Speakers

Ready, set, here we go! Join us for the morning Day 1 General Session, as we kick off Raise 2022 with a welcome from OneCause CEO Steve Johns and special recognition of #FearlessFundraisers with our annual Raise Awards.

The electric Shanna Adamic, Executive Director of the Cerner Charitable Foundation and Raise alumni speaker, will inspire all with lessons on life callings, leadership, and resilience. Come learn how Shanna’s optimism and determination help her adapt in changing corporate environments and propel her philanthropic mission forward.

Join us as we wrap #Raise2022. Experience the energy and excitement of our closing session. Our final panel explores what it truly means to be #Fearless as a fundraiser, leader, and organization. Hear dynamic Emcee Reggie Rivers, Keynote Shanna Adamic, and OneCause VP of Marketing (and former fundraiser) Kelly Velasquez-Hague, get real on life and fundraising. This dynamic roundtable will arm you with powerful insights to journey forth, taking lessons learned back to your teams and causes.

Ready, set, here we go! Join us for the morning Day 1 General Session as we kick off Raise 2023, live from Nashville! Get pumped up with a welcome from OneCause CEO, Steve Johns and special recognition of #FearlessFundraisers with our annual Raise Awards.

Then, the electric Siri Lindley will inspire us all with lessons on grit, resilience, the power of energy, and thriving with a growth mindset. As a world champion triathlete and winner of twelve ITU World Cup races, PLUS founder of two nonprofits, Siri will liftup and energize #FearlessFundraisers with how to bring the best out in ourselves and our teams.

Join us as we celebrate the innovators and storytellers among us by honoring 4 inspiring Raise Award winners.

Then, join Jason Barnaby for an interactive, energetic and engaging keynote that is sure to fuel your creative fire and fan the flame of your hear! From IU grad and founding member of IU Dance Marathon, to professional ski bum, to college professor and coffee shop owner in Europe, to corporate trainer, to HR and culture guru to company founder, leadership content creator and podcast host, husband for 25 years (to the same woman) and father of 3, Jason has lived “a lot of life in the life he’s lived.”

That life and the stories he’s collected along the way provide the content Jason shares with humor and vulnerability via the Fire Starters Inc framework to find your fire, fan your flame and tend your tribe.
Some guaranteed #actionableinspiration you will walk away with include:

• A sure fire filter for where to focus your time and energy
• A fool proof delegation tool to fuel your time management
• Self-talk responses to battle your “WhatIfAbouts”
• A tried and tested framework to build a fiery tribe of supporters

The Paddle Raiser (aka Fund-a-Need, Special Appeal, Appeal, The Ask) is one of the most underrated but incredibly powerful tools on the night of your event. Over the span of more than 600 nonprofit fundraisers, we’ve developed a process that is easy to learn and easy to replicate that works in events of all sizes.

Join dynamo Auctioneer Reggie Rivers as he helps break down old myths and barriers to fundraising. No more, awkward ask moments, board member resistance, or [insert any reason you don’t ask your donors for support]!

In this session you will learn the simple keys to turning your paddle raiser into a “team” effort, with lots of positive energy (rather than guilt and pressure) and you’ll produce the best paddle raiser you’ve ever had!

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how to transform your paddle raiser into a tidal wave of giving.
• Leverage talk tracks to galvanize your board members for support.
• Crush your next paddle raiser – bringing in more money than ever before.

Ready, set, here we go! Join us for the morning Day 1 General Session, as we kick off Raise 2022 with a welcome from OneCause CEO Steve Johns and special recognition of #FearlessFundraisers with our annual Raise Awards.

The electric Shanna Adamic, Executive Director of the Cerner Charitable Foundation and Raise alumni speaker, will inspire all with lessons on life callings, leadership, and resilience. Come learn how Shanna’s optimism and determination help her adapt in changing corporate environments and propel her philanthropic mission forward.

Join us as we celebrate the innovators and storytellers among us by honoring 4 inspiring Raise Award winners.

Then, join Jason Barnaby for an interactive, energetic and engaging keynote that is sure to fuel your creative fire and fan the flame of your hear! From IU grad and founding member of IU Dance Marathon, to professional ski bum, to college professor and coffee shop owner in Europe, to corporate trainer, to HR and culture guru to company founder, leadership content creator and podcast host, husband for 25 years (to the same woman) and father of 3, Jason has lived “a lot of life in the life he’s lived.”

That life and the stories he’s collected along the way provide the content Jason shares with humor and vulnerability via the Fire Starters Inc framework to find your fire, fan your flame and tend your tribe.
Some guaranteed #actionableinspiration you will walk away with include:

• A sure fire filter for where to focus your time and energy
• A fool proof delegation tool to fuel your time management
• Self-talk responses to battle your “WhatIfAbouts”
• A tried and tested framework to build a fiery tribe of supporters

We all have limiting beliefs that keep us from reaching our potential, yet there is no limit on doing good. There are things you thought weren’t possible, plausible, or worthwhile that could help your organization grow. This is especially true for nonprofit marketing and fundraising. Sometimes, limiting beliefs are based on experience, but they’re often based on industry norms or, worse yet, fear. These beliefs become dangerous when they restrict our impact and growth, yet they’re hard to overcome without evidence.

In this session, a nonprofit career professional, Katie Appold, and for-profit marketing agency owner, Bill McKendry, dissect the top limiting beliefs in the nonprofit sector and how marketing and branding have proven them wrong. If your nonprofit has referenced capacity, cost, or being “the best-kept secret” in a marketing meeting, this is the session for you!

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding that capacity is a “cart before the horse” concept when it comes to raising the support your organization needs. Learn low-work strategies for big impact.
• Learn to position marketing and advertising correctly to your board/leadership and measure ROI.
• How to steward your brand and resources.

Hearing from those driving innovation in the nonprofit industry is invaluable. Join us as top industry experts share how they see the new world of giving, post-pandemic, and how they are redefining approaches to help nonprofits grow their impact in a changed fundraising landscape.

This panel will be a live Q&A from the in-person and virtual audience. It’s your chance to ask everything you’ve wanted to know about where philanthropy is headed.

JEDI (Justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) is not just about race, is not just about who we serve, it is about all of us as fundraising staff, as vendors, as volunteers, and as donors. This session will explore key themes of activation for organizations and event leaders to own in their own organizational JEDI journey.

Using the JEDI model implemented by Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, Deb will take the attendees through the strategies and practical approaches used by BBBS. This session is a MUST SEE for any fundraiser looking to explore, learn, or implement inclusion practices into their organization and fundraising.

Key Takeaways:

• Actionable steps to begin your own JEDI-focused initiatives.
• Understand JEDI and your personal role in the work.
• Real examples of tactical actions a group can take now.

Our knowledge about fundraising is growing in leaps and bounds every day. We have more data and information on what motivates donors, what raises the most money, and what is effective in fundraising than ever before, yet all of that information can become overwhelming and daunting. Especially when we begin to prioritize creating giving programs that are inclusive, diverse, and representative of the communities we serve.

In this session – part workshop, part high-level research review – we’ll look at the current trends in fundraising from a critical, non-biased view and seek to understand what’s working in the newest methodologies, what key trends are coming, and, above all, how to determine what the best, most strategic approach to fundraising is for your shop and your donors. We’ll also look at how all methodologies and tactics can be more inclusive and open, inviting communities to participate in the great work your mission promises.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify key trends in fundraising and understand most recent advances in each approach.
• Discern what methodologies are most effective and which have hidden pitfalls.
• Craft a strategic plan to invest in the most effective methodologies and create inclusive giving.

Special events, regardless of the size and scope of the event, provide a unique opportunity to educate and connect with those in attendance. While staff typically is tasked with handling the logistics of the event, members of your Board of Directors should be tasked with interacting with attendees. Too often, board members are left to their own devices without any guidance on what to do or how to do it.

During this session, experienced nonprofit consultant, Michael Buckley, will highlight the 5 main things board members can do at special events; inform, connect, qualify, cultivate, and steward. We’ll discuss what each task means and provide advice on how to effectively train board members in advance of special events. We will also discuss how to set clear expectations and solicit follow up after the event.

Ultimately, by ensuring your board members are actively engaging with attendees, you ensure your special event a long-term, financial positive for your organization and to ensure it has a lasting impact.

Key Takeaways:

• Train board members to effectively engage with event attendees.
• Be able to communicate and effectively set expectations with board members.
• Build long term, sustainable fundraising practices through special events.

The world of fundraising continues to evolve as nonprofits look past the pandemic and chart a new course for donor outreach, engagement, and giving. Supporter needs and expectations are also changing rapidly—donors now expect giving to be just like their everyday consumer experiences: seamless and easy.

Come explore the future of fundraising and a new world of giving. We’ll showcase how two well known nonprofits, March of Dimes & Arthritis Foundation, have leveraged the all new OneCause Fundraising Platform to streamline their giving experiences and drive deeper engagement.

This dynamic and interactive session will dive into new strategies to unlock generosity and share how you can use technology and innovation to get the most from your fundraising.

This session explores community-centric fundraising and its current applications in Highlander’s development strategy. Through the lens of a case study, attendees will learn to identify and differentiate common giving motivations (scarcity and abundance) and understand how they impact donor base, and short-term and long-term fund-raising goals.

Fundraisers Mia and Isaac will review the 10 core principles of community centric fundraising and the programmatic fixtures (2021 year-end campaigning and 2022 donor education offerings) that are in place to convert one-time givers into recurring supporters. They will also cover how Highlander’s use of a common curriculum and lexicon unify it’s network of peer-to-peer fundraisers, as well as other strategies to activate donors.

Using real-life examples, this session will give any fundraiser practical insights and the chance to learn strategies and ideas to help you design and implement a community-centric fundraising initiative at your nonprofit.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify and differentiate two common giving motivations (scarcity and abundance) and discuss how said motivations can impact an organization’s donor base as well as its short-term and long-term fund-raising goals.
• Understand the ten core principles of community centric fundraising and the philosophy’s thought leaders.
• Learn how to for apply community centric fundraising principles in your own position/organization.

Discuss the fundraising cycle and come take a look through the eyes of an auctioneer, an executive director, and a wealth screener to discover 4 key strategies for securing the gift from prospects and how to move donors to higher giving levels. The experts will elaborate on these 4 strategies: Culture of Philanthropy, Donor Centric, Cultivation, and Stewardship – demonstrating to donors the impact and value of their gift in advancing your mission.

Key Takeaways:

• Create a strategic plan on who should attend their special event.
• Designing creative means to securing at least 50% of your fundraising goal through pre-committed gifts and attendee wealth screenings.
• Develop a stewardship plan that will keep your donors giving year after year.

Hearing from those driving innovation in the nonprofit industry is invaluable. Join us as top industry experts share how they see the new world of giving, post-pandemic, and how they are redefining approaches to help nonprofits grow their impact in a changed fundraising landscape.

This panel will be a live Q&A from the in-person and virtual audience. It’s your chance to ask everything you’ve wanted to know about where philanthropy is headed.

The world of fundraising continues to evolve as nonprofits look past the pandemic and chart a new course for donor outreach, engagement, and giving. Supporter needs and expectations are also changing rapidly—donors now expect giving to be just like their everyday consumer experiences: seamless and easy.

Come explore the future of fundraising and a new world of giving. We’ll showcase how two well known nonprofits, March of Dimes & Arthritis Foundation, have leveraged the all new OneCause Fundraising Platform to streamline their giving experiences and drive deeper engagement.

This dynamic and interactive session will dive into new strategies to unlock generosity and share how you can use technology and innovation to get the most from your fundraising.

P2P fundraising as a profession is not for the faint of heart. In fact, it’s all about heart. But how do you keep your team of P2P professionals or committee members inspired and energized?

In this session, Molly will take you through a fool-proof training session agenda and examples that you can use to inform a new onboarding training, a season kickoff, and a multi-part in-depth P2P training.

Key Takeaways:

• Event Fundraising Fundamentals, Success Factors and Affinity Drivers​
• Embracing our Role as Fundraisers and Fundraising Coaches​
• Peer-to-Peer Training Plan

Did you know that over 26% of adults in the US live with a disability? That is 61 million Americans. How does that impact our work? If you want to reach ALL your prospective supporters, advocates, and donors, you need to make sure you are including everyone who is interested in furthering your mission. Because you cannot afford to create barriers to participation – even if unintentional.

Ensuring that your work is fully accessible and inclusive across your digital channels is a must. Right from the first interaction with your organization, every person should be able to learn, interact, sign up, and donate with ease. Come to this session to learn more about the fundamentals of digital accessibility and why and how your organization can do what it takes to ensure you are creating an opportunity for EVERYONE to give.

Why come to this session? Every organization needs to understand the importance of why and how to incorporate the fundamentals of accessibility and inclusivity into their digital fundraising efforts. It is not enough to just put in some alt-text on images or include some high contrast images on your site. Digital accessibility is more nuanced, and when someone with a disability shows up at any of your digital properties, it is important that they feel welcomed and included. Yes, you are leaving money on the table if you don’t do it well, but, more importantly, you should make your digital ecosystem fully inclusive and accessible because it is the RIGHT thing to do. From your website, to your forms, to your email and beyond, we will talk about the ways to increase access for all.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the key components of digital accessibility.
• Why it is important for all organizations to take digital accessibility seriously.
• Learn what organizations can do across websites, email marketing, and social media platforms to reach broader audiences.

In this session, Shelby Davies-Sekle and Nicole Kinard will discuss fundraising good that came out of the pandemic – pushing them out of their typical, nonprofit fundraising dinner box and stretching their strategies to adapt to the times and provide a fresh experience for our donors.

Join this dynamic duo as they share new insights and learned strategies from 2+ years in the pandemic trenches. They will share how they converted a 700 person gala (2019) that struggled for fundraising engagement into widely successful virtual and hybrid formats (2020, 2021), and how they are embracing the future of fundraising with new event ideas learned (and tossed out) during the pandemic.

What’s next? What’s new? How can you grow your events? Learn their secret roadmap for fundraising event strategy including: innovative sponsorships, marketing and communications, and programming and production.

Key Takeaways:

• Analyze current fundraising event strategies for opportunities to expand to a virtual/hybrid format.
• Determine components needed to successfully activate and engage both an in-person and virtual audience.
• Reimagine the typical annual fundraising dinner format and think creatively about introducing new elements to provide variety to guests.

Are your supporters just members of a community, or are they a tribe?

Often, nonprofits define “our community” as “the people on our email list,” but that’s not what community is all about. Yes, the people on the house email list do have one thing in common-an interest in the mission. However, what is often overlooked is the second part of a community.

When nonprofits talk to the house list, it’s usually only one-way communication, the organization to supporters. A real community involves a group of individuals with a shared belief /interest and a way to communicate.

When people in the community communicate with each other, the community is transformed into a tribe. Tribes are powerful; tribes make things happen. They have a passion for change.

There’s a formula for building someone’s sense of being a member of a tribe. Strength of membership = number of engagements with the tribe. The more engagements, the stronger the person’s connection.

This presentation will use THON as an example of tribe-building. THON is the world’s largest student-run philanthropy. Located at Penn State University, THON is committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer.

THON has raised more than $175M for its mission in the last ten years by building a tribe of supporters. To supporters, THON isn’t an event; it’s a lifestyle that they express in many ways in their lives.

Key Takeaways:

• Acknowledge why and how to build a tribe of supporters rather than focusing on a series of events.
• Describe the formula for building someone’s sense of being members of your tribe.
• Learn the formula for building donors as members of your tribe.

Email is an important piece of a nonprofit’s multi-channel fundraising and marketing strategy. However, before making an email ask, an organization has to ensure people submit their email address via their website and subscribe. Easier said than done.

In this session, based on research into the websites of the 100 largest nonprofits in the U.S., you’ll learn best practices about where on your website your signup form belongs, what fields the form should include, calls-to-action that encourage signups, the use of pop-up ads, what your welcome email should include, and more.

It’s a chance to learn how to encourage more people to subscribe. Email is a fantastic one-to-one communications tool. Learn how to grow your organization’s email list so that you’ll have more opportunities to convert subscribers into donors.

Key Takeaways:

• Best practices for onboarding new email subscribers via your website.
• Learn why/how gratitude converts subscribers into donors.
• Actionable data to understand how email plays a role in your fundraising and marketing efforts.

The demand for nonprofit services is steadily increasing, widening the gap between societal needs and the resources available from government and business. This increase in demand exists against the backdrop of spiraling inflation, a looming recession, and their negative effect on giving levels and donor participation rates.

Meanwhile, even though fundraisers understand the value of omnichannel fundraising, their core direct mail channel is being subjected to labor and materials cost increases of 15%-20% this year.

During this session, Michael Gorriarán will discuss how leading nonprofits are mitigating the effects of inflation and the recession, including tools such as Behavioral Economics Modeling and advanced Artificial Intelligence Services to improve giving levels, sustain participation rates, and lower the cost per dollar raised.

In their roles at OneCause, Jenna and Kim see way too many nonprofits doing only one single online fundraising campaign. The campaign is typically tied to an on-the-ground event and then their software sits unused the rest of the year.

In this session, you’ll walk away with different ways to get a better ROI in your peer-to-peer fundraising approach. (Disclaimer! These ideas aren’t limited to OneCause software only; they can be applied to whatever an attendee is using for their peer-to-peer/online fundraising).

Key Takeaways:

• Generate a list of online and peer-to-peer fundraising ideas beyond a run-walk-ride.
• Articulate the value of year-round engagement with online and peer-to-peer fundraising software.
• Feel more connected with the fundraising professionals in the room.

Did you know that over 26% of adults in the US live with a disability? That is 61 million Americans. How does that impact our work? If you want to reach ALL your prospective supporters, advocates, and donors, you need to make sure you are including everyone who is interested in furthering your mission. Because you cannot afford to create barriers to participation – even if unintentional.

Ensuring that your work is fully accessible and inclusive across your digital channels is a must. Right from the first interaction with your organization, every person should be able to learn, interact, sign up, and donate with ease. Come to this session to learn more about the fundamentals of digital accessibility and why and how your organization can do what it takes to ensure you are creating an opportunity for EVERYONE to give.

Why come to this session? Every organization needs to understand the importance of why and how to incorporate the fundamentals of accessibility and inclusivity into their digital fundraising efforts. It is not enough to just put in some alt-text on images or include some high contrast images on your site. Digital accessibility is more nuanced, and when someone with a disability shows up at any of your digital properties, it is important that they feel welcomed and included. Yes, you are leaving money on the table if you don’t do it well, but, more importantly, you should make your digital ecosystem fully inclusive and accessible because it is the RIGHT thing to do. From your website, to your forms, to your email and beyond, we will talk about the ways to increase access for all.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the key components of digital accessibility.
• Why it is important for all organizations to take digital accessibility seriously.
• Learn what organizations can do across websites, email marketing, and social media platforms to reach broader audiences.

Latinos are projected to maintain the highest labor force participation rates among racial or ethnic groups, and by 2021, the Latino gross domestic product (GDP) will reach $1.7 trillion (a quarter of the U.S. GDP). Who are Latino donors and what makes them tick?

Many in the philanthropic sector have acknowledged that the Latinx community is a driving economic, political, and cultural force in America. Join Leticia Martinez Hermosillo to explore Latinos living in the U.S., their giving rates, and how they give.

Leticia will use anecdotes, videos, and personal fundraising experiences in an interactive format. Participants will learn how fun and generous Latinos could be if we speak to them directly and learn how to engage them in our missions.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how to better engage with Latinx communities in the U.S.
• Find a “common ground” between both cultures to work towards Binational Philanthropy and collaboration.
• Create binational and bicultural fundraising campaigns.

“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.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the importance of communicating why donors should give by examining first-hand research on nonprofit value propositions.
• Know how to use 4 tested and proven elements to craft a more effective value proposition for their organization by examining real-world A/B tests and experiments.
• Quickly score the effectiveness of their own value proposition by learning a basic scoring model for each key element.

Ready, set, here we go! Join us for the morning Day 1 General Session, as we kick off Raise 2022 with a welcome from OneCause CEO Steve Johns and special recognition of #FearlessFundraisers with our annual Raise Awards.

The electric Shanna Adamic, Executive Director of the Cerner Charitable Foundation and Raise alumni speaker, will inspire all with lessons on life callings, leadership, and resilience. Come learn how Shanna’s optimism and determination help her adapt in changing corporate environments and propel her philanthropic mission forward.

Join Emcee Reggie Rivers and OneCause CEO, Steve Johns, for a fun, heartwarming, and one-of-a-kind Raise 2022 conference close out.

We will also announce the live Raise Raffle, where lucky winners take home fabulous prizes. Winners must be present!

Discuss the fundraising cycle and come take a look through the eyes of an auctioneer, an executive director, and a wealth screener to discover 4 key strategies for securing the gift from prospects and how to move donors to higher giving levels. The experts will elaborate on these 4 strategies: Culture of Philanthropy, Donor Centric, Cultivation, and Stewardship – demonstrating to donors the impact and value of their gift in advancing your mission.

Key Takeaways:

• Create a strategic plan on who should attend their special event.
• Designing creative means to securing at least 50% of your fundraising goal through pre-committed gifts and attendee wealth screenings.
• Develop a stewardship plan that will keep your donors giving year after year.

In this session, Shelby Davies-Sekle and Nicole Kinard will discuss fundraising good that came out of the pandemic – pushing them out of their typical, nonprofit fundraising dinner box and stretching their strategies to adapt to the times and provide a fresh experience for our donors.

Join this dynamic duo as they share new insights and learned strategies from 2+ years in the pandemic trenches. They will share how they converted a 700 person gala (2019) that struggled for fundraising engagement into widely successful virtual and hybrid formats (2020, 2021), and how they are embracing the future of fundraising with new event ideas learned (and tossed out) during the pandemic.

What’s next? What’s new? How can you grow your events? Learn their secret roadmap for fundraising event strategy including: innovative sponsorships, marketing and communications, and programming and production.

Key Takeaways:

• Analyze current fundraising event strategies for opportunities to expand to a virtual/hybrid format.
• Determine components needed to successfully activate and engage both an in-person and virtual audience.
• Reimagine the typical annual fundraising dinner format and think creatively about introducing new elements to provide variety to guests.

Hit the ground running and enjoy some fast and furious fun. See what’s on tap for Raise Day 1 with the one and only Patrick Kirby. The Go Getters Show – part Raise overview and part variety show – will include fun activities and showcase the hottest sessions + speakers. A must see to get you pumped for the Raise 2022!

For all our virtual #FearlessFundraisers! Gather to recap and celebrate the end of Day 1 with the ever-enthusiastic Patrick Kirby. We’ve got a fantastic party planned for you!

For those go getters who want to hit the day running, join us for some fast and furious fun. See what’s on tap for Raise Day 2, with the one and only Patrick Kirby. The Go Getters Show – part Raise overview and part variety show – will include fun activities and showcase the hottest sessions. A must see to help you get the most from your last day of Raise 2022!

Join Patrick Kirby for a lighthearted look at the tougher side of fundraising in this segment featuring industry pros seeking advice on their woes. Hope to see you there!

With thousands of nonprofits in the industry and new ones popping up every day, how do you elevate your status and your brand? Fundraiser Katie Koglman will discuss how she was able to right the ship of her organization. It’s not easy, it requires grit… but you can do it. She will share the 5 steps you need to take to create that winning atmosphere that attracts donors and makes asking for money so much easier.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn that celebrating all wins is important and how this has a huge return on future investments.
• Understand how to elevate your organization in a noisy room.
• Create a 12 month donor engagement calendar.

This session will break down the strategy of building a recurring donor base into digestible, easy, applicable tips that every nonprofit can do to create sustainable, recurring revenue through a solid recurring donor program.

Even if you don’t have a recurring donor program, you can follow along and build the foundation of your program during the presentation!

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the psychology behind what makes someone give and give again.
• Implement actionable takeaways for how you can cultivate a recurring donor.
• Speak confidently to new donors and bring them into your recurring donor program.

Hearing from those driving innovation in the nonprofit industry is invaluable. Join us as top industry experts share how they see the new world of giving, post-pandemic, and how they are redefining approaches to help nonprofits grow their impact in a changed fundraising landscape.

This panel will be a live Q&A from the in-person and virtual audience. It’s your chance to ask everything you’ve wanted to know about where philanthropy is headed.

We all have limiting beliefs that keep us from reaching our potential, yet there is no limit on doing good. There are things you thought weren’t possible, plausible, or worthwhile that could help your organization grow. This is especially true for nonprofit marketing and fundraising. Sometimes, limiting beliefs are based on experience, but they’re often based on industry norms or, worse yet, fear. These beliefs become dangerous when they restrict our impact and growth, yet they’re hard to overcome without evidence.

In this session, a nonprofit career professional, Katie Appold, and for-profit marketing agency owner, Bill McKendry, dissect the top limiting beliefs in the nonprofit sector and how marketing and branding have proven them wrong. If your nonprofit has referenced capacity, cost, or being “the best-kept secret” in a marketing meeting, this is the session for you!

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding that capacity is a “cart before the horse” concept when it comes to raising the support your organization needs. Learn low-work strategies for big impact.
• Learn to position marketing and advertising correctly to your board/leadership and measure ROI.
• How to steward your brand and resources.

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 timely session, Josh Meyer 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.

Key Takeaways:

• Recap 2020-21 giving trends from Giving USA, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, The Fundraising Effectiveness Project, and more.
• Explore body of knowledge into donor behavior, including donor loyalty and donor attrition.
• Learn donor communications, engagement and stewardship techniques that generated results during the pandemic.

If you’re like most organizations, you’re fed up with spending money on marketing that doesn’t work. If you knew what to do differently, you would – but you don’t, so you feel stuck.

Meanwhile, your donations are lagging, and it’s holding back the vital work you do. Here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this session, Amy Milne, CEO of Beyond Fundraising Inc and a StoryBrand Certified Guide, will share 7 simple marketing principles proven to grow your event participation and help you achieve your fundraising goals. You’ll walk away knowing how to capture your participant and donors’ attention and compel them to engage. Stop worrying about your marketing, and start feeling hopeful about your work again.

Key Takeaways:

• Update your event website with ideas and language that works.
• Create a meaningful participant journey that is clear and will raise more funds.
• Design clear language around your event and organization.

In their roles at OneCause, Jenna and Kim see way too many nonprofits doing only one single online fundraising campaign. The campaign is typically tied to an on-the-ground event and then their software sits unused the rest of the year.

In this session, you’ll walk away with different ways to get a better ROI in your peer-to-peer fundraising approach. (Disclaimer! These ideas aren’t limited to OneCause software only; they can be applied to whatever an attendee is using for their peer-to-peer/online fundraising).

Key Takeaways:

• Generate a list of online and peer-to-peer fundraising ideas beyond a run-walk-ride.
• Articulate the value of year-round engagement with online and peer-to-peer fundraising software.
• Feel more connected with the fundraising professionals in the room.

The world of fundraising continues to evolve as nonprofits look past the pandemic and chart a new course for donor outreach, engagement, and giving. Supporter needs and expectations are also changing rapidly—donors now expect giving to be just like their everyday consumer experiences: seamless and easy.

Come explore the future of fundraising and a new world of giving. We’ll showcase how two well known nonprofits, March of Dimes & Arthritis Foundation, have leveraged the all new OneCause Fundraising Platform to streamline their giving experiences and drive deeper engagement.

This dynamic and interactive session will dive into new strategies to unlock generosity and share how you can use technology and innovation to get the most from your fundraising.

Hearing from those driving innovation in the nonprofit industry is invaluable. Join us as top industry experts share how they see the new world of giving, post-pandemic, and how they are redefining approaches to help nonprofits grow their impact in a changed fundraising landscape.

This panel will be a live Q&A from the in-person and virtual audience. It’s your chance to ask everything you’ve wanted to know about where philanthropy is headed.

If you felt like there was a ramped-up flurry of news about cryptocurrency and crypto donations at the end of 2021, you’re not alone. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, this seemingly intangible, ever so out of reach, asset of sorts was suddenly mainstream.

At the end of 2021, contributions from cryptocurrency were in the estimated billions up from $200 million in 2019. Today, there are 200 million crypto holders in the world. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 21 million people own cryptocurrency. The number of crypto holders and the increase in contributions using this type of currency all point to a new trend in philanthropy that’s worth noting.

Join Barbara O’Reilly, CFRE, Principal of Windmill Hill Consulting, and Mark Ulrich, cofounder and CEO of every.org, as they break down the 101 on cryptocurrency, how it may be creating a new type of philanthropist, and pros and cons to consider when integrating it into your nonprofit’s fundraising and in making the case to your board, CEO, and CFO to accept this form of currency.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify what cryptocurrency is and the way of giving we’re seeing.
• Understand how nonprofits are using cryptophilanthropy in their fundraising strategies.
• Articulate factors to consider when making the case to your board, CEO, and CFO to accept cryptodonations.

Whether or not your fiscal year ends December 31st, there’s no question that it’s still prime giving season. In fact, a staggering 30% of all charitable donations are made in the month of December, with an additional 12% pouring in the final three days of the year.

Organizations are competing for limited philanthropic dollars in a short period of time. But
sustainable fundraising means a year-round dialogue with your donors, not just limited to the last few months of the year. And showing current donors the love, retaining them, and growing their gifts, is one of the best ways you can end the year with a win.

Barbara O’Reilly, CFRE will share her expertise on how to elevate your year-end fundraising efforts, sharing four essential strategies that will empower your organization to focus, prioritize, and ultimately thrive during this critical giving period.

Key Takeaways:

• Insights on building a strategic approach to maximize your year-end fundraising.
• How to cultivate a year-round dialogue with your donors.
• Tips to build a robust donor engagement strategy that extends far beyond year’s end.

Discuss the fundraising cycle and come take a look through the eyes of an auctioneer, an executive director, and a wealth screener to discover 4 key strategies for securing the gift from prospects and how to move donors to higher giving levels. The experts will elaborate on these 4 strategies: Culture of Philanthropy, Donor Centric, Cultivation, and Stewardship – demonstrating to donors the impact and value of their gift in advancing your mission.

Key Takeaways:

• Create a strategic plan on who should attend their special event.
• Designing creative means to securing at least 50% of your fundraising goal through pre-committed gifts and attendee wealth screenings.
• Develop a stewardship plan that will keep your donors giving year after year.

Take a tour of the powerful new OneCause Fundraising Platform. See the future of fundraising in an interactive format and explore innovative functionality to grow your impact. Bring your lunch!

Key Takeaways: 

• Learn about innovative features to streamline your fundraising.
• See new functionality to improve your giving experience.
• Understand emerging needs to reach and activate today’s donors.

The world of fundraising continues to evolve as nonprofits look past the pandemic and chart a new course for donor outreach, engagement, and giving. Supporter needs and expectations are also changing rapidly—donors now expect giving to be just like their everyday consumer experiences: seamless and easy.

Come explore the future of fundraising and a new world of giving. We’ll showcase how two well known nonprofits, March of Dimes & Arthritis Foundation, have leveraged the all new OneCause Fundraising Platform to streamline their giving experiences and drive deeper engagement.

This dynamic and interactive session will dive into new strategies to unlock generosity and share how you can use technology and innovation to get the most from your fundraising.

It’s easy to get caught in a rhythm of telling the same kind of video stories for fundraisers (patient stories, client stories, voiceover videos with graphics and stats, etc.). In the past, they have worked well for many organizations. But what we’ve done in the past no longer works! In this session Lauren Ready will walk fundraisers through how to find and tell untold stories inside their organization, specifically designed to help raise funds and awareness. We’ll also talk about how the capture (not recreate) impactful moments on camera. Lauren will be using 3-5 real life examples of impactful moments she’s captured on camera and explain how each story was planned, executed and edited – intentionality behind us every step of the way but with an openness to letting things happen.

Given her years of experience in TV News, Lauren challenges participants to be their own investigative journalists and find stories that people aren’t expecting. Participants will walk away with 5 ways to guarantee they capture an impactful moment on camera, 2-3 new story ideas that go beyond “the usual headlines,” and techniques for when and how to share that story at an event.

Key Takeaways: 

• Identify untold stories that take supporters “beyond the headline.”
• 5 ways to guarantee you’ll capture a real moment on camera, every time.
• Identify unexpected characters to feature in unexpected ways.

Hearing from those driving innovation in the nonprofit industry is invaluable. Join us as top industry experts share how they see the new world of giving, post-pandemic, and how they are redefining approaches to help nonprofits grow their impact in a changed fundraising landscape.

This panel will be a live Q&A from the in-person and virtual audience. It’s your chance to ask everything you’ve wanted to know about where philanthropy is headed.

Hearing from those driving innovation in the nonprofit industry is invaluable. Join us as top industry experts share how they see the new world of giving, post-pandemic, and how they are redefining approaches to help nonprofits grow their impact in a changed fundraising landscape.

This panel will be a live Q&A from the in-person and virtual audience. It’s your chance to ask everything you’ve wanted to know about where philanthropy is headed.

Join us on a five-year journey into the mindset and behaviors of today’s donors. In 2018, OneCause launched a study of social donors to examine the unique motivators and giving trends of those who participate in auction events, peer-to-peer fundraising, occasions/challenges, and giving/awareness days.

2022’s newly released study uncovers how donor expectations continue to evolve as we emerge from the global pandemic. It contains practical strategies any nonprofit can leverage to attract, engage, and retain supporters. As the nonprofit world moves toward recovery, it’s imperative to understand how to unlock generosity and grow your impact with today’s donors.

In this session, you’ll:

• Learn how the social giving experience and donor expectations have evolved since 2018.
• Understand how to provide options for all donors as events shift to in-person (hint: they still want virtual options!).
• Hear about how you can grow trust, ease, and engagement to convert and retain social donors.

The industry has had almost a full year of seeing more and more in-person events as nonprofits become “unfrozen.”

The best way to innovate and create a more immersive in-person experience can be as easy as taking lessons learned from the virtual world and bringing them to your pre-pandemic event strategy. Technology has never been more important, as well as your auctioneer!

Now that we are coming back to the ballroom, how do you choose the right auctioneer for your event to ensure you maximize funds raised? Learn the strategies, best practices, and insider tips from fundraising experts who can help you pick your next auctioneer and ensure your event is a huge success.

Key Takeaways:

• Choosing an auctioneer that is right for your audience and event that has the tools they need to navigate a crowded world of benefit auctioneers.
• The importance of a fund-a-need and why it should never be skipped or lost in the “fun” of the evening.
• How to set your auctioneer up for success.

Did you know that over 26% of adults in the US live with a disability? That is 61 million Americans. How does that impact our work? If you want to reach ALL your prospective supporters, advocates, and donors, you need to make sure you are including everyone who is interested in furthering your mission. Because you cannot afford to create barriers to participation – even if unintentional.

Ensuring that your work is fully accessible and inclusive across your digital channels is a must. Right from the first interaction with your organization, every person should be able to learn, interact, sign up, and donate with ease. Come to this session to learn more about the fundamentals of digital accessibility and why and how your organization can do what it takes to ensure you are creating an opportunity for EVERYONE to give.

Why come to this session? Every organization needs to understand the importance of why and how to incorporate the fundamentals of accessibility and inclusivity into their digital fundraising efforts. It is not enough to just put in some alt-text on images or include some high contrast images on your site. Digital accessibility is more nuanced, and when someone with a disability shows up at any of your digital properties, it is important that they feel welcomed and included. Yes, you are leaving money on the table if you don’t do it well, but, more importantly, you should make your digital ecosystem fully inclusive and accessible because it is the RIGHT thing to do. From your website, to your forms, to your email and beyond, we will talk about the ways to increase access for all.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the key components of digital accessibility.
• Why it is important for all organizations to take digital accessibility seriously.
• Learn what organizations can do across websites, email marketing, and social media platforms to reach broader audiences.

The industry has had almost a full year of seeing more and more in-person events as nonprofits become “unfrozen.”

The best way to innovate and create a more immersive in-person experience can be as easy as taking lessons learned from the virtual world and bringing them to your pre-pandemic event strategy. Technology has never been more important, as well as your auctioneer!

Now that we are coming back to the ballroom, how do you choose the right auctioneer for your event to ensure you maximize funds raised? Learn the strategies, best practices, and insider tips from fundraising experts who can help you pick your next auctioneer and ensure your event is a huge success.

Key Takeaways:

• Choosing an auctioneer that is right for your audience and event that has the tools they need to navigate a crowded world of benefit auctioneers.
• The importance of a fund-a-need and why it should never be skipped or lost in the “fun” of the evening.
• How to set your auctioneer up for success.

Today, the demand for your donors’ attention is fierce. She lives in a world full of distractions continuously competing for micro-moments of attention. This influx of messages is overwhelming. It forces her to pick a few that are most relevant and ignore the rest. She may even opt out completely and retreat to personal feeds or friend recommendations when determining which brands or causes to connect with.

Most nonprofits’ responses are to do more, send more, buy more. Each an attempt to steal bits of her attention in hopes she’ll respond. This is timely, org-centered, and wasteful. Additionally, it tosses your hat into a ring crowded with big brands, cat videos, 24/7 news, Netflix series, Apple releases, and hundreds of other worthwhile causes running the same playbook. As well, we as fundraisers are asked to do more with less, specifically around the tactics and technology that surround our ecosystem to grow generosity.

Is there a better way? Can any nonprofit stand above the noise? Amidst uncertainty and shifting donor expectations, how should you design and lead your fundraising teams? How does this impact your ability to collaborate to deliver a responsive supporter experience?

We’ll address these challenges head-on, share how supporter preferences have evolved, and what that requires now of you and your team.

Key Takeaways:

• Two (2) macro shifts shaping supporter preferences, and the resulting pivots your team must consider for growth
• Eight (8) mindsets you and your team can adopt to increase the pace of learning, combat burnout, and unlock growth

If you felt like there was a ramped-up flurry of news about cryptocurrency and crypto donations at the end of 2021, you’re not alone. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, this seemingly intangible, ever so out of reach, asset of sorts was suddenly mainstream.

At the end of 2021, contributions from cryptocurrency were in the estimated billions up from $200 million in 2019. Today, there are 200 million crypto holders in the world. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 21 million people own cryptocurrency. The number of crypto holders and the increase in contributions using this type of currency all point to a new trend in philanthropy that’s worth noting.

Join Barbara O’Reilly, CFRE, Principal of Windmill Hill Consulting, and Mark Ulrich, cofounder and CEO of every.org, as they break down the 101 on cryptocurrency, how it may be creating a new type of philanthropist, and pros and cons to consider when integrating it into your nonprofit’s fundraising and in making the case to your board, CEO, and CFO to accept this form of currency.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify what cryptocurrency is and the way of giving we’re seeing.
• Understand how nonprofits are using cryptophilanthropy in their fundraising strategies.
• Articulate factors to consider when making the case to your board, CEO, and CFO to accept cryptodonations.

Peer to Peer (P2P) fundraising campaigns are now being used in many organizations. They are a great way to enhance fundraising while expanding mission recognition. People who believe in your cause are willing to volunteer their time to help raise funds, commit to setting up personal campaign pages, soliciting donations from their networks, and marketing the campaign. Giving Days, now a global movement, elicit inspiration to give much like P2P campaigns do. Wow – a treasure trove of new donors!

But how do you get them to keep giving to your organization? How about converting them from one-time gifts to giving monthly? Participants will gain an understanding who and what monthly donors are and learn how to implement a monthly giving program as part of their overall communication strategy.

Learn how to build a monthly donor roadmap to use as a tool along with a monthly donor retention playbook and a monthly donor planner. You will come away with real life examples and case studies on how best to start asking donors to join a monthly donor program by using tools and media you already have in place.

Key Takeaways:

• A quick overview of monthly giving and their impact on sustainable revenue.
• How to organize a monthly donor program step by step.
• How to thank and cultivate monthly donors.
• How to prevent and reactivate lapsed monthly donors.
• How to prepare an annual monthly donor plan.

This session explores community-centric fundraising and its current applications in Highlander’s development strategy. Through the lens of a case study, attendees will learn to identify and differentiate common giving motivations (scarcity and abundance) and understand how they impact donor base, and short-term and long-term fund-raising goals.

Fundraisers Mia and Isaac will review the 10 core principles of community centric fundraising and the programmatic fixtures (2021 year-end campaigning and 2022 donor education offerings) that are in place to convert one-time givers into recurring supporters. They will also cover how Highlander’s use of a common curriculum and lexicon unify it’s network of peer-to-peer fundraisers, as well as other strategies to activate donors.

Using real-life examples, this session will give any fundraiser practical insights and the chance to learn strategies and ideas to help you design and implement a community-centric fundraising initiative at your nonprofit.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify and differentiate two common giving motivations (scarcity and abundance) and discuss how said motivations can impact an organization’s donor base as well as its short-term and long-term fund-raising goals.
• Understand the ten core principles of community centric fundraising and the philosophy’s thought leaders.
• Learn how to for apply community centric fundraising principles in your own position/organization.

It’s [finally] happening… we are back in the ballroom and people are seeing people again! Your efforts from pre-COVID aren’t lost, but there are many new guest expectations to take into account. In this session, we will unpack the top 3 new trends for your attendees regarding check-in, check-out, and donor ease.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand post-pandemic attendee trends.
• Immediately incorporate new strategies based on attendee expectations.
• Implement new communication strategy to garner all needed information in a more compact manner.