Western Canada Fundraising Conference 2025

The pandemic didn’t just reshape our world—it rewired how donors think and give.

In this insightful session, Lisa Smith unpacks the neuroscience of stress and trauma and how adrenaline, cortisol, and prolonged uncertainty have reshaped donor decision-making. You’ll explore why donors behave differently now, how their attention and risk tolerance have shifted, and what that means for your fundraising strategies.

Learn practical ways to adapt your messaging, personalize outreach, and strengthen donor relationships across channels like telefundraising, email, social media, and direct mail.

Leave with the tools to engage donors with empathy, simplicity, and impact in today’s stress-saturated world.

Inspired by the Slow Food movement, Slow Fundraising is an intentional approach that centres on care, connection, and sustainability. It’s not anti-digital or anti-innovation—it’s pro-relationship. This mindset prioritizes deep engagement over shallow reach, long-term trust over short-term ROI, and donor meaning over internal metrics.

In today’s pressure-filled fundraising environment, slowing down can feel radical. But truly transformative fundraising—the kind that builds lifelong donor relationships and generates long-term value—has never been about the quick win.

Join David Kravinchuk of The Common Good fundraising agency to learn about this movement challenging conventional thinking and making the case for depth over speed. You’ll leave with practical ideas to help you build programs that create not just loyal donors, but lasting change.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand the core principles of Slow Fundraising and how they differ from short-term strategies.
- Identify tools and approaches—both classic and digital—that support deep donor relationships.
- Spot opportunities to slow down and deepen their programs’ long-term value.
- Begin advocating for a shift toward sustainable, relationship-centred fundraising inside their organizations.

Target Audience:
- Mid-career and senior fundraisers
- Fundraising leaders balancing digital and relational priorities
- Fundraisers under short-term pressure
- Organizations seeking a sustainable future with the revenue they need to achieve their mission

Bring your appeal letters, emails, acknowledgments, taglines, social posts, newsletters, donor/community reports, or any other donor materials to this lively, no-judgment session led by Sonya Swiridjuk, CFRE, and her squad of storytelling, copywriting fundraiser SuperFriends.
 
In this fast-paced, interactive clinic, you’ll get 10 minutes with an expert for on-the-spot feedback to help you level up your donor communications, boost engagement, and improve results. Whether you’re struggling with a direct mail campaign, want fresh eyes on an impact report, or looking for ways to enhance another kind of donor relationship communications piece, Sonya and her crew will provide recommendations to  sharpen your message for greater success.
 
Target audience: Fundraisers of all experience levels who want to improve their donor communications—whether you’re writing your first appeal or looking to refresh seasoned campaigns. Bring your drafts and get ready for some fun, practical learning!

Walk away with actionable tips you can apply immediately—and maybe even a little inspiration for your next fundraising win.