Face-to-Face and Telephone Fundraising Conference 2026

Programme

Click here for a screen-reader friendly version of the programme

Sessions

Room 1

F2F in 2026 using data to look forward
Speakers: Liam McEntegart, Managing Director, REAL Fundraising

Looking back over the data that we have collated and presented at the last 2 F2F conferences, where we have looked at the last 100,000 donors REAL has inspired to be supporters of our valuable clients and coupling this with the insights from the CIoF benchmarking exercise we will explore where F2F in 2026 can utilise the data to make sure that it continues to evolve for the future.

Key learnings:

• Overview of key donor retention metrics and KPI’s to target for donor retention.
• An overview of the CIoF benchmarking data.
• Insights and thought provoking questions to be asked and implemented to ensure we evolve F2F in 2026 based on data.

Safeguarding Fundraisers: What the New Code Requires
Speakers: Cam St-Omer Donaldson, Damian Chapman

Fundraisers are on the frontline of relationships with donors and the public, yet some historical safeguarding conversations have often focussed less on those actually doing the fundraising.

The refreshed Code of Fundraising Practice places greater emphasis on organisations taking steps to protect fundraisers, but what does that look like in real life, particularly in public-facing settings like telephone and face-to-face fundraising?

In this panel discussion, we’ll explore how the Donor Code of Conduct can help shape clearer expectations of behaviour and support wider conversations about safeguarding fundraisers across the sector.

Key discussion points:

– Why safeguarding fundraisers matters in public-facing fundraising
– What the Code of Fundraising Practice expects of organisations
– How the Donor Code of Conduct contributes to the conversation

Come and join us for the conversation

Getting Started for the First Time in F2F Fundraising
Speakers: Josh White and Federica Ronco, Supporter Journeys Strategic Partner, Oxfam International

This session, ‘Getting Started for the First Time in F2F Fundraising,’ offers a practical, end-to-end walkthrough of launching a face-to-face campaign from scratch. We’ll explore each stage of the process—shaping proposals, navigating internal buy-in, managing tenders, and preparing for mobilisation—highlighting what to expect, common challenges, and how to set yourself up for success.

Federica Ronco, former Head of Offline Fundraising, Individual Giving at UK for UNHCR, and Josh White, F2F Fundraising Consultant & Programme Manager at Oxfam GB will share insights and reflections from their recent work launching UNHCR’s first F2F campaign in the UK. They’ll discuss lessons learned, practical takeaways, and be on hand to answer questions about any aspect of the journey.

Embracing change: engaging donors with personalised technology and AI tools
Speakers: Danny McDonnell & Elsbeth Ridder

Embracing transformation & innovation to secure the future of face-to-face fundraising.

Face-to-face (F2F) fundraising is evolving into a dynamic, tech-driven engagement channel, integrating AI, digital tools, and seamless donor experiences.

As one of the world’s largest individual giving channels, F2F is adapting to meet the needs of modern donors while improving efficiency and retention. Innovations like on-the-spot validation & one-touch payments are streamlining sign-ups, subscription-based giving models are offering donors greater flexibility, and door-to-door upgrades & reactivations are strengthening donor relationships.

Delivering personalised, meaningful experiences drives long-term impact—and this session will prove, through tangible case studies and solid examples, just how well these strategies work. In addition, you’ll learn how AI-assisted avatars & smart scripting are enhancing fundraiser interactions and see examples of the value exchange digital conversion journeys that engage donors who initially say no.

This evolution is a breakthrough moment, redefining how we engage donors and ensuring the sustainability of one of our most powerful fundraising channels. Join us to gain insight into how you can move beyond acquisition to long-term donor relationships and enhanced supporter experiences; learn how technological advancements are improving fundraiser effectiveness, donor retention, and overall campaign success; and see these innovations in action so you can future-proof your F2F programmes.

Integrating Telephone & Digital for Seamless Supporter Journeys
Speakers: Sarah Crowhurst and Rachel Doree

In 2026, we need to think beyond the first touchpoint, beyond a single channel, and we need to put our supporters first. Hynt and the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) have built a supporter- first experience that finds people who agree with the NYO’s values, want to fund their work, and want to enjoy a seamless, meaningful experience with the causes they care about. In this session, Hynt and NYO will take you through how they got buy-in and budget, and how they built a multi-channel acquisition and retention programme that puts the supporter first. You’ll walk away with tips, tricks and tactics to help lift conversion, drive strong retention, and improve the supporter experience.

Inside The CIoF’s First Dialogue Fundraising Report
Speakers: Liam McEntegart (REAL), Cam St Omer Donaldson (Chair), Claire Stanley (CIoF), Sam Hollyman (Green Light Sites)

This session provides a comprehensive look at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF) benchmarking report for face-to-face (F2F) fundraising. Hosted by Cam, Chief Experience Officer at FE, the discussion brings together sector experts Claire Stanley (CIoF), Liam McEntegart (REAL), and Sam Hollyman (Green Light Sites) to unpack current data and explore what it reveals about the health and trajectory of the channel.

The conversation moves beyond simple metrics to examine the strategic shift between door-to-door and private site fundraising, while also addressing the practical challenges of evolving compliance standards and the Code of Fundraising Practice. Attendees will gain insight into how the sector can better collaborate to maintain high-quality standards and navigate the changing regulatory landscape to ensure the long-term sustainability of dialogue fundraising.

Room 2

Quality in, Quality out: The Benefits of Premium Site Strategy
Speakers: Daniel Servante & Sam Hollyman, Green Light Sites

Discussing how to select the best quality private sites – and how this has a much more substantial link with all areas of compliance and performance than you might think.

Key learnings:

– What makes a premium private site.
– How site selection impacts compliance in all areas of F2F.
– Learn about our new and exciting idea for creating a more immersive and engaging private site set up.

From Interruption to Immersion: Reinventing F2F Fundraising
Speakers: Nigel Mendonca

Face-to-face fundraising faces serious challenges.

ROI is falling, donor engagement is declining, CPAs are rising, and traditional approaches are losing impact.

Experiential fundraising is often seen as a one-off activation, but what if it could become something more? What does true immersive F2F look like, and can it deliver sustainable results at scale?

Let’s challenge assumptions about F2F and explore how experiential design can rebuild connection, improve performance, and reshape the future of in-person fundraising.

Stop Chasing Sign-Ups: The Regular Giving Strategy That Drives Real Growth
Speakers: David Pettigrew, GivingInsight

Regular giving is one of the most powerful drivers of long-term fundraising growth — particularly when face-to-face and telephone fundraising are supported by a clear, end-to-end strategy.

In this session, David Pettigrew, Founder of GivingInsight, will walk through the core building blocks of a high-performing regular giving program, with a practical focus on how acquisition channels connect to retention, donor experience and financial performance. Drawing on 25+ years of fundraising leadership experience, David will show how organisations can move beyond short-term volume thinking and build sustainable donor value.

The session will explore how to design a regular giving strategy that aligns acquisition, stewardship and revenue outcomes. Attendees will learn how to set the right objectives, focus on the metrics that matter, and make smarter decisions that improve lifetime value, reduce attrition and maximise return on investment.

Whether you are building a program from scratch or optimising an established portfolio, this session will provide practical insights you can apply immediately.

Beyond the welcome: cross-channel TM strategies to raise more money
Speakers: Dave Ramsay, Family first

We’re bringing in tens of thousands of supporters through face-to-face fundraising, where every relationship starts with a conversation. Then quite quickly, that conversation stops.

From that point on, most journeys become passive. Emails and journeys are well thought through, but there is very little human contact. Most organisations are already running welcome calls, but in practice they are often under-used or treated as a one-off touchpoint.

This session focuses on what actually happens when you keep the conversation going.

Drawing on experience building telemarketing programmes in-house and now standing up a new operation within an established F2F agency, Dave will share what he is seeing in delivery right now – where value is being missed, and what changes when calling is embedded more naturally into the supporter journey rather than treated as a fixed campaign.

The session will explore how welcome and other calls can play a more commercial role, and how continuing the conversation can support retention, engagement and long-term value without needing to redesign your whole programme.

You’ll leave with a clearer view of where conversation has the biggest impact, what’s currently being under-used, and how to get more from activity you’re already running.

International Panel Discussion on What are the Hottest Topics, Biggest Challenges, Greatest Opportunities in F2F and Telephone Fundraising
Speakers: Daryl Upsall and Juan Edelshein, Filipa Morais, Jacob Møllemose

With an international panel of senior experienced F2F and telephone fundraising leaders we will have a lively debate on the key challenges, solutions and opportunities we face today with these channels. We will look at how F2F and telephone fundraising are vitally integrated as well as do some future gazing of what we might expect in the coming years.

The Basics of the Art of Influence in Face to Face Fundraising
Speakers: Alexander Vito, Places to Be

This session is about the basics of the art of influence in Face to Face Fundraising. It helps fundraisers align with natural human behaviour. These principles make fundraising more effective by strengthening trust, emotional connection, and motivation—helping the fundraiser to have a stronger performance and ensuring donors feel their contribution matters and genuinely supports meaningful impact.