Agenda

Once you’ve checked in, head to the Atrium on the 2nd floor for our welcome happy hour! Enjoy dinner and drinks as you catch up with old friends or meet new ones before we kick off DXS Day 1. Don't forget to swing by the DXS Swag Store to grab your must-have essentials—because great fundraising deserves great merch! 🎉🛍️

Join visionary nonprofit leader and author Dan Pallotta for an inspiring fireside chat at DXS, where he’ll challenge traditional charity mindsets and explore bold investment in fundraising. Drawing from UnCharitable and the documentary it inspired, Dan will share strategies to shift donor perceptions, engage boards, and unlock your organization’s full potential—plus an interactive Q&A!

Speakers:
Dan Pallotta, American entrepreneur, author, and humanitarian activist
Jamie Mueller, VP of Partnerships at Fundraise Up

 
Donors are consumers first, and their expectations for digital giving are shaped by the seamless experiences they encounter daily. In this live roundtable, we’ll unpack key insights from The Pulse of the Donor report, revealing how top nonprofits stay ahead by adopting a consumer-first mindset in digital fundraising.

Speakers:
Cherian Koshy, Nonprofit industry expert & session host
Salvatore Salpietro, Chief Community Officer, Fundraise Up
Kerry Persen, PhD,  Public Policy at Stripe

Catch up on emails or join our networking "table topic" zones led by partners over lunch. You can also visit the Fundraise Up office, tour Industry City, or take a quiet moment for yourself.

Fundraising is not sales—it’s relational, driven by purpose and connection, while sales is transactional. In this session, we’ll explore the core distinction and share insights on how to approach fundraising with a heart-led mindset, building meaningful relationships with donors that align their passions with your organization’s mission.

Speakers:
Sterrin Bird, Nonprofit Executive in Residence at Attain 
Phoebe Wixsom, Annual Fund Manager, Habitat for Humanity SF
Derrick Whitney, Chief, Engagement Solutions at Smithsonian Institution
Alice Ng Bouwma, Strategy and Innovation Lead, Power to Change

Join industry experts for a fast-paced 15-minute Power Up Series hosted by Justin McCord (RKD Group), offering game-changing strategies to expand your donor base and drive engagement. Each session delivers one “stealable” takeaway to power up your nonprofit’s fundraising.
 

🚀 Power Up #1: Hannah Odell (TED Conferences) shares how TED bridged the gap between online and offline fundraising to capture new donors.
🚀 Power Up #2: Salvatore Salpietro & Charles Lehoist (Fundraise Up) break down PCI compliance, offering insights on future-proofing nonprofit security and efficiency.
🚀 Power Up #3: Tayyab Yunus (Intuitive Solutions) explores the $4.3 billion American Muslim philanthropic market and strategies for culturally relevant engagement.

 

Back for Round 2! Join industry experts for a fast-paced 15-minute Power Up Series hosted by Justin McCord (RKD Group), offering game-changing strategies to expand your donor base and drive engagement. Each session offers one "stealable" takeaway to enhance your nonprofit’s fundraising strategy.

🚀 Power Up #4: Samantha Latzes (Save the Children) reveals how targeted YouTube ads boosted traffic, donations, and revenue with a matched market test.
🚀 Power Up #5: Giovanni Valdez (Greater Chicago Food Depository) shares how a $2M matched gift campaign turned mid-level donors into major giving prospects. 

Explore how AI is reshaping nonprofit fundraising and engagement in this panel discussion. Learn practical strategies, ethical considerations, and real-world examples of AI-driven tools that can help organizations optimize campaigns, personalize outreach, and improve efficiency.

Speakers: 
Josh Hirsch, Education and Training Strategist, Fundraise Up
Devi Thomas, Social Impact and AI Leader
Charles Lehosit, VP of Solutions Engineering at Fundraise Up

This evening, we'll break into cohort groups and explore one of Brooklyn’s most vibrant neighborhoods, DUMBO, for networking dinners. Immerse yourself in all that Brooklyn has to offer as you connect with like-minded peers, partners, and the Fundraise Up team. Take in the sights, savor the delicious flavors, and conclude DXS Day 1 with inspiring conversations.

The nonprofit sector is at a crossroads—familiar fundraising strategies are yielding diminishing returns and new patterns of generosity are emerging. In this session, we’ll explore the latest trends in fundraising and giving behavior, uncovering the biggest untapped opportunities that we must address to meet this moment. We’ll challenge ourselves to consider: How do we take action on these opportunities, individually and collectively? 

Presented by:
Woodrow Rosenbaum, Chief Data Officer for GivingTuesday

Join Michael Johnston of HJC as he facilitates a powerhouse panel featuring Save the Children and IRC. This engaging session tackles one of the nonprofit sector’s most pressing questions: How do you secure buy-in and investment from senior leadership or boards to innovate and grow fundraising efforts. 

Speakers: 
Michael Johnston, Founder and President of HJC
Jon Wheeler, Senior Director, Digital Marketing at Save the Children
Emily Martin, Director of Digital Marketing at International Rescue Committee
Jon Thompson, Associate VP, Philanthropic Strategy & Technology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Annie O'Leary, Associate Director, Leadership and Annual Giving at SickKids Foundation
 

Catch up on emails, join our "table topic" zones, or schedule 1:1 time with the Fundraise Up team or Partner for personalized support during office hours. 

In today’s digital landscape, nonprofits must meet donors where they are—on their mobile devices. Discover how March of Dimes, International Medical Corps and Boys Town evaluated, adopted, and scaled mobile giving through text messaging, leveraging donor behavior trends to implement a mobile-first strategy.

Speakers:
Mike Snusz, Director of Nonprofit Customer Experience, Tatango
Jasonea Shockey, Director, Digital Marketing, Boys Town
Jessica Smit, Senior Manager, Direct Marketing, International Medical Corp
Ted Engelhardt, Director, Marketing Data and insight, March of Dimes
 

In an era of uncertainty, nonprofits must adapt and innovate to maintain impact. Join Ajay Chidrawar and panelists Anita Yankova (IFAW), Jessica Smit (International Medical Corps), and Chris Mah (Union Gospel Mission) as they share strategies for preparing for crises, building resilience, and future-proofing your organization through data-driven decision-making and digital transformation.

Speakers:
Anita Yankova, Deputy Vice President, Digital Marketing at IFAW
Jessica Smit, Senior Manager, Direct Marketing at International Medical Corp
Chris Mah, Director, Strategy & Marketing at Union Gospel Mission
Ajay Chidrawar, Chief Customer Officer at Fundraise Up

In this session, Gillian Moir, Kyla Tymchen (Scarborough Health Network), and Jasonea Shockey (Boys Town) share how they overcame siloed marketing and fundraising efforts by implementing a weekly scrum using Google Analytics 4, unifying their strategies for top-of-funnel engagement and conversion optimization. Moderated by Philip King (STella!), this high-energy discussion reveals how their integrated approach, supported by Fundraise Up, maximized results and broke down barriers between teams.

Speakers:
Philip King, Managing Director at STella!
Gillian Moir, Digital & Multichannel Campaigns Officer at  Scarbourgh Health Network
Kyla Tymchen, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications at  Scarbourgh Health Network
Jasonea Shockey, Director of Digital Marketing at Boys Town

What if the way nonprofits fundraise online is fundamentally broken? In this session, we’ll dive into the key insights that led to Fundraise Up’s creation and how rethinking the donor experience is unlocking unprecedented generosity. Discover why traditional approaches fall short—and how a data-driven, donor-first mindset is changing the game.

Speakers: 
Tobes Kelly,  Publisher at SPN Substack
Peter Byrnes, CEO of Fundraise Up

End DXS on a high note at the Closing Night Banquet, an unforgettable evening of food, drinks, music, and fun at Carreau Club in Brooklyn. Join us for a night filled with pétanque, lively games, and great conversation as we celebrate the connections and insights made throughout the event. Don’t miss out on this epic conclusion to DXS!