Nonprofits thrive on collaboration and the pursuit of constructive change. Nonprofit conferences function a significant platform professionals from varied organizations to come back collectively, share insights, and strategize on attaining each collective and particular person targets..
Attending a nonprofit convention is without doubt one of the finest methods to develop professionally, make highly effective private {and professional} connections, and keep forward of the curve with the newest fundraising techniques and instruments.
On this information, we’ll discover the advantages of attending nonprofit conferences and supply our prime suggestions for must-attend occasions. Right here’s what you’ll be able to anticipate:
When selecting which conferences to attend, it’s important to think about each your nonprofit’s goals and your private growth targets. As an illustration, are you aiming to boost your strategies for corporate giving, leverage nonprofit expertise, or have interaction extra successfully with main donors? Preserve these targets in thoughts as you browse the conferences on this checklist to seek out alternatives that align together with your pursuits and wishes.
The Fundamentals of Nonprofit Conferences
Use the solutions to those incessantly requested questions to assist information your seek for the very best nonprofit conferences.
What are nonprofit conferences?
Nonprofit conferences function important gatherings the place nonprofit professionals come collectively to study, collaborate, and share finest practices. These occasions present a platform for networking and knowledge-sharing, empowering organizations to boost their influence and strengthen their connections throughout the sector.
Moreover, nonprofit conferences elevate consciousness and assist for varied causes by showcasing the work of nonprofits. They entice potential donors, sponsors, and volunteers, fostering private and organizational development. Finally, these conferences allow nonprofits to raised serve their communities and fulfill their missions.
Why are nonprofit conferences vital?
Attending a nonprofit convention requires an preliminary funding of your group’s time and assets. For instance, you might have to dam out a piece day to take part, pay a registration payment, and journey to the convention location (if it isn’t a digital occasion). Contemplating all of these necessities, is attending a nonprofit convention actually price it for you and your group?
To assist reply this query, take into account a these advantages of attending a nonprofit convention:
- Keep updated with developments and improvements. Targeted advertising, synthetic intelligence, social media developments, and livestreaming are just some of the progressive technological issues that nonprofit professionals are speaking about now. By attending nonprofit conferences, you’ll be able to keep on the leading edge of those new applied sciences and developments to make sure your group is utilizing expertise to its full potential.
- Community with fellow nonprofit professionals. The networking facet of most nonprofit conferences permits you to make skilled connections that may assist your group down the street. You’ll be able to find out about different organizations’ successes and failures and ask questions on how different nonprofits have tackled particular points that you just’re additionally dealing with. The relationships you construct with different nonprofit professionals may also help your group nicely into the longer term as you proceed collaborating and sharing assets.
- Study fundraising finest practices. Whether or not the convention subjects embody the benefits of corporate philanthropy for companies and nonprofits, progressive advertising and marketing methods, or insightful recommendations on partaking with completely different generations of donors, you’re sure to depart with new data in your pocket. You’ll be able to apply what you study to your group’s ongoing actions, applications, tasks, and outreach methods.
Many nonprofit professionals discover that the worth of attending conferences typically makes up for the time and assets required to attend. However, you’ll want to fastidiously take into account whether or not convention attendance is one thing that you would be able to match into your group’s funds.
The Greatest Nonprofit Conferences in 2025
Nonprofit conferences occur all year long at completely different areas throughout the nation (and nearly). Some occasions happen yearly, so if you happen to’ve missed one you had been on this yr, don’t fear! Examine the host’s web site to see in the event that they’ll have it once more subsequent yr.
Listed here are 12 of the very best conferences to think about including to your 2025 calendars:
Double the Donation’s 2025 Office Fundraising + Volunteering Summit
About this convention:
Office giving is an unbelievable but typically untapped supply of fundraising assist for nonprofits, universities, and different fundraising organizations. In accordance with recent statistics, corporations donate $2-3 billion yearly by way of matching reward applications alone, however an estimated $4-$7 billion is left unclaimed.
Double the Donation’s aim is to help organizations in securing the matching reward and different office giving income accessible to them. This contains by way of assets offered in our Office Fundraising + Volunteering Summit, matching reward automation platform, and extra.
Particularly, the upcoming Summit is devoted to sharing matching reward finest practices, assets, success tales, and extra to assist nonprofits and colleges handle this fundraising channel extra successfully. Attendees will find out about forming robust enterprise partnerships and earning valuable corporate sponsorships to assist their tasks, occasions, applications, and extra.
Date: April 2nd + third, 2025
Location: Digital
Registration: https://summit.doublethedonation.com/c/42241715/workplacefundraising
Can’t wait? Try Double the Donation’s on-line Matching Gift Academy to discover highly effective matching reward insights within the meantime.
What Fundraisers Are Saying:
“Double the Donation’s Matching Reward Summit is invaluable for company philanthropy professionals. I’d advocate this occasion to anybody who’s involved in rising their matching reward fundraising. The Summit has served as an extremely useful useful resource for our crew as we’ve got applied insights and learnings from the occasion into our matching reward fundraising technique.”
— Ariana Romanelli, Lead Affiliate, Company Partnerships at Save the Youngsters
Nonprofit Advertising and marketing Summit
About this nonprofit convention:
There are a number of advertising and marketing conferences on this checklist, and for good cause. Digital instruments and techniques evolve consistently, making it crucial for nonprofit professionals to remain up to date on the newest developments.
That’s the place the Nonprofit Marketing Summit is available in. This digital convention brings collectively 30,000+ nonprofit advertising and marketing professionals that includes 75+ Excessive Influence Classes about new digital advertising and marketing methods. You’ll hear instantly from essentially the most influential thought leaders within the area. Though this occasion is digital, there are many networking alternatives to reap the benefits of, together with getting related on social media and becoming a member of a textual content neighborhood.
Date: March 4-Sixth, 2025
Location: Digital
Collaborative
About this nonprofit convention:
Collaborative is a digital and in-person convention run by Elegant, a web based fundraising software program platform. The convention is concentrated on serving to nonprofit professionals perceive fundraising finest practices and tips on how to leverage nonprofit expertise successfully.
Because the convention’s identify suggests, the occasion is concentrated on bringing nonprofit professionals collectively in collaborative classes and workshops. The aim is to problem your considering, discover the way forward for fundraising, and keep on the slicing fringe of expertise. You’ll depart with new concepts to lift extra in your trigger.
Plus, audio system embody leaders from a few of the most distinguished nonprofit organizations throughout the nation, connecting attendees instantly with experienced leaders and influencers.
Date: Could 15-Sixteenth, 2025
Location: Chicago, IL
Nonprofit Know-how Convention
About this nonprofit convention:
From matching gift software to constituent relationship administration programs (CRMs), nonprofit expertise is what retains the nonprofit sector in movement.
The Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) is an annual gathering hosted by NTEN, a company that unites nonprofit professionals to debate utilizing expertise for social good. This convention educates attendees on nonprofit tech finest practices and tips on how to use expertise to advertise change in your neighborhood.
Attendees embody everybody from nonprofit employees members and volunteers to board members, consultants, and tech distributors. By attending, you’ll have the chance to take part in breakout classes, share assets with fellow attendees, and make long-lasting connections. Plus, the NTC is devoted to fostering an inclusive and accessible atmosphere, with racial affinity areas, a dedication to accessibility for all, and extra.
Date: April 16–18, 2025
Location: Baltimore, MD and digital
AFP ICON
About this nonprofit convention:
AFP ICON is commonly thought-about the most important fundraising convention on the planet. Hosted by the Affiliation of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), ICON options dozens of audio system overlaying a variety of subjects. Previous classes embody subjects like utilizing donor information to enhance future fundraising efforts and ending psychological well being stigma within the nonprofit office.
Attending AFP ICON may also help you set your self and your group as much as successfully deal with the largest fundraising challenges and alternatives for the yr forward.
Date: April 27-Twenty ninth, 2025
Location: Seattle
Trigger Camp
About this nonprofit convention:
Designated a “must-attend” nonprofit convention by Forbes, Cause Camp is an annual gathering of nonprofit leaders, professionals, and trade consultants to share assets and talk about each facet of the nonprofit sector. Trigger Camp’s breakout classes transcend easy discussions to equip attendees with actionable insights and coaching supplies.
Moreover, members can browse a complete exhibit corridor to attach with distributors and study extra about different nonprofit organizations in attendance. Plus, the convention’s enjoyable night gatherings enable attendees to get to know each other in a extra relaxed atmosphere.
Date: TBD, 2025
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Have interaction for Good
About this nonprofit convention:
Engage for Good hyperlinks nonprofit professionals with leaders from the company world whose organizations are devoted to furthering constructive social change. Attendees can take part in focused workshops and networking classes that convey collectively people who face related points or concentrate on related subject areas.
As a nonprofit skilled, attending this convention will allow you to grasp company philanthropy from a enterprise perspective and make connections with potential company companions. Then, you’ll be able to return to your group with deeper insights that may optimize your company partnership technique.
Date: April 22-Twenty fourth, 2025
Location: Palm Springs, CA
Upswell Summit
About this nonprofit convention:
The Upswell Summit is an annual occasion for neighborhood changemakers who’re centered on making their communities stronger and extra equitable. Organized by Unbiased Sector, the occasion connects professionals from varied sectors to deal with urgent social points and drive constructive change. Extra data on audio system and panel subjects is to come back, so keep watch over the Upswell web site.
Date: October 27-Twenty ninth, 2025
Location: Atlanta, GA
The Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization Summit
About this nonprofit convention:
The Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization Summit (NIO) is an annual convention centered on equipping nonprofit organizations with the newest methods, instruments, and methods for digital fundraising and advertising and marketing. Audio system embody the main consultants in fundraising and advertising and marketing innovation, that means attendees can obtain insights into cutting-edge outreach methods to raised have interaction their audiences.
As well as, nonprofit leaders can browse new expertise options in a sales-free atmosphere to see which instruments would possibly work finest for his or her organizations.
Date: September thirtieth – October 2nd, 2025
Location: Kansas Metropolis, MO
Nonprofit Storytelling Convention
About this nonprofit convention:
The muse of any highly effective fundraising or advertising and marketing initiative is compelling storytelling. A narrative may also help construct a robust emotional connection together with your nonprofit’s supporters, inspiring them to assist and assist your trigger.
The Nonprofit Storytelling Conference is designed to assist nonprofit professionals inform higher tales to lift extra donations. The convention provides three sorts of classes:
The “Principal Stage Classes” are designed to reimagine the best way you join with donors by sharing groundbreaking methods and mind-bending ideas. The “Deep Dive Intensives” are 2.5-hour intensive workshops supposed to offer you a framework for main donor, unsolicited mail, occasion, and artistic fundraising campaigns. “Implementation Workshops” are 60-minute classes with small teams, and every workshop teaches a brand new storytelling and fundraising talent. Attendees will obtain personalised assist making use of every new talent to their group.
Date: November 13-Fifteenth, 2025
Location: San Diego, CA
Good Tech Fest
About this nonprofit convention:
Good Tech Fest focuses on tips on how to use expertise and information to make a constructive distinction on the planet. Classes are led by information scientists, product managers, and fundraising and tech professionals. Attendees have the chance to find out about all the things from machine studying instruments and fairness points within the tech world to crypto philanthropy.
This yr, Good Tech Fest shall be internet hosting three conferences on separate dates and in separate areas.
Dates: April 28-Could 1, 2025; Could 20-21, 2025
Areas: Utah (April 2025); Digital (Could 2025)
Bridge Convention
About this nonprofit convention:
The Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference, also referred to as the Bridge Convention, is an annual gathering of nonprofit fundraising professionals, leaders, consultants, businesses, and different advertising and marketing professionals. The convention covers each progressive fundraising and advertising and marketing methods together with frequent points nonprofits have historically confronted, similar to tips on how to hold donors engaged and rework them into recurring givers.
Date: July thirtieth – August 1, 2025
Location: TBD
Suggestions for Making the Most of Your Convention Attendance
Your convention preparation shouldn’t finish after you full the registration kind. Conferences are concentrated, action-packed occasions that appear to fly by when you’re there. That’s why it’s vital to go in with a plan of who you need to communicate with and what you need to do whereas on the convention.
Listed here are a number of suggestions for profiting from your convention attendance:
- Do your analysis beforehand. Who shall be on the convention? Who do you completely need to speak to earlier than the occasion concludes? How will you begin a pure dialog with these people that builds on issues you have got in frequent? Make a listing of people you’d like to attach with and some details you already learn about them.
- Resolve who will attend the convention. Ought to a bunch of employees members out of your nonprofit attend the convention or only one or two people? Decide who would be the finest representatives in your trigger and profit essentially the most from attending.
- Take part in all the things you’ll be able to. You in all probability gained’t be capable to attend each single session or panel. Nonetheless, make an effort to attend a wide selection of displays and discussions primarily based on the subjects that curiosity you essentially the most or that you just assume shall be most helpful in your group. This lets you get essentially the most worth out of the occasion.
- Search out displays which are exterior of your purview. Contemplate attending one or two classes or panels that don’t instantly relate to what you do day by day. These classes may find yourself being essentially the most worthwhile, as a result of they present you a special perspective or share details about one thing that you just aren’t very conversant in.
- Accumulate enterprise playing cards. Collect enterprise playing cards for organizations and people that you just work together with and observe up with them after the nonprofit convention. In these messages, thank them for his or her dialog or presentation and ask any follow-up questions you might have considered since. If the person lives close by, see if you happen to can schedule an in-person assembly or lunch with them to keep up the connection you’ve constructed.
- Share the data you’ve discovered together with your crew. Create a brief presentation in your nonprofit’s different crew members who didn’t attend the convention. Summarize the important thing takeaways you obtained from the convention and any adjustments or methods you assume the crew ought to implement going ahead. Let crew members chime in with their ideas and suggestions on any proposed adjustments.
We additionally advocate carrying a folder and pocket book with you throughout the convention to take notes and retailer enterprise playing cards, handouts, and different printed supplies.
A Last Be aware About Nonprofit Conferences
When signing up for any nonprofit conferences, keep in mind to strategy these occasions with an open thoughts and a willingness to study. Be ready to have interaction in significant conversations, share your individual experiences, and study from others who’re equally keen about creating constructive change.
For extra details about nonprofit conferences, bookmark the Double the Donation and NXUnite web sites. These websites supply ongoing updates on nonprofit webinars, panels, and conferences that any nonprofit skilled can be part of to broaden their talent set and fundraising data.
