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

Why This Matters:

Our supporters need to know their donations are doing what they expect it to, and your approach to expressing gratitude is an incredible opportunity to do that.

Listen in to our cracking panel, Andy King, Sarah Washington and Gemma Rawlins as they attack the question of gratitude, looking at innovation in supporter communications, corporate giving and the nuances of gratitude in international aid.

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.

Supporters who feel good give more: insights from supporter experience benchmarking
Speakers: Paul Seabrook & Steven Dodds, Beautiful Insights

As fundraisers increasingly look to deliver excellent supporter experiences which build donor satisfaction and commitment, the key question remains ‘how do you know it’s working?’.

Appeal response rates and income can only tell you so much, and they tell you very little about exactly how you should improve the supporter experience.

This session will share the results of pioneering pilot study of Beautiful Insight’s SAFE Index (Satisfaction and Future Engagement) involving donors to eight well-known UK universities and charities (including the University of Bristol, The King’s Trust (formerly The Prince’s Trust), and Starlight Children’s Foundation).

These pilots allowed each organisation to measure and benchmark key aspects of the supporter experience and the impact on supporters’ intentions to keep giving in future.

We’ll share the insights and lessons learned, including how satisfied supporters are over three times more likely to keep donating and to leave a legacy, and how charities should change their supporter experience for stronger, more valuable supporter relationships.

Key learnings from this session:

• The approaches, opportunities and challenges to measuring the supporter experience
• The ROI of improved supporter satisfaction
• The key drivers of supporter satisfaction and commitment in terms of motivations, communications and emotional outtakes
• What ‘good’ looks across the supporter experience, and the headroom for improvement
• How these insights have been applied by the universities and charities involved

Beyond the Map: Successes and Setbacks in Supporter Experience
Speakers: Paresh Patel & Gary Kenealy, Euler

This session will explore how charities can build more effective and connected supporter journeys by evolving their use of data, insight, and orchestration tools. We’ll begin with a short introduction to key terms and concepts to establish a shared understanding of what we mean by ‘supporter journeys’. From there, we’ll map the stages of data maturity, from basic segmentation to advanced, AI-supported orchestration and share research highlighting how organisations are already using machine learning (MI) and artificial intelligence to drive better outcomes.

We’ll then look at two case studies: NSPCC’s approach to engaging volunteers, and WWF’s success with transactional journeys. Both will outline the challenge faced, the solutions put in place, and the impact achieved.

The session will close with a practical toolkit: the key ingredients needed to get started or progress your own supporter journeys. Attendees will also receive our Supporter Journey Blueprint designed to help structure layered, effective supporter experiences.

Key learnings from this session:

• The difference between single channel, multichannel and omnichannel marketing.
• How to deliver a successful operationalised journey: the dos and don’ts.
• Where charity’s supporter journeys are heading in the future

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.

Building trust with Black Customers
Speaker: Keith Morgan, Prostate Cancer UK

Whilst it is possible to rebuild trust, it takes time… System-level factors, as well as the attitudes, knowledge and behaviours, contribute to feelings of being ‘othered’, unwelcome, and poorly cared-for. These factors undermine trust and feed fear, which in turn can result in poorer access to, and engagement with, services. ​We will explore examples of growing brand recognition in the Black community to retain existing and create new Black customers and supporters and ensure that the collateral impact of your customer focus work is felt by Black customers and supporters.

Key learnings from this session:

• Building trust with Black service users/customers
• Solidifying your position as legitimate advocates of Black health equity
• Growing brand recognition with Black service users/customers