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Community input is now closed. The Session Advisory Committee is now reviewing your favorites alongside their recommendations to finalize the 26NTC program. The full list of selected sessions (and early registration!) will be live on October 13. Check back then to see what made the program and grab your spot at the NTC!

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Do you ever feel like #AI4GOOD rings hollow? Do you have that feeling that naked emperors are ignoring the elephants in the room? Could it be that the glassy-eyed techno-optimist billionaires are lying to us?! #AI4EVIL will help us concretely define what #AI4GOOD should actually mean by defining the reverse. Let’s scheme how to use AI to destroy the climate, violate the copyrights of authors and artists, exploit user data for profit, perpetuate harmful biased of all kinds, and destabilize the lives of working families as much as possible. Once we define the diabolical, we’ll break it all down. - Which players are advancing good and evil? - What defines right action versus wrong? -Most importantly, how can each of us effectively manifest the good in our AI use and broader advocacy? Let’s be EEEEEVVVVVIIIIILLLL. Together. FOR GOOD!

#AI4EVIL - Being Bad to Learn How to Be Good

Data visualization is everywhere now. You see it in your social feeds, in your annual reports, even frequently on utility bills! BUT, there is s a huge difference between data visualization (in general) and effective and engaging data visualization. This 1 hour crash course in improving data visualizations will take real world examples and improve them using a set of easy data visualization principles that increase engagement. As a group and with lots of discussion take on confusing charts (from well-known organizations) and make them super easy to understand with just a few small tweaks.

1 Hour Data Viz Crash Course: Easy fixes to make your charts better!

Your preparation for a website redesign—think of it as &quot;Phase 0&quot;—has a huge impact on the outcome, positive or negative. In this fast-paced presentation, learn how to avoid common mistakes and make sure your first step toward a better website is on the right path. Attendees will leave with lots of questions —but no answers, sorry!— to take with them and apply directly with their organizations. Some will surprise, some will seem obvious, and a few may just save your next website project! People working in roles across an organization will benefit from the holistic, mission-driven approach to websites woven into this presentation. Questions support strategic thinking, managing change and large technology projects, and preparing an organization for a successful website project. Organizations with clear answers to these questions will be better prepared to collaborate and support an external website partner or internal web team.

10 questions to ask before your next website redesign

Text messaging continues to evolve rapidly as a vital tool for nonprofit fundraising, advocacy, and community engagement. In 2026, new platform updates, including iOS26’s expanded spam filters and Google’s SMS categorization, have reshaped how nonprofits must approach deliverability, compliance, and donor trust. This session will explore the latest data, trends, and regulatory shifts, while offering actionable best practices to help nonprofits maximize engagement and revenue. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of what’s changed, what’s working, and how to future-proof their text messaging strategies. Session Format: This 30-minute training will blend presentation, real-world nonprofit case studies, and interactive discussion. The session will include: the presentation of key 2026 trends and benchmarks, and an interactive Q&amp;A to address organization-specific questions This session is designed for: (1) Nonprofit fundraisers, Digital engagement and advocacy staff, Communications, and Nonprofit leaders and decision-makers who want to marketing professionals who want to integrate texting into multi-channel campaigns.

2026 Text Messaging Landscape & Best Practices

Do you have projects on your plate? Big things on the horizon, or a LOT of small-but-crucial ones? This workshop is designed for new project managers, unofficial or accidental project managers, and anyone who wants a head start on setting up their next project for success. Understanding and engaging your stakeholders, defining your goals and resources, getting the most out of your meetings, and documenting changes during your projects: These are all crucial, challenging responsibilities for anyone managing a project or just trying to get stuff done. Luckily, you don’t have to start from scratch. This session will present five tools you need to get started, run effectively, and finish strong in any project for your org. We’ll work through a set of templates you can use right away, with details and examples of how to get the most out of each one.

5 project management tools you need–especially if you’re not a project manager

This session will give nonprofit professionals practical tips for using generative AI to create stronger website and social media content. With limited budgets and staff capacity, AI has the ability to help brainstorm ideas, refine messaging, and increase content production while ensuring authenticity and strategic messaging. Participants will walk through five actionable strategies for leveraging AI responsibly, including content ideation, audience targeting, SEO optimization, repurposing across channels, and maintaining a human voice. The discussion will emphasize ethical use of AI and demonstrate how nonprofits can create a balance between efficiency and authenticity. Examples of content made with AI will be shared, and participants will leave with user-friendly tactics they can implement right away.

5 Tips for Ethically Using AI to Develop Compelling Website and Social Content

Drawing from AI for Nonprofits, a bestselling book built on insights from 57 of the sector’s leading voices, this session distills the most practical, game-changing lessons we uncovered while writing it. We’ll share surprising “aha” moments, common themes, and hard-won lessons on how nonprofits are actually using AI across fundraising, programs, marketing, and back-office operations. From prompt engineering hacks to the essentials of AI governance and ethics, you’ll leave with concrete strategies you can apply immediately—plus enjoy a candid look at the biggest pitfalls that can derail adoption. Designed as an interactive session, we’ll leave ample time for discussion and Q&amp;A, ensuring participants surface their own insights alongside the curated best practices we’ll share. This session is ideal for nonprofit leaders, program managers, and technologists who want a clear, practical roadmap to harnessing AI responsibly and effectively, no matter their role or budget.

57 Experts, 1 Playbook: The Hard-Won Truths About AI in Nonprofits

In 2024, over 35 million people participated in GivingTuesday, raising $3.6 billion in the U.S. alone. Whether your organization participates in this event or has its own giving day, these 24-hour campaigns have the potential to raise critical funding for your mission, increase brand awareness and affiliation, and mobilize supporters. This fast-paced 30-minute session will cover everything you need to know about planning a giving day, touching on topics like: - Audience and donor segmentation - Gamefying strategies - Multi-channel methods for direct asks - Collaborating with your comms/marketing team and major gift officers - Leveraging influencers for social media - Preparing your CRM and more Who should attend: Fundraising or communications/ marketing professionals who coordinate or participate in a giving day campaign. This session will be especially helpful to anyone who is leading a giving day for the very first time or wants to revive their current campaign and needs some inspiration. The presentation will also include a link to our giving day template, which will help attendees organize a large multichannel campaign.

A complete guide to planning and executing a successful giving day

Improving tech literacy at non-profits is a daunting challenge, but also a unique opportunity to explore creative solutions. Approaching IT education with curiosity and courage allows us to improve our orgs&#39; tech skill and deepens our orgs&#39; capabilities. How do we get there? What specific things can be done to raise all the boats floating on the tech tide? 1. Time is the most expensive thing at your org; don&#39;t waste it on classrooms - Classrooms have their place, but tech is a moving target and classrooms don&#39;t address that problem efficiently. 2. Rhythms and Practices - Pivoting our approach to instilling rhythms and practices for IT creates a lasting impact that brings about positive side effects. 3. Shifting to an Outcome-based Model - What do we want our people to be able to do? What stands in the way of that? What rhythms and practices should they adopt to get them there?

A different approach to tech education

The unsubscribe page is your last, best chance to keep a supporter engaged. In this session, you’ll learn how to move beyond the default &quot;goodbye&quot; and build a strategic retention tool. We’ll share the blueprint from our work with several of the biggest brands on the nonprofit sector, helping them transform their unsubscribe process into a &quot;Supporter Hub&quot; with granular choices. We&#39;ll also explore the &quot;opt-in firewall&quot; that protects vital fundraising lists.

A Graceful Exit: Reimagining Your Unsubscribe Page to Retain Supporters

For those who are looking at new ways to work with AI, think about attending this session.  This session takes a look at music generators like Suno, Mureka and others.  How can you take your words and turn them into the music you need for your project?

A look at AI music generators

Listen in on a fascinating conversation between Fredric, a Millennial developer and Gregory, a Gen Z developer, about the technology they&#39;ve used to support various non-profit projects at their small business, Bright Plum. This father and son conversation will share insights about their experience to help non-profit decision makers, technologists, and supporters learn what works and what can attract fresh talent to their organizations. What has changed, for the better, over the last 15 years? What technology has stood the test of time and is still used by today&#39;s developers? What process and tech stack are folks just starting their career in tech turning to? How can our current tech landscape address the real-world issues Gen Z folks are dealing and where can Millennials help?

A Millennial dev and Gen Z dev walk into a tech bar...

Nonprofit leaders are often asked to climb faster, gain more skills, adopt new tools, juggle tighter budgets. But what if the real problem isn’t the people or the technology, but the system itself? Many organizations reward heroics, leaving their teams exhausted and their missions fragile. This talk introduces Living Systems Leadership, a model that shifts focus from heroics to habitats. Drawing lessons from nature, this approach equips leaders to design cultures and systems that thrive without relying on any one individual. Nonprofit executives and IT leaders will learn: How to define observable cultural behaviors that bring values to life. Keep technology mission-focused through a one-page charter. Leverage stakeholder wisdom in decision-making. Adapt strategic plans without losing alignment. Discover how to preserve organizational knowledge using simple, sustainable practices that prevent costly reinvention. This talk delivers concrete strategies leaders can apply immediately. By focusing on systems, not just individual effort, nonprofit leaders can reduce burnout, protect core mission outcomes, and build resilient teams ready for whatever comes next.

A Mission-Aligned Tech Charter: Culture, Decisions, and Knowledge Systems

1 billion people have a disability that impacts how they navigate websites. In order to more effectively achieve your digital goals, such as an uptick in donations, job applications, or program inquiries, your website needs to appreciate the unique needs of each visitor. In this 60-minute workshop, the Great Believer team will break down the focal points of web accessibility and outline changes you can make today to demonstrate your commitment to all digital users.

A more accessible web begins with your website

AI tools are everywhere, but for nonprofits, adopting them requires extra care. As a social impact agency, Briteweb developed guiding principles to ensure AI supports, rather than replaces, our most important asset: people. In this session, Jill de Chavez, Briteweb’s CEO and Owner, will share our “People-First Approach to AI,” a framework that puts community, equity, and transparency at the center of AI adoption. We’ll walk through how our team balances efficiency with responsibility, develops policies that protect privacy, and ensures AI systems reflect the values of the organizations we serve. This session is for nonprofit leaders, communications professionals, and anyone who wants to integrate AI without compromising their mission or relationships. Using real-world examples and interactive discussion, attendees will explore how to apply guiding principles like transparency, inclusion, and accountability when experimenting with AI in their organizations.

A People-First Approach to AI in a Social Impact Landscape

Is your member portal a vibrant digital clubhouse or a dusty content library? In today&#39;s hyper-connected world, a simple paywall for exclusive content is no longer enough to retain members. The real value lies in community. This hands-on workshop is designed to help you transform your passive member website into an active, self-sustaining community hub that drives loyalty, deepens engagement, and boosts renewals. We will move beyond theory to provide a practical roadmap for community-centric design. You&#39;ll learn how to audit your current digital member experience, identify key opportunities for connection, and leverage the right tools—from AI-powered personalization to simple forum software—to foster powerful peer-to-peer relationships. You&#39;ll leave not with a list of ideas, but with a concrete action plan to build a digital space your members will never want to leave.

A Playbook to Turn Your Member Website into a Thriving Community

This session will feature practical, cost-efficient tools for researching, identifying, contacting, managing, and working with celebrity endorsers and social media influencers to reach new donors. Attendees will learn the difference between endorsements and influencer content, along with tools and tactics to find them, solicit them, contract with them, and utilize their content to promote key fundraising campaigns. This interactive session will document the growth of Influencer marketing in the non-profit sector and will feature multi-media endorsement and influencer content from recent fundraising campaigns, along with best practices for leveraging that content across digital channels. Additionally, the seminar will present tips for reporting campaign results to stakeholders. Any organization or agency wanting to learn more about endorsements and influencers can benefit from this session.

A Practical Guide to Leverage Endorsements and Influencers for Fundraising

&quot;Tired of fighting for attention in crowded inboxes? The National Park Foundation (NPF) was too. They needed a fresh way to connect with park lovers — one that would deepen relationships, inspire action, and drive sustained support. In this interactive workshop, you’ll go beyond the case study and roll up your sleeves. Together, we’ll walk through how NPF, with Mobile Commons and Lautman, Maska, Neill &amp; Company, built a thriving SMS program — from making the internal case, to setting up processes, growing the list, developing strategy, and measuring results. We&#39;ll work through the entire process together, from making the internal case for SMS to setting up processes and a growth strategy. You&#39;ll leave with practical tools and templates you can use right away!&quot;

A-List Engagement: Building a Thriving SMS Program

Accessibility isn’t just a checklist item to tick off at the end of a project; it’s a mindset that should shape every design choice from the beginning. In this session, Briteweb Creative Director Kaila Jacques will share practical, people-first approaches to building inclusive digital experiences. Drawing on projects with nonprofits across education, justice, and the arts, Kaila will unpack how accessibility can both expand reach and strengthen organizational values. Attendees will learn the fundamentals of accessible design, what to prioritize (beyond compliance), and how small choices—like heading structure, contrast, and content hierarchy—can have a big impact on usability. Whether you’re a designer, communicator, or nonprofit leader, you’ll leave with concrete steps to make your digital platforms more welcoming, usable, and impactful for everyone.

Accessibility First: Designing Digital Experiences that Include Everyone

Digital equity isn’t a digital divide challenge—it’s a system determining who can access, use, and benefit from technology. We&#39;ll explore how a cultural institution creates digital solutions, centered in geographic concepts, to empower communities to leverage data to support the communities they live, serve, and work in. The Henry Ford will share case studies about: The Innovation Atlas: a platform that maps innovation barriers and STE(A)MM opportunities across every K-12 school nationally The Detroit Resource Mapping Tool: in partnership with the National Disability Institute and Wayne Metro Community Services, it supports conversations on intersectionality and unintentional silos that impede practical solutions to the complex economic challenges faced by individuals with disabilities Community Partner Hub: a network of community-based organizations that provide direct social services to underserved and underrepresented clients in Metro-Detroit area Together, we’ll examine the decisions and partnerships that made these projects possible and discuss how nonprofits can replicate these strategies to build trust, share knowledge, and drive collective action in their own missions.

Accessibility in Tech: Designing Solutions that Empower Communities

Nonprofit technologists are more sensitive than most with respect to building accessibility practices into ongoing work. This presentation begins with a pop quiz to understand how audience participants are already using accessibility practices to build more inclusive online experiences. From there we&#39;ll review seven practical steps to increase implementation strategies so that the digital products we build, will work for users of all abilities. Target Audience Web Developers UX/UI designers Product managers and business stakeholders Content creators and marketing professionals Accessibility advocates and newcomers to the field All participants receive a resource list for continued support with access to accessibility testing tools and web resources. Parts of this talk were first presented at the United States National Association of State Technology Directors conference in August 2025.

Accessibility Matters - Change Management at your Organization

Web developers and designers know that accessibility isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s fundamental. But, often, when we’re in the weeds of making our sites and digital experiences accessible, we lose sight of the forest for the trees. In other words, we sometimes overlook the fact that building with accessibility at the forefront enhances the digital experiences of our users and the organization’s overall brand. Accessibility isn’t a constraint on your nonprofit’s brand — it’s a catalyst for clarity, creativity, and connection. In this session, we’ll explore how prioritizing accessibility across design and development not only expands your reach but strengthens the integrity of your organization’s brand and breaks down silos. We’ll tackle common challenges and share strategies for preserving visual identity while prioritizing inclusion. You’ll gain a behind-the-scenes look at how our focus on inclusive and accessible design fuels our creativity in everything from typography to interactive components, and how design systems can make accessibility sustainable across departments

Accessibility strengthens your brand:A holistic approach from creative to code

You&#39;ve got a website redesign coming up, but you&#39;re not sure where to start. How much should you budget? How do you ensure you&#39;re hearing out key stakeholders across your organization? How do you keep it all on track? In this session, we&#39;ll cover what you should consider when thinking about budgets, reviewing proposals, managing the project, and what comes after the site launches. Managing a website redesign doesn&#39;t have to be as daunting of a task as you might think — as long as you&#39;ve thought through key pillars to help the project go as smoothly as possible. Attendees will walk away with a roadmap to planning their next redesign. This session is for marketing and communications professionals who are the project managers for a website internally but are partnering with a firm. Whether it&#39;s your first time managing a website redesign or you need a refresher, this session is for you.

Ace Your Next Website Redesign

Both Google and Microsoft have new features available in their programs for nonprofit advertisers. The Google Ad Grant has a longstanding reputation for being difficult to get results, but new features have led to a renaissance of the program. For the first time in 20 years there is a new campaign type available: Performance Max has no keywords, and enables you to target ads at defined audiences instead. Local nonprofit ads can now appear on Google Maps and further inventory is being planned, likely extending to Gmail and Shopping ads. Your ads can now appear in AI overviews in Google searches. Policies have been simplified, there is now support from product experts on the official Google for Nonprofits forum, and the program is opening up to 100+ new countries. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Ads for Social Impact program has quietly re-opened and nonprofits are able to apply again. Most nonprofits and the digital agencies that work are unaware of the new opportunities, so in this session we will break down what is now possible in 2026.

Ad Grants in 2026—Exciting new features for charity advertisers

Grant funding is undergoing rapid change. Federal priorities are being redefined, long-standing funding flows are shifting, and new technologies are beginning to reshape the landscape in ways nonprofits cannot ignore. The question is no longer whether change is happening, but how organizations can adapt to stay ahead. This panel brings together nonprofit, foundation, and technology leaders to discuss the specifics of what’s changed at the federal and private foundation level, how organizations can adapt their strategies, and which emerging tools offer the greatest potential benefit to the sector. Speakers will share perspectives from across the funding ecosystem, balancing policy, practice, and innovation. Attendees will leave with practical insights to sharpen their strategies, align with evolving requirements, and make informed choices about new technologies. Designed to be informational and balanced, the session equips nonprofit professionals with actionable steps to strengthen funding readiness in a shifting environment.

Adapting to Changes in Grant Funding: Federal Shifts and Emerging Technology

Have you noticed your web traffic declining? It&#39;s not just you. AI tools like ChatGPT and Google&#39;s AI Overviews are changing how people search and find answers online. For nonprofits that depend on search traffic to connect with their audience and demonstrate their impact, this shift raises important and urgent questions about how to remain seen, relevant, and trusted. In this session, we&#39;ll explore the latest research on AI search adoption, why AI search may reduce clicks to your site, and how to adapt your digital measurements. We&#39;ll also cover strategies you can use right now, such as optimizing your content for AI visibility and strengthening direct relationships with your supporters on channels you own. The format combines verbal presentation with interactive small-group discussions where you can brainstorm how to apply these concepts to your organization. This session is designed for nonprofit leaders, comms teams, and digital strategists who want their organization to remain visible and relevant in the age of AI search.

Adapting your digital strategy for the AI search era

Artificial intelligence tools such as Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT are rapidly becoming the gatekeepers of public knowledge across every area where nonprofits seek to influence, fundraise, or educate. With the majority of users never clicking through to original sources, AI-generated answers can now determine which nonprofits are recognized as credible, where donations flow, and what actions people are encouraged to take. In this session, we will explore how AI is shaping the public’s understanding of key social issues and what we can do to respond. We’ll draw on Forum One’s first-of-its-kind research analyzing 30,000 AI-generated responses across multiple nonprofit issues and dive into actionable strategies using real-world data and case studies from the nonprofit sector. The session blends presentation with interactive exercises. In breakout groups, participants will identify their own organization’s potential visibility risks and opportunities, then co-create strategies for building authority, partnerships, and AI-ready content.

Addressing the AI Narrative: Shaping Visibility and Impact with AI Answers

With major federal policy shifts in 2025, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) pivoted to an advocacy-first digital fundraising model, allowing them to grow revenue and supporter energy simultaneously. In this candid case study, CSPI and Interactive Strategies unpack how urgency around policy threats powered a paid media program that used petitions and pledges as the “front door,” then converted advocates into donors through segmentation and smart email tactics. What we’ll cover: audience and creative strategy; landing pages that move people from action to gift; list growth that feeds retargeting; budget pacing during spikes; brand-safety and compliance for political ads; and measurement that goes beyond CPA to analyze advocacy-to-donor conversion, time-to-first-gift, and ROAS. Who should attend: digital fundraising and advocacy leads, paid media managers, communications directors, and nonprofit executives navigating policy-driven moments.

Advocacy-First Fundraising: How CSPI Turned Mission Into Paid Media Revenue

Technology should expand opportunity and advance justice, yet current policies too often allow inequities to persist and expand — from digital redlining and biased algorithms to unaffordable broadband access. Color Of Change launched the Black Tech Agenda to chart a new path for equity in the digital age, ensuring technology empowers rather than displaces communities. In this session, Portia Allen-Kyle, Interim Executive Director of Color Of Change, will share how the Black Tech Agenda is a roadmap to build coalitions and mobilize communities to demand accountability from tech companies and lawmakers. Participants will learn how their advocacy and agency can address systemic harms, what it takes to shift the rules that govern digital access and fairness, and how nonprofits can connect their missions to a broader fight for equity in technology policy.

Advocating for Equity: Advancing the Black Tech Agenda Together

Learn how to leverage low-cost, interoperable agentic AI to revolutionize nonprofit health communication and operations. This session introduces a high-impact, low-cost model using tools like n8n, Google Sheets, and simple API calls on Google Cloud infrastructure. We will demonstrate how this stack can be employed to automate tasks, productivity by orders of magnitude, and enable your team to focus on high-leverage work. We will also speak about how we use FHIR data to develop and deliver socially personalized, adaptive health messages to rural Indonesian mothers, offering practical advice for structuring patient-centric data and operationalizing information to bridge care gaps. This session will be an interactive presentation with a live demo of our agentic AI system, followed by open Q&amp;A and discussion to enable mutual learning. It is most suited for nonprofit IT managers, operations staff, program coordinators, and executive leaders who are interested in exploring practical, low-cost AI applications to enhance service delivery and operational effectiveness, particularly within the healthcare sector.

Agentic AI for Health Equity: A Low-Cost Operations Blueprint

Small nonprofits often struggle with limited staff capacity, competing priorities, and shrinking budgets. It is common for the staff to wear more than one hat especially in marketing and communications. This is if the non-profit can afford its own comms/marketing team overall. This session explores how agentic AI can function like a modern “marketing employee,” providing scalable support while freeing human staff to focus on strategy, storytelling, and relationships. In this 30-minute session, we’ll cut through the buzz and showcase a set of accessible, affordable AI tools that can help nonprofits streamline communications, strengthen outreach, and amplify impact. We’ll explore real NNIC use cases, tools, and ethical considerations, and leave attendees with a step-by-step framework for piloting AI responsibly within their own organizations. Attendees will see concrete examples of how to use AI for: Automating email writing and following up Tracking Social Media engagement and identifying the organization’s authority (on-line positive mentions) Generating marketing reports Organizing workflows with low-code automation platforms

Agentic AI for Nonprofits: Practical Tools to Supercharge Small Marketing Teams

Agentic AI is the newest wave of artificial intelligence. Instead of just answering questions or writing emails, these tools can act, plan, and carry out tasks. For nonprofits, this creates both exciting opportunities and serious questions. How do we let AI handle work without losing control? How do we keep equity and accountability at the center when systems start acting on their own? This session will break down what agentic AI really means for nonprofit teams, from day-to-day workflows to program delivery and reporting. We’ll look at practical examples of where it can help, like streamlining intake processes or automating routine follow-ups, and where it can create risks, like bias creeping into decision-making or over-reliance on automation. Participants will leave with a grounded understanding of what agentic AI is, how it differs from other AI tools, and the ethical guardrails nonprofits can put in place. The focus will be on practical takeaways that help organizations decide where agentic AI makes sense, where it does not, and how to move forward responsibly.

Agentic AI for Nonprofits: Responsible Workflows and Ethical Use

Nonprofits are shipping practical AI into their websites today—not just chatbots. In this session, Interactive Strategies will show how we’re implementing three mission-forward capabilities for several national nonprofits: (1) natural-language site search grounded in organizational documentation to deliver trustworthy answers; (2) AI-powered translation that broadens access without breaking workflows; and (3) an agentic rapid-help tool for a poison control organization that lets users look up substances, understand effects, and reach care fast. We’ll cover architecture, privacy and safety, editorial governance, and measurement. Expect candid before/after examples, what we’d do differently, and lightweight checklists you can take back to your team. Format: 30-minute case study + 15-minute guided demos + 10-minute Q&amp;A. Who should attend: digital product leaders, web/UX teams, content and translation managers, accessibility leads, and data/privacy stakeholders at nonprofits of any size.

Agentic AI: Semantic Search, Translation & Rapid Help

Fundraising is fast-paced and unpredictable. Your supporters evolve, opportunities shift, and plans get upended. Sticking to an annual fundraising plan might give you structure, but it also leaves you stuck when change inevitably comes. In this session, we’ll show you how to build an agile, adaptive fundraising practice that balances strategic direction with real-time responsiveness. You’ll learn how to replace rigid plans with a repeatable, donor-centric workflow that prioritizes what drives connection and measurable results. Participants will explore the key elements of Agile, including sprint planning, prioritization, and team rituals that support continuous improvement. We’ll walk through a 90-day roadmap for piloting Agile principles, scaling success, and integrating this framework into your year-round fundraising strategy. This session is designed for development professionals, team leads, and nonprofit leaders looking to increase adaptability, boost staff engagement, and improve donor outcomes. Format includes presentation, real-world examples, and optional interactive discussion.

Agile Fundraising for Nonprofits: Building a Responsive Fundraising Practice

Will AI transform the way we write grants?(Spoiler alert…NO) But it can, and will, transform the way you find and research potential new funders. This workshop is grounded in AI/automation solutions and designed to help nonprofits of all sizes create efficient and ethical systems and strategies. Together with a nonprofit partner, we will demonstrate a replicable workflow that uses no-code tools and AI-assisted data for effective funder and grant prospecting. We will show you how to build a simple framework to capture your organization&#39;s unique values, priorities, and language, and then how to use that framework to inform AI for customized, high-impact results. This approach ensures an organization’s distinct voice is never lost and that staff feel empowered, augmenting their work with AI. We will guide participants through creating a core prompt for their organization. We will offer live automation workshopping, in tools like Make and Zapier, to help you find specific places to implement this workflow. This is a great fit for fundraising and operations professionals looking to leverage AI and automation for their development efforts and increase the efficiency of their processes.

AI & Automation in Fundraising Research: Leave the Writing to your Writers

Is your organization future-ready for AI’s disruption of all things, including conventional change management methods? Driving well-informed and efficient change in your non-profit requires a data-centric, personalized, and proactive approach. AI can be both a force requiring a change in how you work and a tool to ease and improve adaptation. Join our expert panel from both human resources and tech viewpoints as we dive into how the use of AI is reshaping change management. Participants will walk away with practical tips on topics such as: •	Respond swiftly to rapid changes driven by AI and leveraging AI to accelerate your organization&#39;s adaptation pace. •	Assessing the reality of AI on your workforce and how it can aid in retraining. •	Explore how to plan for data-reliant change implementation &amp; evaluation with predictive analytics, trend analysis and data-driven insights. •	Best practices for fast- tracking the identification of barriers, enhancing user adoption and improving personalized training. •	Ensuring ethical considerations and potential biases are addressed when using AI systems, supporting associated operational and structural changes.

AI & Change Management: A Partnership for the Future

This presentation provides a comprehensive introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI), exploring its fundamental concepts, history, and current applications. Attendees will gain insight into the key components of AI, ethical considerations, the impact of AI on various industries and future trends. Designed for both beginners and professionals, this overview aims to demystify AI, highlighting its potential and addressing common misconceptions. Participants will gain a solid foundation to understand and engage with AI technologies in their personal and professional lives. The following will be covered in this session: What is Artificial Intelligence? How does it work? What are the limitations and concerns? How will it affect jobs on a global scale? How is it being used in research? In business? in Nonprofits? How is it being used in music, graphics and video? What are some of the applications incorporating AI? How do you make money with AI?

AI 101: Understanding the Basics and Beyond

As with every digital transformation, the readiness assessment contributes to the success or failure of the project. AI is no different, however, there are nuances that increase the risk when it comes to AI. Let&#39;s explore what should be considered when looking at adopting an AI solution. Attend a 30 minute presentation covering a framework that can be used to approach the challenge of AI adoption. This will provide insight to program or organizational leaders who need to consider Ai as a potential solution or are looking to AI for improved efficiency.

AI adoption strategy: What leaders need to know

Move beyond basic AI tools to discover how AI agents can autonomously execute complex tasks for your nonprofit. Unlike traditional AI that responds to prompts, AI agents can plan, execute multi-step processes, and make decisions independently – offering the processing power of agentic behavior without full automation. This approach transforms how nonprofits approach donor research, program evaluation, and operational efficiency. This hands-on session explores practical applications where AI agents can revolutionize nonprofit work: researching potential donors, conducting program impact analyses, managing volunteer coordination workflows, and generating personalized supporter communications at scale. You&#39;ll learn to identify tasks suitable for AI agent execution and understand the ethical considerations of deploying these technologies in mission-driven work. We&#39;ll cover implementation strategies, risk management, and measuring ROI when AI agents handle organizational processes. Perfect for operations directors, development professionals, and nonprofit leaders ready to leverage AI agents that work independently to advance their mission while they focus on strategic priorities.

AI agents for Nonprofits: When Your Technology Takes Initiative

Are you prepared for how AI is transforming the search landscape? Is your paid media program poised to capitalize on these shifts and adapt to challenges? This session will unpack how AI Overviews and agentic search is reshaping the fundraising playbook and how organizations need to adapt to retain visibility and maximize conversions. This will be a quick hits format, exploring what the new search landscape looks like in a rapid fire round with recommendations and solutions you can use in your fundraising program. We’ll also tackle one of the sector’s biggest concerns—that agentic search and search overviews might replace traditional search altogether—by clarifying misconceptions and offering practical guidance for ensuring your brand remains visible in this channel. You’ll leave with actionable strategies to strengthen your paid search and fundraising results in our AI-driven reality.

AI and the Future of Paid Search: What Fundraisers Need to Know

30-min in-person session. The way users search for information is evolving. They rely more often on tools like ChatGPT and less on search engines – and when they do use search engines, they’re increasingly leaning on AI Overviews instead of paid or organic results that appear under them. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of making content more visible and more likely to be used by AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews or other search/chat systems that generate answers using AI. GEO is the new SEO for the AI age. I’ll walk through this process and how it’s working for our audience. I’ll share several [free] strategies that can easily be implemented on your site to improve your GEO. If your organization is planning ahead for AI budgeting, I’ll display a few other larger scale AI enhancements we’ve made to increase UX. This session is great if you’re looking to gain a competitive advantage over other similar organizations and establish yourself as a leader in adaptive content strategy for nonprofits.

AI and the future of search: Introducing Generative Engine Optimization

Your audience isn&#39;t interacting with your content the way they used to anymore. Now they&#39;re reading it through the lens of AI. But in this AI age, how can we make sure our content is still reaching our most important audiences? Nonprofits need to start implementing SEO 2.0, a new way of building traffic &amp; maintaining a digital presence. In this forward-thinking session, we&#39;ll explore the concept of an &quot;AI Brand Footprint&quot; and why nonprofits must start optimizing their content strategy for artificial intelligence first consumption. You’ll discover how AI systems crawl, interpret and synthesize your digital presence, from your website copy to social media posts. Learn practical strategies to structure your content so AI can accurately represent your mission and impact, and recommend your organization to potential supporters, volunteers and partners. We’ll cover actionable tactics we’ve applied with clients to structure their content and apply keyword strategies that help AI systems understand their unique value proposition. Perfect for communications teams, digital marketing and executive directors preparing for the AI-integrated future of nonprofit discovery and engagement.

AI Brand Footprints: Creating Content for Your Future AI-First Audience

If you are training nonprofit or foundation leaders and helping support the responsible adoption of AI in social sector organizations, this session is not to be missed! Join us as we convene players from across the globe to swap notes on what works, how to overcome shared challenges, minimize duplication of efforts, and identify opportunities to collaborate. Our facilitators are the co-authors of the new bestselling book, AI for Nonprofits, which was based on insights from 57 of the sector’s leading voices, including NTEN’s Amy Sample Ward, Beth Kanter, and a slew of other NTEN NTC regulars. Now fiscally sponsored under NTEN, the AI4NP.org organization has launched a digital Learning Hub for all things AI for good and a nationwide Learning Labs series to train up thousands of mission-led leaders. Join us to explore how you can partner to bring AI4NP to your community, and identify a wide range of other potential collaborators and allies!

AI Capacity Building Community of Practice: Weaving a National Network

Over the past few years, a new kind of bot has shown up in our server logs: AI-powered crawlers scraping websites to feed large language models. These bots aren’t malicious, but they hit fast, often ignore robots.txt, and can overwhelm infrastructure not built to handle that level of traffic. In this talk, we’ll look at what’s really happening behind the scenes: how LLM crawlers are targeting sites, what patterns to watch for, and what happens when your site can’t keep up. We’ll cover practical steps you can take to detect, throttle, or block these crawlers using tools like CDNs, WAFs, and server-level protections. That includes how to configure your website to manage caching, permissions, and crawl behavior to reduce exposure and load. We’ll also talk about the policy side, when blocking is appropriate, what public content should be exposed, and how to talk to stakeholders about the risks. Whether you&#39;re a developer, architect, or program manager, you’ll leave with a clear understanding of the problem and a checklist of actions to protect your site without compromising on transparency.

AI Crawlers Are Crushing Your Website: Here's What You Can Do About It

In less than a year, we’ve shifted from speculation to fact: AI has changed all aspects of running an organization. AI technologies have introduced fundamental—and often, deeply uncomfortable— questions about how we work, how we serve our audiences, and how we understand and measure success. Join us to get context and strategies for engaging your board, funders, and staff in grounded conversations about why, when, and how to explore AI tool adoption at your organization. Hear from fellow state and national nonprofit leaders about their experiences managing meaningful culture change. Then, plan and discuss how you’ll engage key stakeholders in your organization&#39;s evolution.

AI Culture Shift: How to Engage Your Board, Funders, and Staff

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how we all operate in the non-profit world. While this tool can be very effective in automating some of your processes, it cannot replace your HR team. This 30-minute exploration of how AI can be responsibly used in your HR processes will help you build some solid guardrails and strategies that will provide you the best opportunity to make strategic use of the tool and maintain the Human in Human Resources.

AI Doesn't Replace HR

Nonprofit professionals need to create more content than ever, but with small teams and limited resources, it’s easy to feel like you’re always behind. Artificial intelligence promises efficiency, but raises a critical concern: will our voice and authenticity get lost? In this session, we’ll explore how nonprofits can leverage AI to repurpose your existing content, like webinars, events, and talks, into fresh, authentic assets that amplify your mission without adding extra strain to your team. You’ll learn practical strategies for using AI tools to draft social posts, short videos, and blog articles that are consistent with your nonprofit’s voice, not a machine. We’ll share real-world examples of how nonprofits are saving time, reaching wider audiences, and staying on-brand by turning one big piece of content into a month’s worth of authentic marketing materials. Attendees will leave with a playbook for scaling storytelling responsibly and effectively, while keeping their unique voice front and center.

AI for Authenticity: Repurposing Content At Scale Without Losing Your Voice

How can nonprofits invest in their people while staying true to their mission and values? This interactive workshop explores how AI can enhance professional development, making it more accessible, equitable, and effective for both individuals and organizations. Together, we’ll practice using AI chatbots to identify growth areas, assess competencies, and design personalized learning plans that align with organizational strategy. Participants will try out exercises that connect individual goals with organizational values and strategic priorities, ensuring staff development not only provides individuals with the skills needed for future growth but also drives mission impact and supports retention. We’ll share practical techniques for blending free AI tools with human coaching and peer support, making development inclusive for all staff, not just those with access to formal programs. This session is designed for nonprofit professionals who want to advance their own careers as well as managers, HR leaders, and supervisors seeking to build equitable career paths for their teams and integrate AI into existing professional development and performance management processes.

AI for Professional Growth: Creating Equitable, Future-Ready Career Paths

AI is everywhere you look these days. Tools are AI-powered, people are leveraging AI, and the power of what AI can do is changing literally daily. But for those less familiar, it can still feel like a far-away concept. What is AI actually useful for? How can you tell the difference between various AI tools and leverage them effectively without being super technical? And what are AI&#39;s limitations and the pitfalls of using AI that you should be aware of? You&#39;ll walk away from this interactive talk with a deeper understanding of all of those areas and the ability to start using AI tomorrow to supercharge, and maybe even revolutionize, your regular responsibilities.

AI for the Rest of Us: A Nonprofit Professional's Guide to Getting Started

This session offers a strategic, forward-looking exploration of AI in the nonprofit sector. We&#39;ll review current AI trends, from data released by industry leaders (OpenAI, Microsoft, Generosity AI, TechSoup, Issue Lab, and others), exploring where adoption and utility is currently and what trends and opportunities are anticipated. And then, through small group discussion and sharing, attendees will collectively think through, forecast and plan for the future of AI and its integration (or not) into our work. We will discuss the potential impact on fundraising, communications, and service delivery, helping you proactively plan for the future. The session will feature a mix of speaker-led content and facilitated small-group discussions to encourage peer-to-peer learning, including change management, tool adoption, and technology investment. This session is ideal for nonprofit executive directors, C-suite leaders, and technology strategists responsible for long-term organizational planning.

AI in 5 Years: A Forecasting Session for Leaders (Based on where it is now)

We see leaders embracing AI for efficiency, scale, savings…but is your organization ready for AI? Do you have the governance, culture, expertise, and data quality to manage AI risks? In this session, we’ll present our slightly contrarian views on the risks and opportunities of AI in nonprofit operations, decision making, and program delivery. We’ll share examples of how you can capture the real, immediate opportunities of AI, how to build an internal culture of AI transparency, some AI governance and skills-related ‘must haves’, and even what it might mean to decolonize your tech. You’ll come away with a pocketful of ideas that will support nuanced thinking about AI from your board and Executive Director. This 30-minute session will feature a senior leader from Skeleton Key Strategies sharing lessons we’ve learned from our work serving nonprofits and in running our own boutique consulting firm. AI is Not Going to Save You is session number 4 in our proposed curriculum of 5 sessions aimed at nonprofit leaders working in technology or data strategy, data governance, or data operations.

AI is Not Coming to Save Us

AI is often framed as a technical skill, but its most powerful use lies in human creativity, intelligence, and values. This session will reframe AI adoption as a people-centered practice, showing how prompting and tool use are less about technical expertise and more about curiosity, thoughtful and intentional human input, and ethical decision-making. We’ll begin by sharing new research on how nonprofits are using AI today and where challenges like privacy and authenticity arise. Participants will then explore a framework for values-driven adoption, with practical examples of how nonprofits can use AI to create efficiency and “breathing room” for creativity while preserving their mission and voice. Attendees will participate in a short exercise applying their own organization’s values to an AI ethical dilemma, and will leave with a framework to guide experimentation and adoption within their teams. Who should attend: Nonprofit executives, marketing and fundraising leaders, and anyone exploring AI adoption who wants to ensure their nonprofit stays rooted in human creativity and organizational soul while integrating new tools.

AI is not just tech: AI adoption as a human and creative skill

Nonprofit staff spend countless hours preparing reports for funders, boards, and compliance needs. AI can help reduce this burden by turning raw data into clear insights and by supporting staff in building accessible and accurate reports. This session will show how generative AI and natural language tools are being used by nonprofits today to simplify reporting tasks, cut down on manual work, and improve the quality of information shared with stakeholders. We will discuss how to evaluate which reporting tasks are best suited for AI, the safeguards needed to protect data and prevent bias, and how to make reporting more accessible to diverse audiences. Participants will see practical examples of AI tools in action and learn how to introduce them responsibly without disrupting existing systems. The goal is to leave with concrete ideas that make reporting faster, smarter, and more inclusive while still aligning with organizational values and community trust.

AI is Transforming Nonprofit Reporting: Faster, Smarter, More Accessible

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work with data—but how should nonprofits use it for visualization? This session introduces free AI-powered tools that can generate charts, graphs, and maps, making it easier than ever to share complex information with audiences. We’ll showcase examples of AI use cases in nonprofit communications and marketing, while also addressing the risks: bias, oversimplification, misleading visuals, and lack of accessibility. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of what AI can and can’t do well, how to verify AI-generated outputs, and strategies to ensure accuracy and inclusivity. By the end, you’ll know how AI can accelerate your visualization process and how human oversight and creativity are indispensable.

AI Meets Data Viz: Tools, Tricks, and Trade-Offs

This 60-minute workshop blends short instructional segments with hands-on activities designed for immediate application. Participants will be guided through a customizable prompting framework, then break into pairs or small groups to refine AI prompts for common nonprofit tasks: intake notes, care plans, workflows, and report writing. Interactive elements include live walkthroughs, peer sharing, and group discussion. Attendees will receive practical tools including prompt templates, a “prompt polish” checklist, and a build-your-own prompt scaffold they can take back to their teams. This session is ideal for program managers, caseworkers, and direct service staff who want to reduce documentation burdens and improve consistency in their work. It’s also well-suited for nonprofit leaders exploring how to responsibly integrate AI into frontline service delivery will also benefit. No technical background or prior experience with AI is required — this session is designed to be accessible, hands-on, and directly applicable to everyday nonprofit work.

AI on the Frontlines: Human-Centered Prompts and Practices for Teams

I will show nonprofit leaders how to use AI as a bandwidth multiplier, freeing staff time for more critical work with existing headcount. We’ll explore practical, low-barrier use cases in communications, operations, and fundraising that can automate some remedial tasks. We&#39;ll also cover areas where AI should NOT be used. A KEY secondary message will be that AI should be seen as a way to augment existing capabilities, not as a way to reduce staff. The human element of our work is critical. Interactive elements: * A quick audience poll at the start (“What task would you hand off if you had an extra pair of hands?”). * Short live demo of AI drafting an article, fundraising appeal or a communication campaign, based on composition of the audience (to make the concepts concrete). Ideal Audience * Nonprofit leaders and managers seeking to stretch resources. * Fundraising and development professionals curious about AI’s potential but wary of overhyped promises. * This session is best suited for those who want easy-to-apply AI use cases rather than technical deep-dives.

AI quick wins: Boost bandwidth with same headcount

AI is seemingly everywhere, but nonprofit leaders are often caught between hype and reality, left wondering why, when, and how to incorporate AI into their organizations. This creates uncertainty within an organization and ambiguity for leaders wondering if they are missing the boat on AI. The goal of this session is to help leaders, executives and boards separate reality from misconceptions while gaining practical frameworks to guide mission-focused AI adoption. Nonprofit leaders don’t need to be technologists to lead on AI. In this session, we’ll explore the distinctions between AI, automation, and hype; examine the risks and balance of chasing trends vs. being left behind; and apply custom AI frameworks including the &quot;AI Strategic Choice Cascade&quot; for decisive CEO leadership and building alignment of AI adoption with mission, staff capacity, and long-term sustainability. We will incorporate interactive elements, such as 1. Scenario Workshop: Participants decide whether to adopt a proposed AI tool based on cost, ethics, and mission fit. 2. Framework in Action: Apply the “mission-fit matrix” in small groups to evaluate a sample AI problem/solution.

AI Strategic Choice Cascade: Moving from Hype to Clarity

Case management is at the heart of many nonprofits, yet this is often one of the last areas of technological advancement. Staff are often stretched thin by manual data entry, fragmented systems, and heavy reporting demands. Artificial intelligence offers opportunities to streamline workflows, reduce administrative burden, and improve client services, but only if utilized effectively and responsibly. In this session, drawing on real-world nonprofit examples, we’ll highlight how AI can support case management teams in client intake, documentation, case notes, task management, activities, and outcome reporting while maintaining equity, data privacy, and client trust. Participants will learn how to evaluate AI tools, identify risks such as bias and data leakage, and set up governance practices to ensure ethical use. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to integrate AI into their case management systems in ways that improve efficiency, empower staff, and align with mission and values.

AI Strategies to Safely Optimize Nonprofit Case Management Programs

This data-driven session cuts through the hype to provide an honest look at the current state of AI adoption in the nonprofit sector. Based on real-world research (industry surveys and reports from Microsoft, Generosity AI, TechSoup, Issue Lab, and others!), we will explore which departments (fundraising, marketing, programs) are successfully integrating AI and how. We will also discuss the organizational factors that contribute to adoption and investment. The session will be presented in a direct, clear format with ample time for Q&amp;A to address audience-specific questions. Even further, attendees will gain access to pre-built and user-friendly AI-enabled knowledge base to facilitate learning in session and post session, asking questions pertinent to their role. This session is perfect for IT directors, technology strategists, and nonprofit leaders who want a less-biased, reality-check view of AI adoption in the sector.

AI Traction: Where It's Working (and Isn't) in Nonprofits

The standing-room-only session from NTEN 2025 returns, with all new use cases! Most of us know AI tools can help nonprofits dramatically increase productivity and do more good. But the challenge is finding use cases: how, precisely, can AI help us, other than writing silly poems about dogs? Join Jeremy Wallace-Segall of Writopia Lab and Ben Freda of BFC Digital as they do a frantic speedrun through six AI use cases in real time. In this session, we&#39;ll demonstrate live, on-screen, how to use Gen AI to: * create a 10-slide PowerPoint presentation from two minutes of recorded conversation * generate three different infographics (from real data!) to drop into an annual report * turn a six-minute screencast video into complete Standard Operating Procedure documentation for nonprofit staff * automatically categorize 2,500 old blog posts for a content migration project * get a deep research report (with factual citations) on neonatal mortality rates in the United States since 2000 — and how to tell whether to trust it * write custom Google Apps script to do really cool stuff with your spreadsheets … each in less than 10 minutes — saving days, weeks, or even months of human time.

AI Use Case Speedrun: 6 (New) No-Code AI Demos to Save a Month Per Year

AI has the power to accelerate human progress but the progress would be very one-sided without the human in the loop. Let&#39;s explore what considerations we need to keep in check and what tools we can use to ensure that the AI solutions still are aligned to human needs. The 30 minute session will be a quick discussion covering considerations in AI, with a product management and neuroscience perspective. This will be a great discussion for anyone looking to build AI products with focus on human centered design.

AI vs. PI (personal intelligence): How do you balance the two?

Summary: AI isn’t just a trend, it’s a game-changer that can help nonprofits maximize limited resources. But as AI pops up everywhere, how do you know where to put your time and energy? This session will focus on AI to support fundraising and help you move from an ad hoc approach to incorporating AI, to a tailored use-case that helps solve fundraising challenges. Understanding how and when, but most importantly why, to integrate these tools into your fundraising strategy is key to staying competitive and sustainable. You will leave with the information you need to take a thoughtful approach to AI and ensure these tools bring more support and less overwhelm. Format/Audience: Participants will actively identify what is taking up a lot of their time in fundraising, what they could be doing instead that would uniquely play to their strengths, and what the impact for their organization would be if there were able to focus more on that thing. This in-session work is intended to help them identify a specific AI use-case for fundraising and some of the key elements to make the case to leadership or decision-makers about adopting AI. Intended for people who have a fundraising role.

AI with intention: turning trends into sustainable fundraising impact

In a moment of significant pressure and uncertainty, AI offers a unique opportunity for nonprofits to sustain their impact and avoid staff burnout—if harnessed thoughtfully. But only 9% of nonprofits feel ready to adopt AI responsibly (AI Equity Project, 2025). In this workshop, Remy Reya (Director of AI &amp; Thought Leadership) and Bethany Henderson (CEO) will share how we led the Compass Pro Bono team from skepticism to enthusiastic adoption, with 100% of individual staff now using AI to save an average of 10+ hours/week. We’ll walk through our team’s evolution from basic prompting to AI-powered automation, including how we used continuous education and change management strategies to drive AI literacy without leaving anyone behind. While learning our Responsible AI Integration Framework, participants will complete activities to build robust AI toolkits and real momentum on their own organizational AI strategies. This is a 60-minute workshop tailored for nonprofit professionals who are curious about AI but unsure of how to scale their efforts in a sustainable way. Activities blend demos, individual reflection worksheets, and peer discussion to accommodate varied learning styles.

AI Without the Overwhelm: A Culture‑First Framework for Sustainable Adoption

You manage technology at your nonprofit organization and you believe AI and LLMs are marvelous tools. No doubt you’ve used them for chat completions and brainstorming. But what magic is possible when you add a bit of Engineering into the mix? Learn about the organizational liquidity you can generate when you use large language models to solve for immoveables, or the insurmountable workloads that keep you from making rapid progress. In this 30 minute session, we will demonstrate four concrete examples of how language models can solve simple, yet significant, challenges within the product, marketing and data domains. Participants will also have the opportunity for a rapid pair-share, as the audience holds collective knowledge worth sharing. While this session will convey technical details, the level of technical knowledge needed is low overall. As a result of the session, you will be able to identify dimensions of internal challenges that lend themselves to LLM-based solution pathways. You will understand how to operationalize a language model within this context, and learn how specific, yet finite expertise might be drawn upon to make enormous solutions simple enough.

AI/LLMs: To scale impact, just add 1/4tsp Engineering!

Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO) is transforming how content is discovered and prioritized by search engines. It’s quickly becoming an essential tool for nonprofit communicators who want to get their content in front ot the right audiences. In this session, we’ll delve into the details of what AIO is, and show you what your team should be doing to ensure your digital content remains visible and relevant in the age of AI. You&#39;ll learn how AI is reshaping search behavior, what the implications of this are for your SEO strategy, and how to adapt your content to meet these new demands. We’ll also explore key risks, from misinformation to accessibility and equity concerns, and highlight emerging opportunities to boost engagement, reach, and impact. Whether you’re managing your website in-house or collaborating with vendors, this session will give you practical insights to help you stay visible and relevant in a responsible and ethical way.

AIO: What You Need to Know, Avoid, and Do More Of

From fundraisers to community events, organizations gather audiences all the time to achieve a mission-focused goal. But how can your organization make sure your event is engages your key audiences before, during, and -- most importantly -- after it happens? One way is to develop an event narrative, a tool that can guide how you design and execute the event, and how you communicate it to your key audiences. The result goes beyond just hosting a successful event -- if used correctly, your event narrative unlocks the ability to connect your attendees, donors, sponsors, and speakers to your mission long after the event has taken place. In this workshop, you&#39;ll learn why and how event narratives drive that connection to your mission, learn what elements make up a good narrative, and even get to start writing one yourself. You&#39;ll walk away with an inquiry tool that will help you complete a simple narrative for an upcoming event. Who should attend: Communications and development staff who plan and execute small to large events

Amplify Your Mission: Designing Event Narratives That Resonate

In the competitive landscape of nonprofit fundraising and awareness, paid digital campaigns have emerged as a powerful tool to reach and engage audiences effectively. This presentation will explore strategies and tactics for nonprofits to harness the full potential of paid digital advertising, driving donations, increasing visibility, and building community support. We will discuss the foundational elements of successful paid digital campaigns, including audience segmentation, goal setting, and the selection of appropriate platforms (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram). Attendees will learn how to create compelling ad content that resonates with potential supporters, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and emotional appeal in nonprofit messaging. Through case studies of successful campaigns, we will highlight best practices for optimizing ad performance, including A/B testing, budget management, and the use of analytics to measure effectiveness. We will also address common challenges nonprofits face, such as limited resources and competition for attention, and propose actionable strategies to overcome these obstacles.

Amplifying Impact: Leveraging Paid Digital Campaigns for Nonprofit Gro

Have you found that your emails are consistently landing in the spam folder? Is your open rate plummeting? A poor domain status can consistently hinder the effectiveness of your email campaign. This session will lift the veil of mystery surrounding email deliverability and domain quality. We will walk you through all of the factors that affect your sender reputation. From technical setup such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and/or DMARC (Domain Message Authentication Reporting Conformance) to good content practices and how you maintain your list of addresses to keep its cleanliness. This session will help you diagnose the status of your domain, develop a plan for recovery and make sure your messages always reach your audience&#39;s inbox.

An Easy-to-Follow Guide to Improving Your Email Deliverability and Domain Health

Vibe coding describes AI-driven software development and can help democratize access to rapid digital prototyping. This session will share case studies of tools and interactive dashboards that have been created by vibe coding and will go into the specifics of the tech stack and approaches to troubleshoot. The session will highlight a digital assessment tool and a pet registration map that were created with vibe coding. Participants will be guided through the process of vibe coding. This session is for nonprofit staff who are comfortable with the basics of HTML and are interested in data visualization.

An Introduction to Vibe Coding

Nonprofits often collect powerful qualitative data—interviews, focus groups, stories, and open-ended survey responses—but struggle to turn these insights into actionable strategy. In this engaging session based in use-cases, we will explore how artificial intelligence can bridge that gap by streamlining qualitative analysis and connecting program evaluation directly to organizational decision-making. Drawing from our experience with AI-powered qualitative analysis tools, we will share practical examples of how nonprofits can analyze their qualitative data to inform program implementation while reducing staff burden. Participants will see how evaluation and strategy can work hand-in-hand, moving beyond static reports to inform real-time decisions about programs, operations, and long-term vision. Attendees will leave with: A clear understanding of how AI can be applied to qualitative data without losing context or nuance. Practical steps for integrating evaluation findings into organizational strategy. Join us to learn how analyzing what matters most can transform evaluation from a compliance activity into a strategic leadership tool.

Analyzing What Matters: Using AI to Transform Program Evaluation into Strategy

Want your communications to not just inform, but spark action? This interactive session will help you design narratives that drive donors, members, and constituents to movement when it matters most. You&#39;ll learn the elements of an organizational narrative (who we are, why we matter, the problem, the solution, and what&#39;s possible), learn how to define that narrative for your specific mission, and practice applying them directly to your mission. By the end of the session, you&#39;ll have the rough draft of your organization&#39;s unique arc, plus a practical checklist to turn that narrative into powerful fundraising appeals, advocacy campaigns, and event invitations. This is a session designed for communications and development leaders, but anyone on communications or development teams would benefit.

Anatomy of a Narrative: How to Shape Stories That Inspire Action

We have been using data science for years to model whom to solicit when and how. This session reviews that method but adds information on setting ask amounts and ranking annual giving prospects in order to solicit the best giving prospects on your current budget.

Annual Giving Segmentation, Ask Amounts, Ranking

New tools are emerging constantly, but which ones are worth checking out? This session will draw upon the experience of experienced nonprofit technologists and explore new and existing technology that can help accelerate, automate, and augment your work. This session will cover the best new apps, tools, and tactics to manage in the modern nonprofit environment. Join for a fast-paced and fun session highlighting practical tools and tactics that you take back and start implementing immediately.

Apps, Tools and Tactics 2026

We celebrate AI for its seemingly magical ability to create the videos, images, and stories that advance our missions. But this magic is powered by massive data centers that have a significant, and often hidden, environmental cost. As nonprofits, we have a responsibility to ensure our technology choices align with our mission and values. This session pulls back the curtain on the environmental impact of AI. We will explore the real-world costs of different AI tools—from electricity and water consumption to carbon emissions—and provide a clear framework for making more sustainable choices. You will leave with practical advice on content to include in an AI acceptable use policy that considers the impact on our planet. This session is designed for nonprofit leaders and board members, and for anyone who wants to be better informed about the environmental impact of AI.

Are your AI habits hurting the planet?

Donor surveying is a key component of many legacy programs. But, how do you do it? How do you use surveys to connect with donor values, educate on planned giving, and move the needle on a person’s legacy journey? How do you write survey questions that elicit emotional responses, build surveys that get completed – and then, what do you do with the data? This practical session for planned giving fundraisers and marketers will help you create values-driven, persuasive powerhouses that don’t just uncover existing gifts in wills – they create new ones. We break down dozens of real-life samples and analyze what makes them work, with takeaways you can apply at your charity. We&#39;ll also explore tools, and discuss the moves management that underlies it all to ensure you can report back on the real impact of any survey you undertake.

Ask And You Shall Receive: How To Use Surveys to Activate Your Legacy Marketing

Transform your fundraising strategy by learning how to ask better questions of your donor data through strategic prompt engineering. This session will show fundraising professionals how clear, well-structured prompts can unlock hidden donor insights, reveal giving trends, and identify engagement opportunities that traditional reporting might miss. Participants will gain confidence to move beyond basic CRM queries to discover strategic intelligence that drives donor retention and major gift readiness. Through hands-on examples and interactive exercises, attendees will learn to turn their donor database into a powerful tool for predictive fundraising and relationship building.

Ask Better, Raise More: Strategic Prompts for Smarter Fundraising

Multiple systems that don’t talk to each other, rogue spreadsheets, mysterious integrations, and systems held together with digital duct tape – sound familiar? This session is tailored for nonprofit staff seeking tips and tricks to assess, remediate, and manage a suite of technology tools inherited by well-meaning predecessors. We will walk through a framework for conducting a comprehensive audit of your technology ecosystem that also accounts for the people, processes, and strategy behind it. Together, we’ll explore the key phases of a tech assessment – from Discovery &amp; Analysis to Prioritization &amp; Roadmapping – we’ll equip you with real-life examples and tools for each phase such as surveys, interviews, process mapping, and prioritization criteria. This holistic tech assessment approach will help you bridge the strategic gap between where you are and where you want to be. Whether you&#39;re a new leader inheriting digital chaos or a seasoned IT professional trying to tackle your technical debt, you&#39;ll leave this session with the ability to envision and plan your path to a streamlined tech stack.

Assess, Don’t Guess: A Framework for Confident Tech Decisions

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about whether event fundraising still has a place in the modern nonprofit world. Some say it’s outdated, others say it’s too much work, and some nonprofits are going fully digital. But here’s the truth: when done right, nonprofit auctions are still a powerhouse of revenue and donor engagement. In this data-packed session, we’ll break down the 2025 State of Nonprofit Auctions Report and reveal why auctions aren’t just surviving—they’re thriving! We’ll dive deep into the numbers, highlighting surprising stats like the average auction donation of $529 (way higher than the average donation from other types of donors!), data around auction donors&#39; likelihood to give monthly, and how they can become the loyal supporters your organization needs. This session will be fast, fun, and packed with actionable tips to make auctions work for your nonprofit—whether you’re a pro or new to fundraising. Think of it as your roadmap for auction success, featuring trends and data to build a high-performing event strategy that doesn’t just raise money—it builds community, loyalty &amp; long-term donor relationships.

Auctions: Data-driven secrets to boost revenue & prove events aren’t dead

Nonprofits often face a familiar challenge: they know their mission is strong, but they struggle to connect that mission to the right audiences—and to measure whether engagement is really driving impact. In this session, Firefly Partners and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) share a practical framework for defining audiences, building KPIs, and aligning metrics to mission outcomes. Firefly will walk through the methodology: • Define future-state audiences based on conversion asks, not just demographics • Build KPI maps by audience and funnel stage, giving leadership a line of sight from activity to outcomes. • Design omnichannel strategies that connect marketing and media efforts into a unified supporter experience • Use analytics and dashboards to set baselines, track progress, and spot gaps. • Address brand-level risks (voice fragmentation, unclear positioning) that can undermine audience engagement and brand strength. KIND will share their perspective as a global nonprofit in transition—how they applied this framework during a major organizational pivot, the realities of balancing U.S. and international audiences, and the leadership-level questions the approach helped answer.

Audiences, KPIs, and Omnichannel Strategies: Measuring What Matters for Growth

As nonprofits and mission-driven organizations adopt automation and AI to increase efficiency, a critical question emerges: What happens to the distinctly human qualities that define our work—creativity, intelligence, and wisdom? This session explores the balance between technological efficiency and human depth. Drawing on experiences from the performing arts, education, and digital transformation, we’ll examine how automation can either flatten human nuance or elevate our capacity to serve. Participants will reflect on their own organizational practices, learn how to safeguard human creativity in the face of rising automation, and leave with tools for ensuring technology supports—not supplants—the human spirit at the heart of their missions. Through case studies, storytelling, and interactive exercises, this session will provide a framework for nonprofits to evaluate automation decisions through three lenses: 	1.	Creativity – ensuring space for imagination and innovation. 	2.	Intelligence – leveraging data without outsourcing judgment. 	3.	Wisdom – embedding ethics, legacy, and lived experience in decision-making.

Automation with a Soul: Preserving Human Creativity in an AI-Driven World

Summary: Whether you&#39;re a small non-profit with shared web/IT responsibilities, or a new non-profit looking to get your systems in line, this session will be helpful to learn about the &#39;gotchas&#39; that can lead to security breaches, website downtime, and other technological landmines that pop up when you least expect it and result in wasted time and money. You&#39;ll leave with a checklist to help you manage and maintain your organization&#39;s user accounts and web properties - and your sanity! - so you can spend your time focused on your organization&#39;s mission instead of tech troubles. Specific audience: newer non-profits, or smaller non-profits that don&#39;t have dedicated web/tech staff.

Avoiding tech landmines for small or new non-profits

The lure of &quot;shiny new&quot; tech tools is real. But rushing adoption can create more cost, complexity, or confusion than observable impact. In this workshop session, we’ll explore a mission-first evaluation framework designed to help make smarter tech choices. We’ll start with nonprofit stories that reveal common pitfalls, then outline a framework that includes factors like mission alignment, tech stack compatibility, equity and accessibility, organizational capacity, and even the option of doing nothing. As a group, we’ll apply this framework to case studies of familiar nonprofit tech choices or evaluate your own upcoming decisions (volunteers welcome). This session is designed for all levels but may be especially valuable for leaders and staff asked to weigh in on decisions without formal IT training or IT leads responsible for interpreting and executing on strategic guidance. By the end of the session, you’ll have a practical toolset to help you avoid the “shiny object trap” and make mission-aligned technology decisions you can stand behind.

Avoiding the Shiny Object Trap: A Framework for Mission-Aligned Tech Decisions

Hear a success story of building a brand new website using tried-and-true 1990s technology, and ask questions about how to get started on your own. Website tech has purposefully become more and more complex, but you didn’t need to be a software developer to maintain a Myspace page in the past – so why has it become less accessible?

Back to basics: ditching Wix & Squarespace for vanilla HTML

For certain mission-critical systems, nonprofits aren’t just buying software. They’re buying the expertise and availability of a team. By better understanding why agencies design support and billing the way they do (with retainers, hour blocks, care plans, SLAs, and urgent support fees), nonprofits can hold current partners accountable and better vet new ones before signing on the dotted line. In this workshop, two nonprofit-focused agencies pull back the curtain on how different models really work across software types and nonprofit capacity. We’ll walk through hidden risks that can quietly multiply budgets and dig into the many non-tech-related factors that impact the effectiveness of support. Participants will leave with practical relationship advice, a plain-language glossary for understanding the fine print of tech consulting, and a vendor evaluation tool to compare agencies and support models. This session is for nonprofit executives, technology decision makers and influencers, and board and finance stakeholders.

Behind the Invoice: Evaluating Tech Support Models & Agencies

When the nonprofit sector faces economic uncertainty and major funding shifts, no organization can afford to navigate alone. Annual benchmarking reports provide useful hindsight, but they arrive too late to help nonprofits adapt in the moment. What’s needed now is agile benchmarking—an approach that delivers timely, comparative insights and fosters collaboration across organizations. In this session, we’ll explore how nonprofits can move beyond static reports to real-time benchmarking communities. Together, we’ll discuss how more frequent data updates, interactive dashboards, and peer collaboration help leaders understand their performance, see how they stack up against others, and take action with confidence. The goal isn’t just to survive uncertainty—it’s to use shared insight to thrive through it.

Benchmarking in Uncertain Times: How Nonprofits Can Band Together in Real Time

You are probably using some form of marketing automation today, whether it is a simple set of auto-responses from your email blasts or a complex set of &quot;what if&quot; communications that run your entire season&#39;s campaigns. But are you getting all you need out of your marketing communication software and systems? This short and sweet session is focused on helping you to ask the right questions to see what else your marketing automation investment might offer your team. Whether you are a development officer, program leader, marketing director, or operations specialist, this session can be useful. The session will start with introduction and information on this. As a short exercise to wrap up, we&#39;ll then ask the attendees to engage by asking for someone to volunteer a real-life example of the types of automation they use and how they use it - and open it up to the room to provide ideas for how to leverage what they have to do more. All attendees will be provided with a training guide handout that will provide examples/case studies, self-learning items and activities, plus &quot;things to know&quot; for getting the most out of marketing automation.

Best ways to use marketing automation

Session Summary Join this 60-minute hands-on workshop to explore best practices for getting the most out of your database. Led by Hole in the Wall’s Director of Camper Admissions, this session will cover practical strategies for generating useful reports, reducing redundancies, and improving accuracy. Through small-group discussions and interactive activities, you’ll learn how to make reporting easier, strengthen communication across teams with shared data norms, and see real-world examples of digital improvements from nonprofit organizations. Participants will also have the chance to share challenges they’re facing and brainstorm solutions together. Who Should Attend This session is designed for nonprofit professionals who work with databases—whether you manage data directly, create reports for your team, or support cross-departmental communication. No advanced tech skills required—just an interest in using data more effectively to strengthen your organization’s impact.

Better reporting, better outcomes: Shared database lessons to strengthen impact

For years, digital equity has been framed as a problem of access—getting devices into hands, providing skills training, or expanding broadband. But ask any community organizer and they’ll tell you: the harder challenge is trust. People don’t adopt tools they don’t believe in. This session reframes digital equity around trust—how it’s built, measured, and sustained. Drawing on stories from youth-driven movements, local nonprofits, and our own work designing digital tools with marginalized communities, we’ll share strategies for listening first, being radically transparent about data use, and designing with—not for—those most affected. We’ll also explore how representation, dignity, and culture shape adoption far more than features or functions. Attendees will leave with a practical trust-by-design framework and facilitation exercises they can bring back to their teams. The goal: move from “How do we connect people?” to “How do we weave lasting digital relationships that communities truly own?”

Beyond Access: Building Digital Trust Through Culture and Design

Digital equity efforts often stop at access—getting people connected, trained, or equipped. But access alone doesn’t build adoption or impact. Trust does. This session will explore how nonprofits and mission-driven organizations can move beyond access to foster authentic trust in the systems, tools, and institutions that shape digital experiences. Drawing from case studies and insights from the Aspen Institute’s Weave Project, we’ll focus on strategies for listening first, practicing transparency, designing with representation, and measuring trust—not just usage. We’ll also share how Threespot builds “trust by design,” weaving equity and justice into every stage of our process to ensure solutions are rooted in inclusion and impact. The session combines practical frameworks with interactive discussion, inviting attendees to reflect on their own trust-building challenges and collaborate on solutions. This session is designed for nonprofit leaders, digital strategists, technologists, and anyone committed to ensuring technology strengthens rather than fractures communities. Participants will leave with concrete strategies and a community-centered framework to apply in their work.

Beyond Access: Building Trust in a Digital Age

Nonprofit brands are often guided by lofty missions and complex strategies — but what happens when those big ideas need to become a social media post, a campaign slogan, or a home page layout? Too often, brand guidelines fall short, either by being overly rigid or too vague to be useful. In this session, we’ll explore a practical framework that bridges brand strategy with brand expression, ensuring that every piece of communication — from a report to a social post supports the brand’s mission. Drawing on Ultravirgo’s approach honed over 20 years of building nonprofit brands, participants will learn how to define a brand’s voice (tone and personality) and its tactics (behaviors and actions) — and then build clear yet flexible “guardrails” that empower staff and partners to create on-brand communications without feeling constrained. Real-world examples will show how this framework supports adaptability across different media, contexts, and cultures.

Beyond Brand Guidelines: A Framework to Bridge Strategy and Expression

Even as nonprofits have shifted from fear-mongering to hope-based messaging, something essential is often missing: translating organizational optimism into community action. Too often nonprofits rely on messaging about their own optimism (“We believe in a future...”) rather than fostering optimism within their audiences—giving them agency, clarity, and motivation to act. This talk gives brand communicators methods to help move audiences from awareness to engagement to action in today’s challenging environment. Attendees will come away with concrete strategies to shift their brand’s role from storyteller to catalyst, ensuring comms has a direct role in driving progress toward their mission.

Beyond Brand Optimism: How to Brands Can Spark Change by Empowering Others

The question is: how much can one person handle without going insane? Nonprofit tech and fundraising teams are some of the most mission-driven people you’ll ever meet, AND some of the most overextended. With campaigns stacked, deadlines looming, and expectations rising, it’s easy for “dedication” to quietly morph into overwork and exhaustion. When hustle becomes default, burnout is not far behind. In this session we will shift the conversation away from “who can do more” toward “how can we design roles, processes, and culture so people can do great work sustainably.” This session will explore practical, systemic approaches to work-life balance that go far beyond “self-care.” We’ll focus on building clarity, capacity, and culture into your team’s daily operations so that impact is sustainable, not overwhelming. You’ll leave with tools to spot early warning signs of burnout, a framework for setting priorities that stick, and ideas for redesigning work so your people (and your mission) can thrive.