Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is not just a requirement but a pivotal part of our professional lives. It ensures we stay current, competent, and competitive in our careers. As the end of the CPD year (31 October) is only a few months away, it's time to take stock of our progress and make the most of the resources and support available to us.
Why CPD matters
As an ICAEW member, I value that our CPD requirements prompt me each autumn to take stock of my achievements and reflect on my development needs. New technologies and regulations emerge continuously in today’s fast-paced world, and my CPD goals reflect that. I not only want to stay up to date with charity accounting, taxation and regulation but I also want to find out more about generative AI, sustainability and learn from developments in other sectors.
With the CPD year already more than halfway through, it's essential to evaluate your progress. The sooner you begin, the more opportunities you'll have to take advantage of our CPD offer – the Charity Community alone has provided over 20 verifiable CPD hours (mostly free of charge) in the CPD year to date.
CPD for charity trustees
Alongside understanding your duties and legal responsibilities as a charity trustee, it is important to keep abreast of changes to reporting requirements, legal developments and guidance from regulators. In December, ICAEW launched a free CPD course for charity trustees. The hour-long on-demand training starts by outlining the fundamentals of being a charity trustee before covering new developments that might impact charities. The course offers charity trustees a cost-free way to meet their new requirement of completing charity-related training each CPD year.
In March, we also held our first Big Trustee Breakfast, a morning learning and networking event for charity trustees. For those unable to attend in person, all session recordings are now available free of charge in our ‘webinar library’.
Webinars for charity finance professionals and volunteers
In the first seven months of the CPD year (November to May), our free webinars provided up to 10.5 hours of verifiable CPD. They can still be viewed on demand in our ‘webinar library’ – simply use the CPD verification form to confirm your CPD activity. I hope that some of the topics we have recently covered will help you meet your CPD goals:
- 9 November 2023: Fund accounting – pitfalls and new opportunities (1h)
- 14 November 2023: Lessons from internal audit: how charity trustees can gain assurance (1h)
- 1 December 2023: Charity fraud – latest research and lessons for trustees (1h)
- 7 December 2023: Shorten your charity’s reporting cycle with Sage Intacct (1h)
- 6 February 2024: Banking challenges for charities – presented by Allica Bank (1h)
- 27 February 2024: Finance board packs – how to bring numbers alive using Excel (1.5h)
- 27 March 2024: Charities, tech and the climate (1h)
- 25 April 2024: How to maximise both direct and indirect cost recovery (1h)
- 22 May 2024: Leading good board conversations about finance (1h)
- 30 May 2024: How to successfully deliver digital finance transformation for your charity with Xledger (1h)
More than a thousand of you attended our record-breaking Charity Conference 2024 which offered up to 7h 45m of verifiable CPD in January. This flagship event for the charity sector is still available on demand:
Other charity related CPD courses at ICAEW
Ethics and other topics
It’s likely that your development goals are not all charity-specific and I encourage you to make the most of ICAEW’s wide offer, including our upcoming ICAEW Virtual CPD Conference on 2 July 2024. This will cover practical guidance on diverse topics, ranging from the latest updates in corporate reporting to making the most of AI in your role, and provides up to three hours of free, verifiable CPD.
Remember to also incorporate ethics in your CPD plan. Our free ICAEW Ethics CPD e-learning course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and confidence to demonstrate high standards of ethical conduct in your professional role while providing up to 12 hours of verifiable CPD.
Variety is the spice of CPD
While this article has focused on events and webinars, please remember that other learning activities can count towards your verifiable CPD hours. You may be surprised to see the variety of learning activities you can use towards your CPD. We have provided guidance on this with some examples of how to evidence your learning.
If you would like more guidance on how to set your CPD goals, find out how many CPD hours you are required to complete, and document your CPD activity, read our article CPD made easy: Helping you meet your 2024 requirements.
In conclusion, CPD is a vital component of professional success. By staying proactive and making the most of the remaining months of the CPD year, you can achieve your development goals, enhance your career prospects and become a more effective volunteer. The Charity Community is here to support you every step of the way.
- ICAEW Past President Sir Brian Jenkins, 1935-2024: a force for change
- Lessons learned: trustee insights on preventing and responding to fraud in charities
- Building resilience through community
- Preparing for the next Charities SORP: practical steps you can take now
- Warning for charities with land across the South East of England
