Fundraising Day

Vu Le (“voo lay”) writes the blog NonprofitAF.com. He is the former executive director of RVC, a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice by supporting leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collaboration among diverse communities.

Vu Le

Mission is Money and Money is Mission: Increasing Support through Data-Driven Storytelling, Josie White

Rapid changes in the political landscape are affecting the nonprofit sector in previously unimagined ways. Discover methods for your nonprofit to rise above the noise and create reliable donor support through data-driven storytelling by merging your nonprofit’s mission and vision with real world impact. Combining accurate data with compelling storytelling creates a visionary call to action for supporters. Now more than ever, nonprofits must share their cause and establish themselves as field experts to drive new donations and diversify donor bases through persuasive marketing. Come learn how to tell your nonprofit’s story more impactfully to build your supporter base today!

Recruit, Retain and Inspire: How to Maximize Your Multigenerational Team, Martha Schumacher

Is your core fundraising team made up of staffers from more than one generation? Are you finding it challenging to attract certain generations? Once you bring them on board, are you able to keep them, and keep them happy? Join Martha for a facilitated discussion about managing and leading each generation – individually and together as a team – in your philanthropy department.

Data That Matters: How to Grow Your Fundraising Base Through Data-Driven Fundraising, Valerie Stormont

Is fundraising an art or a science? We think it's both. During this interactive session, we will focus on fundraising KPIs, like donor churn, donor retention, and—our favorite—life-time value, to show how harnessing the power of data can provide insights into donor behavior. We will then discuss how nonprofits can leverage these data-backed insights to strategically expand their fundraising base.

Josie White

Martha Schumacher

Valerie Stormont

From Prospects to Partners: Mapping Your Way to Fundraising Success, Gina Shafer and Sarah DuVall

Getting lost in an endless landscape of fundraising strategies with no clear path forward? It’s time to stop wandering in circles and take a smarter route. In this session, we’ll hand you the map—showing you how to use data to prioritize major prospects, build a donor pipeline, and focus your time where it matters most. No more wrong turns or roadblocks—just a clear path to your fundraising destination: more money in the door.

Not a Solo Act: What Your Advancement Partners Wish Gift Officers Knew, Dhiraj Chand, Chris Nelson, Kris Bosman, Kirsten Dorius, Peter Moes

Fundraising may take center stage, but every great performance takes an ensemble. This light-hearted, candid panel brings together behind-the-scenes advancement pros—Advancement Services, Donor Relations, Communications, and Events/Alumni Engagement—to share what they wish gift officers knew. We’ll unpack flubbed lines, missed cues, and last-minute rewrites, and offer real strategies to build trust, improve collaboration, and keep the production running smoothly. Expect light-hearted drama and some very real takeaways about what makes advancement work… work.

Creating Sustainable Change in Your Work or Personal Life, Allison Foster

Making a change – whether that is your own personal change, or leading change within an organization can be overwhelming. This session provides participants with an opportunity to learn more about how to create sustainable change in their lives or within their organization. Session participants will walk through a change activity for a personal or professional project they are working on and leave with a plan!

Gina Shafer

Dhiraj Chand

Allison Foster

Martha's content-rich, fast-paced opening keynote will give you practical tools to implement transformational active listening back at work on Day 1. Together you'll explore the five key active listening attributes (and a bonus sixth) and a list of seven essential donor discovery questions. Plus you'll have two opportunities to practice deep listening with your colleagues in a safe space. In an ever-changing world, do you find it difficult to meaningfully connect with your donors, peers, staff, boss, board members, and/or other key stakeholders? And what if we told you that implementing better, deeper, and more focused listening is often the most effective solutions to this conundrum? Attend this keynote if you want to be engaged, inspired, and enlightened...and become a better fundraiser, stronger relationship builder, and more successful leader, regardless of your role or title!

Martha Schumacher