Fundraising professionals from across Canada’s nonprofit sector are set to gather in Toronto on November 18 to share, learn, and network to find new and better ways to support the vital work of our community organizations.
Under the leadership of Jim Hilborn and Steve Lloyd, the first Canadian National Fundraising Conference will bring together professionals, ask big questions and present solutions to the biggest challenges facing fundraisers today.
Hilborn and Lloyd are the publishers of Canada's two publications for the nonprofit sector. Hilborn operates Civil Sector Press and Hilborn Charity eNews, and Lloyd publishes Foundation magazine. The duo is well-placed to present Canadian nonprofit managers with an independent forum where they could exchange ideas, catch up, and learn from each other.
Big ideas for the big picture
The vision for the Canadian National Fundraising Conference was to create an inspiring event that would reconnect nonprofit professionals to their work and other professionals in support of them successfully furthering the missions of their organizations.
Invitations to speak were quickly accepted by some of the sector’s most insightful and experienced professionals—all willing to share their stories, impart advice and outline the way forward. The result is a line-up of speakers who’ll inspire fundraisers on topics keeping them up at night: staffing, what to do about AI, what trends are relevant, how to engage new and existing donors, and how to maintain revenue during an economic downturn. Sponsors, BNP Philanthropic Performance, Sage Canada, and Melissa Data also quickly joined in.
The agenda includes—
• keynote addresses by Lara O’Donnell, Executive Director, The Weston Family Foundation and Suzanne Duncan, Vice-President, Philanthropy, Canadian Women’s Foundation.
• a full-day optional workshop on “Creating Fundraising Campaigns That Really, Really Work” facilitated by Billy Sharma, President and Creative Director of BKS Creative, offering insight into the tools that create successful, creative-driven, data-driven fundraising campaigns.
As a bonus, attendees will receive a free copy of Harvey McKinnon's recently released book, The Healthy Nonprofit and the 2024-2025 Canadian Donor’s Guide. They can also take advantage of unlimited access to 70+ titles published by Hilborn’s Civil Sector Press at a 15% discount.
A nod to the past, on the way to the future
Hilborn and Lloyd felt the need to bring the conference to Canada’s nonprofit professionals to support the sector during Q4 and the run-up to the busiest fundraising push of the year.
"For decades, the Association of Fundraising Professionals had us convening in Toronto in November to talk about new and better ways to support the many missions that support our society,” explains Hilborn. (Yes, he said “decades.”)
Alan Arlett, founding president of the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy (which would become Imagine Canada) launched an annual event in the mid-1980s that came to be known simply as "Congress"—a gathering place for thousands of Canadian and international fund development professionals. Connections were made, networks were built, and relationships were nurtured while ideas of transformation percolated.
And then, about four years ago, the world and this annual tradition came to a screeching halt. The sector was blind-sided by the pandemic and the cancellation of in-person events.
As the sector continues to recover and evolve, Hilborn and Lloyd’s books, magazines and digital media channels cover the influence of new marketing tools, advances in technology and the need for readers to stay up-to-speed and adopt a continuous learning mindset. “Recently, we were reflecting on the challenges facing fundraisers in Canada. Exchanging ideas, building conversations, and hearing success and learning stories from experienced experts is key to moving forward. After all, it’s what we do with our publications and books, and it makes sense to transport that into an in-person event,” explains Hilborn.
“I regularly hear from our readers and writers about these issues, and we address them both on the pages of the magazine and in our media channels. Last year we staged the successful “AI in Philanthropy Conference,” and it was clear that we need more educational programs on topics which are careening forward, and which fundraisers have to address to build and maintain donors,” adds Lloyd.
Lloyd’s company has created and run many major conferences attended by philanthropic professionals, including the Toronto Direct Marketing Summit, the Canadian National Database Marketing Conference, and DM Day in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. His company has also conducted many workshops for fundraisers, attended by hundreds of individuals from major and smaller charities and nonprofits.
A small step towards a larger conference in 2025
The plans for CNFC 2025 include expansion of the event to occur across several days, with more sessions, exhibits, and an expansion of the mandate to examine more issues which impact the sector, looking at what philanthropy means to society and how many nonprofit skills and specialized needs are under pressure.
"Our sector has always been about keeping on top of change, trying to find the cutting edge,” remarks Lloyd. “We’re in a state of transformation, and there’s no avoiding the need to transform. Our goal for the first national Canadian fundraising conference is that all speakers, sponsors and attendees will leave the event in a better position to address current challenges. Our vision is that future versions of CNFC will be a central and vital part of the fundraising calendar each year."
The First Canadian National Fundraising Conference on November 18, 2024, will take place at the OBA Conference Centre in downtown Toronto. Registration is now open.
