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Apocalypse now? - FD's face a tough time ahead

Finance | Ian Allsop | 3 Nov 2010

Ian Allsop provides an overview of the CFDG annual dinner and assesses that diners enjoy what's on their plates despite talk of lavish cuts.

During my tenure as editor of Charity Finance, it was very rare for the magazine to court what one might term controversy. Indeed, that also applies to the period before and after. But a sketch piece I wrote three years ago about the CFDG’s annual dinner did cause a bit of a fuss at the time. I reread it recently and still claim it wasn’t intended as a spiteful critique, more a page of observations with tongue placed firmly in cheek.

It is tempting to repeat some of the controversial sentences here. By doing so I would be following in a grand tradition of columnists who sometimes rehash old copy to save them the effort of thinking of new stuff. Some might call this shortchanging the reader, while they would no doubt label it creative rebranding. All of the 'greats' do it – Burchill, Clarkson, Littlejohn. Indeed Littlejohn’s genius is his knack of repeating what other people “couldn’t make up” (they often have) thus saving him even more work.

Attending this year’s CFDG dinner I did have in mind that I could return to the scene of the crime and, seeing that I was taking the odd note during proceedings, fellow diners jumped to the conclusion that I would be writing a full and frank review HERE. But I was worried about simply going over old ground. As a columnist it is important to try and keep things fresh, whatever the real professionals may practice.

I think only 12 people greeted me with comments along the lines of “What are you doing here? You’re a full time Dad. Who is looking after the kids. Are they OK?” etc. Which did at least give me many chances to trot out my standard bon mot about things going well, and my “ultimate KPI is keeping them alive, which I have met every single day since giving up work”. Fresh line needed for next year, I think.

The evening went very smoothly and was thoroughly enjoyable with newbie CFDG chief executive, Caron Bradshaw, giving a confident debut performance during her welcoming remarks.

Speaking of fresh new leaders, the CFDG dinner was the first major sector gathering since Ed Miliband’s elevation to the height of opposition. The charity sector has a fond regard for Ed (which is why I can refer to him in first name terms, not just to distinguish him from his ex-brother) from his days as the first charities minister when it was clear to a lot of people that he would go far. An editorial comment I made comparing fresh-faced Ed to fresh-faced David made The Times Public Agenda’s quotes of the week. Again I will resist the temptation to save myself writing a line of original copy by simply repeating the quote. After all, I have gained myself two lines (three including this one) just by alluding to it anyway.

What a lot of people don’t realise is that Ed was actually invented by Acevo supremo Stephen Bubb, who cloned him from David as an example of the sort of person charities would like to represent them in government. And now Ed is big news, the sector does still seem to have a sense of ownership. “He’s one of ours”. Or I could be imagining that to make this bit work better. In any case, it was never going to happen with Paul Goggins.

Obviously Ed will have a lot of bread rolls on his plate to throw at the government as the cuts bite but his knowledge and understanding of the sector may at least offer an element of positivity to charities if he is able to speak from some experience on their behalf when required.

And as we are constantly being told, it is going to be a right bunfight as far as future funding is concerned. After dinner speaker John Bird demonstrated his canny knack of using humour to make serious points – satire at its finest – but the real thought-provoking element of the night came from the ever eloquent CFDG chair Charles Nall. In his valedictory address before his term comes to an end next September, Nall spoke for only eight minutes (bringing down the average length of his speeches over four years to 54 minutes per annum) but managed to paint an almost apocalyptic picture of the challenges FDs will face post the Comprehensive Cutting, sorry Spending Review. But looking round the room at the talent on display, I was reassured that with the support of CFDG, and the expertise of the professional advisers bankrolling the evening, most would meet the uncertainty with gusto.

And sometimes it is only by sitting among a room full of other dinner jackets and posh gowns eating fancy nosh that FDs can take a deserved step back and properly collectively chew over fresh approaches to the fresh quandaries charities will encounter, enabling their valuable day to day work to continue, while being refreshed. But most important of all, the food also being chewed over was tasty and fresh. Which is a dinner’s ultimate KPI.

Ian Allsop was editor of Charity Finance magazine from 2004 until early 2009 when he left to become a full time father

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