New year and all that...

I haven’t gone in for new year’s resolutions this time. The only one I’ve ever really kept was three years ago when I resolved to read one novel every month. If you average it out over a full year I can claim success. However I fear fervent promises to myself to join a gym will not meet with immediate success. We’ll play the long game there too.

But 2010 will be a big year with some big questions. Who will win the election? (If today’s news is anything to go by I suspect by Easter we will not care.) Will the recovery finally start, and what will it mean for the beneficiaries of organisations in the sector? And will anything useful emerge from the failure of the Copenhagen summit?

The answers to these questions are a little outside of my gift. However, I’ve been given some pretty clear goals by my boss for 2010. We discussed these at length just before the Christmas break and the key themes included:

1. Developing the ImpACT Coalition with Liam Cranley our Head of ImpACT. The movement, committed to improving accountability, clarity and transparency in the sector, has huge potential. We will realise that potential and take the campaign to the next level.
2. Continuing to diversify and grow our income, working with Orli Gorenski our Head of Business Development.
3. Working closely with the Board and with senior management colleagues to develop ACEVO’s strategy as we move through a significant period of change.
4. Connecting ACEVO members to networks around the globe including in particular North America and Europe through our colleagues in Euclid Network.
5. Stephen is also keen for me to, as he put it, develop my presence. More opportunities for public speaking will form part of that.

I am really fortunate to lead a great team of staff, and it has been a fascinating transition for me during 2009 as I moved into my current role. I am really excited about the challenges which lie ahead this year.

But none of these compare to Emma, my PA, who will be scaling Mount Kilimanjaro at the end of January in aid of Scope. We’re all hoping that her phone will work on the way up to keep us all updated on her progress. You can still donate here.