Nonprofit Fundraising Conference – Request for Proposals

The conference is designed for nonprofits of varying sizes and subsectors to come together to build fundraising skills, strengthen donor relationships, explore emerging fundraising practices, and develop sustainable approaches to generating revenue and advancing their missions. 

Attendees will include 600+ nonprofit, public sector, and philanthropy professionals and leaders who are involved in raising, managing, or supporting charitable revenue, including:

• Fundraising staff
• Executive Directors
• Staff who collaborate with fundraising (e.g., communications, data, evaluation, finance)
• Volunteers and jobseekers
• Board members

MCN is seeking dynamic presenters who are inquisitive and bring nuanced, clear, and equitable approaches to fundraising within the nonprofit sector. Proposals that encourage both strategic visioning as well as practical, skills-based learning are desired. 

This year, we are particularly interested in sessions that bring the following content areas to life: 

• Scenario planning for volatility in federal and state funding.
• Starting, growing, and nurturing individual donor programs.
• Strategies and policies for sustained self-care and fundraiser retention.
• Addressing challenges to race-conscious grantmaking.
• Ending relationships with funders who no longer align with your organization’s values.
• Using grassroots fundraising as a way to organize and mobilize.
• Developing compelling and flexible case statements that reach funders, legislators, and more.
• Back to the basics: cultivation, stewardship, and good storytelling.
• Practical and ethical uses of AI in fundraising.
• Connecting research and trends in giving and grantmaking to the present and future work of nonprofit fundraisers.
• Reimagining development events.

We also encourage sessions that engage topics and approaches relevant to and implementable by small nonprofits ($0-$99,999).

For additional information and context, you may review 2026 Fundraising Conference sessions.

MCN seeks dynamic presenters from the nonprofit sector and allied organizations and fields who firmly understand nonprofit fundraising. Session presenters must demonstrate a depth of knowledge on the workshop topic. Sessions and presenters should reflect the racial, economic, cultural, age, and geographic diversity of the communities in the state of Minnesota.

Sessions that include nonprofit presenters will be given priority. Proposals from our allies in for-profit companies are welcome; however, please note that preference will be given to sessions that demonstrate active involvement of nonprofit professionals and sector researchers and members from the communities they engage as session presenters or co-presenters. 

Session presenters receive a stipend of $80, with a limit of $240 per session (for multiple presenters). Presenters are also recognized on the conference website under their breakout session description and in the conference program given to all attendees.

Presenters are supported via an optional virtual preparation session approximately one month before the conference, are sent general information about conference attendees to help inform their presentation, and receive on-site tech support.

Consultants and/or for-profit businesses with an overriding interest in selling their products and services, as opposed to contributing to a learning community will not be invited to present.

Session proposals that emphasize participant engagement, interaction, and accessibility have generally received the most positive feedback. We recommended session formats incorporate: 

• Visual imagery and storytelling to convey your message.  
• Participant engagement: dialogue, discussion, and idea-generation throughout the session.  
• Networking: time for attendees to connect with one another and methods to stay connected. 
• Specific takeaways that attendees can implement in their work. 
• No more than three presenters (including a moderator). 
• Accessible slides and materials; text-heavy slides should be kept to a minimum. 

Session presenters receive a stipend of $80, with a limit of $240 per session (for multiple presenters).

Presenters who plan to attend the entire conference need to pay a “presenter registration rate. This rate is 50 percent of the early bird registration rate, or $117, and is available to three presenters per session. If the presenter registration rate is inaccessible you can choose to register using the Pay What You Can (PWYC) rate that makes attendance possible for you. 

MCN conferences have been selling out, therefore having presenters register allows us to gather an accurate count of registration and accommodations to ensure everyone can fully engage in the conference. 

Proposals can be submitted through the online proposal form and take about 15 minutes to complete. You do not need to have a fully fleshed out presentation to submit a proposal. You are sharing an idea that you will shape into a presentation.

The deadline to submit a proposal to present at the conference is Thursday, February 18, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. central. 

Yes! If your experience and insights overlap with multiple focus areas that you think would benefit attendees at multiple MCN conferences, we encourage you to submit a proposals to all those applicable. Session proposals are currently open for the following MCN 2027 Conferences:

Submission deadline: Thursday, November 5, 2026.

Conference focus: The technical skills, strategic thinking, and processes that keep nonprofits financially compliant, secure, solvent, and equitable.

Finance RFP >>

Submission deadline: Thursday, November 19, 2026.

Conference focus: Strategic and equitable approaches to leading people, organizations, and movements from any position and point of view within nonprofits.

Leadership RFP >>

Submission deadline: Thursday, April 15, 2027.

Conference focus: Topics across all departments, experience levels, and organizational sizes that explore strategies to support sustainable, thriving nonprofits.

Annual RFP >>