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 reaching each collective and particular person objectives..
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 strategies and instruments.
On this information, we’ll discover the advantages of attending nonprofit conferences and supply our high 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 contemplate each your nonprofit’s targets and your private growth objectives. For example, are you aiming to reinforce your methods for company giving, leverage nonprofit expertise, or have interaction extra successfully with main donors? Hold these objectives in thoughts as you browse the conferences on this listing to seek out alternatives that align together with your pursuits and wishes.
The Fundamentals of Nonprofit Conferences
Use the solutions to those continuously requested questions to assist information your seek for the most effective nonprofit conferences.
What are nonprofit conferences?
Nonprofit conferences function important gatherings the place nonprofit professionals come collectively to be taught, collaborate, and share finest practices. These occasions present a platform for networking and knowledge-sharing, empowering organizations to reinforce their affect and strengthen their connections inside the sector.
Moreover, nonprofit conferences elevate consciousness and assist for varied causes by showcasing the work of nonprofits. They appeal to potential donors, sponsors, and volunteers, fostering private and organizational progress. Finally, these conferences allow nonprofits to higher serve their communities and fulfill their missions.
Why are nonprofit conferences necessary?
Attending a nonprofit convention requires an preliminary funding of your group’s time and sources. For instance, you could have to dam out a piece day to take part, pay a registration charge, 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, contemplate a these advantages of attending a nonprofit convention:
- Keep updated with developments and improvements. Focused promoting, 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 innovative 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 side of most nonprofit conferences permits you to make skilled connections that may assist your group down the highway. You may find out about different organizations’ successes and failures and ask questions on how different nonprofits have tackled particular points that you simply’re additionally dealing with. The relationships you construct with different nonprofit professionals may help your group effectively into the longer term as you proceed collaborating and sharing sources.
- Study fundraising finest practices. Whether or not the convention matters embody the advantages of company philanthropy for companies and nonprofits, progressive advertising and marketing methods, or insightful recommendations on partaking with completely different generations of donors, you’re certain to go away with new data in your pocket. You may apply what you be taught to your group’s ongoing actions, applications, initiatives, and outreach methods.
Many nonprofit professionals discover that the worth of attending conferences usually makes up for the time and sources required to attend. However, you should definitely fastidiously contemplate whether or not convention attendance is one thing that you could match into your group’s funds.
The Finest Nonprofit Conferences in 2025
Nonprofit conferences occur all year long at completely different areas throughout the nation (and nearly). Some occasions happen yearly, so in case you’ve missed one you had been on this 12 months, don’t fear! Examine the host’s web site to see in the event that they’ll have it once more subsequent 12 months.
Listed here are 12 of the most effective conferences to contemplate including to your 2025 calendars:
Double the Donation’s 2025 Office Fundraising + Volunteering Summit
About this convention:
Office giving is an unbelievable but usually untapped supply of fundraising assist for nonprofits, universities, and different fundraising organizations. In keeping with current statistics, corporations donate $2-3 billion yearly via matching reward applications alone, however an estimated $4-$7 billion is left unclaimed.
Double the Donation’s objective is to help organizations in securing the matching reward and different office giving income out there to them. This contains via sources 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, sources, success tales, and extra to assist nonprofits and faculties handle this fundraising channel extra successfully. Attendees will find out about forming sturdy enterprise partnerships and incomes beneficial company sponsorships to assist their initiatives, occasions, applications, and extra.
Date: April 2nd + third, 2025
Location: Digital
Registration: https://summit.doublethedonation.com/c/42241715/workplacefundraising
Can’t wait? Take a look at Double the Donation’s on-line Matching Reward 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 might suggest this occasion to anybody who’s focused on rising their matching reward fundraising. The Summit has served as an extremely useful useful resource for our group as now we have carried out 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 listing, and for good cause. Digital instruments and methods evolve continually, making it crucial for nonprofit professionals to remain up to date on the newest developments.
That’s the place the Nonprofit Advertising and 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 straight from essentially the most influential thought leaders within the area. Though this occasion is digital, there are many networking alternatives to make the most of, together with getting linked on social media and becoming a member of a textual content group.
Date: March 4-Sixth, 2025
Location: Digital
Collaborative
About this nonprofit convention:
Collaborative is a digital and in-person convention run by Stylish, a web-based fundraising software program platform. The convention is targeted on serving to nonprofit professionals perceive fundraising finest practices and leverage nonprofit expertise successfully.
Because the convention’s identify suggests, the occasion is targeted on bringing nonprofit professionals collectively in collaborative classes and workshops. The objective is to problem your pondering, 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 among the most outstanding nonprofit organizations throughout the nation, connecting attendees straight with skilled leaders and influencers.
Date: Could 15-Sixteenth, 2025
Location: Chicago, IL
Nonprofit Know-how Convention
About this nonprofit convention:
From matching reward software program to constituent relationship administration techniques (CRMs), nonprofit expertise is what retains the nonprofit sector in movement.
The Nonprofit Know-how Convention (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 use expertise to advertise change in your group.
Attendees embody everybody from nonprofit workers members and volunteers to board members, consultants, and tech distributors. By attending, you’ll have the chance to take part in breakout classes, share sources with fellow attendees, and make long-lasting connections. Plus, the NTC is devoted to fostering an inclusive and accessible surroundings, 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 biggest fundraising convention on the planet. Hosted by the Affiliation of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), ICON options dozens of audio system masking a variety of matters. Previous classes embody matters like utilizing donor knowledge to enhance future fundraising efforts and ending psychological well being stigma within the nonprofit office.
Attending AFP ICON may help you set your self and your group as much as successfully deal with the most important fundraising challenges and alternatives for the 12 months forward.
Date: April 27-Twenty ninth, 2025
Location: Seattle
Trigger Camp
About this nonprofit convention:
Designated a “must-attend” nonprofit convention by Forbes, Trigger Camp is an annual gathering of nonprofit leaders, professionals, and business specialists to share sources and talk about each side of the nonprofit sector. Trigger Camp’s breakout classes transcend easy discussions to equip attendees with actionable insights and coaching supplies.
Moreover, individuals can browse a complete exhibit corridor to attach with distributors and be taught extra about different nonprofit organizations in attendance. Plus, the convention’s enjoyable night gatherings permit attendees to get to know each other in a extra relaxed surroundings.
Date: TBD, 2025
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Interact for Good
About this nonprofit convention:
Interact 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 comparable points or give attention to comparable 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 group changemakers who’re targeted on making their communities stronger and extra equitable. Organized by Impartial Sector, the occasion connects professionals from varied sectors to handle urgent social points and drive constructive change. Extra data on audio system and panel matters 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 targeted on equipping nonprofit organizations with the newest methods, instruments, and strategies for digital fundraising and advertising and marketing. Audio system embody the main specialists in fundraising and advertising and marketing innovation, that means attendees can obtain insights into cutting-edge outreach strategies to higher have interaction their audiences.
As well as, nonprofit leaders can browse new expertise options in a sales-free surroundings to see which instruments may 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 help construct a powerful emotional connection together with your nonprofit’s supporters, inspiring them to help and assist your trigger.
The Nonprofit Storytelling Convention is designed to assist nonprofit professionals inform higher tales to lift extra donations. The convention gives three sorts of classes:
The “Principal Stage Classes” are designed to reimagine the way in which 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, junk mail, occasion, and inventive 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 use expertise and knowledge to make a constructive distinction on the planet. Classes are led by knowledge scientists, product managers, and fundraising and tech professionals. Attendees have the chance to find out about every thing from machine studying instruments and fairness points within the tech world to crypto philanthropy.
This 12 months, Good Tech Fest can be internet hosting three conferences on separate dates and in separate areas.
Dates: April 28-Could 1, 2025; Could 20-21, 2025
Places: Utah (April 2025); Digital (Could 2025)
Bridge Convention
About this nonprofit convention:
The Bridge to Built-in Advertising and marketing & Fundraising Convention, also called the Bridge Convention, is an annual gathering of nonprofit fundraising professionals, leaders, consultants, companies, 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, resembling maintain donors engaged and rework them into recurring givers.
Date: July thirtieth – August 1, 2025
Location: TBD
Ideas for Making the Most of Your Convention Attendance
Your convention preparation shouldn’t finish after you full the registration type. Conferences are concentrated, action-packed occasions that appear to fly by when you’re there. That’s why it’s necessary 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 just a few ideas for profiting from your convention attendance:
- Do your analysis beforehand. Who can 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 may have in frequent? Make an inventory of people you’d like to attach with and some info you already learn about them.
- Determine who will attend the convention. Ought to a bunch of workers 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 every thing you’ll be able to. You most likely received’t be capable of attend each single session or panel. Nonetheless, make an effort to attend a big selection of displays and discussions based mostly on the matters that curiosity you essentially the most or that you simply suppose can be most helpful in your group. This lets you get essentially the most worth out of the occasion.
- Search out displays which can be exterior of your purview. Contemplate attending one or two classes or panels that don’t straight relate to what you do every day. These classes might find yourself being essentially the most beneficial, as a result of they present you a distinct perspective or share details about one thing that you simply aren’t very acquainted with.
- Gather enterprise playing cards. Collect enterprise playing cards for organizations and people that you simply work together with and comply with 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 could have considered since. If the person lives close by, see in case you can schedule an in-person assembly or lunch with them to keep up the connection you’ve constructed.
- Share the data you’ve realized together with your group. Create a brief presentation in your nonprofit’s different group members who didn’t attend the convention. Summarize the important thing takeaways you obtained from the convention and any modifications or methods you suppose the group ought to implement going ahead. Let group members chime in with their ideas and suggestions on any proposed modifications.
We additionally suggest carrying a folder and pocket book with you through the convention to take notes and retailer enterprise playing cards, handouts, and different printed supplies.
A Closing Be aware About Nonprofit Conferences
When signing up for any nonprofit conferences, keep in mind to method these occasions with an open thoughts and a willingness to be taught. Be ready to interact in significant conversations, share your individual experiences, and be taught from others who’re equally enthusiastic 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 a part of to develop their talent set and fundraising data.
