Despite the fact that the not-for-proft sector employs the equivalent of over 1.5 million full-time staff and has a turnover of £46 billion, it only spends 1 per cent of that figure on professional development and training, compared with the public and private sectors that spend 3 per cent.

Stephen Bubb, head of ACEVO and Hamish Davidson, chairman of Veredus Executive Resourcing both spoke at the conference. They are the joint authors of two new publications, which are to be launched at the event, titled Only connect – a leader’s guide to networking and It’s your career! – so what are you going to do about it?

Stephen Bubb said: "Networking isn’t about manipulative social climbing. It is a core competence for any leader – a powerful tool for forging relationships and for developing connections, innovation and change."

Bubb will also talked about his ideas for a step-change in the way the sector’s infrastructure is supported by the government, a proposal that he has outlined in a recent letter to charities minister, Fiona Mactaggart. He believes that a sector-led "Improvement and Development Agency", should be established by the Home Office.