Room 1: Discuss

The Popcorn Principle: A Tasty Approach to Digital Fundraising
Speaker: Craig Linton, Founder, Thread Fundraising

Are you struggling to turn digital leads into dedicated donors? The secret might be in how, and when, you turn up the heat. This session introduces “The Popcorn Principle,” using the simple analogy of making popcorn to improve your digital acquisition and conversion strategy.

Discover how to gently “warm up” potential supporters and discover which supporters are most likely to “pop” when you make an ask and who needs a bit more warming up with nurturing content and meaningful engagement.

Applying too much pressure too soon can “burn” your leads, losing them forever.

Drawing on real-world case studies from our clients, you will leave with practical insights on building effective supporter journeys, optimising conversions, and designing a content calendar that inspires action without causing fatigue.

Key learnings from this session:

1. The ‘popcorn principle’ – what it is and how you can use it.
2. Identifying your best prospect most likely to give.
3. How to develop nurturing and engaging comms.

Donors of Tomorrow – Main Findings from Blue State’s Giving Behaviours Tracker 2025
Speaker: Anjali Bewtra, Senior Director, Blue State

The Future of UK Giving: Trends to Watch for 2026

This session will explore evolving behaviours among UK donors, uncovering what motivates them to give, how their habits are changing, and how NGOs should consider engaging them. Attendees will walk away with:

• A breakdown of donor motivations and drivers
• Key shifts in giving
• Emerging trends pointing to 2026 giving patterns

Room 2: Inspire

Are you giving enough attention to retention?
Speaker: Andrew Taylor-Dawson, Freelance Digital Fundraising and Mobilisation Consultant

Brining in new leads and reaching untapped audiences is super important – but are you making the most of your email list?

With recruiting new leads and donors becoming more challenging, optimising your list to convert existing leads to become donors has never been more pressing.

This session will focus on that all important ongoing conversion. It will cover:

• impactful supporter journeys that drive ongoing engagement and conversion,
• stopping your leads becoming inactive through timeless content and great experiences, and
• refining your email strategy.

Key learnings from this session:

• How to balance non-financial and financial asks to your email list to drive engagement, loyalty and donations.
• How to stop leads becoming inactive and no longer realistic prospects for conversion.
• An understanding of simple testing plans for supporter journeys and email lists at large.

Room 3: Explore

Reaching New Donors with Old Channels
Speaker: Jack Watts, Alzheimer’s Society

This session looks at recruiting donors through above the line channels, such as radio, out of home, and press, and how Alzheimer’s Society has achieved great results by leaning into these more traditional media channels. Typically difficult to track and measure, the session will also cover how the team understands the effectiveness of these channels through marketing mix modelling.

Key learnings from this session:

1. The role that above the line channels can play in a cash appeal media plan.
2. Why to embrace the complexity of the modern marketing mix.
3. An overview of how marketing mix modelling can help you quantify the impact of above the line channels.

Tap to transform cash givers to regular donors
Speaker: Lisa Evans, Head of Charity, PAYA Group

As contactless giving becomes increasingly common, it’s no longer just a convenient way to collect donations, it’s a strategic entry point to building deeper, lasting relationships with supporters. In this session, we’ll explore how to move beyond the transaction and use contactless technology as a tool for capturing vital supporter data. You’ll learn why it’s critical to design the donation experience with follow-up in mind, ensuring donors can be re-engaged and nurtured over time.

I’ll provide an overview of the contactless technology currently available to fundraisers, and how it can serve as a gateway to long-term giving, not simply the end point of a donation. While contactless tools are now fundamental for both attended and unattended collections, their full potential is often overlooked. Many charities may be missing out on valuable hidden benefits, which I’ll highlight throughout this session.

Key learnings from this session:

1. How to ensure contactless giving is just the start of the donor journey, not the end.
2. How a structured donation experience can lead to better data and more effective, meaningful engagement.
3. Uncover the hidden value in your current setup and learn how to optimise your reach.