# Farewell to The Summit

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/02/11/farewell-summit/
- Published: 2013-02-11T10:17:46+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The Summit, an unusual event scheduled for April this year, featuring a range of
experienced fundraising thinkers and practitioners and with a lofty aim of helping
the sector to raise billions more, has been cancelled.

The cancellation follows the online reaction to co-organiser [Giles Pegram's comments in response to public comments](http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/14419/pegram_women_are_still_not_engaged_in_the_thinking_in_fundraising)
about the gender balance, or lack of it, on the speaker list.

I'm proud to say that UK Fundraising was, with The Agitator, a media supporter of
this event, not least because it was the idea of Giles Pegram, so I lament the fact
it will not go ahead. While some of these speakers can be found at the same conference
in different places around the world, I can't think of an occasion when they were
all to be in one room, all speaking to 'one narrative', and all in London.

## Advertisement

Given the wide range of events for fundraisers almost every day, this one stood 
out and was worth supporting from the moment we heard about it.

I'm pleased that the debate has raised the issues of [gender assumptions](http://charity-chick.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-summit-its-not-for-girls-apparently.html)
within the sector and of the right to [question authority](http://degregoriopaul.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/question-authority.html)
and experience.

But, as Roger Craver at [The Agitator](http://www.theagitator.net/dont-miss-these-posts/the-fundraising-firing-squad-forms-a-circle)
said: "at a time when there is a crushing need for significant change in the sector,
the derailing of this event makes that change less likely — a fact that helps no
fundraiser, male or female, no organization, nor any mission".

 

 * **[Martin Brookes joins Paul Hamlyn Foundation as Director](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/03/26/martin-brookes-joins-paul-hamlyn-foundation-director/)**(
   26 March 2013)
 * **[Fundraising magazine searches for the 50 Most Influential in Fundraising](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/04/29/fundraising-magazine-searches-50-most-influential-fundraising/)**(
   29 April 2013)
 * **[Charities need to collaborate to showcase fundraising as a career of choice for bright graduates](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/02/11/charities-need-collaborate-showcase-fundraising-career-choice-bright-graduates/)**(
   11 February 2014)