We’re delighted you’ve joined us for Elevate Conference 2025, where nonprofit professionals, fundraising experts, and change-makers come together to reimagine what’s possible in the world of fundraising events.
This year’s conference is designed to equip you with actionable strategies, innovative tools, and inspiring ideas to help you elevate your fundraising impact. Across two days of insightful keynotes, hands-on workshops, and dynamic networking opportunities, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to take your events—and your mission—to the next level.
Explore our full agenda of expert-led sessions, interactive panels, and breakout discussions designed to deepen your knowledge and expand your community.
9:00AM to 3:30PM PST Broadcast Programming
Day 1 is a dive into best practices for designing a major donor signature event that grows your engagement and raises more money.
☕ Connect + Learn
Start the day with networking, coffee, and interactive experiences before diving into expert-led discussions that will shape the future of your fundraising events.
🎤 Gain Expert Insights
Hear from leaders in nonprofit fundraising as they share strategies for event design, donor engagement, marketing, auctions, sponsorships, and more.
Need help? We’ve got you. Call our tech support team if you’re having any difficulty getting logged in. Tech support is available at 503-564-3044.
Registration is open! Grab coffee, meet your classmates, check out the vendor booths, and get your first dose of tech inspiration with our VR demo. Play event trivia on the big screen and get a chance to meet your fellow fundraising nerds.
Thank you to our coffee sponsor Vibrant Table.
VR Demo: Rachel Bracker, Hungry Mantis Featuring: DJ Avelanche
Let’s kick off the morning with a little big picture view of fundraising events and the potential that sits in your event.
Our expert event planners are here to break down your event design and give you their best tips to elevate Community, Celebration, and Content to design events that center your mission and make an impact.
Get out your pen and paper to peel back the layers to build a meaningful event. It’s time to dig into your own event plan and get to the heart of your purpose.
To reach fundraising goals you need a clear path to success. A budget can help you assess your ticket strategy, your sponsor strategy, and your procurement goals. This session will provide you a template and help you to understand how to build your event strategy.
Grab your lunch provided by Vibrant Table and prepare for a lunch-and-learn session.
Want them in person? Meet them online.
Digital Strategies to maximize the impact of your nonprofit events.
Events are arguably one of the most powerful ways to further your mission.
So how are you ensuring you’re getting the most out of your investment and hard work? This session will empower you with tested digital strategies that can:
This lunch-and-learn session is a panel discussion with three marketing experts. Marketing CEO, Crystal Chanel moderates a panel discussion that dives into digital media, traditional marketing, and good old-fashioned donor relations.
Online auctions? Live auctions? You name it, we’re covering it. We have seen big shifts in auction fundraising and this panel of experts is here to help you understand what is working and what isn’t working. We will focus on how to reduce your time on auctions and increase your revenue with some key trends and strategy.
Catch your breath. You’re going to need it for the next session. Stretch it out, say hello to someone, grab some water!
Stories are told in our event marketing, our event program, and even in our event design. They give our gathering intention and are the quickest path to connection, community building, and donor development. We’ll look at how to shape event stories for guests to create impact, connection, and meaning. This session will be recorded live and broadcast as a future episode of The Fundraising Elevator podcast.
Corporate sponsor and major donor Jo Davis of OnPoint Community Credit Union moderates a discussion of professional fundraisers about how to approach solicitation, utilize systems for relationship management, get a response or a meeting, and ultimately close the commitment.
It’s time to meet the experts and get connected with resource providers. This is an open time to pick a topic expert and get your questions answered. We will notify you halfway through in case you want to choose a second tabletop to join. Additional handouts offered onsite for tabletop details.
Join us for a Day 1 reception immediately following the day’s session.
9:30AM to 4:00PM PST Broadcast Programming
Day 2 goes beyond the plan and dives into taking your event to the next level to increase fundraising revenue, increase donor engagement and truly build a movement.
Need help? We’ve got you. Call our tech support team if you’re having any difficulty getting logged in. Tech support is available at 503-564-3044.
It’s time to find your people. Our goal is to build a fundraising event community and we want to be sure you have time to meet and talk to others that work in your role. Tables are assigned based on job titles and roles within organizations. We have paired you up with other folks in similar roles and experts who can provide you resources. Be sure to check in when you arrive. Thank you to our breakfast sponsor Kitchen Killa.
It’s not just about asking—it’s about engaging with a plan! This is a quick dive into how to increase fundraising in your event paddle raise. Sam will share the fundamentals of a strong appeal, the keys to maximizing your revenue, and share two case study demos for an in-person event and a hybrid event.
Ready to revolutionize giving? Let’s dive into the cognitive science of donor engagement unveiling community-centered fundraising strategies that forge alliances between nonprofits and donors. You’ll leave knowing how to craft ethical narratives that uplift and unlock deeper discussions that lead to long-term collaborations.
Take a moment stretch your legs, talk to new friends and grab a quick refreshment.
The Fundraising Elevator podcast gets a live audience today as Kristin Steele and Samantha Swaim moderate a powerful conversation with guest Diana Farias Heinrich, creator of the Equastory™ framework. Learn how to build movements that go the distance.
Lunch and maybe a little homework? Okay, not homework, but we’ll make sure you’re ready to engage with volunteers for a short activity at the end of lunch hour. Grab your lunch provided by Kitchen Killa.
Take a moment to grab a bite and return for a special broadcast session of The Fundraising Elevator podcast for our online audience that is a deeper dive into the special appeal.
In an ideal world, you would have a genuine 1:1 relationship with every donor where writing thank you notes feels like sprinkles on a cupcake. Instead, when a donation comes in, the clock starts ticking. So, how can you genuinely thank and steward your donors in less time? This is a real time training on how you can increase your revenue and improve donor retention with automation.
This will be fast, furious, and full of fundraising goodness. Hear from top experts like Sam, Kristin, Mary, Ryan, Jenna, and Kelly on how to turn your events into transformational experiences.
Many nonprofit boards are underutilized when it comes to fundraising. This session will provide actionable strategies to inspire, engage, and empower your board members to take an active role in your event fundraising. You’ll also see real-world examples of successful board activation to drive fundraising results. Learn how to turn your board into fundraising champions by aligning their passions with your mission, creating specific fundraising roles, and leveraging their networks for maximum impact.
This session will help you think about collaboration in your fundraising and what is possible when you take time to be in service to each other. As a longtime attendee at Elevate and executive director, Zerik returns to share the transformative work happening in his community of Savannah, Georgia.
Thank you to our speakers and sponsors who made Elevate possible. Our brief closing session will offer some additional next steps and resources to support you with your event planning goals.
Get ready to be inspired by an incredible lineup of thought leaders, nonprofit innovators, and fundraising trailblazers. These experts bring game-changing insights, real-world experience, and fresh strategies to help you take your mission to the next level.
PO Box 17191, Portland, OR 97217
Phone: 503 234 4546
Email: hello@swaimstrategies.com
Swaim Strategies is a state-certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE) in Oregon as well as a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE) and member of Oregon Pride in Business (ORPIB).
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