Welcome to Thrive in 2025!
We are thrilled to bring together an incredible gathering of fundraising professionals, non-profit leaders, community partners, and funders for a day of inspiration, collaboration, and strategy. As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, this conference is designed to equip you with the tools, insights, and connections needed to not just sustain, but truly thrive in our ever-changing landscape.
You’ll engage with experts, participate in thought-provoking discussions, and gain actionable strategies to elevate your impact. Whether you come to explore new fundraising trends, strengthen partnerships, or find innovative ways to drive mission success, this event is your space to learn, connect, and grow.
📅 Date: Friday, May 30, 2025
📍 Location: UBCO Kelowna Campus
🎟 Conference Registration Fees 🎟
✅ $95 – AFP Members
🚀 $115 – Non-Members
📅 Secure your spot today!
It is important to us that this event remains accessible to all. If the cost presents a barrier to your participation, please contact us to discuss available support.
Keynote Speaker
Small Wins - Why Little Steps Are the Path to Big Rewards
🎤 Speaker: Hugh Culver
Hugh Culver’s Small Wins keynote is a fresh look at why we get stuck, the stories we tell ourselves, and how to get unstuck, moving forward, and reaching goals. The secret to success is small wins—the deceptively minor steps that can lead to surprisingly big achievements at work and in life.
📝 Key Takeaways:
✅ Overcoming procrastination
✅ Turning self-doubt into action
✅ The power of incremental progress
About Hugh Culver:
Hugh has been a professional whitewater guide, nationally ranked athlete, demonstration skier, climber, and an Ironman and marathon competitor. He has founded or co-founded and exited three businesses and presented to over 1,000 organizations. Hugh lives in Kelowna, BC, and is the co-founder of the No Small Thing Fund, which provides outdoor learning experiences for vulnerable youth.
Morning Breakout Sessions
1. Finding Philanthropy - Insights from the Inside Sponsored by Central Okanagan Foundation
🗣 Speakers: Donna Koch, Hugh Culver
Fundraising is about more than just securing donations—it’s about building meaningful relationships that inspire long-term impact. But what truly motivates a donor to give, stay engaged, and deepen their commitment?
In this unique workshop, you’ll hear from donors who went from philanthropy to creating a legacy of giving—their vision, journey, stumbles, and results.
Through engaging discussions and real-life donor insights, participants will:
Learn what makes for a positive (or negative) giving experience
Discover strategies to foster trust, appreciation, and long-term support
Explore ways to personalize engagement and stewardship efforts
Walk away with actionable ideas to strengthen donor relationships
This is your chance to step into the donor’s shoes and see philanthropy from their perspective. Whether you're a seasoned fundraiser or new to donor engagement, this session will provide fresh insights to help you cultivate stronger, more impactful connections.
2. Empowering Everyday Tech: Driving Your Organization’s Digital Transformation
🗣 Speaker: Francis Quintal, CFOP
In this session, we'll uncover how every member of your organization can become a catalyst for digital transformation, regardless of your technical background. You'll learn how to break free from the cycle of reactive fixes and shiny new tool adoptions by understanding the true potential of the technology you already use daily. We'll explore how to leverage your firsthand experiences to identify inefficiencies, foster meaningful conversations with colleagues, and build a cohesive technology strategy and management framework that aligns with your mission. Join me as we transform technology from a patchwork of isolated solutions into a strategic asset that propels your organization forward.
3. Leading with Heart and Data: Inclusive Leadership for Neurodivergent Teams and Donors
🗣 Speaker: Matteo Raine-Stewart,
In today’s rapidly evolving nonprofit landscape, inclusive leadership isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a must-have. This interactive, scenario-based session invites fundraisers and nonprofit professionals to explore what it really means to lead neurodivergent teams and engage neurodivergent donors with respect, creativity, and care.
This session is rooted in the belief that everyone is a leader — regardless of title. Because leadership is a behavior, not a business card. Come ready to reflect, challenge assumptions, and leave with tools to foster connection, belonging, and impact across all your relationships.
📱 Bring your cell phones — we’ll be using live polling to spark real-time insights and group reflection. In this guilt-free, no blame, no shame safe(r) space, we’ll unpack emerging trends in inclusive leadership through stories, lived experiences, and practical strategies you can use immediately.
4. Blended Gifts
🗣 Speaker: Grant Monck
Prospective donors are challenged on a regular basis with separate and at times uncoordinated solicitations for current and future gifts. At the same time, charities are constantly focused on maximizing charitable gifts from a few key supporters. To receive the best result for both charities and their key donors, major gift officers need to develop a better level of comfort with planned gift conversations and gift planners must also be aware of current gift potential when talking with donors about future gifts. But how can this be done in a more coordinated way?
This session presented by Grant Monck will demonstrate how a blended gift strategy may be the best approach. A blended gift merges the interests of donors, organizations, and fundraisers. Donors can maximize their impact for annual, multi-year and future gifts. Charities can receive much needed major gifts today while also securing sizable, planned gifts to fund future needs. Fundraisers will more easily meet and exceed campaign and annual fundraising goals. Grant will discuss his experience with the blended gift approach and present a road map on how to include blended gifts in your toolkit for key donor conversations.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
1. Technology and Personalization in Donor Engagement – Implementing Automation and AI to Enhance the Donor Experience Sponsored by Generosity X
🗣 Speaker: Matt Hussey
How do you create donor experiences that feel personal, even when you're speaking to hundreds or thousands? And how can automation and AI be used to strengthen relationships rather than replace your relationship? In this session, Matt Hussey shares how nonprofits can harness technology to build more thoughtful, personalized donor journeys that actually deepen connection and increase lifetime value.
Through real-world stories, practical tools, and a dose of behavioral science, you’ll discover how to move beyond “FNAME personalization” to other ways create meaningful, scalable generosity experiences. You’ll see A/B tests that give you science-backed, practical ideas to remove guesswork and help you grow your fundraising results.
Key takeaways:
• How to think about personalization, automation, and AI in ways that feel human
• A/B tests that show how technology can improve donor engagement
• Real examples of nonprofits using tech to deepen relationships and boost giving
• Actionable strategies to build donor journeys that convert, retain, and inspire
2. Leading with Heart and Data: Inclusive Leadership for Neurodivergent Teams and Donors
🗣 Speaker: Matteo Raine-Stewart
📌 Repeated session from the morning.
3. What Are the Unintended Consequences of Crowdfunding? Sponsored by Global Philanthropic
🗣 Speaker: Kim Cassar Torreggiani, Associate Vice-President Advancement at Thompson Rivers University
Crowdfunding in the digital age has revolutionized the ability for individuals and organizations to solicit funds from a wide audience resulting in billions of dollars raised worldwide, and an estimated $17.2 billion raised through crowdfunding each year in North America alone. Crowdfunding has reshaped philanthropy by providing a method of giving that allows for quick action. These giving platforms successfully rally support for a wide range of causes; however, crowdfunding also introduces complexities such as fraudulent campaigns, misinformation, and questions about accountability. Recognizing and addressing the unintended consequences of donation-based crowdfunding will ensure longevity and continued effectiveness of this innovative method of fundraising.
4. Recharge Your Mission with CliftonStrengths
🗣 Speaker: Gaelene Askeland, Askeland Consulting
What if we focused on what’s right with people instead of what’s wrong? When engagement is low and anxieties are high, cross-functional nonprofit teams can reignite their energy and purpose through a strengths-based approach.
In this workshop, explore how CliftonStrengths helps teams:
Recognize and appreciate each other’s unique talents
Develop and intentionally apply their strengths
Collaborate effectively to achieve their mission
Learn about the 34 talent themes, discover how to identify and cultivate your own strengths, and explore ways to support strengths development in others. Whether reaffirming your career path or considering a shift, a strengths-based focus can unlock potential—for individuals and organizations alike.
Final Session: Fireside Chat without the Fire
Let’s Talk About Trust (Based Philanthropy)
🎤 Speaker: Susan Byrom, Executive Director of First West Foundation
🔥 Join us for an engaging and interactive fireside chat designed to break down barriers between funders and charities. We’ll explore the principles of Trust-Based Philanthropy and how working together can strengthen relationships, increase impact, and create more equitable partnerships.
In this session, we will:
✅ Gain insights into the core values of Trust-Based Philanthropy, including transparency, mutual accountability, and power-sharing.
✅ Engage in open dialogue, peer learning, and collaborative problem-solving to address challenges in shifting towards trust-based approaches.
✅ Hear real-world experiences from both funders and nonprofit leaders on what works—and what doesn’t—when building trust.
✅ Identify actionable strategies to foster long-term, trust-centered relationships that drive meaningful change.
This is a unique opportunity for grant makers and nonprofits to learn from each other, break down traditional barriers, and co-create a culture of trust and shared success. Whether you are new to Trust-Based Philanthropy or already implementing its principles, this session will provide valuable takeaways to enhance your work.
Social and Networking Sponsored by RBC
We hope you will come and enjoy some appies and beverages following our mini conference. It is our chance to visit, connect, share and leave inspired from the day’s events.
Upside Cidery 2555 Gale Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 2K2
Join Us!
🎯 Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to connect, learn, and thrive alongside fellow nonprofit professionals, funders, and community leaders.
Also check out other Nonprofit events in Kelowna, Business events in Kelowna.
