What is the Future Leaders Network?
We’re three charity workers who are passionate about the UK charity sector and want to see it healthy and thriving. This is why we’re setting up the Future Leaders Network (FLN). This aims to provide a voice and support to people at the start of, or in the process of building, their careers in charities. After all, we’ll one day inherit the leadership of sector, so shouldn’t we help to shape it?
The FLN will be a positive, safe, space for members to:
Share views and experiences and learn from one another
Be supported in developing their careers, and
Share views on the sector, both as individuals and collectively, so that we can contribute to the future shape of the sector.
Why do we think it is needed?
The UK charity sector is full of incredible organisations doing great work to support some of the most vulnerable people in the UK. It draws in some of the most passionate and committed people you could wish to meet – people who genuinely have the drive to try and change the world. We think this is amazing and want to nurture it.
Yet we see gaps at the moment which mean that not all of these people are able to thrive, which is what has motivated us to set up the FLN.
Firstly, not everyone gets the development support they need through either formal training or management and we risk losing these people from the sector. While some charities have brilliant learning and development programmes and excellent managers, not all do and, without this support, staff can become disillusioned. We want the FLN to be a space for people to access support they may be missing so that we can keep as much talent in the sector as possible.
Secondly, below senior executive level, few of us have a voice in the current or future shape of the sector. We have many fantastic and inspiring leaders, which is positive, but we think its important to have a diversity of voices. We believe those of us at earlier stages in our careers should also have a platform to share our views on where the sector is doing things well and where it needs to do better. We want the FLN to provide this, both to individual members who have things they want to say, and as a collective, so that we can contribute to key debates about the future direction of the sector.
Thirdly, there are some great existing networks in the sector, but these are largely function specific. While there is huge value in sharing views and lessons with people doing similar roles, there is also a lot to learn from those in others and with different experiences and perspectives. Function specific networks also risk common issues that may affect many or all of us in the sector (like the lack of diversity, poor benefits, etc) falling through the cracks. We want the FLN to reflect the move toward integrated working through enabling learning across functions, and to provide a space for taking collective action on issues important to all of us.
We want the FLN to fill these gaps and believe that the space it will provide is needed now more than ever with the challenges that 2020 has brought the sector. We know it is a hard time for many charities and their staff alike and want the FLN to be part of building back better. We know that charity leaders are working hard on this and we want to collaborate with them and play our part.
It’s obviously an early stage for FLN and we plan to grow and adapt in response to feedback as we go. If you’re passionate about the charity sector and growing your career within it, please do sign-up to our mailing list to join the network and hear more about it – and tell us what you’d like to get out of it. We want to build a strong, inclusive, peer-support network but we can only do that with your input and involvement. We can’t wait to get started.
Join us and be part of the FLN!
Holly, Grace and Kate.