Room 1: Foundation

What is gratitude and why is it crucial for supporter experience?
Speakers: Andy King, Fireside Fundraising, Gemma Rawlins, Marie Curie, and Sarah Washington, ActionAid UK

Description TBC

Setting up for Supporter Experience Success
Speakers: Mark Collins & Mistie Roskelly, Signal, and Emily Sturdy & Lance Lee, Parkinson’s UK

In 2024, fewer people in the UK donated to charities, increasing competition for support. Acquisition costs are rising, and with commercial organisations setting high standards for customer experiences, expectations are higher than ever. Retaining supporters by delivering exceptional experiences is now crucial for charities.

Research by Signal reveals that many fundraisers lack the foundational insights needed to improve supporter experiences, with only 1 in 4 having access to the right data.

Parkinson’s UK has set a bold ambition: “Every supporter receives an engaging, relevant, and inspiring journey that makes them feel valued, part of something bigger, and motivated to take further action.” To achieve this, they’ve focused on cross-functional collaboration, SX strategy, and building a strong partnership with Data and Insight teams.

This session will explore how Parkinson’s UK, in partnership with Signal, have laid the groundwork for improved supporter experiences through audience-centered strategy, process redesign, and performance feedback to guide decisions and secure ongoing support.

Key learnings from this session:

• The real value of building cross functional collaboration to reach your supporter goals
• The importance of data and insight in shaping better supporter experience
• Developing strategic frameworks for successful audience engagement
• Why performance measurement and continued learning are so important

Who ‘owns’ your supporter? Breaking down silos for supporter experience
Speakers: Max Newton, Sheffield Hospitals Charity & Lindsay Tilston-Jones, Shelter

We’ve all been there:

Arguing over who owns and looks after a supporter – from Community to Corporate to HNWI to Legacy to Campaigns and everything in between – and where does the money sit?

The dream is that a we speak to a supporter about all the different ways they can support us? But how can we do that when X needs to “own” the relationship and how do we incentivise, reward and evaluate?

We’ll share some common issues; look at multiple ways different organisations have approached the challenge.

And then we’ll share an Outward Mindset approach that busts the silos, revolutionises how we work and puts the supporter at the heart of everything.

Because “it all goes to the same pot” right? Right??!

Key learnings from this session:

• What charities have done/are doing to put the supporter at the centre and bust the silos.
• How a radical change in mindset “Outward Mindset” enables us to see beyond ourselves and busting the silos.
• Real life examples of how it’s worked and easy tools to help you go away and be more outward.

Richer supporter communications whatever your budget
Speaker: Claire Donner, more onion

Are you looking to make your emails to stand out in ever busier inboxes? It’s time to step away from the humdrum and get creative. In this session the mobilisation agency More Onion will showcase examples from across the charity sector of where a little creativity has transformed every day emails and pages into something standout – without blowing the budget. See how others have added elements of interactivity, creativity and humour to make their emails and webpages stand out and keep supporters opening and clicking on their emails.

Key learning from this session: How to be creative at any budget level and create richer supporter communications.

Scope’s digital-first supporter experience programme
Speaker: Joshua Leigh, Hynt

What does it mean to actually DELIVERY a great supporter experience?

Scope is in a unique position: as the UK’s leading voice on disability rights, they have a huge community of supporters, service users, campaigners and donors helping drive their work forward. As such, they have a dedicated Engagement Team in their fundraising department who have no income target, no strict spending budget, and a clear remit: help keep this huge community engaged, active and committed to supporter Scope in whatever way works best for them.

As the fundraising and marketing landscape has shifted online, onto social and into inboxes, Scope and Hynt have worked together to create a digital-first and digital-friendly programme that brings Scope advocacy and rights-led brand story to life. By scaling up lead generation, they have grown their community exponentially. And by sending more email, more often, they have doubled the number of impactful actions, giving this growing community even more ways to engage with Scope’s mission and to be a part of the solution.

Scope’s unique decision to invest in an Engagement Team, with a clear remit for supporter experience, and a digital-first mindset, has helped them significantly improve the lives of disabled people across the country. And we’ll share the tactics, tools and tips, as well as the cultural transformation at Scope, that helped them put the supporter experience of the heart of everything they do.

Key learnings from this session:

1. WHY the supporter experience should be at the heart of everything your charity does, through the lens of income, action and impact
2. HOW to get started, or get better, as building supporter experience into your fundraising programmes through digital-first and digital-friendly tactics
3. HOW to build or re-build your culture, with a singular focus on the supporter experience and the need to give people even more ways to be an impactful part of your charity’s brand story

Elevating Supporter Experience with AI: Practical Tools to Free Up Time and Deepen Relationships
Speaker: Craig Linton, Charity Elevate AI

How can fundraisers use AI to create deeper, more human connections with supporters—while saving time and resources? In this practical and inspiring session, Craig Linton will showcase how AI is transforming the supporter experience, building on insights from the Supporter Experience Collective and his latest venture, Charity Elevate AI.

You’ll see real-world examples of how AI-powered tools—like smart chatbots, voice assistants, and automated supporter journeys—can help charities deliver more personalised, timely, and emotionally resonant supporter care. From dynamic stewardship emails triggered by JustGiving milestones to virtual conversations with your brand personas, the tools are here—and accessible.

Whether you’re curious about what AI can actually do for you, or looking for ways to scale your supporter experience without sacrificing authenticity, this session will give you ideas you can use right away—and a sneak peek at tools that could transform how your team works.

As a thank you for attending, we’ll be sharing links to download ‘A Guide to Responsible AI for Charities’, offering all attendees a free AI powered brand playbook to help train AI and example automations you can use to power your journeys and experiences.

Key learnings from this session:

1. How AI Can Enhance (Not Replace) Human Fundraising :Discover practical ways to use AI to automate admin and supporter care tasks—freeing up your time to focus on relationship building and creating those “wow” moments that truly matter.
2. Real-World Applications of AI in Supporter Journeys: See how tools like voice assistants, smart chatbots, and personalised automations can deliver timely, tailored experiences that boost engagement and retention.
3. How to Get Started with AI—Without a Big Budget or Tech Team: Learn how charities of all sizes can access powerful AI tools at an affordable cost, including prompts you can use to improve your supporter experience.

Room 2: Inspiration

Following the Audience, Not the Target: RNIB’s journey to Supporter Engagement
Speakers: Dominka Cechova, manifesto & Brette Alsop, RNIB

In a sector where impact depends on meaningful connection, being audience-centric is no longer a nice-to-have, but mission-critical. Charities must adapt to shifting expectations and behaviours if they want to stay relevant, build trust, and grow sustainably. Join RNIB and manifesto as we share how RNIB redefined what success looks like. Shifting from transactional digital tactics to an audience-centred approach rooted in real audience research blended with AI-generated insights, A/B testing and segmentation empowered by tools like VWO and Dot Digital to deliver more personalised, empathetic digital experiences. By empowering teams with the right tools to move away from assumptions through an open discovery process and moving away from pre-defined solutions to audience insights based on their experiences and perception, RNIB achieved a positive uplift in supporter engagement and internal shift in the way teams collaborate and evaluate success. This session will explore the mindset, methods, and tools that made this transformation possible, and how you can apply the same principles to drive deeper audience engagement in your organisation.

Key learnings from this session:

• How to Shift Mindsets from Targets to Needs
• Move from KPI-focused strategies to approaches that prioritise audience insight and user needs
• Tools and Techniques for Personalised, Data-Driven Experiences
• Embeding Design Thinking Process to Your Team
• Equip your teams with practical methods for ongoing optimisation and audience-led decision-making.

The importance of equity in the supporter experience
Speakers: Lucy Caldicott, ChangeOut & Jaz Nannar

Lucy and Jaz will share their experiences working on equity and inclusion across a range of charities and what they’ve learned about how a focus on equity and inclusivity can improve the supporter experience of your cause. We will explore finding a balance between the lived experience of a charity’s purpose and its fundraising communications. We will also look at the role that authentic story telling can play in building belief in your charity’s inclusivity and the risk in not doing this well.

This session will take the shape of a series of provocations that challenge approaches to supporter journeys and the limitations of one-size-fits-all.

Key learnings from this session:

• How a focus on equity can improve your supporters’ experience.
• When you should start thinking about equity in the supporter experience.
• The value of authenticity in story telling throughout the supporter journey.