Schedule and Sessions

In the world of fundraising, myth often shrouds the truth, creating unnecessary barriers and misconceptions. And capital campaigns are no exception. Join Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE, to explore the results of the third annual State of Capital Campaigns Benchmark Report.

You’ll learn what makes capital campaign fundraising powerful, how the annual fund is impacted (or not) by campaigns, how your campaign can succeed without a high-powered board, as well as a modern approach to feasibility studies.

In this practical and energizing session, fundraising expert Jim Shapiro will show you how to identify 10 or more donors already in your community who are ready for a larger gift and deeper commitment. You’ll learn how to interpret donor behavior, where timing and consistency matter more than gift size and how to craft a message that inspires action using a proven storytelling formula. No wealth screenings, no cold prospecting, just smart strategy and clear next steps. Walk away with the confidence and tools you need to turn recent giving activity into major donor breakthroughs.

Seven years ago, Brown University’s Division of Advancement made a bold, intentional commitment to embed diversity and inclusion into its philanthropic practices. As part of the BrownTogether campaign, the Division created a Director of Diversity and Inclusion Major Gift Officer role, an innovative step designed to strengthen relationships and expand philanthropic engagement among all alumni, with an emphasis on diverse communities.
The panel will explore how intentional commitment, shared leadership, and strategic collaboration can build authentic relationships, elevate donor participation, and create lasting institutional change.

Unlock creative fundraising strategies inspired by the entertainment industry—ideas that work for any cause. Learn how to build strong partnerships, craft compelling stories, engage audiences through interactive events, and leverage digital campaigns and auctions to boost donor retention and revenue, no matter your organization’s mission or sector.

The Board is a key partner in the fundraising efforts of nonprofit organizations. Given the challenges of today’s world, ensuring that board members understand their role, actively participate and hold each other accountable are keys to making them successful fundraisers. This highly interactive session will share key strategies to provide a strong sense of mission, engagement and accountability for board members, supporting their efforts to identify, cultivate, ask and steward donors at all levels. Participants will be invited to share their examples and experiences in discussion and small group conversations.

What we are hearing: “Emerging Leaders are jack-of-all-trades, masters of none.” With a projected 10-year growth in the fundraising profession of 14%, emerging leaders need to strategically maximize their growth potential. Hear how four young, diverse professionals catapulted their careers by maximizing their professional experience to become leaders.

Fundraising isn’t just the job of development staff. Learn how to build a culture where everyone—program teams, admin staff, volunteers and board members—is equipped and inspired to support fundraising. This session will share tools, templates, and success stories to make your entire team an engine for storytelling and relationship-building.

Discover how AI is revolutionizing nonprofit direct mail fundraising. This session unveils cutting-edge strategies to personalize appeals, predict donor behavior, and optimize campaigns through AI-driven insights. Learn to integrate AI tools seamlessly into your fundraising efforts, enhancing engagement and maximizing ROI. Whether you're new to AI or looking to refine your approach, gain actionable techniques to elevate your direct mail initiatives and drive meaningful results. Join us to transform your fundraising strategy and harness the power of AI for greater impact.

Do you ever struggle to get the information you want out of donor conversations? This presentation will walk participants through how a litigation tool called the Funnel Method can transform planned giving conversations from transactional interactions to meaningful dialogues that uncover donors' true motivations and philanthropic passions. The Funnel Method offers a structured yet flexible approach, helping you ask the right questions and listen actively to build stronger, more meaningful connections with potential donors.

150 prospects. One gift officer. No margin for wasted effort. This session reveals how top teams cut through noise, fix broken portfolios, and focus on donors that actually matter—so personalization feels real, workload feels manageable, and fundraising performance finally scales.

Many organizations drive strong interest through events and campaigns, yet over 80% of people who reach a donation form leave without giving. Instead of treating the donation page as the finish line, learn how staying visible before, after, and between visits can bring supporters back and continue supporting your mission.

Donors take the call and then keep talking when interactions are enjoyable. Whether it’s a first, second, or tenth meeting, your interactions and relationships can be enhanced by conversational frameworks and research-informed strategies for asking questions and empathetic listening. Come practice the art of productive conversation with your peers!

Donors are changing. As acquisition becomes a key growth challenge, fundraisers face a fragmented landscape. Today’s donors engage with content differently, are driven by new motivators, and expect greater relevance from the causes they support. Our latest Canada-U.S. research explores two converging trends: shifting donor demographics and evolving acquisition dynamics. The result is a practical roadmap to better target, message, and motivate new audiences using insights, research, and experience. In this session, we’ll share what’s working now, how donor expectations are evolving, and how Diabetes Canada is driving growth—helping you re-engage lapsed donors and attract the next generation. Join us!

In an era where donor expectations are rising and traditional tactics are falling short, nonprofits must evolve. Join Gabe Cooper, CEO of Virtuous and author of The Responsive Nonprofit, as he reveals how organizations can move beyond transactional fundraising to foster genuine, lasting donor relationships. This session introduces the Responsive Maturity Model, a practical roadmap to assess and elevate your fundraising strategy using data, personalization, and team alignment. With real-world examples and actionable insights, you'll walk away equipped to deepen donor trust, boost retention, and amplify your mission’s impact.

Join futurist Jamais Cascio for a Q&A after his opening keynote, so we can be more future-ready and better able to make our preferred futures possible. Bob will introduce the BANI Future: Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible — and he will show us how to flip it positive by being Bendable, Attentive, Neuroflexible, and Interconnected. The future will be increasingly chaotic, but we can thrive if we frame the future accurately and spark better possibilities.