5th Annual animal welfare fundraisers Summit
Hundreds of animal welfare fundraisers from six countries coming together to share, learn from our peers and build a network.
Together, we represent thousands of years of experience –
just think of how many more animals we can help when we harness that collective wisdom!
Who should attend the Summit?
Everybody who fundraises for animal welfare should attend!
- Sessions will showcase directly applicable successful and innovative fundraising practices within the animal welfare movement.
- The Summit is designed to facilitate dialogue with fundraising peers internationally with networking sessions by area. Attendees will leave with an international network of peers in their fundraising area to share innovations, best practices and solutions.
- Pricing and complimentary registrations are intended to make it easier for leaders to sign up their entire team.
Schedule
The Summit runs 2.5 hours a day over 3 days in order to get many time zones together during at the same time. Our apologies if your local hours are a bit (or a lot!) anti-social! All session recordings will be available to attendees 7-10 days after the event.
Here’s the times:
UK & Europe (GMT) 20:30-23:00 March 4,5 &6
North America (PDT) 12:30 to 15:00 March 4,5 &6
Australasia (AEDT) 7:30-10:00 March 5,6 & 7
You can convert based on a 12:30 PST start time to your local time here.
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2025 Sessions
3 Plenaries and 20 sessions!
5 things you can do to grow donor trust and raise more money
Sara Hoshooley, Paws for Hope Animal Foundation and Charity ShiftThis workshop will take a look at the 5 things Paws for Hope Animal Foundation did to grow donor trust and raise more than 2 times our fundraising goal in 2024. We’ll talk about the mistakes we made, the resources required, and the behind the scenes of what really goes into building a strong fundraising culture.
These will be tangible tips and suggestions you can take back to your organization.
Key learnings:
- How to cultivate genuine relationships with donors at scale.
- Identifying the investments you’ll need to make to make this happen (we’ll give you a behind the scenes of how we did it)).
- Things you can do right away to make an impact and start building a culture of philanthropy.
Accessibility by Design:Breaking Barriers by Crafting Inclusive Donor Experiences
Meghan Sharon she/her, Digital Strategist and Amanda Swadlo she/her, Associate Creative Director - TrueSense MarketingIn a tech-driven fundraising landscape, recognizing the impact of accessibility is crucial. Crafting inclusive donor experiences is both a social responsibility and a strategic necessity for nonprofit success. By adopting inclusive design principles, you ensure that everyone can connect with your cause. This session will explore how accessible design can transform fundraising campaigns, fostering meaningful connections and engagement Understand the impact of
adaptive technologies, such as screen readers and voice assistants, on digital fundraising.
- Discover how to set measurable goals and use analytics to assess
and improve donor experiences over time - Learn essential principles and best practices for designing inclusive content that fosters engagement and connection.
- Gain practical, step-by-step guidance for implementing accessible design, from initial concepts to testing and maintenance.
Canada’s Evolving Demographic and Economic Landscape and the impacts on Legacy Giving
Mitchell Hillier, Director, Business Development, Environics AnalyticsThe Canadian economy and its population has undergone significant shifts since the COVID pandemic, reshaping the financial wellness of households across the country. In this session we will dive into the current demographics of Canada and explore the diverging financial realities of Canada’s households. We’ll analyze immigration trends since the pandemic and discuss how it has impacted Rural, Suburban and Urban geographies. We’ll look at generational giving and those more likely to support animal welfare, all with the viewpoint of how these macro trends may shift legacy giving and philanthropy moving forward.
Key Learnings:
- Donations are now coming from a smaller pool of individuals who donate larger amounts
- Population growth has drastically increased in the last couple of years, predominantly due to immigration
- In recent years we’ve seen an increase in households being unable to meet their financial needs
Fetching Opportunities: Transforming Reactive Fundraising Opportunities to Critical Funding
Sarah Lyon, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at the Nova Scotia SPCA and Nicole Danesi, Senior Manager Strategic Communications & Brand, CanadaHelpsWhat does GivingTuesday, the pet abandonment crisis, Betty White, rising inflation, and bad news all have in common?
These are all examples of reactive opportunities that the Nova Scotia SPCA quickly leveraged to raise funds for their cause. These are not opportunities they planned for, but moments in time that they acted on to react to current news and events that attracted new donors, raised big dollars, and captured the heart of supporters. If you blink, these opportunities could have passed them by, but they acted fast to seize the moment.
Learn how your charity can leverage reactive fundraising opportunities such as current news, media moments, or urgent and unpredicted need to raise awareness, critical funds, and attract new donors. The session will reveal tactics the Nova Scotia SPCA used to leverage these media moments to raise more than $2.2 million for their charity since 2019.
- How to identify reactive fundraising opportunities, including what to look for in the news to leverage these opportunities.
- How to quickly take action with a playbook to act fast when reaching new donors, engaging with media, and more.
- How to extend the moment in time to nurture new donors to become long time supporters.
From “Evolving Our Development Approach” to Data-Driven Success
Gina Fromme, Chief Development Officer and Shannon Hermann (not pictured) Sr. Director of Leadership Giving from HSMO and Dan Barney, Principal, Red Barn AdvisorsThis session will delve into how the Humane Society of Missouri transformed its development operations by embracing data-driven decision-making. Learn how we addressed challenges in data management and utilized insights to improve major gifts programs, enhance donor relationships, and ultimately increase fundraising impact.
Key Learnings:
- The importance of data integrity and its impact on fundraising success.
- Strategies for improving data quality and integration across systems.
- Building a data-driven culture within your development team.
- Leveraging data to personalize donor engagement and maximize fundraising results.
From Tortoise to Hare: Fast-Tracking Nonprofit Success with Digital Modernization
Salvatore Salpietro, Chief Community Officer, Fundraise UpLet’s dive into the transformative journey of two animal welfare nonprofits that successfully completed digital tools modernization projects, moving from legacy technologies to embracing AI and automation. We’ll share data and insights on the benefits and results, including improved experiences for both donors and administrative teams, the impact on digital donation revenue, and the strategies used to achieve team alignment. This session aims to inspire and empower other nonprofits to embrace technological upgrades, shedding light on the tangible benefits and overcoming hesitations.
Key Learnings and Takeaways:
- Gain insights into the efficiency improvements achieved through digital modernization.
- Understand the impact of upgraded digital tools on increasing digital donation revenue.
- Learn effective strategies for achieving team alignment and collaboration during a modernization project.
- Build confidence to undertake digital modernization and overcome common challenges.
How to Secure More Visits with Your Next Major Donors
Carol Spychalski, Vice President of Philanthropy, San Diego Humane Society and Dan Coleman, Chief Development Officer, Humane Society of Silicon ValleyHave you reached out to a donor to set up a meeting to get to know them or perhaps solicit a gift, but you don’t hear back? Maybe you’re trying to secure your first visit with a prospective donor, but you can’t get your foot in the door? Or you hear the common line, “You don’t need to spend your valuable time on me”?
We’ve all struggled with getting the meeting, but in-persons visits are foundational to securing major gifts. Whether you’re new to this work or a seasoned pro, this session will provide proven, practical strategies for securing more visits that will boost your motivation and your tool kit for this essential skill. We’ll share tactics and tools to inspire donors to say yes to meeting with you, help you leverage the uniqueness of animal welfare and how it can be incorporated in your outreach, and provide strategies for overcoming objections to meeting.
HSMO Day of Giving: A Digital Fundraising Success Story
Laura Keller, Director of Marketing Erin Gregory, Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations, Deneva Eivins, Project Manager, all from HSMO and Karen Handelman, President, 501creativeThis session will explore the evolution of Humane Society of Missouri’s Day of Giving campaign, a 24-hour digital fundraising and media blitz that replaced our traditional telethon. Learn how we leveraged technology, compelling storytelling, and strategic partnerships, including impactful media outreach (influencers, Facebook Lives, radio, TV, and social media), and multi-channel fundraising tactics to achieve remarkable results.
Key Learnings:
- Strategies for transitioning from traditional to digital fundraising.
- The power of compelling visual content and storytelling in online campaigns.
- Implementing a multi-channel fundraising strategy, utilizing a variety of platforms and tactics to maximize revenue and donor engagement.
- The importance of a comprehensive media strategy, including leveraging influencers and utilizing diverse channels to maximize reach and engagement.
Litter-ally Better Emails, Right Meow!
Claire Kerr, Director, Care2A healthy and happy email list is a healthy and happy fundraising pipeline! If you want your list members to look forward to hearing from your organization, this is the session for you.
Watch to learn best practices to help your organization design content that gets clicks, conversions, and compliments. You’ll leave with the information you need to reach the right supporters with the right messaging at just the right time.
Email is one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways to talk to your supporters. Don’t miss these actionable strategies you can apply to your 2025 programs (right meow) to make every touchpoint count.
Key Learnings:
- Powering-up engagement: How to leverage SMS and boost messages with strategic segmentation
- Deliverability and compliance: How to avoid spam and get into inboxes
- Content crafting: How to tell compelling stories that keep list members active
Pawsitive Engagement: Crafting Strong Social Media That Resonates
Sovereign Norris, Social Media Specialist, BC SPCAIn today’s digital landscape, effective social media strategies are vital for nonprofits to amplify their message and engage supporters. Join us for an interactive session where we’ll explore innovative approaches to creating compelling content that resonates with your audience, with a special focus on leveraging smart video for fundraising.
We’ll cover:
- Storytelling Techniques: Learn how to weave your nonprofit’s mission into captivating narratives that inspire action.
- Smart Video Strategies: Discover how to create impactful video content that drives engagement and encourages donations. We’ll discuss best practices for production, editing, and storytelling in video.
- Platform-Specific Strategies: Explore the unique strengths of various social media platforms and how to tailor your video content for maximum impact.
- Engagement Tactics: Dive into creative ways to foster community and encourage interaction with your followers through video and other formats.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Understand the importance of analytics in refining your strategy, measuring video performance, and optimizing for fundraising success.
- Whether you’re a seasoned social media pro or just starting out, this session will equip you with practical tools and fresh ideas to elevate your nonprofit’s online presence and enhance your fundraising efforts.
Plenary – It’s not about You. Or is it?
James Evans, Founder and CEO, CAREPhilanthropic organizations sometimes unwittingly impede the progress they aim to achieve. Why? Because they tend to assume the best outcomes are due to their giving, and their input. In a capitalistic society access to capital is the pinnacle of power. This power can lead philanthropists to believe they have the best solutions for any global issue. We need to completely rethink philanthropy, as having wealth does not necessarily equate to having wisdom.
Plenary: Animal Welfare in Africa Amidst Population Density Challenges
Ambrose Otachi, Campaign Director, Farm Animal VoiceAfrica’s rapidly growing population and urbanization present significant challenges for animal welfare, including habitat loss, inadequate care, and intensified production systems. Limited funding, competing social priorities, and weak institutional support further hinder animal welfare efforts. This session explores innovative fundraising strategies tailored to Africa’s socio-economic and cultural landscape. We will discuss community-driven models, digital fundraising, diaspora engagement, corporate partnerships, and sustainable agribusiness as viable solutions. Additionally, we will examine how integrating animal welfare into broader development goals can enhance donor appeal and drive long-term impact.
Plenary: The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Unveiling Hidden Biases in Your Organization (and it starts with your CRM)
Salvatore Salpietro, Chief Community Officer, Fundraise UpParticipate in an engaging discussion where we’ll uncover the hidden biases lurking in nonprofit organizations and their impact on donor outreach. We’ll explore how traditional assumptions can limit fundraising efforts and discuss innovative strategies for identifying and overcoming these biases using non-Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data and AI tools. Attendees will learn how to leverage these insights to diversify their supporter base and enhance their fundraising success.
Key Learnings and Takeaways:
- Understand the limitations of CRM data and how it can perpetuate biases in nonprofit fundraising.
- Learn how to collect and analyze non-PII data to gain valuable insights into donor behavior and preferences.
- Discover the power of AI in identifying hidden patterns and optimizing fundraising strategies.
- Gain practical tips for expanding your donor base and creating personalized donation experiences.
Strategies to expand digital fundraising
Jennifer Grantham, Vice President Philanthropy and Communications, San Diego HS (not pictured) / Miriam Davenport, Vice President SPCA LA/ Kyndra Kennedy, Annual Giving Officer, Marin Humane/ Sarah Trudeau, Director of Data & Annual Fund, Wisconsin Humane Society/ Hayley Smith, Vice President of Digital Strategy, RKD GroupJoin us for an engaging discussion on strategies to expand digital fundraising, featuring key lessons learned, innovative approaches, and a review of year-end fundraising results within the animal welfare sector, including Giving Tuesday. Gain practical insights to assess and grow your digital impact, establish meaningful benchmarks for success, and effectively engage diverse donor audiences.
- Practical Strategies to Expand Digital Fundraising: Learn actionable techniques and innovative approaches to grow your digital fundraising program.
- Insights from Year-End Fundraising Results: Understand key trends and lessons from successful animal welfare campaigns, including Giving Tuesday, to inform your organization’s future digital efforts.
- Engaging and Retaining Donors: Gain strategies to effectively connect with diverse donor audiences, build stronger relationships, and sustain long-term engagement in a digital landscape.
Strategizing for Sustainability: Building and Growing Your Sustainer Program
Wyn Furman, Director of Digital Communications & Philanthropy & Jennifer Grantham, Vice President, Philanthropy and Communications, San Diego Humane SocietySustainer programs are the lifeblood of many nonprofit organizations, providing a reliable source of funding and fostering long-term relationships with supporters. However, building and growing a sustainer program requires careful planning, effective communication, and ongoing engagement strategies. Join us for an insightful workshop where we explore proven strategies for creating and expanding sustainer programs, equipping you with the tools and knowledge needed to cultivate reliable support for your mission and the animals depending on your organization for a second chance.
- Increase Awareness and Understanding: Ensure attendees have a clear understanding of what sustainer programs are, why they are crucial for nonprofit fundraising and how to cultivate an organizational culture that values sustained giving.
- Enhance Appeal Crafting Skills: Equip attendees with practical strategies to craft compelling appeals that convert one-time donors into sustainers.
- Improve Donor Stewardship Practices: Provide attendees with best practices for building and maintaining strong relationships with recurring donors.
- Share Retention and Growth Strategies: Enable attendees to implement at least three new strategies for retaining and upgrading sustainer donors within six months of the workshop.
The ‘best’self’ of animal welfare donors
Dr. Jen Shang, Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy & Erin Walkey, Director of Philanthropy, BC SPCAWhat are your donors saying about themselves when they give? Would they give more, or for longer if they saw donating to your cause as an extension of their self? Dr. Jen Shang from the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy and Erin Walkey from the BC SPCA will detail their 36-month research journey to identify and test what psychological motivations were most important for BC SPCA donors. Shang and Walkey will share examples of these learnings in action. They’ll also discuss how nurturing donors’ identities increases their sense of well-being, love and connection, which in turn fuels more sustainable giving. Finally, Dr. Shang will be able to share how the research that started with the BC SPCA continued with RSPCA UK, Animal Welfare League Australia and, RSPCA’s Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, highlighting key differences in animal welfare donor identities around the world.
- understand how you can uplift donor wellbeing
- reflect your donor’s best self by uncovering their most important identifiers
- explore how these learnings can be applied to build connections between donors and your cause
The one that (nearly) got away: Maximizing the Value of Your Monthly Donor File
Danielle Sharp, Manager – Direct Response, BC SPCA and Dan Abraham, VP Fundraising, Morgan Steacy, Senior Account Manager and Diona Andrews, Account Manager all from StratComThe value of monthly donors is undisputed, but the focus is often on acquisition while an equally important factor for a healthy file, defeating attrition, is often overlooked. In this seminar, Stratcom and Danielle Sharp from BCSPCA will provide a range of cross-channel best-practices on how to battle monthly donor attrition from expired and declined credit cards. They’ll provide case studies on using text, email, phone and direct mail for credit card recovery, including expected response rates and suggestions around messaging. They’ll talk about when it makes sense to outsource and when it should be done in-house. For charities managing the process in house, Stratcom will provide some high-level advice on scripting and volunteer/staff training. The session will end with a quick discussion on lapsed monthly reactivation for those that get away.
Key learnings will include: channel integration and cadence; optimal messaging; industry benchmarks; and tips and tricks – that will include mail and script samples – to making monthly donor recovery efforts as successful as possible.
The Social Media and Search Shake-Up: Diversify, Adapt, and Clap Back for Animals
Charly Jarrett, Nonprofit Digital Development Consultant, hjcAs social media continues to evolve, animal welfare organizations face unique challenges in staying connected with donors and maintaining trust while upholding their values. Is spending money on traditional platforms harming the very people and animals we are trying to help? Moreover, the changing landscape of search behaviors adds another layer of complexity to digital engagement. This session provides a strategic roadmap for animal welfare organizations looking to navigate this shifting digital terrain, focusing on ethical engagement, targeted donor discovery, and sustainable growth.
Learning Outcomes
Authentic Donor Engagement: Connect authentically with donors aligned with your mission for sustainable growth, while battling disinformation in a hostile climate.
Ethical Engagement: Strategies for navigating social media ethically, reflecting animal welfare values as best we can.
Cost-Effective Diversification: Explore and engage on more platforms tailored for animal welfare audiences to expand your reach & adapting to a new search environment.
Thriving in Chaos: How BC SPCA Used Dataro AI and Innovation to Engage More Donors and Grow Annual Revenue
Danielle Sharp, Manager, Direct Response,, BC SPCA and Chris Paver, COO & Cofounder, DataroIn 2024, Canadian nonprofits grappled with declining donor retention, postal strikes, political uncertainty, and a cost of living crisis, making it more challenging than ever to sustain and grow fundraising revenue.
Despite these challenges, British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) continues to see increased overall revenues.
One key to their success was by using Dataro AI donor insights and audience targeting to strengthen a more personalized approach in their direct response fundraising.
Dataro AI has been used in developing more meaningful direct mail lists, enhancing gift arrays, reactivating lapsed donors, and boosting recurring giving through upgrades, reactivations and conversions.
Additionally, the BC SPCA leveraged AI with the help of Dataro to gain deeper insights into donor engagement across programs, uncovering new opportunities to engage donors and personalize their journey with the organization.
- Gain insights into how machine learning (AI) predicts donor behavior, enabling fundraisers to prioritize the right donor asks and optimize campaign targeting for better outcomes.
- Learn effective strategies and tactics to grow recurring giving and reactivate lapsed donors across both recurring and single gift campaigns.
- Discover the power of personalization in fundraising and how omni-channel campaigns can boost efficiency and maximize ROI.
- Understand how an innovative mindset and leveraging the right technologies can help fundraisers turn challenges into opportunities to enhance donor engagement and improve overall fundraising performance.
Turning a Gift in Will Proposition into a TV Campaign
Kate Hoelter, Gifts in Will Manager, RSPCA Victoria and Helen Trussler, Gifts in Will Manager, RSPCA New South WalesIn this presentation, we share our national (RSPCA in Australia) journey taking our Gift in Will proposition to market through a TV Ad campaign. We will talk through the challenges of staying true to the proposition, audience, and budget when working with an agency and having clear campaign objectives. We will also discuss understanding that Gift in Will marketing is a long game and how to take a balanced approach to leads and awareness goals.
Unleash the Collective Force: Transforming Animal Shelter Fundraising
Katherine Lacefield, Just Be Cause ConsultingJoin me in this inspiring session, where we will delve into the current animal funding landscape in Canada and explore a wide range of ingenious tips and tricks to seamlessly integrate fundraising into different shelter departments. I’ll share my personal success story of how I significantly boosted the acquisition and retention of monthly donors through innovative fundraising tactics. We’ll also uncover the transformative power of collaborative, relationship-based fundraising, fostering a community of loyal supporters and attracting major donors to your cause.
Through this session, participants will learn:
- How to integrate fundraising into different shelter departments
- How to increase acquisition and retention of monthly donors
- How a relationship based fundraising approach builds community, loyalty and fosters more major donors
Unlocking the Potential of Volunteers as Lifelong Donors
Kelly Cristaldi, Sr. Marketing Manager, GoldenWhat if your nonprofit’s most loyal and passionate donors are already within reach? Transitioning volunteers into lifelong donors is one of the most effective—and often overlooked—strategies for sustainable support. But how can organizations successfully bridge the gap?
This session dives into the ‘why’ behind declining contributions and reveals actionable strategies to tap into the power of your volunteer base. Learn how to break down departmental silos, design a seamless volunteer-to-donor journey, and leverage technology for a 360-degree view of your supporters.
Walk away with a roadmap to transform your volunteers into lifelong champions of your mission.
- Understand the “why” behind the generosity crisis
- Strategies to collaborate with your volunteer and fundraising teams
- How to create a volunteer-to-donor journey that’s personalized and scalable
- Leverage technology for a 360-degree view of your supporters
Winning back hearts (and donors) – AI in action for Humane Societies
Josh Hirsch, Education and Training StrategistHow do you reconnect with donors who have gone silent? The Suncoast Humane Society tackled this challenge head-on by combining the power of AI with heartfelt storytelling. This case-study presentation dives into the innovative campaign that used artificial intelligence to craft personalized messages from the perspective of rescued animals, turning lapsed donors into loyal supporters. Through creative narratives and cutting-edge technology, the campaign not only reignited donor relationships but also showcased the unique bond between adopters and their furry companions. Discover how AI can amplify authentic storytelling, strengthen connections, and drive results in the nonprofit world.
Learning Objectives
Identify actionable strategies and lessons learned from the Suncoast Humane Society’s campaign to strengthen donor relationships and achieve measurable results.
Explore the intersection of AI and storytelling to create deeply personal and emotionally resonant donor communications.
Learn how to effectively re-engage lapsed donors by leveraging creative, narrative-driven campaigns powered by AI.
Pricing
| Early Bird by February 15th | Regular February 16th | |
| Individual registration | $75 | $95 |
| Register 3 & get 1 complimentary registration ($56/pp) | $225 | $285 |
| Register 5 & get 3 complimentary registrations ($47/pp) | $375 | $475 |
| Register 9 & get 6 complimentary registrations ($45/pp) | $675 | $855 |
| Teams of 16-19 (includes up to 9 complimentary registrations) ($39/pp) | $750 | $950 |
| Teams of 20+ (pay for 12 registrations only – all additional are complimentary). | $900 | $1140 |
Global Animal Welfare Fundraising Report
We are not producing a fundraising report at this time.
Bursaries
We’re excited to announce that Fundraise Up, one of our kind sponsors, has generously offered bursaries to help fundraisers attend the summit.
If you are filled with enthusiasm to find ways to help more animals but have limited, or zero, professional development budget and won’t otherwise be able to attend then apply now!
Get free registration to the Summit.
Sponsors
