Schedule and Sessions

For queer, BIPOC, and other marginalized fundraisers: navigate the emotional toll of the ask, weigh authenticity vs. assimilation, set boundaries, and connect with peers in this vital interactive session.

You've heard about building relationships with donors. You've heard about listening your way to the gift. But how do you take a donor from a name on a list to a champion of your mission? This session covers how to confidently conduct discovery visits - the earliest step of any gift - so that you can build those strong donor relationships. This interactive session offers practical tools, sample language, and real-world insights to help you connect more authentically with your donors, ultimately bringing your portfolio to life and growing your major giving program.

While philanthropy can be deeply rewarding, donors often face unexpected challenges when making thoughtful and practical giving decisions. In this interactive session, we’ll explore how donors think about giving and the psychological, social, and emotional factors that shape their choices. From peer influence and emotional triggers to incentives and commitment strategies, you’ll gain valuable insights into what truly drives donor behavior. You'll leave with practical, evidence-based techniques you can apply immediately to elevate your fundraising efforts and maximize impact.

Looking to strengthen donor relationships and approach the ask with greater confidence? Join Mallory Erickson and Cherian Koshy as they unpack the psychology of giving, explore how trust and shared mission drive generosity, and share practical ways to use data-informed insights to deepen engagement.

Sick of decline letters? Feel like your proposals are just bouncing off locked doors? Don’t give up: there is gold behind those doors, and this session offers three keys. Whether small-shop or specialists, re-boot your grant-based fundraising with three simple shifts in practice that will modernize your approaches, fix common mistakes, and deliver improved revenues and relationships.

Personalization isn’t failing because fundraisers aren’t trying—it’s failing because it’s built on manual effort. This session shows why hand-crafted outreach breaks at scale, what donors actually respond to, and how teams can redesign personalization around systems that deliver timely, relevant, human outreach without burnout.

Join us to learn about how you can get started with AI. We'll share recommended steps to get started and will showcase key fundraising agents that can help you better manage donor relations, provide donor support and more.

How does your organization compare to the industry when it comes to recurring giving? What steps can you take to optimize your approach and see more results?

Feeling like a “fundraising fraud” even when you’re doing meaningful, mission-driven work? You’re not alone—and you’re not stuck. From Fraudy Feelings to Fundraising Fierce is a thoughtful, practical workshop designed to help fundraisers overcome imposter syndrome by tapping into the power of a growth mindset. Through guided reflection and actionable tools, you’ll learn to quiet the inner critic, own your strengths, and show up with confidence in every ask. Whether you’re new to fundraising or a seasoned professional seeking a mindset shift, this session will leave you feeling empowered, capable, and ready to fundraise fierce.

Meet Blackbaud’s Development Agent—your new virtual teammate. See how agentic AI prioritizes donors, crafts personalized outreach, and logs interactions natively in your CRM. Discover a responsible pathway to boost mid-tier cultivation and expand capacity without adding headcount. Leave with a practical roadmap to accelerate your mission's impact.

Asking a donor about planned giving can be intimidating, but when you have the right tools in your toolkit, it can easily and quickly lead to deeper donor conversation and increased giving opportunities. By leaning on easy-to-remember open-ended questions that encourage donors to share more about their motivations, fears, and interests, any frontline fundraiser can help themselves while helping others reach their philanthropic goals.

Learn how modern due diligence safeguards nonprofits while maximizing major gift opportunities. This session shows fundraising teams how to assess risk, validate sources of wealth, and integrate practical workflows, empowering organizations to engage high-potential donors confidently without compromising mission or reputation.

The CFRE Credential: Is it worth it? What are the benefits? Is the CFRE Exam difficult?
Join this interactive session to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential. We’ll dive into the eligibility requirements, application tips, and all things related to the CFRE Exam, as well as answer your questions. You’ll leave the session with a clear understanding of how to achieve your CFRE credential.

Learn how to work smarter—not harder—in this high-impact session on mastering grant research, writing, and submission. Discover how AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can help you streamline prospect research, draft compelling proposals, and manage submissions more efficiently. You’ll walk away with practical tips, ethical guidelines, and time-saving strategies you can immediately apply to boost your grant success. Whether you’re new to grants or a seasoned pro, this session will help you navigate the evolving landscape of AI-assisted grant writing with confidence.

Nonprofits and advocacy organizations face increased challenges in sustaining robust fundraising pipelines due to rising acquisition costs, donor fatigue, and shifting communication preferences. This session examines how activating digital fundraisers—supporters who raise money online through peer-to-peer campaigns, social media, and personalized appeals—can help overcome these barriers. Using real-world examples and data, we will examine how to recruit, empower, and retain digital fundraisers, transitioning them into lifetime supporters. Attendees will learn how to integrate digital fundraising, leverage technology to amplify impact, and build authentic, meaningful engagement that drives sustainable donor growth.