A Recap of the 2023 Bridge Conference

NonProfit PRO was in attendance at the 18th annual Bridge to Integrated Marketing and Fundraising Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland, alongside nonprofit fundraisers and marketers. 

If you missed the event or want more of the latest fundraising and marketing tips, here’s our session coverage of the full Bridge Conference on Aug. 3-4, as well as the inaugural BridgeTECH, which NonProfit PRO co-presented, alongside the Direct Marketing Association of Washington (DMAW) and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Washington, D.C., Metro Area Chapter (AFP DC), on Aug. 2. 

"5 Tactics to Establish a Sustainer Donor Journey and Reliable Revenue for Your Nonprofit"

If the pandemic taught nonprofits to diversify revenue to avoid being over-reliant on one revenue stream (i.e. events), the post-pandemic years have made it clear that cultivating donors who support your mission through ups and downs is crucial. And developing a robust sustainer program is proving to be the path forward. 

As part of BridgeTECH programming, John Coogan, vice president of client services at CharityEngine, and Paul Zimmerman, direct response monthly giving specialist at the Wounded Warrior Project, presented, “Keeping the Love Alive: Optimizing the Donor Journey.” 

"How a Nonprofit Significantly Grew Its Impact and Fundraising Results in 3 Years"

Aidan Reilly, co-founder and head of partnerships at The Farmlink Project, closed out the inaugural BridgeTECH day of programming with a keynote speech addressing his 3-year-old nonprofit’s journey, as well as how technology supported its mission to connect farmers with surplus food and food banks.

His closing keynote addressed five areas where technology has played a major role in the organization’s success.

"Direct Mail Innovations to Test in Your Next Nonprofit Campaign"

Technology spans to each aspect of a nonprofit’s existence. The panel session, “Direct Mail Innovations,” tackled the latest technology in the direct mail space for the BridgeTECH track occurring during the Bridge Conference. Craig DePole, president of Newport ONE; Dennis Kelly, CEO of Postalytics; and Sheridan Marfil, director of individual fundraising at CARE, participated in the session, which was moderated by Steven Mills, director of mailing services product management at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

To make sure you don’t miss future nonprofit events, including NonProfit PRO’s own event, NonProfit POWER, check out upcoming nonprofit events in “The 2023 Nonprofit Sector Conferences You Don’t Want to Miss.”