More than 100 total educational sessions* are waiting for you at AFP ICON 2022. Whether you want to master leadership, relationship building, securing the gift, trends and innovation, or all of the above, AFP has the latest and greatest information to unlock your fundraising potential.
Thank You To Our AFP ICON 2022 Education Track Sponsors!
Major Gifts are essential to fundraising and campaign success. In addition to securing new donors and annual gifts, a successful Annual Fund will upgrade donors and build donor loyalty--developing major and planned gift prospects. In this session we will discuss how the Annual Fund can help increase Major Gift results.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
The session will begin with an Annual Fund quiz.
Donor Management will contain an exercise for take-home portfolio management.
Donor Messaging will include examples of direct response language: Savior Complex vs donor partnership. (Audience participaton)
Donor Segmentation will include model report examples.
Low donor retention is a costly and persistent challenge for fundraisers. Research shows that timely communication – specifically impact reporting – plays a critical role in keeping donors engaged. This session will help you and your team plan and produce impact reports to inspire and activate donors and build stronger community partnerships.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Strategic
Begin with participants identifying challenges and goals in developing donor impact reports. The group list will inform and focus the discussion. Working with examples, participants in small groups will evaluate and share balanced critiques of data and financial storytelling, and report narratives. Session ends with time allotted for Q&A.
Did you ever want to have a truly honest conversation with your Board Members? This conversation, that you have dreamt or had nightmares about, is the focus of this session! How you feel about them. How they feel about you. More importantly it is about building strong relationships with them.
Education Track: Volunteer Involvement
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
My presentation style is boring as heck! Just kidding ... I am an engaging speaker with a sense of humour to keep the audience interested. I ask the audience questions and ask for examples to illustrate the material I am sharing with them. I tell stories about my work too!
Learn how donors responded to Covid-19 and social justice issues in 2020 and 2021 with national fundraising performance data. Donor acquisition and retention trends will be revealed and can be compared with your nonprofit organization as benchmark and performance guidelines.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
This session will report on national donor retention statistics from the AFP Growth in Giving Initiative and Fundraising Effectiveness Project now in its 16th year of donor retention analysis. Results from more than 20,000 nonprofits can be used as national benchmarks and realist guidelines for improving performance.
Want to hear about our worst mistakes with major donors and we how survived them? Pull up a chair, we’re spilling the beans! These mistakes could save you millions.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
This will be a panel presentation with Cherian Koshy, Rachel Muir and Tammy Zonker sharing their biggest mistakes soliciting gifts. Audience members will be invited to share their fundraising failures in this tell-all session.
Capital campaigns in the pandemic required a new focus on direct conversations with donors about gifts. You’ll discover how Angie Sledge, Chief Development Officer of Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, closed 6-figure gifts on Zoom, and how to apply these skills to close your own major gifts in the post-pandemic world.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
We'll set up audience members in 1-on-1 conversations to practice direct donor conversations together. The participants will get applied, practical training in conducting an Ask Conversation. Then we will have a group debrief sharing learnings. Should be a lot of fun!
Learn how to engage with Latinx Community, understand the background of a Latino community and make giving fun and close to your heart.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Applied
Anecdotes, videos and personal experiences will make the presentation more engaging. They'll learn how fun and generous latinos could be if they speak to us the way we engage to a cause we care about.
Understand businesses are looking for more benefits than their name on an event program/swag. They are looking more strategic in the ways they give to maximize their ROI. Join us as we review basics of engaging businesses and review how one organization created a unique business group.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
Brainstorm some recognition and benefits for business donors.
Discuss what value add organizations can provide to businesses.
Identify ways to engage with the business community.
A panel of representatives from the Grant Professional Association will be presenting the current GPA Code of Ethics and reviewing ethical dilemmas faced regularly by grant professionals. If you ever conduct your fundraising efforts in parallel or in conjunction with a grant professional, this is an important workshop to attend.
Education Track: Ethics, Accountability and Professionalism
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
Representatives of GPA will review the GPA Code of Ethics and discuss many ethical dilemmas that are commonly experienced by grant professionals. Attendees will be engaged through their input, questions, and recommendations of solutions for ethical challenges faced in the field. No topic will be off-limits.
In the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, nonprofits dealt with massive disruptions to their fundraising. Nonprofits continually adjust to a changed philanthropic environment. But your nonprofit is more resilient than you’d think. By identifying donor behaviors within your database, fundraisers can better foster major donors, recurring donations, and legacy gifts.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Applied
During his presentation, Nejeed will first ask the attendees to reflect on what they look for when identifying prospects, major donors, recurring donors, and legacy donors. They will also be asked how these processes have changed during the pandemic.
Last, attendees will be encouraged to share their thoughts and reflect.
Data shows that only 49.6% of Americans make charitable gifts, and this number decreases annually. In a world driven by big data, NFP’s must innovate ways to work smarter, not harder. Learn how A.I. can help reverse the generosity crisis by identifying the true reasons why people give and when.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Strategic
Discover forward-thinking insights necessary for nonprofit success in the 21st-Century. Understand the capabilities of AI and how to apply it to your fundraising. Learn what major donors are thinking about in the modern era and the regulatory issues (e.g., privacy) that will affect your nonprofit.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
I intend to engage the audience by asking them questions. It's always better to speak with your audience and highlight real-life extemporaneous examples of how people are doing things now to highlight and underscore the shifting landscape.
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.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Applied
The presenters will use a variety of audience engagement techniques including an interactive affirmation exercise, live polling, using stock questions to promote audience participation, and taking questions from the audience.
You strategize on how to get the corporate foundation/sponsorship gift but did you know that the person making that decision is and can be your next major donor? Follow these steps and learn how to get BOTH and leave the corporate decision maker incredibly happy AND actually thank YOU!
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
I present 12 minutes of content, then ask open ended questions for the audience to respond. When LIVE I am on the floor moving around the room for superior eye contact and I ALWAYS use humor. I mastered the balance of content and ?s from the audience for total engagement.
Hit the jackpot with eye-candy fundraising campaigns you’ll want to steal! See best-of examples from budgets large & small. Get inspired with real world examples, great content, unique thinking, risk-taking and delightful design across donor thank you’s, emails, websites, online advertising, donation pages, videos—and anything else that increases donations!
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
These two dynamic speakers lit up the virtual stage in 2020 with their drool-worthy session “Timesaving Tools to Rock Every Fundraiser’s World” . These two are known for collecting the best of fundraising ideas, campaigns and tools and sharing them to the delight of audience members.
Volunteer committees are valuable assets for any organization but it takes a good leader to maximize the group's potential. This session focuses on how to identify and recruit Rock Star committees, run efficient and effective committee meetings, and make your volunteers feel valued.
Education Track: Volunteer Involvement
Audience:
Applied
Audience participation is key to making this session lively and engaging. I will create "committees" within the session participants and include role playing to accentuate the interpersonal dynamics found within committees. This is in conjunction with my PowerPoint presentation.
If you don't have a seat at the table, you will be a part of meal, or as they say down South - You will be discussed! Others will satisfy their appetites of superiority or ill-informed biases to dish out what they think about those not at the table.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
Attendees will be asked a set of questions to test the cultural competency of their organizations.
I will show video clips of examples of inclusion and exclusion and slides that demonstrate biases.
We will have a brief 5-minute exercise role-playing cultural engagement
Have you ever gotten "the look" when you meet someone for the first time? For People of Color, this is our life. You'll hear about situations and outcomes from the panel. Be ready to listen and share! It might not be the chair that's uncomfortable!
Education Track: Ethics, Accountability and Professionalism
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
It will be a panel discussion. We will share out stories, but want will be asking audience members to share experiences or how they might handle different situations.
Nonprofits can no longer stay silent on the public policies that affect our missions and the communities/people we serve. This session will address the myths and fears that hold us back from engaging in advocacy. Advocacy can turn donors into powerful advocates for change while increasing giving and donor retention.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
A mixture of technical presentation (What you can/cannot do around advocacy) and panel discussion on how each presenter engaged their organizations and donors (individual, corporate & foundations) in advocacy.
Millennials: Once a catch-all for the youngest generation, this key demographic is on pace to become the wealthiest generation. In this joint session presented by Fundraise Up and UNICEF USA, we’ll discuss how UNICEF dramatically scaled its recurring donor program among Millennials by emphasizing the donor experience.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Strategic
Virtual events can be extremely effective and great sources of donations, but many nonprofits don't know how to do them effectively. In this webinar, you'll learn how to build community with connection-based activities that let your supporters get to know each other by donating to your cause. You'll come away with actionable ideas to improve your organization's fundraising results by adding radical interactivity to virtual events.
Learn everything you wanted to know about becoming a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), including: - Benefits of becoming a CFRE - Eligibility requirements - Starting and submitting your application - Cost & discount for AFP members - CFRE exam overview - Studying for the exam - Recertification
Education Track: Ethics, Accountability and Professionalism
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
Mobile has transformed society, allowing users to converse, work, and conduct business anywhere. With users spending more time than ever on the move and on their phones, traditional donor engagement becomes increasingly difficult. We explore these trends and discuss how donor engagement and fundraising strategies must adapt to a mobile-only world.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
There’s a lot of buzz around cryptocurrency and its potential as a legitimate way to donate. Yet, there is no shortage of questions accompanying cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise in notoriety. We’ll untangle this thorny topic into actionable steps nonprofits can take to position their nonprofit for the future.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Strategic
Making the Ask offers you 20 radical and flexible tools to solicit your next major gift in person, on the phone and even by email. Leave old school moves management techniques behind and learn to use the latest thinking in neuroscience in your fundraising.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
The session is almost entirely interactive exploring the use of the 20 key tools organised under five broad headings- passion, proposal, preparation, persuasion, and persistence. there is significant pairs and small group work, underpinned by backgroud informations and science-based insights,
Curious about working with influencers? Want to know where to start? Hear what Best Friends Animal Society learned when they launched their influencer program in 2021! Learn how influencers can benefit your organization, steps to create a program, and real life examples of fun collabs before brainstorming your own!
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
During this presentation participants will use what they learned and work in groups or pairs to brainstorm creative ways influencer partnerships could benefit their organization.
In this interactive session, you will learn how to implement (or strengthen) your ability to systematically manage your relationships with your top donors and raise major gifts for your organization
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
Audience Members will break up into small groups, talk about how to apply the principles in the presentation, and begin to make a written plan to implement what they learn back at the office.
To take on the biggest problems, all need to lead in an inclusive, diverse and equitable manner. This session will focus on the leadership skills you need for personal and professional success. These diverse leaders on the panel live their lives with IDEA everyday. Learn how you can as well!
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Applied
This panel discussion by 5 leaders in our sector will be an engaging conversation with each other and the audience. Audience participation will be driven by the panelists probing questions to and from the audience.
Let’s face it, the past year reshaped our reality in many ways, including the drastic shift in constituents’ giving behavior. Most organizations saw an impressive influx of new donors engaging through digital channels, as more mature audiences increased their time online, and younger audiences started giving larger gifts.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Strategic
We will engage the audience using real time polling, inviting open Q&A, and gathering words and input to create word clouds.
Eligible for 1.25 ACFRE credits in Leadership. Leadership development isn’t always part of the budget. Nonprofits can develop leaders organically, without investing in formal leadership development programs. Based on original research with women CEOs who developed leadership identity by taking challenging stretch roles throughout their career, attendees will get practical ideas to develop leadership in their staff.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
Polls, opportunity for attendees to talk about personal experiences with a partner in the audience, share stories from personal research
Are you using digital advertising for fundraising? If not, it’s time to get started! Learn how nonprofits of all shapes and sizes run ads to increase donations. Ariana will share her advertising playbook, results from other organizations, and practical ways to incorporate digital ads into your own fundraising efforts.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
If your organization has monthly donors, you will hear and see examples and best practices to make your monthly donor program even more powerful than ever before! If you’re looking to grow your monthly donor program through online and offline cultivation, engagement and retention, this session is for you.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
Engaging attendees’ inputs, there is strong involvement within the workshop format. Participants are encouraged to bring forth their own examples, questions and ideas. There will be exercises, question time, presentations and quizzes along with the participants’ experiences, all ready to test and implement in their organization immediately.
Come learn how to prepare for, survive and THRIVE, after a small shop merges in to a huge healthcare enterprise. You'll hear real-life examples of keeping your mission relevant, maintaining donors confidence, "sharing" donors with others, that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to metrics, and more!
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
I believe we all learn from each other, so it's important that my sessions include audience participation, role plays, thought/idea sharing, best practices of attendees, and high energy. I also like to include real life scenarios and share examples that many will be able to relate to.
View your annual fund, major gift, and corporate sponsorship strategy as well as your organizations' stewardship and communication techniques through a community-centric lens. Attendees will identify ways to improve communication, stewardship, and fundraising strategies to further involve diverse community members and increase diverse supporters for your organization.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
Participants will break into groups to discuss various scenarios and suggest solutions, they will be asked questions and their responses will determine content in some instances
Members will have a chance to develop SMARTIE (Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound, Inclusive, Equitable) goals pertaining to their fundraising strategies.
Learn from international fundraisers the importance of reshaping the culture of philanthropy and human engagement. The culture of philanthropy has muted. Its key elements (inclusion, empowerment, transparency, collaboration, celebration) will be reviewed; how can we update them? The five sides of the “PENTAGON” of Human Engagement will be presented.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
Participants will know the results of a revealing survey applied to NGO´s stakeholders about the new human engagement.
International presenters with more than 50 years of experience will offer an enriched with examples conference.
The Key Elements of a Culture of Philanthropy (inclusion, empowerment, transparency, collaboration, celebration) will be reviewed.
As women play a larger role in their families' finances, fundraisers need new data on how couples make giving decisions. Women Give 2021 explores the question: "who decides?" This session will guide participants through the research and how to use it to prompt deep conversations and increased giving from donors.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
The presentation uses engaging visuals to bring data to life. Interactive polling, share with your neighbor, inspiring videos and guided group discussion will encourage the audience to grapple with how they see the research in their work and how they can incorporate the research to improve practice.
The Indian community is one of the fastest growing diaspora groups in North America. Philanthropic giving has become a part of their settlement story. How can your organization build bridges with Indian immigrants? Two researchers and two fundraisers share their knowledge and experiences in engaging and stewarding this donor group.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
Audience members will be engaged through open dialogue about questions they have in regard to fundraising in the Indian community. Additionally, tools and case studies will be used to gauge the audience’s familiarity and their current engagement with the community in fundraising.
"Plan for today’s realities and tomorrow’s probabilities." -Simone Joyaux. Want to stay sane in the insane day-to-day fundraising world? No matter how small or large your organization is, you need a comprehensive, well-written fundraising plan. Learn to develop a strategic fund development planning process that is practical, productive, and meaningful.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
Session participants will walk away with a step-by-step action plan of how they can create their own fund development plan through a clear, straightforward presentation. Time will also be allowed at the end for Q&A.
The case statement is a trusted capital campaign tool. As we evaluate fundraising practices through an antiracist and equity lens, the case statement offers an opportunity to challenge the status quo. The session explores how case statements often reinforce inequity, and how we can challenge ourselves to craft them differently.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Strategic
- Utilize poll and chat features to ask the audience questions and bring in their perspectives and experiences
- Two-speaker format
- Dedicated Q&A time
“Why should I give to you?” Your donors ask this question every time they consider giving. But most nonprofits are ill-equipped to answer it. In this session, you will discover how to use 4 tested and proven elements to explain why donors should give in each of your fundraising channels.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
This session has built in engagement activities including voting on which version of a landing page / ad / donation page will get more conversions, writing your own value proposition statement, and scoring your statement after being shown the 4 key elements.
For most nonprofit leaders, grants aren't any fun. The good news is there's a new and better way. In this interactive presentation, you will learn the root causes of grantwriting failure and take away the practical tools for making grants a significant (and yes, fun!) part of your funding model.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Applied
I intend to divide the group into four subgroups by birthdays (Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4) and have a friendly competition in which groups help one "hot seat" member of their team to make a plan for winning more grants using the approach I teach in this program.
In this session, learn tips for creating videos that tell the story of your organization, inspire donors, and create deeper relationships. Watch recent videos from Cranbrook Institute of Science, Cranbrook Academy of Art, and more. Storytelling is at the heart of fundraising-tell YOUR story in a way that inspires!
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
The audience will be asked to compare and contrast several sample videos and discuss the pros/cons of each. What worked? What didn’t? Why not? Was the message clear? What would you do differently to improve some of the videos?
People are one of an organization’s greatest strengths and also a source of meaningful challenge. Many non-profit leaders struggle in building cohesive, capable and coordinated teams. In this session, we will review key human resources concepts, including lawful hiring, organization culture and its influence on on-boarding and retention.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
Many participants attend human resources sessions with a litany of questions at the ready.
This session will focus on reviewing practical resources, while offering real-world examples
and ample, structured time to address as many participant inquiries as is feasible in the
timeframe allowed.
You have an appreciation for the value of having a diverse board and the return it can have on your organization, but you look around your community and you see nothing but homogeneity. Discover where to look for diverse board members how to engage them in an authentic way.
Education Track: Volunteer Involvement
Audience:
Strategic
This session will start with participants verbalizing what diversity looks like in their communities and expressing the challenges they face in reaching out to diverse populations. After learning strategies and techniques to build diverse boards, participants will dedicate time during the session to articulating an action plan.
Learn how to unite your fundraising data, processes and technology together to drive successful fundraising programs. With a well-crafted data pipeline model that addresses your team's unique program needs and capitalizes on your software tools, your fundraising shop can begin tracking and leveraging program data to raise more money.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Applied
We will incorporate role play where participants will “interview their neighbor” or serve as a “mock panel” as we support the concept that building effective data pipeline models requires teamwork, collaboration and communication. We will also ask open-ended questions encouraging participants to contribute content to the discussion.
Eligible for 1.25 ACFRE credits in Leadership Build inclusive, equitable, and community-centered nonprofits that are responsive and reflective of the communities they serve. Going Beyond Change: Transforming Nonprofit Culture from Charity Mindset to Social Justice is a dynamic and timely presentation, providing approaches to engage diverse stakeholders, introduce social justice framework, and become more resilient.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
The audience will engage in open presentation discussion, small group problem-solving activities, and share examples with others. Active participation, sharing, and exchanging ideas are encouraged! The presentation will provide insight into key planning steps, provide templates and materials for attendees to take home and apply at work.
Consumer-focused innovations in ecommerce have transformed the for-profit industry, leaving nonprofits behind. In this joint session presented by Josh McLemore of American Heart Association and Nicolas Miller of Fundraise Up, we'll discuss how embracing aspects of for-profit ideology can help you achieve more good in the world.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Strategic
Reach new donors, raise more, increase online giving, get more people to your events… If you’re trying to do any of that, you’ll need innovative ways to reach people. Learn how to: • Target donation page visitors who didn’t donate • Do more with your email lists • Find prospective supporters & more!
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
What is omnichannel fundraising anyway? If you've had this same thought, you're not alone. Luckily, you're in the right place to find out. We'll discuss what omnichannel fundraising is, why a consistent donor experience is so important, and how to unify all your fundraising channels with a personalized donation experience.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Strategic
Institutions frequently do not understand the real value of sponsorships and, therefore, price them inaccurately. This session will present a valuation model that identifies the levers driving price and value. We will also examine how to build partnerships versus transactions and the growing impact of corporate social responsibility platforms– “philanthroships”.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
To build a connection with the audience and offer memorable content, I employ six strategies: plan the presentation from the audience’s perspective, use storytelling, be interactive (accept questions throughout), poll the audience/use live quizzes, employ an easy-to-follow structure/less is more in slides, and move off the stage when feasible
By participating in this session, you will know the key learnings from the coronavirus pandemic for high value giving and understand how to build deeper relationships with major donors, philanthropists and foundations from now on. The speakers will launch you to innovate at a pace never imagined.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
The speakers will guide the audience through the major donor market, explain the issues, and illustrate techniques that will help all participants make the most of major donors. Beside that, they will propose an exercise: the participants will discuss a challenge and how new learnings will be helpful.
It’s time our sector puts diversity, equity and inclusion first in our work in the field of philanthropy. But how? In this session, you will learn the importance of starting with your donor data. See how you can mine, screen, analyze and interpret donor data to help diversify your fundraising.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Applied
This session will walk through a real-world example, answering questions live along the way. The presenters will also engage the audience through real-time polling using the digital tool Mentimeter. All audience members will be encouraged to live tweet throughout the session and engage in conversation there as well.
Parents share their journey as fundraising professionals and lay out a path of how to navigate a career with bosses who are not empathetic, being a parent to children of all ages, traveling, long hours, etc.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
This is a diverse panel discussion of fundraising professionals at different stages of their
career.
Creating a framework to get more digital donors requires planning, but it’s easier than you may think. In this lively, energetic session, digital fundraising expert Julia Campbell and social media fundraising expert Josh Hirsch will show you how to convert - and keep - more digital donors.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
Using Mentimeter we will live poll the audience to gauge knowledge level and using Kahoot we will have an interactive game with prizes.
Need to run an effective capital or other fundraising campaign? The who, what, where, when, and how of planning a fundraising campaign can be daunting, but participants in this session will create a personalized work plan to kick start their campaign planning the right way.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Applied
The speakers will provide a worksheet to complete during the session, allowing the participants to think critically and immediately apply the information learned. This worksheet will go with the participants as a starting workplan for their campaign.
"Nothing about us without us" is a motto of the disability community In this session, you will learn from 4 fundraisers who have disabilities how to successfully fundraise, without falling into the trap of ableism or exploitation.
Education Track: Ethics, Accountability and Professionalism
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
My co-presenters and I are all from the disability community and most are professional fundraisers. We want to have an open conversation about our experiences from both perspectives and show how you can and should be effective without ableism
The world of academia can seem intimidating but the research being conducted on philanthropy around the globe is fascinating and vital for fundraising programs. This session will present 10 academic papers and deconstruct their findings to highlight how the research results can be integrated into your charity’s fundraising practice.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Strategic
The session will involve presenting the 10 research papers and then participants will have group discussions on the particular themes and how they can integrate the learnings into their fundraising practice.
Saying thank you is both an art and science. Join us as we explore best practices and trends in acknowledgement writing, digital vs. mail delivery, and personalization vs. customization of content. We will assist you in building a program that is meaningful for your donors and still efficient fo
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
We will use real life samples as well as ask for samples and ideas from those in attendance. We will help solve problems and create the best acknowledgements possible!
When it comes to requests for major gifts or corporate partnerships, when and who you ask matters as much as what you say. As the world's largest professional network and a trusted source of news, LinkedIn is a valuable platform for conducting research before you make your big ask. Learn how to use the platform to track your prospects' professional activity—and spot key moments of opportunity.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
There are several ways for you to tell and show your work to a prospect. Which ones you choose depend upon what you have learned about the prospect up to that point. This workshop will explore questioning techniques, the art of demonstration, and how donor participation can be effective cultivation tools. The way you steward donors after they make a gift is as important, or perhaps even more important, than the gift itself. The renewal rate of donors who give a second time after the first gift is 50 percent. Nonprofits who fail to practice stewardship are not sustainable.
Hidden in those lists of data in your CRM are real people – people with dreams and visions that they hope to see fulfilled through your mission. But, what if you can’t reach them? You might have the most compelling, perfect story in the world but if it’s not actually getting TO donors, your fundraising will suffer. This session dives into simple, non-techy ways to ensure you’ve got the best information possible, introduces you to straightforward fundraising intelligence and prospect development solutions you can implement right away, and helps you ensure you’re not losing revenue caused by data quality issues.
Donor Fatigue - we have heard the term as a vague part of the pandemic’s impact. But what is it? And why does it feel so relevant now? Let’s ignite some new energy into fundraising strategies to be more exciting, effective, and defeat the fatigue.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Strategic
Event.Gives makes event planning easy! Make more money at your event with our Event Planning and Fundraising Software. Eliminate check in/ check out lines! Our platform increases attendee/ donor engagement and makes it easier to give. Attendees can participate from any where!
Education Track: Volunteer Involvement
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
Direct mail is all the same, right? It doesn’t have to be! There are simple but effective ways to increase awareness and response through direct mail – and we will share them with you! Discover the Top 10 Direct Mail Hacks for 2022 to make the most of your campaigns!
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
MacKenzie Scott’s donations brought new attention to the power and potential of “no strings attached” funding. Unrestricted donations can provide nonprofits with flexibility and security, yet the majority of contributions are restricted. Participants in this interactive session will build knowledge and develop skills for fundraising major unrestricted gifts.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
This interactive session will include small and large group discussions. Participants will practice the case for support for unrestricted gifts in writing and through a donor role play activity. The facilitators will draw on research about unrestricted gifts as well as participants’ experiences to shape the conversation.
Diversifying your donor pool can feel overwhelming. You know it is more important than ever to be inclusive, but it seems like everyone is paying attention to the same individuals right now. Together we will tackle this task in smaller pieces so you leave with a plan you can implement.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
Attendees will break out into groups and will receive a comprehensive description of an organization’s donors. They will identify a way to segment the donors to work on a diversification plan. In their groups they will come up with ways to engage the segment to increase diversity in their supporters.
With $17 trillion under management for ESG and social impact, how can nonprofits tap this ever-expanding pool of funding and capital from next gen philanthropists and social investors to scale up mission, programs and new initiatives.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Applied
Case studies will engage the audience in practical applications for their organizations. Audience questions will be encouraged throughout the presentation to foster interactive dialogue and to ensure content is focused on the audience's knowledge base of subject matter and their understanding of practical applications for their organizations.
Join Anthony Alonso, President of Catapult Fundraising, to learn how to make your annual fund THRIVE! Anthony will share ideas that can be used for both stewardship AND solicitation. Leave this session with new ideas to implement for immediate results!
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
The presenter will answer questions from the audience throughout the presentation. He will solicit the audience for their input and ask them to share their own experiences on the subject matter.
As Black or Brown fundraisers we are often raising funds from donors that don't look like us. Join a lively discussion about race, ethnicity and fundraising in today's racially-charged society.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
Co-presenters will invite fellow Black fundraisers to a panel discussion and also provide a Q&A session.
How diverse are your digital fundraising efforts? Data has shown a huge increase in online giving as well as the importance of an excellent user experience to secure the gift and retain donors. Learn how to build a data-driven strategy for coordinating and optimizing your digital donation efforts.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
Polling will be used as well as peer-to-peer learning models, specifically Learning Circles. Circle topics are suggested by participants and decided in real-time, and participants self-select the circle in which they want to participate to explore a particular aspect of digital fundraising with their peers.
Are you interested in applying for the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive certification? This session will explain the ACFRE process and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions of ACFRE Certification Board members.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
-
As the Impact Profession, fundraisers have the potential to be impactful allies and to build communities of solidarity in anti-racism. Fundraisers and faculty will share strategies and approaches on how they worked in solidarity with diverse constituencies to lead, support and be allies in the development of anti-racism initiatives.
Education Track: Ethics, Accountability and Professionalism
Audience:
Strategic
The presenters will engage the audience to share their experiences on the presented strategies and approaches related to allyship and anti-racism, in addition to Q&A.
Smart tech is becoming embedded in nonprofit work freeing up staff to focus on building stronger relationships with donors. Learn what’s needed to reinvent work and achieve transformative impact with an ethical and human-centered approach to adopting smart tech.
This session will walk through the insights that data can reveal about donors and how that can unlock new strategies to engage with your best supporters and build your community. We will show how gift and donor data can transform your understanding of segments of your supporters, and alter your fundraising and communications strategy. The experts at DonorPerfect will use real examples to illustrate how data leads to insights, which leads into strategy and action.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
At a time when some donors may have grown numb to crisis communications, thought leadership can be a critical tool for cutting through the noise. As a professional platform where vulnerability and personal stories are not only encouraged but embraced, LinkedIn is a uniquely fertile space for nonprofit leaders and professionals to engage in and drive impact conversations that generate real results. In this session, you'll learn how to develop a sustainable thought leadership strategy for the platform that helps you reengage your audience—and gain a new one.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Hyper-connectivity, micro-consumption, fractured attention, and fierce competition are namesakes in our connected economy. This is now compounded due to the upheaval 2020 — from the pandemic and social justice to climate — left behind with no clear end in sight.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Applied
From corporate philanthropy officers to foundation staff, the people you need to reach are on LinkedIn—but if your LinkedIn profile doesn't immediately earn their attention and trust, your messages may be left on "read." Learn how to give your profile a makeover that helps you increase your response rate and make more of the connections that matter.
Generic messages don't win hearts. Discover tips and best practices for writing InMails (direct messages on LinkedIn) that your prospects can't ignore—helping you boost your response rate, get more meetings with decision makers, and, ultimately, bring in more money for your organization.
Social enterprise is not new idea. But it might offer your organization a new way to test new ideas, get closer to your benefactors, create greater impact, and generate income in the process. After launching spring of 2021 Do Good has raised and done more then we could have imagined!
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Strategic
Quick quizzes, a tips and tricks sheet and a facts sheet - no matter the location of the fundraiser this content will be relevant as we wont focus on the legal elements more on the fundamentals
Busy development teams often struggle to get their campaign emails sent on-time, much less planning for acquisition and retention. Learn how a utilizing a growth funnel framework with defined activities on a comprehensive user journey can help improve your results, grow your file, and make your campaigns truly flourish.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
Attendees will pair up and participate in a “build-a-campaign" activity in which they select one of their own campaigns, or practice with a pre-selected campaign, and identify the activities along each growth funnel level to create a comprehensive user journey and an overall integrated campaign strategy.
Does it matter what values your letters incorporate? Does the gender of your donor affect what resonates? This presentation will help you understand how personal values and gendered preferences affect the effectiveness of appeals. This session reports on research funded by AFP’s Bill Levis Research Fund.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Strategic
Presenters will use Poll Everywhere technology to incorporate real time surveys, for example, polling about gender identification and personal values of audience members. After presenting the research findings, we will ask participants how they can incorporate the knowledge into practice. Answers can be displayed as word clouds using Mentimeter technology.
A trio of Jewish, Muslim and Christian fundraisers explain what you need to know about religious donors. Bring your questions, there are no dumb ones! A safe space to talk about faith and money is a gift we offer to the fundraising community.
Education Track: Ethics, Accountability and Professionalism
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
We start with a fun quiz to get to know the group. Ann might bring kosher snacks. Three very different speakers, all comfortable talking about faith to people from beyond their own communities. 20 minutes for questions because people have LOTS of questions.
A healthy donor pipeline is the lifeblood of every organization. Learn moves management best practices to strengthen your donor base and bring home gift agreement language to increase unrestricted giving. This interactive session will help you deepen donor engagement and find new ways to grow revenue.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
The session has three sections: a presentation to set it up, reflection time, small group sharing, and a larger open share
Presentation of topic 1 (5 min), Attendees write how they would implement (3 min), Share in small groups (10 min) *Repeat for topics 2/3, Close with open share time
If you want your donors to give more, you have to turn them into investors in—and not merely supporters of—your mission. In this session, we’ll examine how to find, tell, and share your organization’s stories. Showcase your impact in humble and grand ways with a special focus on online communication.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Strategic
We’ll engage participants with quick polls throughout the session and by offering a Q&A session at the end of the presentation. Participants should feel that they are being taught, are able to bounce ideas off their neighbors, and that they are given ample opportunity to engage the speakers through Q&A.
Are Major Gifts only for big institutions? Take the next step into fundraising. Starting a Major Giving program. This training is a highly practical, step by step way to build a small, starter Major GIving program with limited resources and staff.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
Survey and Q&A
Time is money and most prospects don't have more than 30 minutes to spend on you. You will learn the fundamentals of productive, efficient qualification visits . You'll observe a qualification visit and be able to offer an assessment. Session handout will include sample questions to ask prospects.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
I will recruit two people from the audience to participate in a qualification visit (one as the prospect and one as the fundraiser). The audience will observe the "visit" and then offer feedback and their assessment of the prospect's viability.
Join Beth Ann and Gail to discover living and giving trends and how your fundraising team can gain insights from data and experiences to supercharge your major gift, capital campaign and transformational giving. Moving from "old rules" to new, authentic and inclusive approaches are pathways for fundraising success.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Applied
We plan to engage audience members in a few polls and questions. We will "hot seat" 1 - 3 members to help move the thinking around approaches and conversations, to break away from dominant culture thinking and assumptions that many of us were trained to use.
Growing up isn't easy. Changes. Transitions. It's awkward--even painful. Nonprofit organizations also grow and change. That, too, can be frustrating. We'll help you understand the predictable phases of moving from an "organizing board" to a "governing board" to an "institutional board" and help you successfully navigate through these challenging waters.
Education Track: Volunteer Involvement
Audience:
Applied
I believe in a mixture of audience participation, direct presentation, and interactive discussion. Also an actor and musician, my sessions begin when the first person walks in with a unique conversation to make the group comfortable with sharing. I'm never behind a podium; I'm always in the crowd.
If you’re transitioning, whether planned or unexpected, now or in the future, you’ll want to hear this. This session will kick-start your process of mentally preparing to move on, provide guidance on choosing your next role, and share strategies for marketing yourself successfully. You’ll come away empowered to move forward.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
From Amazon, to Disney, Shake Shack, to Crumbl Cookies, today’s consumers want ease, immediacy, and self-curated experiences. And guess what? Today’s consumers are also your mission supporters. During the pandemic, expectations changed, as more people experienced life (and giving) online and via an app 24/7. As a result, the need for “frictionless” philanthropy is here. Donors expect and want simple, on demand, and choose your own adventure giving. From fundraising events to online campaigns, generosity joins forces with easy-to-use technology to create flexible options for your supporters. Is your cause ready for the future? In this session, we’ll explore new automated strategies to make ease a focal point of your fundraising experiences, create personalized interactions, and showcase how “chose your own” giving options can be part of your donor journey. Whether it’s through automated text communication, QR codes, or self-service fundraising – this session will help you map out giving experiences that make donors happy, optimize engagement, and drive higher impact.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
Markets and investors are looking increasingly to align their portfolios to social values. Is your organization ready? Social bondsor outcome financing, ETF and mutual funds aligned with anti racism or gender causes, bonds to support fundraising this session will open your eyes to the thillion $ opportunities for your cause
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Strategic
Through the latest insights and cases studies on social bonds, ETF aligned with anti racism or gender causes, bonds to support fundraising , you will learn how the trillion dollars opportunities in the financial markets cna meet the needs and ambition of your organization
Raising unrestricted dollars can be daunting. Imagine if you could execute a campaign to support your organizations greatest needs in perpetuity. The session will offer one example of how you can engage your community through unique giving channels and emotional marketing to forever support what your organization needs most.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
Offering marketing examples, real donor examples, video, gift options ( such as planned giving options and review of donor advised fund agreements and how they can be used to an organization's advantage).
Using research discussed in Malcom Gladwell’s Talking To Strangers and Kate Murphy’s You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters, this session will highlight what is known about effective communication skills and discuss how to apply that information to cultivation, solicitation and stewardship within the donor pipeline.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
There are multiple opportunities during the presentation for audience interaction and participation. We will perform at least two different activities to drive home the session in the session.
Unfortunately, fundraisers often don't receive the professional development they need to advance towards their leadership goals. Join us for this dynamic workshop to learn five practical strategies to advance along “Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership” – you’ll walk away with a personal strategic leadership plan for the next five years!
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Applied
Co-presenter Dr. Lea Williams wrote her Doctoral Dissertation on meeting effectiveness, so we are confident we can lead a dynamic workshop. Our session will incorporate two pair/small-group discussions to promote audience engagement and maximize participants’ ability to receive feedback on their personal strategic leadership plans.
You'll leave this session with a complete plan for the next year of your legacy fundraising program, along with insights on how to speak to donors about leaving a gift in their Will, and a bequest inspiration booklet which we will help you create.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
We will engage with the audience through questions and polls to help identify the key issues in legacy marketing; we will work in small groups to create our Bequest Inspiration Booklet; and we will welcome questions and anecdotes throughout.
After a flood devastated Cedar Rapids in 2008, the Community Foundation thought it was prepared for anything. When 2020 brought both COVID and a derecho, we realized our disaster planning missed one major component: Disaster Philanthropy. Join us for tips, lessons learned, and redefining success in a whirlwind of challenges.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
We will instruct attendees to read hypothetical and real-world situations and work in small groups to identify blind-spots in daily processes, then develop a disaster philanthropy action plan. The goal will be to draft plans that can be implemented at their organization.
Eligible for 1.25 ACFRE credits in Leadership or Management. To move the needle on DEI, organizations must do more than post a statement. Hear from Million Dollar Round Table Foundation, a global nonprofit that has stayed true to its DEI vision two years into its strategic plan. Learn to keep your plan fresh, meaningful and equity-forward.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
This session will walk through a real-world example, answering questions live along the way. The presenters will also engage the audience through real-time polling using the digital tool Mentimeter. All audience members will be encouraged to live tweet throughout the session and engage in conversation there as well.
Did you know that ~82% of people who visit your donation page leave without making a donation? Well, don’t let that number get you down. Join this session to learn how retargeting ads can bring prospective donors back and other proven marketing tactics to increase online giving for your organization.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
The past two years have gave all fundraisers limited time, staff and resources to fundraise. Learn how to build a culture of philanthropy with ease, confidence and a teams-based approach.
Education Track: Volunteer Involvement
Audience:
Introductory/Foundational
-
What happens if you had the resources and insights to truly know what donors will do and be able to allocate your investments to the most effective fundraising strategies possible. This session will provide just what you need for the future of generosity in our world.
Education Track: Current and Prospective Donor Research
Audience:
Applied
Audience members will be provided with collateral to help guide them through to immediately apply a future proof framework to their own work immediately. It is also heavily encouraged to have small group breakout discussions around the core lessons of the session so they can use them immediately.
The last two years have brought unique challenges to fundraising professionals at organizations large and small. During this tumultuous and unprecedented time, how did donors change their behavior – if at all – and what did successful fundraisers do in order to achieve year-over-year growth? In this session, Steven Shattuck from Bloomerang will break down all of the leading research studies into 2020-21 fundraising and donor behavior, as well as Bloomerang user data, campaigns, and case studies, in order to reveal the key elements that your nonprofit should be focusing on now to achieve fundraising success in 2022 and beyond.
Eligible for 1.25 ACFRE credits in Ethics The original purpose of the philosophy of philanthropy has been disrupted by the search for revenue. This session will examine the fundamental purposes of every nonprofit organization, "Why does it exist?" It also will reassess whom does it serve, ho well does it perform, and what more could be offered.
Education Track: Ethics, Accountability and Professionalism
Audience:
Strategic
Audience will join in examining potential actions to reinvigorate basic philanthropic principles and advocate how basic fundamentals of philanthropy can advance their organizations and their ability to serve their communities.
Virtual events can be extremely effective and great sources of donations, but many nonprofits don't know how to do them effectively. In this webinar, you'll learn how to build community with connection-based activities that let your supporters get to know each other by donating to your cause. You'll come away with actionable ideas to improve your organization's fundraising results by adding radical interactivity to virtual events.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
How do you attract LinkedIn followers and turn them into engaged and active supporters of your cause? Join us for a tactical discussion around best practices and tools for community building on LinkedIn, from creating a compelling LinkedIn Page for your organization to running a successful LinkedIn Group.
Joslyn Art Museum was prepared to launch a $135M capital campaign and had every major gift ask strategized the week COVID shut down the U.S. Learn how staff creatively altered each cultivation and stewardship activity into virtual engagements and left donors feeling more connected than ever before.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
Presenters will engage the audience with questions/quick surveys to better understand what types of cultivation/stewardship activities the audience is using throughout the session. Time will also be allotted for participants to share their successful strategies utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn which email, website and social media data points your organization should track and analyze. Why? So you can: - Build more relationships with donors, supporters and followers. - Upgrade your fundraising and marketing efforts. - Raise more money. - Service more people. - Have greater impact in your community.
Education Track: Relationship Building
Audience:
Applied
I will use numerous examples to help the audience understand which data points they need to track to build more relationships and raise more money.
Attendees will receive a "data tracking" checklist so when they go back to work, they can begin analyzing the most valuable online data they possess.
Money mindset directly influences our role as philanthropy champions. We’ll dive into your money beliefs and the 8 money archetypes to uncover your natural relationship with money. Understanding our money mindset helps us be better fundraisers, better advisors and ultimately, better human beings!
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
I have included in the presentation self-reflection opportunities, as well as interactive "table conversations" to engage participants and to help them explore their money beliefs.
Are you an ED dreaming of a sabbatical from your Board? Are you a Board Chair overwhelmed in your role, wondering what you signed up for? Never fear, this interactive session will focus on five key ingredients to build a partnership that moves you from burned out to revitalized!
Education Track: Volunteer Involvement
Audience:
Applied
I am a big believer in-- and implementer of-- interactive activities that engage all personality types. I use pair/share, introspective work, and larger group discussion. For this workshop I will use pair/share for the opening and closing, small group scenario discussion, and individual reflection.
This workshop focuses on getting the most out of your organization's special events. It reviews the true purpose and ideal revenue model for events and how to make them even more worthwhile by converting event attendees to annual donors.
Education Track: Securing the Gift
Audience:
Applied
This session will incorporate the following interactive elements:
1) An opportunity to engage with fellow participants in the beginning of the session through an audience engagement activity that reinforces session material;
2) An opportunity to change the course of the presentation through several pre-designed check points;
3) Post session Q&A.
It’s a pivotal point for charities and non-profits due to the seismic shift in the way we live, work and participate in society that is forever changed. The most successful organizations are employing these key strategies to future-proof themselves and not only safe-guard, but grow their fundraising capacity.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
We will employ live interactive digital polling of the audience during our session to determine how looming issues are impacting the audience or degree of worry they have about the topic.
Eligible for 1.25 ACFRE credits in Leadership or Management. What exactly is a "strategic orientation?" This session will showcase what we know from published research and introduce new research in the nonprofit domain on a philanthropic orientation/culture. We'll look at 7 key components of a philanthropic culture, how to measure them and the links between each and fundraising performance.
Education Track: Leadership and Management
Audience:
Strategic
The session is interactive with me posing questions of the audience as I describe the research. They will also be able to evaluate where there organization is currently, with respect to a philanthropic orientation/culture.
There will also be plenty of time for questions
This session focuses on using data you already have, along with marketing AI, to find those hidden gems inside your donor file. We'll explore current donor trends, optimizing fundraising metrics, and discuss how automation workflows help you effectively communicate with existing donors and engage new supporters.
This session focuses on using data you already have, along with marketing AI, to find those hidden gems inside your donor file. We'll explore current donor trends, optimizing fundraising metrics, and discuss how automation workflows help you effectively communicate with existing donors and engage new supporters. We'll workshop multiple communication scenarios and develop the exact automations you can use in your own CRMs and marketing automation platforms.
From corporate philanthropy officers to foundation staff, the people you need to reach are on LinkedIn—but if your LinkedIn profile doesn't immediately earn their attention and trust, your messages may be left on "read." Learn how to give your profile a makeover that helps you increase your response rate and make more of the connections that matter.