Fundraising is a top priority for any nonprofit organization, yet many boards are not structured to emphasize its importance. It’s time to think about your board’s composition, each individual’s purpose, and then how to strategize your development needs. Here you will learn to leverage your current board and to attract the right future talent.

Should your organization consider merging with another nonprofit? What about an affiliation or strategic alliance? Serving your constituents needs to drive the decision, but what are the implications for fundraising? Will you lose donors? Will you gain financial strength?

There are misconceptions around expanding a nonprofit board to include individuals who traditionally have not had access to serve. Despite increasing discussions of diversifying boards and proven benefits for expanding membership on both an organization’s mission and bottom line, the membership, and in particular the leadership, of nonprofit boards today is still largely white and primarily male. Organizations are getting stuck on how to diversify, as opposed to identifying reasons why access to board service is traditionally homogeneous and changing their search strategy. Boards should recognize their roles in making change, learn why it’s critical to your organization’s success, and how to begin the process.

You spend precious time creating an annual development plan and have every intention of using it to achieve your goals. But you and your staff get busy, the measurements of success are not clear, and the plan ends up in the circular file. Learn from seasoned fundraisers some of the key elements necessary to make a development plan actually worthwhile and what makes a development plan a successful tool to help you reach your goals in the first place.

The review process can seem opaque, but behind every award is a real person (who may actually pick up the phone). What are the ways to best engage decision-makers to get advice or secure a meeting? How can you develop and leverage the human connection that may unconsciously affect grants?

Impact investing, venture philanthropy, corporate social responsibility/citizenship, sustainable investing, and ROI are hot topics in corporate and foundation philanthropy. If funders are focused on “doing well while doing good,” what happens to straight-up philanthropy with no impact on the funder’s financial bottom line?

Find out what sponsors are really looking for and how they are making decisions in today’s ever-changing environment.

Learn why it’s as important to sell well as it is to be a true partner along the way – and how to do it.Hear about what being a true partner means, what sponsors are really looking for and what you can do to get a yes to year two and beyond.

In this fast-paced, must-attend session, you will hear from three industry experts on what’s working now in direct marketing fundraising. You’ll head back to the office with valuable tips that you can put to work to improve revenue, boost retention, and reduce costs for your program.

Were you the middle child? Did you feel like nobody understood you? That’s what mid-level donors are feeling. This untapped source of engagement and philanthropy in your donor file has been completely neglected… until now. At this session, you will learn about testing and research conducted to determine the needs of mid-level donors, and the new strategies and tactics that came out of it. You’ll hear first-hand experience, as well as see case studies, that demonstrate how these new approaches have led to inspired donors – and program growth – at several organizations.

Do you know what GDPR stands for and why it’s important? What the BBB requires for the use of its seal? Or what recent tariffs mean for production costs?  Don’t despair! This session will go in-depth on urgent data privacy issues, on-the-horizon production and postage developments, and the real scoop on charity watchdog groups.

Too often, organizations make a sustainer push, sign up new supporters, and then don’t reach out again until those supporters’ cards are expiring. This session showcases both the fundamentals of starting a sustainer program and best practices – and lessons learned — from successful nonprofits using technology effectively to offer supporter experiences from first touchpoint through ongoing giving. Find out how organizations are using technology and analytics to convert one-time donors to monthly, increase sustainer gift size, and nurture long-term relationships. *In conjunction with Web, Tech, & Social Media

The enthusiastic volunteer who takes up all your time, committee member who hasn’t raised any money in three years, trustee who says she can’t introduce you to her best friend who’s a significant philanthropist – we all have been challenged by well-meaning yet difficult volunteers.   Our panel will share tactics and true life stories for thoughtfully managing these volunteers and for managing up so that a volunteer is never your problem alone.

Talking about money is complicated! The deep, and often unexamined, tension between raising money and doing good is a persistent challenges for nonprofits. Misconceptions, values, and scarcity mindsets can disrupt effective fundraising and disconnect it from mission achievement. In this session, we will explore how deep-seated beliefs and personal values about money influence leadership behaviors, fundraising strategy, and success.

Join us to hear from an all-star data-driven stewardship team who will pull back the curtain to show you exactly how donor data can improve your stewardship program.  You’ll have the opportunity to practice putting that data to work in this highly interactive session.  You’ll also role play stewardship conversations with “mystery” donors.

Have you ever felt intimidated or underappreciated when budgeting season comes around?  Have you ever pondered the futility of counting next year’s chickens when this year’s have yet to hatch?  Has a trustee ever responded to the news of a once-in-a-career gift by asking, “When will we get the next gift like this?”   Then this session is for you!

Beginner to mid-level – you have or are starting a planned giving program and want to make sure you are focusing your time and resources to get the best possible results. We explore 10 common marketing mistakes; avoiding them will move your program in the right direction.

Spend at least ½ your time on planned giving? Have very little budget for planned gift marketing? Want to engage your donors in gift planning? If you answered any of these questions “yes” (and you should) you will not want to miss this session. The time will be spent demystifying the planned gift world with helpful tips to make sure your organization is in the planned giving business. If not now, when?

This session will assist beginners in understanding how various planned gifts work. It will focus on the primary elements of each gift type. We’ll discuss how to determine which types are appropriate for various donors, and we’ll discuss how a creative and personalized approach to donors will result in more and larger planned gifts.

What qualities do successful fundraisers possess? The multitude of relationships we build with donors is based on a critical set of skills that go beyond technical or trade expertise. These skills (pillars) are ones that successful fundraisers—indeed successful people—possess and continue to hone. Uncover these pillars, apply them to donor situations, and rediscover the Zen in fundraising.

You close the gift, finalize the agreement, and acknowledge. Do all major gift donors need a stewardship plan? Yes! Small and large shops, formal and informal teams will benefit from this dynamic discussion on how to sustain your donor relationships through thoughtful and fun stewardship – annually, monthly, or anytime! Stewardship is so much more than a piece of the donor cycle. Strategic stewardship brings major gift donors into the culture of the organization and builds sustainable philanthropy.

In this session, our panel will define and differentiate the role of each of these key campaign leaders, explore how these leaders collaborate, and share their experiences and anecdotes leading campaigns of their own.

At FRDNY 2018, Delzotti and Schumacher presented this popular session and now they’re bringing it back – this time on a 2.0 level! Building a successful major gifts program is equal parts art and science. The art of major gifts is individually tailored relationship building. The science is the methodology used to build those relationships. Thus, the better your science, the freer you are to practice the art. That method involves creating portfolios, building donor and prospect pipelines, and moving donor relationships forward using a methodical moves management system.

You have the passion to change the world and it costs money. Foundation grants only go so far. And bake sales just aren’t keeping the lights on. Not sure where to turn? Then this session is for you. Learn who gives away money, and if it is someone you already know. Find out the easy way to ask and how to make rejection your friend. Most of all, come figure out how fundraising can be fun!

Creating meaningful campaigns that inform and engage isn’t easy in a world where we are bombarded with promotions from all sides. Learn strategies to develop lasting campaigns that rise above the clutter to drive awareness, inspire action, and raise funds. Perfect for beginners and mid-career professionals.

What does your organization want to be known for and how do you present yourself in a way that differentiates you from the many other groups working in the same space? Join us and learn practical tips and ideas for defining your organization and creating unique positioning that engages supporters and attracts attention.

This session will explore how communications teams can advance programs, development, and advocacy goals by growing a pipeline of connections, building top-of-mind awareness, and more. We’ll talk about silos, collaboration, and how to put your mission front-and-center in all communications. It will marry theory with real-world nonprofit examples.

In this session we’ll host an interactive debate tackling questions commonly challenging development and communications teams, such as “Who writes appeals?” and "Who defines our messaging?" We’ll ask for audience participation and break into groups to dig into real-life situations before sharing concrete tips you can immediately put into practice.

You know your donors have deeply personal reasons for giving. They also watch and learn from others. Drawing on verbatim statements from 150+ high-profile donors, we see five inspiring Major Donor Archetypes—five distinct approaches to making an impact—that are influencing all donors today.

Social media has given lots of new tools to fundraisers, but also new problems. This fun, fast-paced session will show you how to do research using social media without getting lost. Get big-picture ideas and practical, hands-on tips on all the major networks including LinkedIn.

Join our renowned speakers as they perform a deep dive into giving data from thousands of nonprofits and millions of donors both nationwide and in the New York metro area.

Prospect development has grown beyond the “nerdy folks in the back room” reputation, yet many of us struggle to build collaborative relationships with our frontline partners. We will provide communication techniques centered on adding names to portfolios, removing inactive prospects, and assessing prospects to queue up for strategy meetings.

You want to give your donors a personalized digital experience, but making it happen can be daunting. Join us for a jargon-free look at combining your supporter data with best practices in online engagement and tactics. If creating donor journeys has been on your list, this session is for you!

Four (4) Timely and Strategic Issues in Fundraising This ‘speed learning’ format is designed to be collaborative, interactive and engaging. Participants will leave with new knowledge, strategies or tools they can immediately use. Topic: When to Hire and When to Outsource Your Development Needs Topic: Turning Your Board into Fundraisers Topic: What Should Your Development Plan Look Like? Topic: Making Your Organization Attractive for Younger Donors

Join nonprofit leaders who will discuss how they developed fundraising plans commensurate with immediate and long term visions. Learn from their insights on the planning process, donor engagement, and how they can be best utilized as the face of your organization.

This session will focus on how to set priorities to cultivate and solicit major gifts and collaborate with colleagues outside of development to create seamless moves management across a small organization.

Many donors embrace giving to nonprofits through events and prefer contributing to a cause this way.  Learn why donors say yes to event giving.  Gain insights from our panel of donors and leaders who will explore what makes group fundraising powerful and how you can use it to raise more funds for your event.

Board, staff, and volunteers are essential people resources that add power to your event’s fundraising success. They help you prep for the event, work the room confidently, and turn event attendees into loyal donors. Our panel of nonprofit leaders will show you how you can mobilize your board and volunteers intentionally and strategically to ensure success before, during, and after the event.

You’ve been running your gala, golf outing, walk, etc. for many years and returns seem to be diminishing. Fatigue has set in with your staff and your board, and new honorees are hard to find. Don’t despair! This session’s seasoned fundraisers will share their experiences on how to assess, reimagine and reenergize your event to attract more attendees and bring in more revenue.

Fundraising events offer golden opportunities to amortize your event by cultivating new and current donors and honorees to generously give to your cause before, during, and after the event. Our seasoned event and fundraising panel will share their strategies and experiences in producing positive outcomes.

Virtual reality represents the next generation in immersive storytelling. Come see how Best Friends Animal Society, Make-A-Wish, and other leading nonprofits have used VR to create compelling cases for support that have resulted in fundraising gains of more than 25% over traditional methods.

Get the latest from a Google representative and industry search fundraising expert. Whether you’re new at the paid search game or an old hat, this session will focus on how both Google Grant and other paid search engine marketing (SEM) optimization can take your fundraising efforts to the next level. Come up with a bulletproof keyword strategy. Use ad extensions to bring in more income. Find your targeting sweet spot.

In this fast-paced session on all things digital, tech, and social media, a panel of experts will provide bite-size tips, allowing the audience to come away with practical and applicable ideas for improving their email, social media, digital acquisition, and online renewal campaigns. This session will show you snapshots of both proven and fresh techniques and tools that are successful for other organizations. You will also have a chance to ask the experts for advice on your specific issues.

Too often, organizations make a sustainer push, sign up new supporters, and then don’t reach out again until those supporters’ cards are expiring. This session showcases both the fundamentals of starting a sustainer program and best practices – and lessons learned — from successful nonprofits using technology effectively to offer supporter experiences from first touchpoint through ongoing giving. Find out how organizations are using technology and analytics to convert one-time donors to monthly, increase sustainer gift size, and nurture long-term relationships.

This workshop is designed to provide a roadmap to launching a consulting practice for those who are experts in relationship and fund development. While embarking on an independent enterprise may be a new endeavor for some, most of the time individuals with a minimum of 15-20 years of work experience in a managerial position are most primed to establish a consulting practice and would benefit most from these insights.

Cause Effective, a nonprofit that provides capacity building support around fundraising, is launching an initiative to support the professional advancement and leadership pipeline of nonprofit development professionals of color. Join us for an interactive discussion about the findings from Cause Effective’s recent field research on this topic. We will also be discussing AFP-NYC’s commitment and programming around inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) issues.