This October, our two directors, Cian and Tim, will be crossing the Atlantic for an important research and learning trip. With stops in Ottawa, New York and Denver, the visit will be anchored around two major events: the Imagine Canada Leadership Roundtable (7–9 October) and ComNet25 (15–17 October). Both will provide a chance to share our work, learn from peers and strengthen international connections.

Why these events matter

The Imagine Canada Leadership Roundtable brings together nonprofit leaders from across the country. The focus is on stepping back from the immediate challenges of running organisations and thinking strategically about the long-term future of the sector. Conversations will centre on leadership, resilience and how Canadian nonprofits can respond to an evolving landscape.

A week later, we will be at ComNet25 in Denver, a gathering of nearly 1,000 nonprofit communicators. We will be hosting a poster and sharing insights from our research, while also learning from the wealth of experience in the room. ComNet’s strength lies in bringing together professionals from across the US and beyond, creating space to discuss effective communication and the role it plays in building stronger organisations.

What we aim to achieve

Our trip is about more than showing up; it’s about building bridges. We want to:

• Share nfpResearch insights on public trust, giving trends, and what drives effective communications in Canada and the US.
• Learn from peers about how Canadian and US organisations are adapting to challenges like digital change, AI, and evolving donor expectations.
• Bring back fresh ideas to inform the UK sector - practical approaches, inspiring strategies, and global perspectives on what works.
• Strengthen connections with international partners, ensuring our work remains relevant, outward-looking, and rooted in collaboration.

Preparing before we travel

In the run-up to October, we are also running webinars tailored to nonprofit audiences in North America. These sessions will provide an opportunity to explore our insights in more depth and to exchange perspectives before the conference season begins.

Canadian nonprofits: 18 September, 3pm EDT / 12pm PDT / 8pm BST – register here
US nonprofits: 23 September, 1pm EDT / 10am PDT / 6pm BST – register here

We encourage colleagues from across the sector to join us for these online sessions. They are designed to be interactive, offering a space to reflect together on public opinion, giving trends and communications challenges.

Looking ahead

As we prepare for this visit, our focus is on listening as much as sharing. Canada and the US both face their own sector-specific challenges, but there are also many points of connection with the UK context. By engaging in these conversations, we hope to strengthen our collective understanding of what works in building trust, communicating effectively and sustaining public support.

The trip will also help ensure that our research programmes remain globally informed, while still tailored to the UK and Irish sectors where most of our work takes place. International exchange is not about importing solutions wholesale, but about sparking ideas that can be tested, adapted and embedded locally.

Join us on the journey

We will be sharing reflections from both events after the trip, along with any lessons that feel particularly relevant for the UK charity sector. In the meantime, we invite you to take part in the upcoming webinars and to connect with us if you are interested in discussing these themes further.

For us, October will be a chance to put our principles into practice: grounding debate in evidence, engaging with peers and strengthening the networks that help charities thrive.

Watch this space for updates – and if you are in Ottawa or Denver, we look forward to seeing you there!