Fundraising Training, Education & Events

Resources – Events of Interest

These key events will help keep your fundraising skills razor sharp. They’re pulled from various leading organizations within the fundraising profession.

This is NOT an exhaustive list! There are so many local and regional events that I certainly don’t have time to track them all. I do keep an eye on the leading organizations and you may find more if you visit their website and look for events in your area.

And if you know of a big event I’ve missed . . . PLEASE drop me a line and let me know what it is: resources@pkscribe.com

One other aspect of this list I need to mention: This is NOT a calendar of events, per se.

It is a list of organizations that offer educational training and conferences. I haven’t listed exact dates because they change from year-to-year. But whenever possible I have shared the approximate time of year they are held, and I always include a link to their website for specifics. Or you could take the event name below and plug it into your search engine to find more info online in case they’ve deactivated the link without first telling me (I can’t imagine they would do that without telling me; ha-ha).

Finally, throughout the year in my monthly newsletter, Karen’s Fundraising Tips, I’ll mention other events that come to my attention. So, if you haven’t already subscribed I invite you to do so now. Thanks!

Alliance for Nonprofit Management. A number of events on grants, major gifts, performance measurements, and other topics are scheduled over the next several months in locations around the country. Recommend you check out their website to choose what’s best for you.

Annual Washington Nonprofit Conference by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Nonprofit Federation. January of each year in Washington, DC; and usually August of each year in New York City. Visit their website for more details.

The DMA Nonprofit Federation has four (4) annual educational conferences in Washington D.C., New York City, and Palm Beach, Florida. Follow this link for the details.

The International Conference on Fundraising, usually held in March or April. This is one of the big – if not the biggest – events of the year and it’s hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Vist this page for more details on the 2008 conference in Dallas.

Congress 2008 – Enhancing Philanthropy Around the World, is usually held in November each year around National Philanthropy Day. This is another impressive conference hosted by a chapter of the AFP; the Toronto Chapter and it’s held in Toronto, Canada. For more details visit their website.

The Philanthropy News Digest (service of The Foundation Center), has a calendar with a variety of philanthropy-related events, symposia, and training held around the country. Find more details on their events here. Per their website, “The Foundation Center connects nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them with information they can trust. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants.”

The Institute for Charitable Giving has a variety of seminars they offer each year from February through May, in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Houston. Topics include major gifts, capital campaigns, career development training, and their leadership institute. The schedule is on this page.

The Bridge Conference is usually held in July in Washington D.C. each year. This is a unique conference in that it is hosted by two organizations. Specifically the Washington D.C. chapters of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Direct Marketing Association. You get the best of both worlds – fundraising and marketing. As they say on the website, “this is the event of the year that can't be missed by fundraisers, direct marketers and association professionals!” The conference includes dozens of educational sessions by top-notch experts, networking opportunities, and vendor exhibits. Get the full scoop at 2008 Bridge Conference

The Center on Philanthropy. The Center has a research program, academic programs related to philanthropy and nonprofit management, and The Fundraising School of university-based education and training programs for fundraisers. Find the details here.

2008 Schedule of Training Classes can be found at this link. Classes include Developing Annual Sustainability; Developing Major Gifts; Faith and Fundraising; Interpersonal Communications; Workshop for Nonprofit CEOs; Grant Proposals; Capital Campaign; Planned Giving; Women’s Giving; and more. Most classes are held in Chicago, Indianapolis or San Francisco.

The International Fundraising Congress (IFC) is generally held in October in Europe. It’s an education and training conference on fundraising. Established in 1981, the event regularly attracts around 900 participants from over 55 countries, and is renowned for its outstanding training and networking opportunities. To quote their website: “We hand-pick the best speakers in the sector, and with over 100 workshops and sessions, we guarantee to deliver a program with the most up to date thinking in fundraising today.” The 2008 congress will be in Amsterdam, Holland. For details visit here.

BoardSource is a nonprofit organization with a variety of resources for nonprofit board members. These resources include workshops and training programs.

BoardSource Leadership Forum is held in October each year. The 2008 forum will be in Washington D.C.
They also come to your location with a multitude of workshops.
And they have a series of practitioner programs.

The Council for Nonprofit Innovation (a nonprofit organization), has a variety of events to offer. Follow this link for a complete listing.

The American Association of Grant Professionals (a nonprofit organization) holds an annual conference in October or November in various locations in the U.S. Their conference includes workshops, round-table discussions, member receptions, panels, vendor exhibits and more. Here’s the link for a bit more information (the 2008 conference will be in October in Long Beach, CA).

The Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association (DMFA) has chapters in Boston, New York City, and Washington D.C. Each location has a variety of “local” events ranging from luncheons with speakers, workshops, and “special” events. This link will give you access to all three chapters.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) also has events and educational classes you’ll benefit from. Here’s their full calendar of events for “everything marketing."

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I look forward to helping you prosper.