Join Mission-Driven Fundraisers
A day to hear new speakers, master new skills, be inspired by unique ideas, discuss and get solutions to tough problems, offer your personal insights, connect with fellow fundraisers, discuss actionable strategies and so much more. From campaign strategy to community building, you will leave with tools and inspiration to elevate your work—and boost your impact immediately in brand new ways.
The Benefits of Attending include…
The Canadian National Fundraising Conference is more than an essential educational symposium. If you attend, you and your team will share a day of insights with people who care as much as you do about the power of philanthropy to change lives. Together, you’ll explore what’s working, what’s next, and how to lead with heart and clarity in today’s evolving landscape. You’ll come away with:
Takeaways for Your Next Campaign
New Ideas & Tactics for Donor Engagement
Peer Perspectives on What Works Best Today
Connections with New Collaborators & Advisors
What’s more, your organization will get benefits that enhance your fundraising and marketing even before you arrive.
Attending means Free Bonuses for Your Organization or Business.
CNFC 2025 helps you combine high-level learning and actionable insights with free, real-world fundraising for nonprofits and charities and free advertising and marketing for for-profit businesses which serve the philanthropic sector. It’s a benefit which conserves your budget, builds your impact, leverages your expertise and expands your investment in a conference into an entirely new spectrum of unique and invaluable channels of fundraising and marketing.
Nonprofits/Charities: Registering as a delegate from a nonprofit or charity means your organization is entitled to free fundraising and donor appeal advertising to a national audience of high-value donors in the 2025 Canadian Giving Guide. The more delegates you send, the larger your engagement in the guide, up to a full double-page spread. Your advertising combines donor appeal marketing with mission statement content and contact details for your key fundraising staff and departments, reaching more than 20,000 potential supporters.
For-Profit Businesses: If you are a for-profit business, registering as a delegate means you are entitled to free bonus advertising and marketing in Foundation Magazine. This includes ads, digital and online banners, and more. And the more delegates you register, the more advertising you can leverage within editions of Foundation Magazine and on the website. Your ad helps you connect with the largest and most engaged organizations across the philanthropic spectrum, including key executive teams at nonprofits, charities, and more.
Who should attend?
Charity & Nonprofit Leaders
Donor Engagement Professionals
Fundraising Teams
Gift, Legacy, Planned & Annual Gift Teams
Corporate & Charity Philanthropy Executives
CMOs, Marketing & Communication Teams
Executive Directors, CEOs, Presidents
Grant Managers, Volunteer Managers, Event Planners
Meet the Keynote Visionaries
Hear from leaders driving innovation in fundraising, marketing, and mission strategy from across Canada and beyond.
Phil Nichols, CAWA, RVT
CEO,
Toronto Humane Society
Russell James, PhD
Rachel Hunnybun
VP Donor Engagement
Blakely
Session Speakers Include:
Kathleen A. Provost, CFRE,MAdEd, Vice President, Philanthropy & Communications, United for Literacy formerly Frontier College–Nova Scotia
Ben Smithee, Chief Relationship Officer, NextAfter–Texas
Mike Kujawski, Managing Partner, Center of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing–Ontario
Lesley Heighway, CEO & President, Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation–Ontario
Brandon Meawasige, Chief Operating Officer, Indspire–Ontario
Steve Shaw, Podcaster, Customer First Thinking & VP Strategy, Kenna— Ontario
Jess Brayne, Senior Manager, Community & Corporate Partnerships, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada— Ontario
Dr. Zainub Verjee C.M., Executive Director, Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries (GOG)— Ontario
Heather Clark, Chief Marketing Officer, SickKids Foundation — Ontario
Jayne Hunter, Executive Director, Literacy Nova Scotia — Nova Scotia
Megan Kelly, Director of Brand and Donor Engagement, (CAMH) The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health — Ontario
Fred Reibin, Shareholder Engagement Lead and Brand Manager, Saskatoon Community Foundation — Saskatchewan
Marla Smith, Director, Foundations & Communications, Pathstone Foundation — Ontario
Judi Steadman, Director, Corporate & Community Partnerships, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada
Taya Tootoo, Executive Director, Arctic Children & Youth Foundation — Nunavut
Natasha Tucker, Executive Director, Mind Your Plastic —Nova Scotia
Louise-Hélène Villeneuve, Executive Director, Yukon Foundation — Yukon
Elena Yunusov, Founder & Executive Director, Human Feedback Foundation — Ontario
* More great speakers are to be announced or confirmed shortly
Agenda
A full day of insight and engagement on the
New Rules of Giving: Strategy Meets Social Change
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Omni King Edward Hotel, Toronto
Doors at 7:30 a.m. | Program starts at 8:30 a.m.
Your day will include:
- Book fair with Civil Sector Press
- Inspiring Keynotes
- Insight Super Sessions
- Specialized Breakout Sessions
- Networking Opportunities
- Breakfast, Lunch, Refreshments
5 Concurrent Session Tracks to Choose From:
Reimagining Fundraising
Strategy, Channels & Technology in Turbulent Times. Make the most of every new aspect of reaching and engaging ideal donors. (Sponsored by NextAfter)
National Voices
Fundraisers from across Canada share their unique stories & successes. Learn how small organizations meet challenges with their fundraising work, and what you can borrow from their solutions.
The Power of Traditional Media
Why and how direct mail, print ads, radio, television, custom publications, in-person events…and more…still entice and build loyalty among high-value donors.
Membership Fundraising
Ideas for nonprofit institutions such as museums, galleries, cultural centres, community groups and other non-charity fundraisers.
The Science of Donor Marketing
Inside the Toolboxes of Top Fundraisers. Discover and witness the real-world implementation and impact of donor analytics, prospect segmentation, geo location systems, payments tools, AI systems, Apps, and so much more. You won’t believe your eyes.
PLUS…Attend or Have Colleagues attend…This special Half-Day Workshop with Russell James, Ph.D.
Using Questions to Advance the Donor’s Journey
Learn James’s evidence-based approach to using appreciative inquiry with donors to make transformational donations. A rare opportunity to get personal training from one of the sector’s most successful and respected leaders in the art and science of fundraising.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Learn More About James & The Workshop
Sponsored by Keys Marketing Group
Save your seat!
Charity or Nonprofit Delegate
For-Profit Business
Delegate
Workshop
Invest a Half-Day with Russell James PhD
2025 Canadian Giving Guide
An in-depth, insights-filled publication read by thousands of top-level executives in major companies, family foundations, corporate foundations, and key supporters of all causes.
Your Free Bonus Donor Engagement Advertising Space:
1 delegate – ½ page ad (1/4 page donor appeal ad & 1/4 page mission story)
2 delegates – full page ad (1/2 page donor appeal ad & 1/2 page mission story)
3 delegates – double-page spread (full page donor appeal ad & full page mission story)
Foundation Magazine
A quarterly, digital magazine providing readers with a contemporary understanding of the current trends and issues facing the sector.
Your Free Bonus Advertising Space:
1 delegate – ¼ page ad
2 delegates – ½ page ad
3 delegates – full page ad
Charity eNews
A weekly enewsletter updating 12,000+ nonprofit leaders on news, tips and analysis in fundraising, donor engagement, and all the other parts of managing a nonprofit organization.
Your free bonus ad space:
1 delegate – 1 banner ad
2 delegates – 2 banner ads in 2 issues
3 delegates – 4 banner ads in 4 issues
CNFC 2025 is brought to you by:
In Collaboration with Lead Sponsor
