Expert finance counsel and peer community for charity treasurers and finance leads.
One hour a month with a KPMG-trained chartered accountant and the peers facing the same questions you are.
What this is
The Charity Treasurers Forum is a free, invitation-based monthly session for volunteer treasurers, finance leads and charity CFOs. Each session runs for sixty minutes and is hosted personally by Carl Wakeford ACA, founder of Charity Accounting Partners.
Sessions are practical and conversational. Carl opens with a brief on a topical issue, then opens the floor for live Q&A and peer discussion. You leave with answers to the questions you arrived with, and often a few you had not yet thought to ask.
The forum is free in exchange for two things. A short written testimonial after your third session, and a warm introduction to a peer in the sector who might also benefit. That is the whole exchange, stated plainly.
Who it is for
- Volunteer treasurers stepping into the role and wanting an experienced sounding board
- Finance leads and managers at small to mid-size UK charities without a partner-level finance specialist on call
- CFOs of growing charities who want a confidential space to test thinking with peers
- Trustees with a finance brief who need expert input between board meetings
- Anyone who values plain English over jargon and practical answers over theory
Not for: large charities with established in-house finance teams. The forum is built for those without that level of internal support.
What happens in a session
Topical input
Carl opens with a short briefing on a current issue facing charity finance leads.
Open Q&A
Bring a live question. Carl responds in plain English, with practical next steps.
Peer discussion
Hear how other treasurers and finance leads are approaching similar challenges.
Close and preview
Key takeaways, optional resources, and the topic for next month's session.
Topics we cover
Carl Wakeford ACA
Your host
Carl trained at KPMG, qualified as a chartered accountant with the ICAEW, and has spent more than ten years working alongside UK charities. He founded Charity Accounting Partners to give charities access to the kind of senior finance counsel usually reserved for organisations that can afford a Big Four advisor.
He set up this forum for a simple reason. Too many treasurers and finance leads are carrying questions they have no one to ask. An hour a month, honestly answered, makes a quiet but significant difference.
From members
An hour with Carl saved our trustees weeks of going round in circles on reserves. Calm, clear, and entirely free of jargon.
Honorary Treasurer
Community charity, South West
The peer element is what keeps me coming back. It is rare to sit with other finance leads who genuinely understand the constraints we work under.
Finance Lead
Faith-based charity, London
Carl gives the kind of straight answer you usually have to pay an audit partner for. The forum is a quiet gift to the sector.
Trustee and Treasurer
Education charity, Midlands
Apply for a place
Places are limited and the forum is invitation-based. This is an application, not an automatic sign-up. Carl reviews each submission personally and will be in touch within a week.