What we do

Creating opportunities for members to share, get advice and support through:

• Providing a platform for peer networks and member groups.
  
• Bespoke events with guest speakers - We host a quarterly member event called the Grant Making Forum, chair the Under 5s, a support group for very small charities with under 5 employees, and hold an Annual Conference, AGM and Autumn Summit.
  
• Convening Working Groups and training sessions on issues of special interest. In the past, we have run workshops on issues relevant to the sector such as GDPR, finance, welfare, fundraising, governance, grant-making, and benefits.
• Slack group to allow virtual networking within the ACO network and to ask questions to other members. 

PR and Communications

We actively share and promote the work of members so that they can reach a wider audience and other ACO members through our newsletter, on our website and on social media. Now is an exciting time to join the ACO as we have appointed award-winning PR agency Definition to work on our PR campaign One Day Changes Lives to promote the work of the ACO and its members across the country. 

Our website is updated regularly with resources for charities and we produce Charity News Review, our regular digital newsletter (10 editions per year) exclusively for members. This publication contains all the latest industry news, Special Reports, features Guest Articles and a comprehensive digest of the latest publications relevant to the sector. We also produce Policy briefings and regularly update our member's knowledge hub Benepedia. 

Our members are always keen to know how they compare to other similar organisations, so we run regular surveys and benchmarking exercises to encourage best practice in the sector. 

Giving our members a voice by responding to government consultations and raising awareness about the work of our member organisations

Interested in joining our network?