SORP updates and practical implementation advice, followed by strategic planning insights for charities navigating uncertainty.

In an evolving technical and compliance landscape for UK charities, Susan Coffey brings expertise from the Charity Commission’s SORP engagement work and years of charity finance leadership. The first part of session will highlight key updates to the Charity SORP and offer actionable advice for implementation.

Victoria FitzGerald will tackle strategic and financial planning amid uncertainty, covering forecasting challenges, cashflow risks, treasury flexibility, and aligning investments with mission and growth goals in the second half of the session. With the sector facing a "perfect storm" of rising costs, shrinking funding, and escalating demand, the aim is to equip charity leaders to strengthen financial resilience and adapt strategies to thrive in 2025 and beyond.

A charity expert-led session covering key Charity SORP updates and practical implementation advice, followed by strategic planning insights for charities navigating uncertainty.

Who should attend?

• Management accountants in financial leadership roles in charities and the not-for-profit sector
• Management accountants in practice (MiPs)
• Management accountants acting in a voluntary capacity as charity trustees

Speakers:

Susan Coffey is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a qualified Finance Trainer and Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Susan has held a range of roles managing multi-million budgets including her former role as Director of Finance and Engagement for Cartrefi Cymru Cooperative Limited, a £40m social care charity in Wales, Commercial and Finance Director at the National Osteoporosis Society; BBC Divisional Financial Controller and Project Accountant at the Welsh National Opera. Susan is currently working in a voluntary capacity for Be Science STEM as Finance and HR Manager.

Susan has had a voluntary role with the Charity Commission as a Charities SORP Engagement Partner. She has represented CIMA as an organisation engagement strand member participating in the Charity Commission Charities SORP consultation, in the Trustees and Smaller Charities and Independent Examination strands.

She was a trustee and chair of the Finance & General Purposes Committee at the National Dance Company of Wales for almost four years.

With three sector experiences in private, public and charity organisations, Susan is an experienced director and senior leader used to leading and supporting boards, executive teams and employees.

Victoria FitzGerald is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds an MBA. Victoria has extensive experience as a CFO and Finance Director across multiple sectors, including manufacturing, aerospace, education, and the arts. Victoria’s senior financial expertise developed at a global multi-technology company. With a global supplier of aerospace systems and components, Victoria achieved the position of Chief Financial Officer of the UK operation.

Her first role in the charity sector was as Finance Director of an internationally renowned drama school. Victoria has since held numerous interim CFO roles, in the not-for-profit sector, independent schools, an NHS charity, and multi-academy trusts. She founded a consultancy business advising on strategic financial planning and growth in the education and charities sector.

Victoria's non-executive roles span board chair, finance committee chair, board member, CEO recruitment panels and trustee. Victoria has brought her commercial insight alongside her expertise in not-for-profit leadership into a multi-academy trust chair and a university department advisory board member position. Her passion for the culture and arts led to trustee roles in a museum development trust, a UK-leading drama school and a start-up theatre arts charity. Currently, she serves as vice-chair on the board of a national curriculum development and awarding charity, providing engaging programmes and qualifications that help young people with special or additional needs to develop skills for learning, work and life.