Reading the Room — Economy, Philanthropy, and the Researcher’s Role in What Comes Next

The philanthropic landscape is shifting — and researchers who understand why will be the ones leading their organizations forward.

This session opens the conference with an honest, energizing look at the forces reshaping fundraising right now: a K-shaped economy pulling donor capacity in two directions, a major gift environment dominated by fewer and larger gifts, and AI generating more noise — and more genuine opportunity — than most of us know what to do with.

We’ll challenge outdated capacity rating practices, take a clear-eyed look at where AI actually stands today, and close with a conversation about the kind of professional you want to be in the middle of all this change.

Come ready to think differently — and leave with a framework for showing up that way every day.

Registration is open