BGF Foundation partners continue to benefit from BGF network and events

Earlier this month, as part of our ongoing Value Creation offering, we brought together over 100 marketing professionals from across our portfolio for the BGF Strategic Marketing Summit, hosted in partnership with Havas Media Network.

The summit was designed to help marketing professionals from BGF-backed companies to tackle key industry challenges. We also welcomed our BGF Foundation charity partners on the day; representatives from MyBnk and LTSB joined the conversation, gaining valuable insights and building new connections.

A unique position in the charity sector

The BGF Foundation’s approach is designed to foster long-term, sustainable growth for the charities it partners with, providing both financial freedom and strategic support. By offering multi-year, unrestricted funding, the Foundation enables its charity partners to focus on what matters most — delivering impact — without the limitations of traditional philanthropic funding models.

It understands the challenges that charities face in a competitive funding landscape, and focuses on providing strategic partnerships that deliver essential resources and expertise. As an organisation led by charity professionals, the BGF Foundation can offer tailored insights to help charities build capacity and create sustainable impact.

But what sets the Foundation apart is its position at the intersection of philanthropy and business. It’s not just a funder, but a facilitator, leveraging its connection to the UK and Ireland’s most active equity investor. The Foundation’s charity partners have access to the broader resources of BGF’s network, offering valuable opportunities that extend beyond financial support.

BGF Strategic Marketing Summit 2024

This year’s Marketing Summit featured a number of expert-led discussions, including a panel on the demise of third-party cookies, a talk from Prose on Pixels on the latest innovations in GenAI, and a Q&A on the role of marketing in boardroom discussions, with the BBC’s former CMO, Sharon Baylay-Bell (now Non-Executive Chair at BGF-backed DriveWorks).

Breakout sessions throughout the day also covered a range of topics, such as:

· Account-based marketing

· The future of retail media

· Data-driven performance marketing

· B2B content strategy

· The power of community to drive growth

· Talent and influencer marketing

· The future of organic search

Despite its focus on some of the key challenges and opportunities facing businesses in our portfolio, Aditi Pradhan, Communications Assistant at MyBnk, noted how the Summit’s content was still highly relevant to the charity space. She found the session on the power of community particularly enlightening: “It was eye-opening to see the potential impact of an engaged online community in advancing an organisation’s mission.”

Sarah Ferries, MyBnk’s Strategic Marketing Manager, also highlighted the importance of the organic search session, which explored how AI is reshaping SEO strategies right now: “Hearing from experts in SEO helped clarify the best strategies for adapting to emerging trends while staying mindful of best practices”.

Networking opportunities and meaningful connections

In addition to new learning opportunities, the Summit provided a platform for valuable networking, which both MyBnk and LTSB took advantage of, building important connections that could drive future collaboration.

Nic Skipwith, Director of Income Generation at LTSB, commented: “We had some good conversations with attendees, including Havas team members, which helped to spread the word about LTSB and broaden our thinking on social media strategy. Building these relationships is crucial for our growth, and this event provided an opportunity for that.”

Sarah Ferries from MyBnk echoed this sentiment, appreciating the chance to engage with industry leaders and peers: “After the sessions, we had some great conversations with the panellists, which allowed us to delve deeper into the topics and ask questions specific to our sector. Additionally, we connected with LTSB and discussed shared learning.”

Both MyBnk and LTSB acknowledged the pivotal role that the BGF Foundation has played in their development, with Nic Skipwith thanking the team “for their ongoing and vital support of LTSB and our growth”. Through offering access to valuable events like this, and with BGF Foundation’s support, we hope to continue helping charities like MyBnk and LTSB to drive impact and refine their strategies.

Visit the BGF Foundation page to find out more and sign up to updates from the team.

For inquiries related to LTSB, please reach out to Nic Skipwith, Director of Income Generation at LTSB (nic@ltsb.charity) and for inquiries related to MyBnk, please contact Claire Quigley, Director of Fundraising (claire.quigley@mybnk.org).