Fundraising Conference – Breakout Sessions

Lead presenter: Tom Evers, Access Philanthropy
Track: Grantwriting, Prospecting & Development

Minnesota’s funding environment remains dynamic as foundations adapt to meet needs of the community, elevate priorities of foundation leadership, and adjust to external forces. This dynamic funding environment creates opportunities to reposition your nonprofit with funders. Learn how to design a responsive, sustainable grant program that aligns prospecting, cultivation, stewardship, and fiscal management within your strategic plan. You will learn how to secure grants while maintaining fidelity to mission and goals, gain insight into the most accurate grant prospecting tools available on a variety of budgets, and learn best practices for increasing engagement.

Lead presenter: Elizabeth “E” Kitzenberg, The Kitzenberg Group
Track: AI & Technology

AI tools promise to revolutionize fundraising, but most guidance comes from tech vendors or large organizations with dedicated IT staff. What does AI implementation actually look like when you don’t have a big budget or a tech team to lean on? This session cuts through the hype to explore practical, ethical AI applications currently working in small-to-medium nonprofits: donor research automation, personalized communication at scale, grant prospecting, and meeting note summarization. We’ll address real barriers—budget constraints, staff capacity, data privacy concerns, and board skepticism—alongside a phased implementation framework that starts with free tools before investing in paid platforms.

Lead presenter: Madeline Geier, Mal Warwick Donordigital
Track: Equity & Human-Centered Fundraising

How can we prioritize the accessibility needs, inclusion, and liberation of the disability community in our philanthropy? This session provides participants with foundational knowledge of Disability Justice and shares actions and strategies from the intersections of the Disability Justice and Community Centric Fundraising Movements advantageous to fundraisers invested in harm reduction and social change. You will learn about Shobi’s Table and its applications to creative storytelling, donor cultivation and stewardship, events, and administrative practices.

Lead presenter: Joe Wallis, Abdo, LLP
Track: Events & Alternative Revenue

Capital campaigns can transform an organization, but only when the financial infrastructure supporting them is sound. This session will demystify the financial mechanics behind capital campaigns and sustainable revenue strategies. Topics will include building effective budgets, core principles of pledge accounting, managing multi-year commitments, and unique accounting considerations. We’ll also discuss how to diversify revenue streams to protect mission continuity and reduce risk, and how to build financial models and dashboards that help leadership make informed, equitable decisions.

Lead presenter: Ellen Christine Ruiters, Africa Jam
Track: Grantwriting, Prospecting & Development

Many leaders find donor asks daunting, yet these conversations are the engine of sustainable growth. This session replaces uncertainty with a proven framework that transforms “the ask” from an uncomfortable transaction into an authentic partnership. The session combines concise teaching with candid insights from Minnesota leaders representing urban, rural, and suburban communities who have successfully increased individual giving, without adding the overhead of new events. Panelists will share honest lessons from the field: what worked, what surprised them, and what they would do differently. Participants will leave with a simple, adaptable tool to structure upcoming donor conversations with clarity.

Lead presenter: Tatiana Wagner, Community Engagement Specialist
Track: Equity & Human-Centered Fundraising

Traditional fundraising events can be expensive, labor-intensive, and exclusionary—often relying on staff heroics while engaging a narrow slice of a nonprofit’s community. This session invites you to reimagine development events as community-centered, relationship-driven fundraising tools that build revenue, visibility, and long-term donor pipelines without burning out fundraisers. Drawing on real-world examples—including themed trivia nights, community clean-ups, creative classes, restaurant partnerships, and wellness events—this session explores how smaller, grassroots events can strengthen fundraising sustainability.

Lead Presenter: Christine Schwitzer, Holistic Grants
Track: Grantwriting, Prospecting & Development

Between events, donor meetings, emails, volunteer coordination, and reporting, grant deadlines can feel impossible to manage without stress or last-minute heroics. This session provides a clear framework for managing grants in a way that feels lighter, more organized, and more aligned with your capacity. We’ll share strategies for simplifying grant tracking, creating templates, and planning ahead so grants fit into your workload instead of disrupting it.

Lead presenter: Neil Aasve, True Summit Consulting
Tracks: Strategy, Growth & Trends

As federal funding shifts and political landscapes reshape philanthropic priorities, nonprofits can no longer rely on fragile, transactional fundraising models. Building stable, committed donor communities is no longer optional—it’s urgent. In this session, we will explore how giving circles are reshaping donor behavior and philanthropic norms. Drawing on research, success stories, and field-informed resources from Grapevine Giving and Philanthropy Together, participants will learn different giving circle models and practical strategies to engage or launch collective giving efforts that foster donor loyalty, shared ownership, and long-term financial resilience.

Lead presenter: Emily Essert, Open Arms of Minnesota
Track: Strategy, Growth & Trends 

Corporations, especially large ones, may appear to be faceless, emotionless entities. But they are, in fact, made up of individual humans. In this session, we’ll talk about how to identify and cultivate authentic relationships with people who work at companies, and how those relationships can be used to raise funds for your mission. This approach, which focuses on collaborating with navigators and decision-makers inside a company, may take more time, but it leads to more enduring commitments and larger gifts. 

Lead presenter: Tim DeCelle, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Track: Strategy, Growth & Trends

How do we get past generational stereotypes and move towards more thoughtful and nuanced engagement? This session demonstrates how analyzing institutional giving and engagement patterns can reveal surprising insights about donor behavior across generations—and transform your fundraising strategy. We’ll explore how different generations define and experience community and what this means for donor engagement. You’ll see recent data showing how Gen Z and Millennials contributed more than 50 percent of gifts in a recent competitive campaign—challenging the myth that “young people don’t give.” You’ll learn practical approaches for analyzing your database, identifying meaningful patterns versus statistical noise, and developing personalized engagement strategies for each generation.

Lead presenter: Matt Haggerty, Baker Tilly  
Track: Strategy, Growth & Trends

Tariffs. Inflation. Recession. Interest rates. GDP. Tax reform. We hear all of these economic terms in the news, often with much fanfare. We also know that donors are impacted by the economy, and often will adjust their behavior. Yet, the best approach to understanding the impact of economic changes on donors is not in headlines or narratives, but in data. In this session, you will learn the data-driven link between various economic data points and donor behavior. You will learn which data points are most correlated, and which are mostly noise. We will then discuss the most recent data on donor behavior and consider strategies to meet the moment. 

Lead presenter: Ryan Ruud, Lake One
Track: Strategy, Growth & Trends

In this session, Pinky Swear Foundation and Lake One will share what it actually took to:

• Reduce online giving friction
• Align website messaging using StoryBrand principles
• Improve SEO to drive discovery and qualified traffic
• Maximize the Google Ad Grant
• Connect online and offline fundraising efforts into one cohesive system

You’ll hear what worked, what didn’t, and how small shifts in clarity unlocked the ability to turn digital engagement into measurable revenue.

Lead presenter: Karen Graham, Karen Graham Consulting

Drawing from the 9th edition of the Donor Management Software Use and Satisfaction Report, the study author will share key findings of interest to software buyers. We’ll begin with the latest data on buying cycles, decision drivers, and software satisfaction— and how that can help inform your purchase. Next, we’ll look at market activity: mergers, acquisitions, and investments in the software market that nonprofits should know about. We’ll conclude with a crash course on selecting software with confidence.

Lead presenter: Elana Schwartzman, Center for Victims of Torture 
Track: Equity & Human-Centered Fundraising

How do you raise emergency funds while managing your own trauma and stress? The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) lost 75% of its funding in one year due to the elimination of foreign aid, followed by the community trauma of ICE enforcement in Minnesota. Hear takeaways from CVT members on effective tactics for fundraising across the donor spectrum, and how they learned that being transparent about organizational impacts and trauma can strengthen donor relationships. 

Lead presenter: Jeff Coffey, Wangle LLC
Track: AI & Technology

Nonprofit fundraising teams collect more digital data than ever, but all that data rarely leads to clearer decisions. Reports get pulled, dashboards get built, and instincts still do most of the driving. This session focuses on how nonprofits can move from activity tracking to decision-ready signals. We’ll explore how to identify which digital signals actually matter, how to reduce noise, and how to align reporting with the questions fundraisers need answered: What’s working? Where are donors getting stuck? What should we change next?

Lead presenter: Melissa Harrison, Allee Creative, LLC
Track: AI & Technology

AI is rapidly reshaping how nonprofits raise funds, engage donors, and tell their stories. Yet, as technology advances, trust remains the cornerstone of philanthropy. This session explores responsible and effective approaches to using AI in fundraising—helping organizations boost efficiency and creativity while safeguarding authenticity, privacy, and equity. Participants will discuss practical examples of how AI can enhance donor segmentation, campaign storytelling, and personalized stewardship without crossing ethical lines or losing the human touch that drives generosity.

Lead presenter: Sarah Kuenzler, Keystone Community Services
Track: Strategy, Growth & Trends

Individual giving programs can be complicated to manage, especially for smaller organizations. We will outline a clear, step-by-step roadmap that prioritizes only the most important aspects of individual giving that drive long-term success and honor realistic staff capacity. That means prioritizing data collection and automation, which will give staff the flexibility to scale the program over time to meet the needs of their unique donor base. We’ll review the necessary tools to invest in with a small budget, and how to use those tools to automate as many processes as possible—producing reliable data, increasing donor retention, and reducing staff burnout.

Lead presenter: Evan Johnson, Minnesota Gambling Control Board
Track: Events & Alternative Revenue

Last year, Minnesota saw more than $4.9 billion of charitable gambling in the state, which provided almost $190 million to support community needs. Those numbers may be surprising, but they shouldn’t be—charitable gambling needs to be on the radar of every Minnesota nonprofit. This session will be a practical introduction to this often-misunderstood industry. We’ll talk about what is (and isn’t) charitable gambling. We’ll learn about some of the common do’s and don’ts as you explore whether it’s a fit with your organization’s fundraising philosophy. And we’ll answer the perennial question: “Is our quilt raffle legal?”

Lead presenter: Steve Boland, Next in Nonprofits
Track: Equity & Human-Centered Fundraising

Mutual aid has been on the rise since the founding of GoFundMe, the uprisings in 2020, and the federal occupation of Minnesota in 2025-2026. Nonprofits can have a productive role in supporting mutual aid AND growing community support for their own missions. Trilingua Cinema will discuss how they have approached raising money for mutual aid as a part of their mission work and Next in Nonprofits will review how to keep this authentic—inviting support while not usurping relationships. The session will review peer-supported tools in addition to centralized giving.

Lead presenter: Courtney Backen, AFP-MN
Track: Equity & Human-Centered Fundraising

Minnesota nonprofits have been challenged in immense and unexpected ways since 2020. But one thing remains consistent: In times of uncertainty, nonprofits show up. This session explores how nonprofit leaders can pivot their fundraising storytelling to meet the moment in a way that is ethical, meaningful, and works smarter, not harder. Participants will walk away with a guide on how to pivot their storytelling, insights on crisis communications best practices, and ideas for more resilient fundraising in 2026 and beyond.

Lead presenter: Don Irwin, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
Track: Grantwriting, Prospecting & Development

Prospect development can feel overwhelming—especially when it is only one of your jobs. At the same time, fundraisers know that strong prospect research, portfolio strategy, and data habits are essential for long-term success. This session is designed primarily for small shops and solo fundraisers, with clear examples of how each system can scale up for larger teams. We’ll break prospect development into practical, manageable components—donor research, portfolio strategy, and data hygiene—to show how to build simple, repeatable systems that support effective fundraising without requiring specialized staff or expensive tools.

Lead presenter: Crystal Vandevender, The Parenting Resource Center, Inc.
Track: Grantwriting, Prospecting & Development

Small and mid-sized nonprofits often do powerful work but struggle to present it in ways that feel clear, strategic, and fundable. This session explores practical, low-cost systems that help organizations move from scattered to strategic. Learn how to organize programs into clear focus areas, build simple grant tracking tools, and translate community-based services into funder-aligned language that highlights outcomes and long-term impact.

Lead presenter: Nicole Conti, Rise, Incorporated
Track: Grantwriting, Prospecting & Development

You know your organization could bring in more grant dollars, but where do you start? And how do you know when it’s time to hire a full-time grantwriter? In 2019, Rise brought on its first dedicated grantwriter. Seven years later, the program has achieved significant growth and learned valuable lessons. This session offers a candid case study of the organizational shifts, successes, and challenges that followed. We’ll discuss how to pitch a strong case to your board and leadership, how to prepare staff and programs for grant funding, and how to anticipate and manage challenges that come with increased grant funding.

Lead presenter: Chuck Rowe, Midwest Studies Group 
Track: Strategy, Growth & Trends

Capital campaigns are so fun and exciting, but if it is your first time leading one, knowing where to start can be a challenge. Avoid costly mistakes that could not only hurt your funding but destroy your entire campaign before it even gets off the ground. This session is perfect for those who have never been through a capital campaign before; participants will leave knowing the basic do’s and don’ts of starting a campaign. 

Lead presenter: Sarah Price, BWF
Track: AI & Technology

This session cuts through the hype to focus on how AI can be used practically, ethically, and credibly as part of a modern prospect research toolkit. Designed for development professionals at all experience levels, we will demonstrate how ChatGPT can support core prospect research activities such as prospect identification and relationship mapping without replacing professional judgment or violating data governance standards. In addition, the session will address where AI tools fail. Participants will learn how to recognize common risks including hallucinations, over-confidence, bias, and misattribution, and how to apply validation and quality-control practices before AI-assisted outputs are shared with gift officers or leadership. Ethical considerations, confidentiality, and internal policy alignment will be discussed.

Lead presenter: Ryan Petersen, Petersen Consultants 
Track: Strategy, Growth & Trends

Without dedicated development staff, we know that fundraising can become reactive and exhausting. This hands-on session helps executive directors, board members, and leaders doing fundraising off the side of their desk design a smarter approach. Together, we’ll build an annualized fundraising cycle: a structured calendar that grows both individual donor and institutional funder pipelines over two to three years. We’ll cover how to map existing relationships, balance individual giving with grant and corporate strategies, and create a rhythm of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship that compounds over time.  

Lead presenter: Jake Blumberg, JB Strategies 
Track: AI & Technology

One of the most common challenges for organizations no matter their size is scaling their fundraising capacity to meet their mission’s need. The evolution of AI offers a new set of potential tools that can scale even the smallest fundraising shop to build strategies that used to be the purview of only larger organizations with significant staffing infrastructure. In this session, attendees will learn how AI can be used to leverage fundraising opportunities, regardless of the organization’s size or fundraising staff capacity.