2026 Virginia Fund Raising Institute

As artificial intelligence reshapes how we communicate and connect, nonprofits face a critical question: how do we stand out, stay relevant, and remain deeply human? In today’s noisy, distracted digital world, the nonprofits that thrive are the ones that tell stories that resonate and that connect deeply with their communities.  But storytelling shouldn’t just be viewed as a way to manipulate or “tug heartstrings” – it’s about driving real action.
Learn how to collect, craft, and deploy compelling stories across your website, email, and social media to engage supporters and increase donations.  This session combines timeless storytelling principles with modern tools, showing how any organization – no matter its size! – can turn authentic stories into powerful fundraising and marketing collateral.  Participants will also get access to the Storytelling in the Digital Age Workbook, to plan their next digital storytelling campaign.

Fundraising is relational work—and it is demanding work. Resilience in Action speaks directly to the pressures fundraisers face as they balance performance, ethics, leadership, and uncertainty in an evolving nonprofit landscape. Tailored for the VFRI community, this interactive keynote reframes resilience as a professional skill that supports ethical fundraising, strong relationships, and long-term sustainability.
Participants will explore practical strategies for navigating rejection, uncertainty, and change—whether facing missed goals, donor attrition, or shifting conditions beyond their control. Through storytelling, reflection, and shared dialogue, attendees will leave grounded, renewed, and better equipped to lead, ask, and steward with clarity and confidence.