Deep Dive Bootcamp
October 20 - 22, 2026
Practical Strategies. Expert Guidance. A Stronger Nonprofit.
Go beyond the typical webinar. Join nonprofit leaders and experts for two-hour deep-dive sessions designed to explore critical topics at a deeper level and give you the time to truly learn, engage, and apply what you discover.
Explore fundraising, AI and technology, strategic planning, financial management, board engagement, communications, operations, and more.
Join nonprofit leaders from across the country for three days of FREE, virtual deep-dive training designed to strengthen the systems, skills, and strategies behind your mission.
October 20–22, 2026
Starting in:
Bring your toughest nonprofit challenges. Leave with practical tools, fresh ideas, and an action plan you can use immediately.
Why Attend?
Nonprofit leaders are being asked to do more with limited time, funding, and capacity. This Bootcamp gives you the opportunity to step away from the day-to-day and focus on the areas that make your organization stronger.
Across three days, you’ll explore:
- Sustainable fundraising and donor engagement
- Strategic planning and organizational alignment
- Artificial intelligence and modern technology
- Financial management and budgeting
- Board engagement and governance
- Communications, branding, and storytelling
- Operational excellence and team collaboration
- Fundraising events and future giving opportunities
Turn Insight Into Impact
Your nonprofit doesn’t need more information it needs the right ideas, tools, and support to move forward.
The Capacity Building Bootcamp is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to tackle real challenges
and turn practical learning into meaningful progress. Over three focused days, you’ll gain fresh perspectives from experienced experts,
connect with peers who understand your work, and leave with strategies you can put into action immediately.
Whether you’re strengthening your fundraising, improving operations, exploring AI, engaging your board, or
building a more sustainable future, this Bootcamp will help you move from overwhelmed to equipped.
What Makes This Bootcamp Different?
Hands-On Learning
These are not passive presentations. Each session is designed to help you apply what you are learning through practical examples, exercises, frameworks, and ready-to-use resources.
Expert-Led Sessions
Learn directly from experienced nonprofit leaders, consultants, fundraisers, technology experts, financial professionals, and communications specialists.
Actionable Takeaways
You’ll leave with tools, templates, ideas, and next steps that can be adapted to your organization immediately.
Collaborative Peer Learning
Connect with nonprofit professionals facing many of the same challenges. Share ideas, compare approaches, and build relationships that continue beyond the Bootcamp.
Bootcamp Schedule
Day 1 - October 20th
09:00 AM – 09:15 AM | Welcome & Introductions | Danette O’Connell
A brief welcome & housekeeping session
09:15 AM – 10:15 AM | Keynote Speaker | Build your Ai workflow | Kayla Life
Explore popular AI tools, learn which ones fit your nonprofit’s goals and budget, and build a real, usable project live in this interactive, hands-on session.
10:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Every Level. Every Story. Every Gift Matters. | Katie McMillan & Gerianne Puskas
Explore the science of hope and learn how to apply its principles to craft donor stories that inspire action, strengthen connections, and motivate generosity.
10:15 AM – 12:15 PM| Your Donors Didn’t Lapse. Your Channels Did. | Nick black
Your "lapsed" donors didn't stop caring; you're just knocking on the wrong doors. Year-end pressure is on, but you don't need another exhausting campaign. We have three plays you can run immediately.
10:15 AM – 12:15 PM| The Board Ambassador System - From Strategic Plan to Sustainable Fundraising Rhythm | Amy Pokela
Bridge the gap between your strategic plan and fund development.
Transform your board from passive reporting partners into active,
compelling ambassadors equipped to build real funding momentum with
you.
11:10 AM – 11:15 AM | Session Break
12:15 PM – 12:20 PM | Commercial Break
Meet the generous sponsors who help bring our mission to life and make a lasting impact!
12:20 PM – 12:50 PM | Keynote Speaker | The Event Isn’t the Fundraiser | Patrick Benson
Turning Nonprofit Events into Fundraising Strategy.
12:50 PM – 1:00 PM | Welcome Back | Big Things Are Coming in 2027! | Danette O'Connell
Get ready for an exciting new chapter at The Nonprofit Cooperative! Be among the first to discover what’s new, what’s next, and the incredible opportunities we have in store for 2027. You won’t want to miss what’s coming!
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Rev Up Your Engine... Designing Fundraising Events. A practical roadmap from planning to post-event fundraiser stewardship | Rebecca Hollander Smiros and Laurie Hochman
Learn a practical framework to design high-impact fundraising events that
engage donors and hit revenue goals. Through real-world examples and
guided exercises, you will master sponsorship strategies, tech integration,
event-day execution, and post-event donor conversion.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | AI, Cybersecurity, and Governance: A Survival Guide for Nonprofits in 2026
Describe the item or answer the question so that site visitors who are interested get more information. You can emphasize this text with bullets, italics or bold, and add links.1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | 403(b) Plans | Matt Thompson
Everything you need to know or should know regarding your retirement plan.
1:55 PM – 2:00 PM | Session Break
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Closing Remarks | Danette O’Connell
Thank you to our amazing speakers, generous sponsors, and everyone who joined us!
We hope you leave inspired, energized, and ready to turn what you've learned into action.
Day 2: October 21st
09:00 AM – 09:15 AM | Welcome & Introductions | Danette O’Connell
A brief welcome & housekeeping session
09:15 AM – 10:15 AM | Keynote Speaker | The Empowered Executive: Aligning Board, Staff, and Vision for Greater Impact | Renee Flagler
Focus: Organizational alignment, leadership presence, and driving collective momentum.
10:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Mastering your Fundraising Pitch | Sean Kosofsky
Crafting a powerful pitch is simple. This hands-on training replaces memorized scripts and statistics with authentic, personal communication skills. Learn to explain your cause with confidence, make asking 10x easier, and become your organization's best advocate.
10:15 AM – 12:15 PM | How to handle employee benefits | Amelia Evans, Avery Saffold
Learn how benefits pricing works from initial rates through renewals, where your business has control, how to evaluate small group versus large group options, and how to build a smarter, more holistic benefits strategy.
11:10 AM – 11:15 AM | Session Break
12:15 PM – 12:20 PM | Commercial Break
Meet the generous sponsors who help bring our mission to life and make a lasting impact!
12:20 PM – 12:50 PM | Keynote Speaker | Bored 2 Board | Leigh Tucker
Bored 2 Board connects qualified professionals looking for board roles with nonprofits seeking strategic leadership, making board recruitment simple and mission-aligned.
12:50 PM – 1:00 PM | Welcome Back | Big Things Are Coming in 2027! | Danette O'Connell
Get ready for an exciting new chapter at The Nonprofit Cooperative! Be among the first to discover what’s new, what’s next, and the incredible opportunities we have in store for 2027. You won’t want to miss what’s coming!
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Are You Leaving Future Gifts on the Table? How nonprofits can prepare their fundraising, website, and donor communications for the future of giving | Kameron Conley, Jordan Cassidy
Unlock major funding opportunities by moving beyond basic cash donations. This interactive session shows you how to introduce non-cash and asset-based giving, such as stocks, DAFs, and legacy gifts, and optimize your website and marketing materials to easily capture these high-value gifts.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | From Funding Readiness to Funding Results | Alexandra Cohen
Build sustainable funding by aligning strategy with powerful storytelling. Learn how to strengthen your funding readiness and activate it through matching campaigns, grant proposals, and donor engagement to accelerate your results.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Fundraising Compliance | Ron Barrett
Clear up common compliance myths in "Nationwide Charitable Registrations: Fact vs. Fiction." Learn the real requirements behind "donate-now" buttons and social campaigns, avoid unnecessary registrations, and ensure seamless nationwide compliance without the guesswork.
1:55 PM – 2:00 PM | Session Break
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Closing Remarks | Danette O’Connell
Thank you to our amazing speakers, generous sponsors, and everyone who joined us!
We hope you leave inspired, energized, and ready to turn what you've learned into action.
Day 3: October 22nd
09:00 AM – 09:15 AM | Welcome & Introductions | Danette O’Connell
A brief welcome & housekeeping session
09:15 AM – 10:15 AM | Keynote Speaker | Winter Is Coming: Create A Year-End Marketing Plan Now To Attract More (And Larger) Gifts | Candace Cody
Year-end fundraising can quickly turn into a rush of emails, appeals, social posts, and last-minute asks. But the strongest campaigns start with a clear plan.
Learn how to reflect on past performance, set realistic fundraising goals, choose the right channels and strategies, and map out a year-end communications plan your team can actually execute.
10:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Fundraise Like a 5th Grader, Powered by AI | Patrick Kirby
AI hasn't changed fundraising; donors still give to people. Bestselling author Patrick Kirby pairs proven fundraising fundamentals with smart AI tools to speed up asks, board engagement, and events. Get ready-to-use prompts and practical steps to do your job faster without losing the human touch.
10:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Building a Working Budget and Presenting It to Your Board with Confidence | Kerrigan Molland
A working budget shouldn't sit on a shelf. In this session led by nonprofit accounting experts Jitasa, learn how to build a flexible budget grounded in real financial data, track variances throughout the year, and present clear updates that build board trust and drive better decisions.
10:15 AM – 12:15 PM | The Board Ambassador System - From Strategic Plan to Sustainable Fundraising Rhythm | Amy Pokela
Bridge the gap between your strategic plan and fund development.
Transform your board from passive reporting partners into active, compelling ambassadors equipped to build real funding momentum with
you.
11:10 AM – 11:15 AM | Session Break
12:15 PM – 12:20 PM | Commercial Break
Meet the generous sponsors who help bring our mission to life and make a lasting impact!
12:20 PM – 12:50 PM | Keynote Speaker | Your Donors Don't Want Coffee: The New Major Gifts Playbook for the Self-Serve Donor | Rhea Wong
It's not you. Today's major donors research on their own and move on their own timeline. The money is there, especially in DAFs and new wealth. The old playbook was built for a donor who stopped showing up years ago.
In this 30-minute keynote, Rhea Wong, host of The Nonprofit Lowdown and author of Get That Money, Honey, shows why the old moves stall and what to build instead
12:50 PM – 1:00 PM | Welcome Back | Big Things Are Coming in 2027! | Danette O'Connell
Get ready for an exciting new chapter at The Nonprofit Cooperative! Be among the first to discover what’s new, what’s next, and the incredible opportunities we have in store for 2027. You won’t want to miss what’s coming!
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Why Isn't Your Board Fundraising? | Sonia Saleh, Matthew Thompson, Stephen E. Peeler
Stop avoiding hard boardroom conversations. This interactive bootcamp brings together Executive Directors and Board Chairs to tackle tough challenges, break through polite avoidance, and build a truly functional, aligned leadership dynamic.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | AI, Cybersecurity, and Governance: A Survival Guide for Nonprofits in 2026
Describe the item or answer the question so that site visitors who are interested get more information. You can emphasize this text with bullets, italics or bold, and add links.1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Explaining the 990 | Rebecca Christiansen, William Skody
Demystify Form 990 to understand what your nonprofit's financial reporting actually communicates. Learn how to accurately read key sections, ensure tax compliance, and use your 990 as a transparent storytelling tool to build donor and board trust.
1:55 PM – 2:00 PM | Session Break
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Closing Remarks | Danette O’Connell
Thank you to our amazing speakers, generous sponsors, and everyone who joined us!
We hope you leave inspired, energized, and ready to turn what you've learned into action.
All of our Advanced Deep Dive Bootcamps are two hours long, giving you the time to fully explore the topic and gain practical insights you can immediately apply.
Our Free, Virtual Deep Dive Bootcamps give you hands-on toolkits and a clear roadmap to make it happen. Step into a future where “raising more” isn’t a hope but your new reality.
Two CFRE Credits Per Topic

Meet the Keynote Speakers
The Minds Shaping Tomorrow, On Stage At Our Bootcamp.
Meet the Speakers
Learn from experienced nonprofit leaders and trusted experts who are ready to share practical strategies, actionable tools, and real-world insights to help strengthen your organization.
Who Should Attend
Executive Directors and CEOs: Gain strategic insights and practical tools that can help guide your organization towards greater success.
Program Managers: Discover new strategies and solutions that can enhance your programs and operations.
Fundraising Professionals: Learn innovative fundraising techniques and best practices to boost your efforts and maximize impact.
Human Resources Managers: Improve your HR processes and employee satisfaction with new tools and strategies.
Communications and Marketing Teams: Explore effective ways to promote your organization and engage with your community..
Finance Officers: Streamline your financial management and reporting with insights into the latest financial tools and services.
IT Professionals: Stay updated on the latest technology solutions that can support your organization’s infrastructure and security.
Join Us and Transform Your Impact
Equip your team with the skills, strategies, and connections you need to elevate your mission. Reserve your spot today!
























































