#89 | What would happen if we flipped the fundraising conference on its head?

I was especially grateful when, amidst her busy schedule just two days before the Raise conference, Kelly agreed to sit down for an hour for a conversation while I was in Chicago. Kelly and I hit it off immediately, both of us passionate about getting fundraising right for our clients and more than willing to ruffle a few feathers along the way in order to accomplish that. Now in its third year, the Raise conference is hosted by OneCause, a technology firm that delivers on an innovative, easy-to-use, year-round software suite trusted by over 5,000 nonprofits.

While brainstorming ideas for the Raise conference several years ago, Kelly’s team asked themselves what would happen if they flipped the fundraising conference experience on its head. They wanted to create a new experience, recognizing that many fundraisers were tired of going to the same old conferences, eating the same boxed lunches, and hearing from many of the same voices year after year.

I asked Kelly what her vision for Raise was five years out. She insisted that Raise is not about the numbers but about being recognized as a new, affordable conference experience where those who attend form meaningful relationships and enthusiastically return again and again.

If you’d like to join us for the October stop on the How Fundraising Really Works roadshow in New York City, at the beautiful Gateway School, just blocks from Central Park and Lincoln Center, the early registration discount is still available - click here!