2026 Virginia Fund Raising Institute

Unlock the secrets to maximizing your fundraising potential with this session. In today’s competitive nonprofit landscape, staying ahead with the latest donation trends is crucial to boosting contributions and engaging donors effectively.
Whether you’re a seasoned fundraiser or new to the field, this session offers valuable insights to propel your organization’s mission forward. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your fundraising efforts and make a greater impact in your community.

Great donor discovery isn’t about asking the perfect question – it’s about listening for what matters most. This interactive session helps fundraisers sharpen their listening skills, recognize donor cues, and respond with curiosity instead of rushing toward the ask. Participants will explore practical ways to follow a donor’s lead, ask better follow-up questions, and build trust through responsive conversation. Attendees will leave with tools they can immediately use in discovery, stewardship, and solicitation conversations.

Businesses hold on to customers like glue. Nonprofits? We let donors slip like sand through our fingers. The average business says, “See you next time!” and 3 out of 4 customers return. But in our world, 4 out of 5 first-time donors never give again. Fundraising without stewardship is just acquisition on repeat. Here’s the truth: acquiring donors is expensive, exhausting, and unsustainable unless you keep them. Retaining a donor costs 20 cents on the dollar. Acquiring a new one? $1.50. Ill-informed leaders can treat stewardship as fluff, luxury or an afterthought but donors decide to stay – or stray – in the downtime between your appeals. Retention hinges on how you communicate when you’re not asking. Ready to swipe right on donor love? Discover which stewardship strategies are the most effective and the simple metrics to measure it: retention and average gift value.