The 2023 Nonprofit Sector Conferences You Don’t Want to Miss

With thought leadership on a variety of nonprofit topics available at your fingertips, is it necessary to leave your organization’s office — or your home office — to gather the latest tips, tricks and nonprofit know-how? Well, yes. 

In-person conferences offer a chance to hear from prominent nonprofit experts, meet individuals with cutting-edge agencies and technology providers, and network with your nonprofit professional peers, who might be facing the same challenges as you. Expanding your knowledge and building your network might be beneficial to improving your fundraising efforts, developing your leadership tactics or advancing your career when you least expect it. 

So set some time away from your daily nonprofit work to find the missing pieces of your nonprofit’s strategy by attending some of 2023’s in-person nonprofit sector conferences. 

P2P Forum

Feb. 22-24 | Washington, D.C.

The P2P Forum covers all things peer-to-peer events and fundraising over the course of a three-day event in the nation’s capital. Highlights include the releases of both the “State of the Industry Study” and Top 30 Peer-to-Peer Event rankings, as well as a variety of sessions, such as: 

• “Lessons Learned from Launching, Growing and Reinventing a Streaming Program” with the American Red Cross and Share Our Strength
• “Reevaluating Your Revenue Model for Your Endurance Program” with Susan G. Komen
• “Beyond the Peloton: Understanding the Lifetime Value of Cyclists” with The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation 

The Nonprofit Marketing Summit

Feb. 28-March 2 | Virtual

Though this one is not an in-person event, The Nonprofit Marketing Summit offers a stellar lineup for those who really can’t justify the time away. It’s also free for organizations that don’t have the budget for education either. The three-day affair from Community Boost features more than 60 sessions, including: 

• “Stop Leaving Money on the Table: How to Communicate Your Impact Data Strategically”
• “How You Can Stop Wearing All the Hats and Grow Your Digital Presence With Any Size Budget”
• “Getting Started With Major Gifts”

If you missed the event, check out our coverage of the sessions:

• "5 Strategies to Raise More and Stress Less When Planning Your Next Nonprofit Event"
• "How to Create Videos for Your Nonprofit Using Your iPhone"

Nonprofit Fundraisers Symposium

March 15-17 | Washington, D.C.

In its inaugural year, the Nonprofit Fundraisers Symposium from DMAW and The Nonprofit Alliance is targeted toward fundraisers with more than 10 years of experience. The event includes a variety of keynotes, sessions and panels, such as:

• “Hiring, Retention, Training — Getting the Best Team in the Fundraising Business”
• “Building Your Privacy-Compliant Donor Pipeline” 
• “Fewer Donors and Larger Gifts: What Does It Mean for the Future of Fundraising?”

All In, All Rise Symposium

March 28-29 | Chicago

From the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, the All In, All Rise Symposium will focus on how women’s involvement in philanthropy influences and strengthens communities, encourages greater strategic giving and builds a more diverse community of engaged citizens. The agenda was not available at press time.

Nonprofit Technology Conference

April 12-14 | Denver or Virtual

NTEN’s Nonprofit Technology Conference has maintained a hybrid event, offering a lower rate for virtual attendees. This event focuses on nonprofit technology’s best practices, bringing nonprofit tech decision-makers into the same room (or virtual space) with technology thought leaders and service providers. Sessions include: 

• “Metrics That Matter: Create Dashboards That Drive Impact”
• “Teaching Technology Skills in a Multigenerational Workplace”
• “Fundraising Secrets of Data-Driven Nonprofits”

AFP ICON

April 16-18 | New Orleans

AFP ICON heads to The Big Easy for its 2023 conference. The event includes sessions, The AFP Exchange exhibit hall and networking opportunities, such as FUNdraisers’ Fest on April 17. 

Misty Copeland — a ballerina, author and philanthropist — and Emeril Lagasse — chef, TV personality and founder of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation — will serve as opening and closing keynote speakers, respectively, during the three-day conference. General sessions include: 

• “The Multicultural Majority: Who They Are and How They Are Changing Fundraising”
• “Cultivating Fundraisers: Innovative Approaches for Building Your Team”
• “Breaking the Generational Divide - A Key to Legacy Success”
• “Mid-Level, Sustainer, and Sophisticated Direct Response: How to Adapt to Shifting Donor Expectations”

If you missed out, find our AFP ICON 2023 coverage here.

For even more insights, attend AFP ICON’s pre-conference workshops on April 14 and 15. If you’re not able to attend the national event, check your local AFP chapter for events closer to you. 

Engage for Good Conference

May 16-18 | Atlanta

For both leaders of nonprofits and corporations, the Engage for Good Conference highlights corporate social impact and nonprofit-corporate partnerships. The three-day event reveals the cause marketing Halo Awards and features sessions, such as: 

• “ESG: What Does It Really Mean And Why Does It Matter To Our Work?”
• “Boost Matching: Making The Most Of Giving Tuesday”
• “Marketplace Insights: Corporate Social Impact That's Moving The Needle”

Bridge to Integrated Marketing and Fundraising Conference

Aug. 2-4 | Oxon Hill, Maryland

The Bridge Conference from DMAW and AFP DC returns to National Harbor for its three-day event. Bridge kicks off with an evening welcome reception, followed by two days filled with more than 90 sessions and keynotes, as well as a variety of vendors in the Solutions Showcase exhibit hall. Sessions include:

• “First-Party Data Experience: Advance Your Digital Now
• “How the Alzheimer’s Association Accelerates Their Impact With Community-Driven Video”
• “Writing for Progress: How to Write Grants and Tell Stories With an Anti-racist Lens”

Prior to the welcome reception, Bridge provides various pre-conference opportunities for an additional cost. As always, choose among three Master Class workshops, covering strategic planning, major gifts or sustainers. 

There are also two new opportunities on the workshop day. First up, Bridge, with The Nonprofit Alliance, will host the Faith and Fundraising Forum for faith-based nonprofits. Also debuting in 2023, BridgeTECH, a collaboration between Bridge and NonProfit PRO, will be dedicated to nonprofit technology, showcasing the people, processes and products needed to successfully build a tech stack in the nonprofit sector.

Discover more Bridge Conference coverage here.

Raise Conference

Sept. 11-12 | Nashville

The Raise Conference from OneCause will be held at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The conference sessions cover events, peer-to-peer and auction fundraising, fundraising strategy, donor engagement, storytelling, brand and leadership, including: 

• "Back to the Ballroom: Giving a Big Boost to Your Live Event"
• "Bringing Community-centric & Anti-Racist Fundraising Principles Into Event Planning"
• "5 Ways to Optimize Your Donation Page for Year-End"

Cause Camp

Sept. 14-15 | Huron, Ohio, or Virtual

Cause Camp from Nonprofit Hub is available to attend in-person or virtually. Unlike other hybrid events, Cause Camp’s virtual version, dubbed as the Cause Camp Watch Party, will happen Oct.19-20. The conference features sessions, workshops, an exhibit hall and a movie screening of "Uncharitable." Specific sessions will cover various topics, such as board relations, fundraising, donor retention, team building and volunteer management. Here are a few session examples: 

• "The Future Brand – How to Attract, Engage, and Convert the Next Generation of Donors"
• "The Four Principles of Purpose-Driven Board Leadership: Are we keeping the promises we made in 2020?"
• "Understanding Today’s Donor: How to Design Systems that Build Lasting Relationships"

Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization Summit

Sept. 19-21 | Dallas

The NIO Summit, with a focus on digital fundraising and marketing, will gather leading experts to share proven and research-driven strategies to grow your online fundraising efforts. The event kicks off with a party and is followed by two days of education. This year's conference has a game-show theme. In addition to game shows, there will be expo halls, networking opportunities, innovation showcases, a livestream media center, optimization center, a swag store, and, of course, education sessions, such as: 

• "Unlocking Fundraisers: A Deep Dive Into the Relationship Between Fundraiser Behavior and Donor Engagement"
• "Who Wants to Be a Fundraising Millionaire? Winning at the Art of a Compelling Value Proposition"
• "Retention Is the New Acquisition: 3 Ways to Keep More of Your Hard-Earned Donors"

Leadership Summit 

Sept. 19-21 | Washington, D.C.

The Nonprofit Alliance invites leaders from across the nonprofit sector to attend the Leadership Summit. This conference prioritizes networking over expert-led podium presentations. The event will kick off with an outdoor networking activity

The event page notes, “We use liberating structures, facilitation techniques that stimulate critical conversations and liberate the full potential of any group to elevate the expertise in the room.” Panel sessions will include: 

• "Facing Challenges/Embracing Opportunities: The Biggest Changes in the Nonprofit Sector Right Now"
• "Case Studies in Courageous Leadership: Facing Critical Scenarios in Today’s Evolving Landscape"

Nonprofit Storytelling Conference

Nov. 2-4 | San Diego

The Nonprofit Storytelling Conference will feature sessions on fundraising, board development, leadership, events and more. Though 2023’s schedule was not available at press time, last year’s content included advice on storytelling in your grant applications, in your donor welcome series, in your Giving Tuesday efforts, in your social media ads, on your donation page, in your fundraising appeals and more.

• "The Power of Story: What It Is, How We Use It, and Why We’re Spending 3 Days Talking About It"
• "A Different Perspective: How to Tell Your Organization’s Story Using Multiple Points of View"
• "The Storytelling Secret to Finding New Major Donors"

NonProfit POWER

Dec. 4-6 | Baltimore

Finally, NonProfit PRO’s signature event, NonProfit POWER, returns. After multiple years in the brand’s home base of Philadelphia, the hosted-buyer conference will head to Baltimore in 2023. The event is a free, all-inclusive experience for qualified attendees. NonProfit PRO is now fielding inquiries from senior nonprofit executives at midsize and large nonprofit organizations who are interested in attending. Please fill out NonProfit POWER's form to express your interest in attending.

While we’re preparing for this year’s event, take a peek at 2022’s agenda, as well as our team’s coverage of last year’s event: 

• Day 1 Coverage: Keynote speaker Vicky Kelberer of Vanguard Charitable shared six steps to establishing a donor-advised fund strategy and more.
• Day 2 Coverage: Highlights included technology and direct marketing general sessions, dinner and casino night.
• Day 3 Coverage: Keynote speaker Bill Stanczykiewicz of Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy discussed fundraising trends, including charitable giving during recessions.

Editor’s Note: Have a nonprofit sector conference you think is worthy of this list? Email suggestions to acole@napco.com to be considered for next year's list.