In the dynamic world of nonprofit fundraising, leadership doesn't only come from the top. Often, those in the second chair—mid-level leaders and managers—play a crucial role in driving productivity and fostering a positive organizational culture. This session will delve into the importance of self-awareness in leadership, emphasizing its ethical implications for the people we lead and those we serve. Using the Working Genius framework, which identifies six types of geniuses present in all work environments, we will explore how understanding and leveraging these geniuses can enhance fundraising efforts within teams, with boards, and in leadership dynamics. Participants will gain practical insights into how self-awareness in leadership can mitigate biases, create more inclusive and effective teams, and ultimately, amplify their organization's impact.

The words we use matter. The stories we tell have an impact. For many nonprofits, our stories are a critical currency: they are how we brand our work, shine a light on our successes, and draw in supporters. And, stories are also a critical way we integrate social justice into our fundraising - and overall culture and work.

This session explores how nonprofits of all sizes can integrate ethical storytelling into their work, and ground their organizational narratives in race, equity, and social justice. Participants will explore the ways in which we talk, teach, and practice nonprofit work can uphold harmful systems of oppression - or use their writing to further anti-racist, Community-Centric fundraising, and ethical storytelling principles. From word choices to storytelling, we’ll delve into how to deconstruct our narratives, and identify alternatives we can start using right away, including:

-Defining ethical storytelling and people-first language within the context of diverse missions and organizations;
-Exploring case studies and examples of how organizations have applied principles into their work (and received funding) to illustrate the power of truthful, elevating storytelling.
-Discussing how to move from the desire to incorporate ethical storytelling to tactics that can be applied to any mission, organization, or specific grant opportunity.
This session will be facilitated using Liberating Structures practices to create an interactive learning environment that allows for all voices, learning styles, and processing styles to participate.

Change is hard. And making systemic changes at your nonprofit that help build more personal relationships with donors at scale can feel like boiling the ocean. Effective fundraising today’s world requires increased team collaboration, integrated technology, and real-time data insights. The amount of change can feel overwhelming, and it’s difficult to know where to start.

Maturity Models are designed provide a structured approach to systemically leveling up your organization’s performance over time. The importance of a maturity model lies in its ability to provide an objective assessment of your organization’s current capabilities, as well as a roadmap for improving those capabilities over time. Maturity models are often used to benchmark your current level of maturity against industry best practices, and then identify areas for improvement.

The Responsive Maturity Model is designed to guide you, step by step, through the stages required to un-silo your data, increase team effectiveness, create personalized connections with each donor, and grow giving at scale.

Learn to use TED Talk Tips to capture and hold attention when you speak in-person and virtually to small and large groups. In this one hour session, "Capturing and Holding Attention," attendees will learn:

How to use the most up-to-date and proven skills in order to fundraise, lead and connect with other organizations.

How to polish presentation skills when speaking to larger and influential groups.

Additionally, they will learn an efficient and proven method to teach staff and clients how to improve their public speaking skills.

In today's competitive fundraising landscape, cultivating a robust donor pipeline is essential for sustainable revenue growth. This session will explore effective strategies for identifying, engaging, and retaining donors, ensuring your organization thrives in its mission.
We will discuss the critical role of a comprehensive Donor Relationship Management (CRM) system in streamlining these efforts. Participants will learn how a great donor CRM can enhance data tracking, personalize donor communications, and improve stewardship processes.

Join us for an interactive discussion that covers:
Key elements of a successful donor pipeline and how to implement them.
Best practices for leveraging CRM tools to manage donor relationships.
Case studies showcasing organizations that have successfully transformed their fundraising efforts through effective CRM use.
Whether you’re a seasoned fundraiser or new to the nonprofit sector, this session will equip you with actionable insights to elevate your donor engagement strategies and ultimately grow your revenue.

Our session on Telling Your Financial Story will equip audience members with a framework to tell their story in a way that showcases the financial picture and strengths of the organization. We begin with a high level overview of the nonprofit sector nationally, regionally, and locally, and some of the challenges facing nonprofit organizations today. From there, we walk through a 5-step framework that can be used at all levels of the organization to convey the purpose, track record, approach, impact and need of the nonprofit.

Attendees will benefit from the interactive session, coming away with ideas to enhance their “elevator pitch” as well as their case for support.

Before the AI Leap: Building the Foundation for Effective Fundraising Tech Adoption

AI and automation tools are all the rage right now, and many nonprofits are wondering if - or how - to adopt them. The fact is, AI is here to stay, and can offer fundraisers a powerful, affordable and accessible tool. However, jumping into AI without a clear plan can lead to disappointing results. In this session, mega-nerds Cat and Kim will guide participants on what comes before using AI tools in fundraising and donor communications, from why you’ll always need meaningful messaging, to how to understand ethical concerns.

Participants will explore:
How to identify what problems or opportunities AI can address within day-to-day fundraising strategies, rather than adopting tech for tech’s sake.;
Why traditional fundraising practices still matter more than ever when adopting AI tools ;
What ethical implications AI presents, and how to address them; and
How to actually use AI tools day-to-day in new, unexpected ways.

Participants will leave with an idea of how to incorporate AI into their day-to-day fundraising and will have created a practical checklist of how to adopt the right tech tools for the right reasons.