We are delighted to share a summary of the participation of a representative of the Maja Przyszłość Foundation in the international Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization (NIO) Summit 2025 conference, which took place in Kansas City. This prestigious event, organized by the NextAfter research institute, brought together opinion leaders, strategists, and innovators from around the world to seek answers to the question: how to help more effectively in a rapidly changing world.
During the intensive days of the conference, we took part in a series of sessions led by world-class experts. The agenda focused on breaking existing patterns, and the workshops and lectures were based on research-proven best practices and technologies.
Kluczowe bloki tematyczne:
Cultivation: Tristan Amaya has proven that regular communication without directly asking for support builds trust, which translates into revenue growth of 21% to 41%.
Storytelling that stays in your heart: Nick Marino from Tango Charities taught us how to create digital narratives in which the donor is the hero. We learned that stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in content strategy: Andy Crestodina from Orbit Media Studios presented how to use AI to audit articles and better tailor the message to the needs of donors.
Donor Retention: Jeff Giddens from NextAfter presented a comprehensive guide to donor retention, pointing out that digital optimization can increase retention rates by up to 53%.
Marketing without the hype: Moni Oloyede from MO MarTech shed new light on marketing attribution, teaching us to make decisions based on real audience movement in the donation funnel, rather than just empty statistics.
These few, along with over 20 other speakers, supported us with their knowledge in many areas.
Organization, atmosphere, and behind the scenes: Back to the Future of Fundraising
NextAfter ensured that the conference was not only educational, but also an unforgettable experience. The theme was “Fundraising to the Future,” referring to the iconic film series.
Participants had the opportunity to admire the famous car from the film, and evening dinners and informal meetings, such as “Watering Hole,” encouraged the exchange of experiences with representatives of global organizations. The organizers also provided excellent learning conditions, from efficient registration to interactive workshops that allowed participants to test their newly acquired knowledge right away. We had the opportunity to learn about AI at an international level, in projects strictly focused on activities outside our own country, and try our luck at charity poker on the platform https://www.virtualpokernight.com
Patrons and Sponsors: The main sponsor of the event (Title Sponsor) was iDonate, and the technology partners included BetterAve.
Confirmed Research and Reports:
What sets the NIO Summit apart is its departure from intuition in favor of hard data. We learned about the results of research conducted on samples exceeding 800 million samples and 19 million conversions. The statistical confidence levels of the tests presented often reached 95-99%, which gives us confidence that the changes we implement will be effective.
What does this mean for the Maja Przyszłość Foundation?
By participating in the summit, we gained access to NextAfter’s vast training database and speaker resources. Most importantly, many of these tools, including blogs, webinars, and campaign templates, are now available free of charge after the conference, allowing us to continuously improve the quality of our work at no additional cost.
We are already planning:
Implementation of automated cycles in the GetResponse system.
Optimization of our websites for donations (e.g., forms with tabs).
Increasing the frequency of nurturing emails so that you hear “thank you” from us more often and learn how you are really changing the world!
A note from Agnieszka, conference participant:
Your PERSONALITY becomes you PERSONAL REALITY.
RIGHT story, RIGHT result.NIOSummit 2025 in Kansas City was really worth it!
I particularly appreciate the sessions devoted to how to maintain donor engagement in the long term, carefully test changes, and focus on actual results.
Author: Agnieszka, conference participant representing the Mają Przyszłość Foundation
It opened my eyes to how important it is to test the usability of our own channels and website—not everything was as obvious as I thought! Thank you for the great energy, solid knowledge, and fun breaks – from the online poker tournament, to trying out skateboarding with Marty and Doc, to sitting in the DeLorean, to finding some treasures in the gift shop. Great #afterparties with live music and The Bull.
An inspiring experience of learning and joy! Thank you, NextAfter!
Financial details and implementation of the public task:
Participation in the NIOSUMMIT 2025 international conference and workshop for fundraisers on September 30–October 2, 2025
Participation in the conference was made possible thanks to the implementation of a public task entitled
“Participation of an organization representative in the NIOSUMMIT 2025 international conference.”
Value of the task and funding: PLN 17,544.97.
Completion date: May 16, 2025 – December 19, 2025.
Objective: To improve competencies in the areas of technological innovation, fundraising, and communication.
The task did not involve the purchase of fixed assets and was educational in nature.
We would like to thank NIW and our Donors and Friends for supporting our path to professionalization for 13 years. Thanks to the knowledge gained from conferences and workshops, all your support – whether in the form of 1.5% tax or a donation to Adopcja Serca (Heart Adoption) – will work even more effectively for the future of our children.
