IDPE 2025 Annual Conference programme

Our 2025 conference programme offers valuable opportunities to meet with development professionals from schools across the UK, to learn from each other, to share challenges, and to work together to find solutions, with two full days of professional development. Find out more with a brief programme overview below, and check back for updates as more session details are added.

Horizon

Step outside your comfort zone and explore the emerging trends in the wider school and fundraising sectors

Listen, learn and share workshop

Deep-dive into a specific area of development and workshop ideas with peers

Masterclass

Gain actionable strategies and advanced insights from top industry experts

Personal effectiveness

Develop the personal skills you need to be an effective schools' development professional

Peer group forum

Share experiences and learnings with colleagues in similar schools / roles

Plenary panel

Join fellow delegates to hear our expert panel discuss prominent issues facing the sector

Roundtable discussions

An opportunity to discuss specific topics with our partners

Skills lab

Gain technical skills and practical support from IDPE partners

Steps for success

Explore successful approaches and step-by-step guidance for realising your development goals

14:00 - 16:30
 

Leadership forum                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Leading the change - managing teams through uncertainty

An interactive session for senior development professionals exploring strategies for managing difficult conversations, motivating teams, and leading through times of transition. With the added pressures of evolving macroeconomic factors, such as the introduction of VAT on independent school fees, this session focuses on personal and professional skills development to help leaders navigate change effectively. 

Delegates will have the opportunity to role-play anonymised real-life scenarios and participate in a confidential forum to share unique leadership challenges. This supportive space will foster peer-to-peer problem-solving, equipping you with actionable insights and strategies to guide your team confidently and professionally through dynamic organisational shifts. 

Speaker: Philip Britton MBE, Chair-Elect, HMC and Head of Foundation, Bolton School

Chair: Louise Bennett, CEO, IDPE

Venue orientation

Familarise yourself with the conference venue, meet some of the IDPE team and other delegates ahead of the conference. This is free to attend and there is no need to pre-book.                                                                                                                                                                                                

Sunday welcome reception     

IDPE has exclusive use of Celtic Manor's terrace from 8.30pm until late. This is an informal drinks reception which gives you a chance to start networking early. You can reserve your place when booking.                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Monday 12 May 2025

Registration                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Coffee with sponsors and exhibitors                                                                                
 

Networking for new to conference

Welcome to conference

10:25 - 11:10
 

Session 1 - Plenary panel

The road ahead - the future of schools' development 

Join our panel to explore emerging trends from the latest IDPE benchmarking in schools' fundraising and engagement. Gain insights into best practices and strategies to shape your future development plans, as well as how to create a compelling case for making development essential to all schools.

Speakers: Jaideep Barot, HMC Chair 2024-25 and Headmaster, Bristol Grammar School; Louise Bennett, CEO, IDPE; Gus Lock, Executive Principal, Haberdashers' Elstree Schools; Stephen Morales, Chief Executive, Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL)

Chair: Simon Lerwill, Chair of IDPE and Director of Development, Marlborough College

Coffee with sponsors and exhibitors

11:50 - 13:10
 

Session 2 - Masterclass / Listen, learn and share / Personal effectiveness

Donor solicitation masterclass – preparing, presenting and asking with confidence

Making a successful ask takes more than just courage—it requires careful preparation, strategic communication, and the ability to handle unexpected challenges. In this session, we'll explore how to set yourself and your senior leadership up for success, from selecting the right people to join you to ensuring they're fully prepared for the conversation. We'll cover how to anticipate and navigate objections that could derail the ask, as well as different approaches to making the request itself. Through practical strategies, scenario planning, and real-world insights, you'll leave with the tools and confidence to guide your next solicitation to a successful close.

Speakers: Kurstin Finch Gnehm, Senior Partner, Cairney & Company; Annarosa Muscatelli, Senior Consultant, Cairney & Company  

Defining 'good' engagement and measuring impact

What does meaningful engagement look like, and how can you track it to support fundraising? In this interactive workshop, explore how Christ Church, Oxford, transformed engagement tracking across its 15,000-strong database to drive better conversations and targeted communications. Work together to define key steps along the engagement ladder, identify non-financial KPIs, and develop strategies for tracking meaningful interactions that drive fundraising success.

Speaker: Kate Jillings, Co-Founder, ToucanTech

THIS SESSION WILL BE REPEATED ON TUESDAY

Building your school's culture of philanthropy through improved regular giving

With limited human and budgetary resources, schools have to make smart decisions to meet regular—and overall—giving goals. Consider how a more strategic regular giving campaign can improve your school's philanthropic culture. In this workshop, participants will learn to articulate an improved regular giving case for support, build and use a regular giving gift pyramid to organise the year, and deploy leadership regular giving recognition societies. These best practices will help you strengthen your constituents' belief in the importance of philanthropy, increase revenue, and maximise your budget!

Speakers: Elizabeth Kolb Farr, Principal and Independent Schools Practice Leader, Huron | GG+A; Adrian Salmon, Consultant, Huron | GG+A

THIS SESSION WILL BE REPEATED ON TUESDAY

Bringing the common room on board

Speakers: Susan Beck, Director of External Relations, The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle; Emma Garrett, Development Director, Eastbourne College

THIS SESSION WILL BE REPEATED ON TUESDAY

From vision to action - creating a comprehensive development strategy

This interactive workshop is for advancement professionals who want to move beyond ideas and start building an actionable development plan. Through hands-on exercises, coaching, and peer discussion, you'll map out key priorities, tackle some (not all!) challenges, and create a framework tailored to your school. Whether you're starting fresh or refining an existing strategy, you'll leave with a high-level plan and practical next steps to turn your vision into action. Bring plans if you have them and your school's calendar.

Speaker: Síofra Rucker, Director of Advancement, The American School in London

THIS SESSION WILL BE REPEATED ON TUESDAY  

The art of networking

Great networking isn't luck—it's a skill. This interactive workshop equips development professionals with a step-by-step approach to making connections that count. Learn how to prepare with purpose, make a confident first impression, listen to build relationships, and follow up effectively to turn conversations into lasting opportunities.

Speaker: Karl Brown, Working Voices

Lunch with sponsors and exhibitors

Networking with colleagues from across your region

14:15 - 14:50
 

Session 3 - Steps to success / Skills lab

AI in schools development - from ideas to impact

How do you unlock the potential of AI in your fundraising efforts and drive greater success for your school? Join Michael Woodburn, Customer Success Manager at Blackbaud, and explore the practical application of AI in the realm of fundraising. In this session learn how AI can revolutionise your fundraising strategies and operations and discover accessible, responsible, and powerful AI tools to help all schools achieve their missions more effectively. 

Speaker: Michael Woodburn, Customer Success Manager, Blackbaud

Working with your archives - using your history to engage with alumni and strengthen the relationship between your development office and archive

Hear from archivists, volunteers, and alumni and development professionals as to how greater collaboration between their teams has enhanced alumni engagement. Learn how you can leverage shared heritage and storytelling as assets to foster deeper connections with alumni and to support your ongoing development plans and goals with minimal resources.

Speaker: Jamie Robertson, Managing Director, SocialArchive; the session will include videos from various schools talking about their experiences.

Beyond bursaries - how to raise funds for partnerships, campus improvements and oddball initiatives

The Habs Elstree Schools raised £1.5 million for partnerships, renovations, network infrastructure and pilot projects in the last six months. The year before? Zero. This session explains how they did it, and how you too can widen your fundraising portfolio in ways that make your donors, head and finance office happy. 

Speaker: Bill Friar, Director of Development, Haberdashers' Elstree Schools

Right message, right platform - engaging your community online

Why post X on LinkedIn but Y on Instagram? Because each platform—and its audience—is different. This session will explore how to tailor content, maximise engagement, and use storytelling to create a warm, connected community. Learn how to play to each platform's strengths while repurposing content effectively and using smart, subtle growth hacks to boost sign-ups and engagement.

Speaker: Rachael Daniel, Development Officer, Canford School

Due diligence in fundraising - building robust and responsible processes

In this session, Christian Propper will share insights into the due diligence process followed at Marlborough College, highlighting how it has been continuously tested and refined through real-life experiences. Christian will walk through the key steps, strategies, and best practices that have been implemented to ensure thorough and effective due diligence. By leveraging practical examples, the presentation will offer valuable lessons on navigating challenges, providing attendees with actionable takeaways to enhance their own approaches.

Speaker: Christian Propper, Associate Director (Club and Campaign), Marlborough College

Personal brand

Your personal brand isn't what you say—it's what others say about you. This skills lab will help development professionals define their brand and turn it into daily actions. Walk away with a clear identity and practical strategies to make your brand visible and impactful every day.

Speaker: Karl Brown, Working Voices

15:00 - 15:35
 

Session 4 - Steps to success / Skills lab

Building stronger alumni networks - using your database to support yearly planning and engagement

This session offers those new to development a step-by-step guide to planning your year, focusing on key actions and timings to maximise engagement with your alumni. You'll discover how to use your database to better understand your alumni's interests and behaviours, enabling you to personalise events, communications, and fundraising efforts.

Speaker: Polly Murray, Frensham Heights School

Fundraising for the future - harnessing data, research and global insights in education

As the largest wealth transfer in history unfolds, schools must adapt their fundraising to engage the next generation of donors. This session explores how data and research can help schools build relationships with international alumni and parents, identify high-potential donors, and strengthen due diligence. Drawing on lessons from U.S. institutions and emerging best practices in the UK, we'll examine how schools can leverage international alumni and parent networks to secure transformational gifts and future-proof their fundraising strategies.

Speaker: Nick Taylor, Philanthropy Lead, EMEA & APAC, Altrata

Life after a campaign - what's next?

You've hit the fundraising target; you and your supporters feel rightly proud of a fantastic achievement and many bottles of celebratory champagne have been consumed. You and your team sit back for a well-earned rest. Not so fast. "What's next?" is the question on everyone's lips. How do you navigate the year after the end of a major campaign, manage expectations internally and externally and prepare the groundwork for future fundraising success? Amanda will share with you what she and her team are doing in the year following the end of Latymer's decade long campaign.

Speaker: Amanda Scott, Latymer Foundation

Confidence with starting and holding sensitive conversations

It is only natural to feel concerned about starting or managing sensitive conversations, particularly when discussing money or engaging with family members where relationships aren't well established. In this session, we will explore practical strategies to address concerns, use open questions to guide discussions, and build strong relationships with future benefactors and their families.

Speaker: Victoria Farmer, Legacy Manager, Eton College

Canva mastery – unlock your creative potential

Join this hands-on session to explore the power of Canva for content creation, tailored for small teams with tight budgets. Discover how to design eye-catching social media assets, impactful stewardship templates, bespoke major giving proposals, and more—no prior experience needed! We'll wrap up by creating something together in real time. Unleash your creativity and leave with practical skills you can use immediately!

Speaker: Antony Berry, Director of Development, King's College School, Wimbledon

Skills lab with Almabase

Afternoon tea with sponsors and exhibitors

Meet the IDPE trustees

Come along for a coffee and meet the IDPE trustees and senior management team. This is an informal networking event providing you with an opportunity to ask the charity's leadership team about plans for the future, share your thoughts and ideas and discover what's involved in being an IDPE trustee.    

16:15 - 17:00
 

Session 5 - Horizon / Peer group forum

Fundraising and engagement showcase - out of the box events 

Get ready for a fast-paced session packed with innovative and creative event ideas that have delivered outstanding outcomes for schools development teams. From record-breaking feats to alumni road trips, challenge events, and more—speakers will have just five minutes to showcase their most unique and successful event experiences. At the end, we'll open the floor to delegates to share your own standout events or ideas from across the sector (and beyond) that you wish you'd thought of first!

Speakers: Melanie Bushell, Winchester College; Samantha Corfield, Lord Wandsworth College; Hannah Graydon, Caterham School; Sarah Proud, The Leys School

Paying it forward - engaging bursary recipients for greater impact 

This session will challenge delegates to think creatively about the evolving role of bursary recipients—both pupils and alumni—in engagement and fundraising. Through inspiring case studies, delegates will explore impactful opportunities, such as alumni mentoring, empowering former bursary recipients in leadership roles, and fostering a culture of "paying it forward." Discover how a forward-thinking approach can strengthen networks of support and drive engagement for future bursary programmes.

Speakers: Tom Adeyoola, St Paul's School; Sophie Whitworth, South Hampstead High School

Embracing diversity in your school community

Speaker: Zabina Kosar-Ahmed, Director of Admissions, Development and Marketing, Manchester High School for Girls  

Building an international alumni relations and fundraising programme

It has been 10 years since The Manchester Grammar School made the strategic decision to invest more in alumni relations and fundraising overseas. This session will explore the successes, challenges, and cost-benefit of an international approach, with a particular focus on the school's work in the USA. Find out what worked, what hasn't, and explore how your school could benefit from a similar approach.

Speaker: Simon Jones, Director of Development, The Manchester Grammar School

Data Forum: Maximising impact with economic analysis 

Applying an economic lens to demonstrating impact and value can motivate supporters, provide clarity around your purpose and demonstrate public benefit to society in a way that donors understand. Pro Bono Economics is a team of economic experts who use economic analysis and unique insight provided by their connection to the social sector, to help charities, funders, corporations and policymakers to collectively tackle challenges in the social sector. Join a member of the Pro Bono Economics team to understand how they approach a new challenge using economic analysis, collate findings to present and measure impact using economics theory, and discuss how we can apply these in our setting as school development professionals.   

Speaker: Pro Bono Economics

Free time

Formal three-course dinner

Join us for a pre-dinner drink and formal three-course dinner and entertainment.

Tuesday 13 May 2025

Registration                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Coffee with sponsors and exhibitors                 

Networking for new to conference   

09:30 - 10:00
 

Roundtable discussions: sponsored by corporate partners

Stepping into new shoes. How to take on a new development office and grow with courage

Speakers: David Upcraft, Senior Customer Success Manager, Blckbaud; Adriana Williams, Development Director, Hampton School

Another year on and AI Is 10X More Powerful - AI discussion to share your uses and learn from others

Speaker: John Batistich, Director, Potentiality UK Ltd

Long distance relationships – how do you engage your community members who are no longer local 

Speaker: Jamie Robertson, Managing Director, SocialArchive

Using the right social media to effectively engage your alumni

Speaker: Interactive Schools

Help! Our data is rubbish, and we don't know where to start fixing it!

Speaker: Azadi Sheridan, Founder, Productle

Making the most of prospect research and wealth screening tools in developing your school's major gift programme

Speaker: Kerry Rock, Chief Executive, Prospecting for Gold

10:10 - 11:30
 

Session 1 - Masterclass / Listen, learn and share (workshop) / Personal effectiveness

Gift acceptance masterclass - the gift is in! … Now what?

After years of cultivation, careful planning and structuring the perfect ask, your donor has finally said yes to a gift. Now what? You have scaled to the top of the mountain but you still have to get back down the other side and make sure you take your donor with you. This session will focus on those key steps involved once the big gift has been agreed. Taking inspiration from across the sector, we will look at creative stewardship and recognition, the power of giving circles and ways that make your donor want to give again in the future. We will consider donor motivations, their feelings once the gift has been made and how to find solutions if things go wrong. Underpinning this we will use the session to talk about gift acceptance and ethical giving policies to help you manage potential damage to your school's reputation.

Speakers: Susie Hills, Joint CEO and Co-Founder, Halpin Partnership; Rachael Magee, Principal Consultant, Halpin Partnership

Defining 'good' engagement and measuring impact

What does meaningful engagement look like, and how can you track it to support fundraising? In this interactive workshop, explore how Christ Church, Oxford, transformed engagement tracking across its 15,000-strong database to drive better conversations and targeted communications. Work together to define key steps along the engagement ladder, identify non-financial KPIs, and develop strategies for tracking meaningful interactions that drive fundraising success.

Speaker: Kate Jillings, Co-Founder, ToucanTech

Building your school's culture of philanthropy through improved regular giving

With limited human and budgetary resources, schools have to make smart decisions to meet regular—and overall—giving goals. Consider how a more strategic regular giving campaign can improve your school's philanthropic culture. In this workshop, participants will learn to articulate an improved regular giving case for support, build and use a regular giving gift pyramid to organise the year, and deploy leadership regular giving recognition societies. These best practices will help you strengthen your constituents' belief in the importance of philanthropy, increase revenue, and maximise your budget!

Speakers: Elizabeth Kolb Farr, Principal and Independent Schools Practice Leader, Huron | GG+A; Adrian Salmon, Consultant, Huron | GG+A

Bringing the common room on board

Speakers: Susan Beck, Director of External Relations,The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle; Emma Garrett, Development Director, Eastbourne College

From vision to action - creating a comprehensive development strategy

This interactive workshop is for advancement professionals who want to move beyond ideas and start building an actionable development plan. Through hands-on exercises, coaching, and peer discussion, you'll map out key priorities, tackle some (not all!) challenges, and create a framework tailored to your school. Whether you're starting fresh or refining an existing strategy, you'll leave with a high-level plan and practical next steps to turn your vision into action. Bring plans if you have them and your school's calendar.

Speaker: Síofra Rucker, The American School in London

Your Inner MBA – Manage stress, reduce burnout and learn how to become more effective in your fundraising

Join us for an interactive workshop focusing on inefficacy, a less commonly discussed aspect of burnout. Annie, TEDx speaker and an Amazon best-selling author, will explore what is inefficacy? How does it impact our performance? And what can we do to increase efficacy to enable us all to become the best fundraisers (and the best versions of ourselves) we can be. Delegates will have access to pages from Annie's book.

Speaker: Annie Harvey, CEO, The STILL Effect

Coffee with sponsors and exhibitors                                                                                                                                                                               
 

12:10 - 12:45 

Session 2 - Steps to success / Skills lab

Demystifying data - how everyday data can help your team

Data doesn't need to be daunting – your team is collecting valuable information all the time. But are you using it effectively? This practical session will focus on how to organise, interpret, and apply everyday data to make smarter decisions, streamline your workload, and uncover new opportunities. Whether you're a spreadsheet sceptic or a self-confessed data geek (like me!), you'll leave with actionable tips to help your team work more efficiently and strategically.

Speaker: Adriana Williams, Development Director, Hampton School

How to run creative and impactful telethons

Are you ready to make the ask? 13 questions to ask yourself first...

What do you need to know about someone as part of a successful major gift solicitation? In this session, Laura Fairbanks, Director of Development at Rugby School, will guide you through the 13 essential questions to ask before making a major gift ask. These questions will provide key insights into developing strong donor relationships, progressing the solicitation process, and involving senior leadership and volunteers more effectively in your strategies.

Speaker: Laura Fairbanks, Director of Development, Rugby School

Amplifying alumni networking through regional and sector-specific networks

In this session, discover how to energise and expand alumni networks by building dynamic Regional Societies and Knowledge Networks. Learn how to tackle the challenges of starting volunteer networks from scratch and gain insights into strategies for identifying alumni locations and sectors.

Speaker: Briony Blohm, Head of Alumni & Engagement, King's College School, Wimbledon

Proposal and bid writing

Skills lab with Hubbub

Lunch with sponsors and exhibitors                                                                                                                                                                                        

Networking with colleagues from across your region                         

13:50 - 14:35
 

Session 3 - Plenary panel

14:35 - 14:50
 

Whole conference address

Afternoon tea with sponsors and exhibitors                                                                                                                                                                                      

15:30 - 16:15
 

Session 4 - Horizon / Peer group forums                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Fundraising and engagement showcase - impactful volunteers 

Join us for a fast-paced session showcasing the powerful impact of volunteers in schools development. Speakers will each have just five minutes to showcase innovative ways volunteers have turned ambition into reality by lending their influence, expertise and little black books! At the end, we'll open the floor for delegates to share your own volunteer success stories and ideas that have made a lasting difference.

Speaker: Adrian Ballard, Director of the Tonbridge Society, Tonbridge School

Exploring the love language of fundraising

Is your donor experience based on love? Philanthropic Psychologist Jen Shang will address this question by introducing the fundraising taxonomy of love. Results of her latest research titled "The Love Project" show that fundraising income can be doubled if love is placed at the core of what we do.

Speaker: Professor Jen Shang, Co-Director, Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy

Shifting perspectives - engaging parents in philanthropy amid rising fees

Independent schools often face the challenge of their brand suggesting they have more resources than they actually do. Bursary fundraising to enhance inclusivity competes with the appeal of social capital, and many parents are uncomfortable with their fee income "propping up" bursary programmes. With VAT driving fees even higher, donor conversations with parents present new challenges. In this session, development leaders share how they tackle these issues, shift mindsets, and foster a culture of giving.

Speakers: Kristen Gallagher, Westminster School; Kathryn McNeill, Colfe's School; Joe Ridge, Godolphin and Latymer School

State school forum: Events - quick wins for maximum impact

Speaker: Joan Lind, Trybooking

Girls' school forum: Why development is different for girls' schools

External relations forum: Hollistic engagement - development is a team sport

Speaker: Susan Beck, The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle

Conference close

*Please note that although we aim for as little change as possible, sessions are subject to change.