We're bringing the Nonprofit Technology Conference magic to both in-person and virtual experiences, with over 140 in-person sessions and 24 virtual ones. Here is the full list of all selected sessions at the 25NTC!

Start with the basic building block of all narrative.

In a village of La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire to call to mind, there lived not long since one of those gentlemen that keep a lance in the lance-rack, an old buckler, a lean hack, and a greyhound for coursing.

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We're bringing the Nonprofit Technology Conference magic to both in-person and virtual experiences, with over 140 in-person sessions and 24 virtual ones. Here is the full list of all selected sessions at the 25NTC!

Early-bird registration closes on January 13. <a href="https://www.nten.org/gather/ntc/registration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register now!</a>

Early-bird registration closes on January 13. <a href="https://www.nten.org/gather/ntc/registration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register now!</a>

We&#8217;re bringing the Nonprofit Technology Conference magic to both in-person and virtual experiences, with over 140 in-person sessions and 24 virtual ones. Here is the full list of all selected sessions at the 25NTC!



Early-bird registration closes on January 13. <a href="https://www.nten.org/gather/ntc/registration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register now!</a>

Sessions

Preparing a Request for Proposal (RFP) can be a complex, sometimes painful process that can take months and in some cases, years, of meticulous planning. And after all that careful preparation, it is all too common that the resulting bids you receive include a bewildering range of (sometimes conflicting) solutions and prices. Part of the problem is that an RFP isn&#39;t the ideal way to select a vendor. You don’t get to talk to them and explain your needs. They usually don’t get to ask you the in-depth questions they require feedback on in order to create a great solution. It’s a bit like playing checkers by mail - slow and prone to misunderstanding. It doesn’t have to be that way. We see hundreds of RFPs a year, good and bad, and will share practical suggestions on how to ensure the responses you get are on point, and ultimately attract the right vendor for your needs. This session will cover: - What does a good RFP look like? - How do you involve your team and get internal buy-in? - How do you ensure you’ll stay within budget and deliver on time? - Do you even need to have an RFP - what about organizations that don’t require this process?

Rosie Gladden

VP, Marketing

"Request for Partnership": Redefining the RFP process

Some nonprofit impacts are easier to showcase than others. The classic template of &quot;your $10 donation will help feed 3 people today&quot; simply doesn&#39;t work for all nonprofits. If you&#39;;re fighting for policy changes, systemic issues, etc. and you don&#39;t have a direct monetary impact to advertise, you need an alternative way to prove to donors that their money is making a difference. In this case, quality, down-to-earth storytelling from real supporters is your most powerful tool. But gathering and sharing stories takes time. This session will walk you through practical tips and tricks about how to collect and distribute stories in a way that can actually add to your team&#39;s capacity and elevate your fundraising campaigns. Plus, hear from real nonprofit partners about how they&#39;ve used these tactics successfully in their own orgs. Engage your supporters, increase donations, save your team time. What&#39;s not to like?

Megan Castle

"Show, don't tell" your impact using stories as a foundation of your fundraising

In this rapid-fire, high level overview of whether to BYOD or not to BYOD, you&#39;ll learn from an ex-CIO turned nonprofit consultant who has seen it all. She&#39;ll share real-world stories of her experiences with the advantages and disadvantages of a BYOD policy, with a focus on organization size and circumstance.

Melissa Dickinson

Communications Director

10 pros and cons of a bring your own device policy: Stories from the trenches

Are you part of a group of organizations who agree they want to collaborate, but when you try it never works the way you thought it would? Does it seem like something always gets in the way, despite the best of intentions? It might not be what you think it is? Explore 10 reasons your collaborative efforts might not be working, and be introduced to alternatives that can support you in working with others towards a common goal.

Christine Spottiswood

Network Director

Kyle Woods

10 reasons collaboration isn't working

“The very best strategic thinkers make a concerted effort to reflect” This session will provide an opportunity to reflect on the conference. It’s a reprise of a 23NTC community-led experimental activity, where people came together at the end of the conference for personal reflection in a group context. The structure of that activity was that participants were invited to write and post their reflections on sticky notes for three prompts: How did the NTC make me feel? (Connect) What did I learn at the NTC? (Learn) What will I do because of the NTC? (Change) Participants were then invited to write their biggest conference aha on a postcard that was mailed back to them a month later. We don’t yet know if the 25NTC reflection activity will follow the same structure, that depends on who volunteers for the organizing committee, and what ideas garner the consensus and resourcing to move forward. What we can say for certain is that this activity will be community-led, it will strive to be innovative, and it will endeavor to be meaningful for everyone who participates.

Jason Samuels

Consultant at W4Sight

Dar Veverka

Sr. Solution Architect (Idealist Consulting); Lead Online Organizer (NTEN)

25NTC: Good to the last reflection

Does your organization have a Giving Day, or are you looking to start one soon? Come see how the Cornell Lab of Ornithology transformed a regional, mission-focused event into a major fundraising campaign that has grown significantly over the past several years. Hear how engagement soared when various channels were implemented—including traditional methods such as direct mail and in-person participation—with digital platforms and email campaigns. Attendees will gain insights into the Cornell Lab’s creative use of these channels to reach a wider audience, build lasting relationships, and maximize revenue. Walk (or fly, if you will) away equipped with insights and tips on how to kickstart your first-ever Giving Day or enhance your existing one. Come for the learnings, stay for the bird puns. You don’t need to wait until Giving Tuesday to have all the fun!

Bert Salter

Sr. Account Director

A big day, big results: Tips for giving day success

i.D.R.E.A.M. for Racial Health Equity received more than half-million dollars from a hospital-based health equity award and partnered with OB physicians, nurses, and medical assistants with referrals to Black Mamas Glowing, a virtual perinatal peer support group for Black birthing families and their supporters over the budget period of 24 months. The community-based organization leader, an alumni of the 2022-2023 NTEN Tech Readiness Academy, collaborated with an academic researcher to co-design participant pre- and post-surveys and hired a cybersecurity consultant to assess organizational risks and protection of data collected from over 72 Black pregnant women and birthing people. The Black-led team guided the CBO executive director&#39;s conversations with measuring clinical outcomes against State of California data (e.g., asking intrusive questions) and reframed the narrative to repair harm and healing  by the Black Mamas Glowing goals to reduce isolation and build trust. The CBO leader operationalized trust by asking culturally informed questions that centered on healthy and joyous Black births, offered gift card incentives, and documented positive experiences with participants.

Wenonah Valentine, MBA

Founder and Executive Director

Kacie Blackman

Randall Blackman

Cyber Security Consultant

A Black-Led CBO Leader's Responsibility for Tech Readiness and Risk Assessment

Most articles and tutorials that talk about accessibility focus on either making a case for providing accessible content or giving advice on how to create things, websites for instance, so that they can be accessible. There are toolkits and trainings for designers so they know how to avoid using low contrast colors together. Just as important as that though, is the content itself. If content creators and editors don&#39;t know how to properly create accessible content then spending all your developer&#39;s time making sure your content can be accessible will be for nothing. In this session I&#39;ll talk about common pitfalls that I&#39;ve seen the orgs I&#39;ve worked with stumble on, and how to train your editors to create content that works for everyone.

Jason Neumark Mickela

Director of Technology

A content centered approach to accessibility

Many organizations have invested in the sustainability of their team by providing free skill-building opportunities like professional development and mentoring. But sometimes it can be a challenge to get staff members to actually utilize the resources that are offered. When this type of support is not widely used by staff, it can send a message to higher-ups that these tools aren’t worth the money. So how do you get your team to take advantage of the free resources you have? In this session, we’ll share real life examples of successfully fostering professional development through supportive and responsive programming. You’ll leave with actionable strategies for creating a culture of learning within your team so you’ll see more buy-in from staff members and increased professional (and personal) growth!

Keighty Ward

Community Literacy Program Director

Sarah Glazer

Clear Language Lab Senior Program Manager

A culture of learning: How to help staff use the resources you offered

This session will explore a real-world example of an organization leveraging data to evaluate and optimize its programs focused on belonging and inclusion for artists. The organization approaches social impact with a systemic commitment, believing in the power of the arts to build community, center joy, inspire action, and advance justice and equity. It ensures that its 14-16 programs create social justice at the community and artist levels by utilizing data-driven frameworks, collecting qualitative and quantitative data, and learning from analytics. Attendees will learn how data is applied to assess program effectiveness and drive continuous improvement to create meaningful social change. By telling data-driven stories, the organization also wins the trust of supporters, staff, and audience to grow sustainably.

Hetal Sheth

Unmesh Sheth

CEO and Founder

A data-driven approach for program evaluations

Technology is not just a business tool, but a means and opportunity for inclusive, sustainable development. We will explore how young entrepreneurs from low-income communities co-design Somo technologies, unlocking opportunities for others. In a share-back format, we will highlight best practices in designing and developing tools that address the traditional disenfranchisement of marginalized entrepreneurs and build their skills toward proven success. Through our technologies, entrepreneurs foster localized innovation by building context-specific solutions for their communities. Attendees will also learn how scalable, easy-to-use technologies can build foundations for sustainable livelihoods in underserved regions, addressing challenges like limited infrastructure and social inequities. These include intuitive tools for business training, advanced learning, investments, supply chain optimization, and recordkeeping. By the end of the session, participants will understand how community-based technology can help small businesses grow, thrive, and create lasting social impact.

Maureen Moraa

Fundraising and Partnerships Manager

Accelerating economic growth with entrepreneur-driven technologies

There are many resources available regarding digital accessibility these days, especially with the recent updates to [Title II of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA)](https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/) and the passing of [Colorado’s House Bill 21-1110](https://oit.colorado.gov/hb21-1110-faq). The focus of these guidelines always tends to be about websites and applications, with only quick or limited mentions to accessible documents, digital PDFs, and never seem to include any real guidance on how to achieve this, how to deal with older PDFs, or even what “accessible PDFs” truly means. Aten&#39;s accessibility expert, Michaela Lederman will provide a step by step guide for content editors to create more accessible documents for their organization.

Michaela Lederman

Senior Accessibility and QA Lead

Accessible or not? The truth about PDFs and accessible documents

During this fun and creative session, participants will explore innovative practices for data interpretation and meaning making. Participants will learn new ways to deeply engage their teams in understanding and making sense of information through fun and creative strategies such as data gallery walks and data “escape rooms”, encouraging their teams to actively engage with information. Through compelling case studies, attendees will see how these creative approaches foster deeper insights and enhance collaboration, ultimately leading to enhanced data-informed decision making within their organizations.

Kayla Meyers

Founder & Principal Consultant

Actionable insights: Creative approaches to collaborative data decision-making

One of the barriers to efficient nonprofit operations is documenting, finding, and making use of essential organizational information and knowledge resources. The tool for this job is the Knowledge Hub or Org Wiki. Knowledge hubs range in complexity (from documents in a filing cabinet to full software packages) and in price range (from free to ga$p-worthy). Many nonprofits struggle to find the budget and IT-support required to implement a structured knowledge hub. In this workshop, you will learn how a knowledge hub can help your organization document essential policies, mission/vision statements, roles &amp; responsibilities, and other knowledge and make it available across the organization. Using a free low-code tool (Coda), you will build a simple hub that everyone in your organization can start using today, free of charge. With it, you will be able to organize your knowledge and create a feedback system for employees and volunteers to support continuous improvement and renewal of knowledge resources. You will leave this workshop with a one-stop digital repository for your most important information, and the ability to customize it to your unique organizational requirements.

Andy Farnsworth

Founder & Principal

Activate your nonprofit knowledge: Build your own knowledge hub

Big brands use experiential marketing all the time to raise awareness about products and services, and to create buzz through user-generated content. From the Spotify-sponsored Taylor Swift&#39;s TTPD library installation in LA to Ikea&#39;s Place app, which uses AR to show Ikea furniture in your own space before you buy, these interactive, oft-ephemeral experiences create an emotional connection between customers and brand that boost sales and engagement. Nonprofits almost never have the marketing budgets to throw at experiences on the same scale as major brands, but still have the same need to create an emotional connection with the audiences they&#39;re trying to reach. Luckily, there are lessons nonprofits can learn from what the big brands are doing, and ways to implement those lessons without breaking the budget. During this session, we&#39;ll look at ways nonprofits can incorporate experiential and interactive elements into their events and other outreach efforts, even when working with a very low or no budget. By bringing these elements into your strategy, you&#39;ll engage your supporters emotionally and tangibly, which will strengthen their connection to your mission.

Genie Gratto

Communications Strategist & Consultant | GWRITES

Add experiential elements to nonprofit events on a budget

Is your organization considering implementing new software, or making a big tech change, but you&#39;re wondering about the logistics—not to mention the stress on your stakeholders? Good news: there&#39;s a proven strategy and roadmap for how to make your implementation go smoothly, and solve problems instead of creating them. We&#39;ll share this strategy with you step-by-step, and give you a clear path to success.

Adopt new software: Get buy-in, training and integration

In the nonprofit world, we often come across descriptions of communities that use terms like “low digital literacy skills” or “low health literacy knowledge” to frame challenges individuals face in accessing services. While it is important for people to have pathways to build their skills and confidence in areas such as these, these terms can sometimes be simplistic and avoid addressing deeper structural issues in institutions. Basically, we need to work toward making systems that work well for people in the first place. In this session, we will explore flipping the script: how can we build our own organizational literacy as institutions? In other words, how can we make sure that our internal and external communications and related processes are designed with the intent to be easy to navigate, understand, and use? We will explore how organizations can take responsibility for the effectiveness of their systems and build a reflective practice that centers the needs of humans over the systems themselves.

Melanie Sampson

Clear Language Lab Program Director

Advance equity and accessibility through organizational literacy

Join Everytown for Gun Safety and Vera Solutions in exploring how centralized grant management and impact measurement can break down data silos, increase grant effectiveness, and, ultimately, enhance community safety initiatives to end gun violence and save lives. Everytown for Gun Safety’s small-scale grant programs–managed through a flexible Salesforce and Amp Impact-based grants management system–support fast grant deployment, from application to fund disbursement, in grassroots communities. Everytown is exploring further data visualization (power mapping) to understand impact areas and invest resources to advance organizational outcomes. This interactive workshop will discuss the need, limitations, and challenges for a unified platform to streamline grant processes, improve reporting, and ensure these grants align organizational priorities. Everytown will share how centralized data helps visualize relationships to maximize impact, while Vera Solutions will offer insights into data-driven approaches to grant management and measuring success. Attendees will also gain future-focused strategies for improving reporting, cross-department collaboration, and overall impact.

Rediet Wegayehu

Advance equity: Harness centralized systems for inclusive change

Welcoming and inclusive practices result in stronger outcomes for our organizations. At the project management level, human-centered approaches and metrics can be eclipsed by the technical aspects of project management like budgets, timeline, and deadlines. This session will share tips, tactics, and strategies to incorporate welcoming and inclusive practices into your projects for stronger and more equitable outcomes. We will share real-life examples from our own experience of advancing major projects while integrating inclusive practices at all phases, as well as create space for participants to share their own examples and troubleshoot challenges with their peers. This will include discussions of stakeholder engagement and how to navigate various levels of commitment to inclusivity at your own organization.

Brenda Perez

Account Manager

Advance welcoming and inclusive practices in project management

This session offers practical insights into a scalable human-centered and responsible adoption AI strategy. Discover how nonprofits have successfully moved from experimentation to organizational strategy, leveraging AI internally and to enhance program delivery. We’ll share practical approaches for overcoming common challenges, including staff training, identifying AI champions, and managing organizational change. We’ll explore the delicate balance between innovation and ethical considerations, providing a roadmap for nonprofits looking to harness AI&#39;s potential while staying true to their mission. In this session, we’ll hear from nonprofits with lived experience on this transformation journey.. Attendees will gain an understanding of the steps involved in developing an AI strategy, from initial assessment of readiness to organizational deployment.

Beth Kanter

Author, Trainer, and Facilitator

Gozi Egbuonu

Director of Programs

AI adoption strategy for nonprofits: Navigate ethics and innovation

There is lots of talk about the potential for AI in our nonprofit work. But how can we make sure these tools are accessible and inclusive to the disabled community?

Danielle Kempe

Development Manager

Brian Cavanaugh

Director of Digital

AI and disability

Community Change Action and Change Agent AI built a “model for the movement” — but what does that mean and how did we do it? Why is that even important? This panel will delve into the deep philosophical questions and practical value of developing and maintaining an LLM that advances justice and equity. Topics will include: • what is alignment and why is it so important to teach an LLM how to identify what “good” is? • what are mainstream AI tools aligned and what are the practical implications of that alignment? • why does mainstream AI perpetuate harmful bias? • how can open-source models be fine tuned to eliminate harmful bias? • what’s better about an LLM that is fine tuned for a specific purpose and what’s the practical value versus just using ChatGPT? We will cover all this and more with time for attendee questions.

Aram Fischer

co-CEO

Craig Johnson

AI for Changemakers: How We Built an LLM that Advances Justice & Equity

AI is for Advocacy will detail how to use generative AI to influence public policy. We will demonstrate how to ensure outputs match your organization’s voice, utilize your most powerful talking points, and align with expert messaging guidance. We will cover the following formats: • bill proposals to lawmakers • bill analysis from your organization’s perspective • public comment • speeches • letters to the editor • press releases and media advisories • scripts for letters and phone calls to legislators

AI is for advocacy: Practical AI for influencing public policy

How many “must-have” AI tools have you been told to use? (and how many are you still not using but surviving all too well?) We often find ourselves stuck, trying to figure out what actually works. The truth? More tools don’t (ever?) mean better solutions. What you need is a clear framework or at least I want to offer that up as a solution. Join Brad, an equity-focused evaluation consultant, for a straightforward, jargon-free session. Drawing from hundreds of hours spent navigating AI tools, coaching others, and dodging ‘must-use’ tools, Brad will share practical steps to help you confidently approach AI solutions. You’ll walk away with a framework to guide your decision-making, helping you make AI work for you or your organization—not the other way around.

Brad Krueger

Evaluation Consultant | AI Trainer

AI overload: Why 5,000+ tools won't help you (but this framework may)

Most of us know that AI has the potential to help nonprofits dramatically increase their productivity and do more good in the world. But the challenge is finding use cases. How, precisely, can AI help us, other than writing silly poems about dogs? Jeremy Wallace-Segall, COO of Writopia Lab, and Ben Freda of BFC Digital do a speedrun through six different AI use cases showcasing how low-cost, no-code AI tools can make it possible to do far more good in far less time. The session will demonstrate the use of Gen AI to: * Reformat thousands of rows of donor data from HTML format into CSV * Create an interactive wireframe prototype for an annual dinner microsite * Create professional Standard Operating Procedure documentation from recorded screen-capture video * Categorize four thousand WordPress blog posts into a refined taxonomy * Design a new icon in the style of an already-existing custom icon set * Write custom Google Apps script to do really cool stuff with your spreadsheets … each in less than 10 minutes — instead of hours, days, or weeks of human time. The session also will provide a framework for nonprofit staff to identify how to find their own use cases.

Ben Freda

President

AI use-case speedrun: Six no-code AI demos to save a month per year

As the future of work evolves, technology such as AI is playing a bigger role in our work. Nonprofits of the future will need to be even more efficient and effective and do even more with fewer resources. But simply working longer and harder doesn’t guarantee sustainable impact. Fortunately, new tech and approaches offer better ways to make an impact while being mindful of how we take care of ourselves and our teams in the process. This approach to healthy productivity requires skillfully embracing new technology like AI, cultivating a culture of continuous learning, and rethinking practices that leave us drained vs energized. Join us to learn how to create healthier approaches to work with the latest practical apps, tools, and tactics that can help you and your organization create more impact now AND in the future!

Jason Shim

Chief Digital Officer

Meico Marquette Whitlock

Workplace Well-Being Strategist

AI, apps, tools and tactics for healthier productivity

In today&#39;s rapidly evolving technological landscape, staying ahead of the curve is essential for nonprofit consultants working to create greater impact for their clients. This session is designed specifically for consultants who work with nonprofit organizations and are looking to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency by leveraging cutting-edge tools, applications, and AI-driven solutions. Join us for a fast-paced popcorn-style review of some of the latest practical technologies that can streamline your consulting practice, optimize client outcomes, and expand your toolkit. We’ll explore an array of apps and tools that address key challenges consultants face, such as project management, data analysis, communication, and stakeholder engagement. By the end of this session, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to implement these tools in ways that complement your workflow and elevate your service delivery. This session will empower you to harness the best of today&#39;s technology while navigating the complexities and risks that come with it, ultimately helping you serve your nonprofit clients more effectively.

AI, apps, tools and tactics for nonprofit consultants: What's your tech stack?

This session will level-set the audience&#39;s understanding of AI and focus on its practical applications to nonprofits across many business areas including finance, fundraising, programs, volunteer management, marketing and communications and operations. The audience will be solicited to volunteer their uses and ideas in a great example of the power of groups. Based in real experience using AI technology internally, for clients, and within clients, it is pragmatic and oriented towards immediate use.

Lisa Rau

Founder and Chairman

AI: Beyond the hype and towards real applications for nonprofits

Your voice is your #1 instrument. It can strengthen trust, build credibility, and create belonging. Imagine having your community listen to your every word, no matter where they are or what they’re doing. As a strategic thinker and creative problem solver that cares, you want to connect with your people on an emotional level. Podcasting can help tell your story. It amplifies your voice. Listeners can feel like they belong. But podcasting isn’t just about plugging in a mic and talking. Let’s redefine success beyond the download numbers. Create a show based on your capacity and budget - all while having fun doing it. In this 60-minute workshop, you’ll understand how podcasting fits into your organization’s goals, move forward with a plan and strategy that expands your community, and create a show that lives your values. The world needs diverse voices. Are you ready to create a community of belonging for your listeners?

Mary Chan

Podcast Strategist, Voice Coach, and CEO of Organized Sound Productions

Amplify your voice: Build community through strategic podcasting

You&#39;ve likely heard about the value of incorporating SMS into your fundraising program, but the options might seem overwhelming and it can be difficult to know where to start with this new channel. When you attend this session, you&#39;ll hear from two organizations - the National Park Foundation and Bread for the World - who both built successful SMS programs from scratch. You&#39;ll learn what to do, what not to do, and you&#39;ll come away with tips and tools for implementing an SMS program at your organization.

Megan Buchheit

Senior Account Manager

As easy as 123: How to launch an SMS program

In this session, attendees will learn the basics of key technologies for the blind/low vision community and how they are currently being used. Some key technologies include: screen reader, magnification software, audio description, text-to-speech (Siri and Alexa), alt text, and Aira (Access to Information Remote Assistance). Aira connects blind and low vision individuals to highly-trained, remotely located visual interpreters who provide instant access to visual information anytime and anywhere. Most significantly, I will discuss the various sectors in which these technologies are currently used and provide resources to these technologies, blindness resources, and how the assistive technology field provides an inclusive environment for all through numerous passions and pathways.

Joy Mistovich

Assistant Education Director/Digital UX Accessibility Specialist

Assistive technology and inclusion through a blindness lens

If you want to compare options – for example, two different fundraising emails – standard A/B testing is a tried-and-true way to make data-driven decisions. However, there are a few disadvantages to running a standard A/B test: (1) it is costly every time you experiment with the &quot;worse&quot; option, (2) you usually will wait to take action until the end of the experiment, and (3) testing more than a few different options can be time consuming or impractical. This session will focus on an increasingly popular alternative: adaptive experimentation, a strategy that allows you to learn from your data as soon as it is collected. With adaptive experimentation, you can quickly hone in on the best option and limit the number of times you experiment with costly alternatives. This type of experimentation is particularly effective when testing many different options or conducting simultaneous experiments. We will provide an interactive overview of adaptive experimentation, including examples of practical applications (such as improving targeted outreach strategies or designing ask amounts) and the variety of ways that you can leverage these ideas at your organization.

Scott Rodilitz

Assistant Professor

Beyond A/B testing: Adaptive experimentation

Building and growing a vibrant nonprofit membership base is essential for long-term success, but many organizations struggle with how to attract, engage, and retain members in a way that aligns with their mission. In this session, we’ll explore proven strategies for growing your nonprofit’s membership by cultivating meaningful relationships, leveraging digital platforms, and creating engaging membership experiences. This session will provide actionable insights into how nonprofits of any size can successfully scale their membership programs. You’ll learn how to: - Create membership experiences that go beyond transactions, fostering long-term relationships and loyalty - Develop a membership journey that caters to different types of members—volunteers, donors, advocates—and their unique needs - Use technology, social media, and content marketing to attract and retain members This session is perfect for nonprofit professionals looking to boost their membership numbers while deepening their members’ connection to their organization’s mission.

Amy Rose

Co-CEO & CMO

Beyond numbers: Strategies to grow and sustain your nonprofit's membership

In this session, we’ll explore the critical but often-overlooked elements beyond technology that lead to successful nonprofit CRM implementations. We will focus on governance, business process alignment, inclusive design, and long-term strategy, while also emphasizing the importance of personal and professional growth. Through engaging case studies and real-world experiences, this session will reveal how these non-technical factors shape not only the success of your CRM but also the impact you deliver for your nonprofit’s mission. Attendees will walk away with practical strategies and a fresh perspective on maximizing their CRM’s potential to drive change.

Rubin Singh

Founder & CEO

Beyond the technology: The human factors driving nonprofit CRM success

Nonprofits are often caught in their own echo chamber of who their ideal donor is. The truth is that the ideal donor persona is too often defined by ideas and practices from years, if not decades, ago. Our databases are telling us &quot;your best donor is suburban and over 60 years old&quot; and our campaigns are pointing to those groups, self-fulfilling the assumption. This keeps nonprofits stuck in place, not allowing them to find new donor bases. Technology that isn&#39;t dependent on CRM data, and therefore internal biases, is the key to breaking the mindset, experimenting safely while not alienating existing donor bases, and creating a sustainable fundraising roadmap.

Salvatore Salpietro

Chief Community Officer

Bias in your fundraising data: Identify, mitigate and grow

Nonprofits have a few things in common almost universally; being under-resourced and people wearing many hats. In conditions like these, it is difficult to think beyond the next deadline or putting out the next fire. This near-sightedness is exacerbated when there is no shared data strategy. These were all challenges that we faced at Planned Parenthood. We were successful in finding ways to make incremental change towards data organization that supports integrated fundraising. In this workshop, we will outline the steps we took to define our data strategy and then re-organize and harmonize our data to support that strategy. We will walk participants through outlining their own data strategy and defining the small practical steps they can take to make meaningful change without additional resources.

Anna Rhodes

Director, Data and Analysis

Break data siloes: Channel integration through data team cooperation

Nonprofits are often expected to deliver fully-conceived and tested models to achieve their missions, leaving little room for experimentation or failure. However, embracing failure and maintaining transparency with donors and partners can be truly transformational. Join Micromentor, the world’s largest free virtual mentoring platform and community for underserved entrepreneurs, for a compelling case study on how addressing a critical performance breakdown led to a complete platform rebuild and a deeper understanding of balancing scale with depth in virtual mentoring for MSMEs. This session will include a mini-workshop where participants will work in groups to examine their own workplace culture through the lens of embracing failure. Attendees will gain practical tips for fostering a culture of accountability and innovation within their organizations, and network with like-minded peers.

Michelle Kostouser

Breakdown: How to embrace failure when stakes are high and money is tight

Driving strategic outcomes in a nonprofit requires seamless collaboration between business teams in fundraising, engagement, and programs, and the technology teams that support the tools and data fueling results. However, bridging this gap often presents challenges around roles, ownership, and collaboration, leading to stalled progress, friction between team members, and poor ROI on technology investments. In this session, we’ll explore how CARE USA transformed its CRM operations by harmonizing its Digital (IT) and Resource Development teams. Using insights from a comprehensive staffing and organizational design assessment, we’ll discuss how CARE established role specialization, created a new bridging Development Data and Systems team, and adopted a collaborative ownership model for its CRM. Attendees will learn strategies for balancing technical expertise with business context, integrating business-side leadership into tech projects, and fostering cross-departmental collaboration to achieve shared goals. This session will equip leaders with actionable approaches to optimizing technology and unifying teams for stronger results.

Justin Birdsong

Bridge the gap: Staffing strategies to unify tech and business teams

Deciding between extending fewer tech platforms or integrating multiple point solutions is critical when it comes to building your ideal tech stack. This panel will help you decide which approach works for your organization by discussing real-world examples with industry leaders. We will talk about best practices, AI, data readiness, platform adoption, and more! The panel will cover: *How to evaluate the extensibility of your current tech *Ensuring data accuracy: singe source vs distributed source of truth *Integrating systems while managing technical debt *How to use fewer systems to meet goals and optimize efficiency *Leveraging structured and unstructured data for AI with a connected tech stack *Productivity loss driven by context switching *Reducing data silos from point solutions that impact real-time decision-making *Real lessons &amp; stories from IT leaders and executives who have both failed and succeeded at building optimal tech stacks for their organizations Join us and learn how you can both innovate and simplify your organization&#39;s operations with an uncompromising, well-thought-out, and intentionally designed tech stack!

Mandy Thompson

CEO & Co-founder

Brian Juntti

Executive Vice President

Grant Offermann

Senior Business Analyst

Build a better tech stack: Extending platforms vs. integrating point solutions

Trans people experience significant barriers to basic dignity in the workplace. Policy and culture deficits in the workplace can bring a trans person’s personal and professional lives into conflict. As organizations strive to become more equitable, diverse, and inclusive, it is important to improve the experiences of trans people in your workplace. This session will cover tangible examples of ways to promote the agency and success of trans people at your organization. Attendees will learn about specific policies and practices—including information technology, data management, human processes, and more—that will strengthen your organization and improve workplace experience for all employees.

Charles Linton

Communications Associate

Willa Hughes

Electrical Engineer

Build a more gender-inclusive and expansive workplace

This session will guide nonprofits through the essential process of conducting a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) audit. Activities will uncover hidden biases in the language and imagery often used in organizational materials. Participants will also learn how to craft and/or revise authentic DEI statements and develop a concrete, actionable roadmap that holds their organization accountable for meaningful, ongoing progress. By examining real-world examples and using proven methodologies, attendees will leave equipped to drive equity and inclusion in all aspects of their nonprofit’s work.

Building Equity: Conducting a DEI Audit for Meaningful Change in Your Nonprofit

With artificial intelligence becoming an increasingly important tool for nonprofits, it’s critical to ensure that these tools are implemented responsibly and efficiently. This session will introduce participants to Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAGs), a cutting-edge AI framework that combines data retrieval with content generation to create more accurate, context-aware outputs that provide an added layer of data security. You’ll learn how RAGs are integrated in lay terms, and the options available for their application to refine AI-generated content, prevent misinformation, keep the ownership of your organization&#39;s data in your hands, and improve the efficiency of your nonprofit’s communications, research, and operations when using an AI that has a RAG system integrated. By the end of the session, you’ll understand how to apply RAGs to your own organization’s use of AI and ensure AI-generated content remains accurate, secure, and mission-aligned. Additionally, all attendees will receive practical resources that can be used to implement these strategies within their own organizations, empowering them to refine and optimize AI workflows.

Kathleen Daniels

Project Manager

Can Retrieval-Augmented Generation improve your nonprofit's relationship to data

Join us for an eye-opening learning session where we’ll unravel ITDP’s journey through years of accumulated research and knowledge products. In the nonprofit world, two challenges loom large: the pressing need to cut IT costs and the instinct to cling to outdated data. In this engaging case study presentation, we’ll tackle pertinent questions such as: How old does data have to be before it loses its relevance? What strategies can we employ to sift through vast datasets and identify what truly matters, especially in a global context? We’ll explore innovative archival and storage solutions—from external hard drives to Microsoft Archive and GCP Archive— highlighting what works best for different scenarios. Get ready for a session packed with practical insights and actionable strategies that will empower individuals to take control of your digital assets and pave the way for a more efficient, streamlined future!

Kaytee Clements

Combating Decades of Digital Hoarding

What do you do when your client asks for help in an area you cannot provide any services? Every nonprofit agency needs to refer clients to other programs and resources at some point. The yellow pad in your drawer is not going to cut it anymore. Creating and maintaining robust community resource guides is an essential endeavor for promoting community well-being and resilience, but what are the important aspects of a useful and comprehensive resource directory? How do you know which directories to use and which can be trusted? This presentation will explore the key elements of comprehensive resource guides (taxonomy, proximity, accessibility, inclusivity, maintainability, and low friction) that make a directory useful and trustworthy. The speakers will present a case study from The San Antonio Community Resource Directory, SACRD.org, detailing how San Antonio built and maintains an online resource directory used by individuals, social, workers, case managers, and faith communities to help navigate people with a need to a place that has the capacity to meet that need.

Bill Neely

Executive Director

Community resourcing 101 – your PDF isn't going to cut it

The University of Michigan School of Information’s Engaged Learning Office (ELO) provides transformative opportunities for both students and community organizations using a community-responsive model for engagement programs. The ELO connects organizations with students in user experience, data analysis, or library science to complete capacity-expanding projects.  Our model involves assessing community needs and communicating them to internal and external stakeholders such as faculty and program managers to ensure the design and teaching of programs meet those needs and helps ensure students and community members have mutually beneficial experiences that align with their individual needs. This iterative process involves continual evaluation and assessment of outcomes and has shifted over time to meet the needs of all stakeholders. This session will introduce our model and provide interactive opportunities for attendees to consider how this model is extensible to their contexts.  Attendees will gain ideas for how to implement more iterative assessment in their organizations.

Lori Donovan

Associate Director of External Engagement

Community responsive model for providing tech resources via university programs

Small-dollar donors may not be the first group you think of when planning your major donor fundraising gala, but their involvement can play a pivotal role in meeting ambitious revenue goals. In this session, you&#39;ll learn about how Chicago’s legendary Adler Planetarium collaborated with a beloved honoree to inspire broader community support and drive giving. We’ll also discuss how other organizations are innovating in engaging donors at every level to sustain important programmatic work. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to engage their entire donor base around a major donor event, ensuring that supporters of all giving levels feel connected to and invested in your nonprofit organization’s mission.