I just wrapped up our annual flagship event, and it was a whirlwind of inspiration! We brought together 19 incredible experts to share five-minute “thought bombs” on everything from AI meta-prompts to the “dessert dash” fundraising strategy. If you missed the live energy, don’t worry—you can catch the full recording of Essential Tech for Nonprofits in 2026: Ideas, Tools, and Action right here:
WATCH THE FULL EVENT REPLAY HERE
Insights from Our Guest Experts
Superprompts and More: Level Up With AI
Jason Shim, Chief Digital Officer at the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience (CCNDR), explained how to move past generic AI outputs by selecting advanced “thinking” or “pro” models. We learned about “meta-prompt engineering,” where you ask the AI to act as an expert to help you craft a more detailed “super prompt” before starting a project. This two-step process ensures the AI understands your specific nonprofit context, leading to much higher-quality professional deliverables.
Growing Giving: The $52 Billion Opportunity
Kelsey Kramer, Director of Partnerships at GivingTuesday, highlighted a massive $52 billion gap in global generosity that Canadian nonprofits can tap into. The key insight is to “de-seasonalize” your fundraising by aligning asks with retail spending patterns rather than just year-end dates. By making recurring giving the default option on your forms, you can build more sustainable, long-term support.
Community Is the New Tech
Tasha Van Vlack, Co-Director at The Nonprofit Hive, warned against the “tool explosion” that leads to widespread staff burnout. Her session reminded us that 1:1 human connection will always outperform complex software in building deep trust and loyalty. Focusing on equitable, structured conversations can replace a dozen unnecessary software logins and improve internal team health.
Your Donation Page Is Costing You Money
Jessica Rayne, Generosity Growth Lead at GiveWise Foundation Canada, shared that 95% of Canadian wealth is held in assets, not cash. Most donation pages only offer credit card options, effectively ignoring the vast majority of potential major gifts. The “five-minute fix” is to explicitly offer options for giving through stocks, securities, or Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) directly on your “Ways to Give” page.
Human-Centered Governance
Anthony Wilson, Developer at Zidho, addressed stagnant board meetings where a few voices dominate. He showed how simple pre-meeting digital exercises can democratize agendas and foster better connection between directors before they even sit down. Good governance facilitates better human interactions, making organizations 17% more likely to grow fundraising revenue.
The Dessert Dash: Gamified Fundraising
Laurie Hochman, Director at Auctria, brought fun to the table with the “Dessert Dash” strategy for live events. This gamified tactic encourages table-wide competition to raise thousands of dollars in minutes before the dessert course is served. Creating high-energy, shared experiences can significantly boost donor participation compared to static auctions.
Fundamentals Before AI
Stephen Lavery reminded us that tech success starts with “spring training” fundamentals. He argued that AI outputs are only as good as the data and processes they are built upon. Data hygiene in your CRM and documented internal habits are the true prerequisites for any advanced tech adoption to ensure you get useful, actionable results.
Why “The User” Matters
David Pisarek, CEO of Wow Digital, focused on the critical difference between a “pretty” website and a functional one. He emphasized that if your user experience is confusing or inaccessible, you are quietly pushing donors away. Building for the user’s needs—such as shortening donation forms and ensuring fast mobile loads—is the key to conversion.
Cybersecurity: People and Process
Lawal Shakiru, CTO at Technology Helps, gave a sobering look at cybersecurity for 2026. He clarified that while Managed Service Providers handle technical tools, the nonprofit itself is responsible for the “people and process” side of risk. Consistent staff training and a clear incident response plan are your only true defenses against modern data breaches.
CRM with AI-powered Hyperpersonalization
Lars Helgeson, Founder of GreenRope, explored how AI can create “hyper-personalized” donor journeys automatically. By using integrated tools, you can send the right message to the right person at the exact moment they are most likely to engage. Lars also offers a free program for registered nonprofits to help them scale their impact without high software costs.
A Modern Approach to Social return on investment
Aya Cherkaoui, Co-President of NORD Consulting, demystified measuring Social Return on Investment. She taught us how to translate social outcomes—like improved food security—into tangible monetary values using financial proxies. Presenting impact in financial terms helps “sell” the mission more effectively to long-term government and corporate funders.
AI and the Return to Humanity
Charles Buchanan, CEO of Technology Helps, warned about the “sameness” of AI-generated content. As AI floods the world with generic messaging, the only way to stand out is to lean into your unique, authentic human “soul”. In 2026, being “human-first” in your digital communications will be your greatest competitive advantage.
Transforming Strategy with Google Ad Grants
Daryl Oberg, Founder of AYD Internet Marketing, shared how nonprofits can access $10,000 monthly in free Google ad spend. He explained that organic social media reach is no longer enough to reach supporters globally in 2026. These credits allow organizations to target high-intent keywords and drive massive traffic to their mission.
Win Grants While You Sleep
Deepa Chaudhary, Founder of GrantOrb, introduced autonomous AI agents that can find and draft grant applications. The core insight is that “no-prompt” systems can monitor funding opportunities and prepare drafts while your team is offline. This allows nonprofits to shift from being reactive to proactive, ensuring no deadline is ever missed.
Continuous Website Improvement
Dennis Powers, Business Developer at Cheeky Monkey Media, highlighted the danger of “website decay”. Small, data-driven monthly updates are far more effective and affordable than waiting years for a massive redesign. A key tip was to monitor your “speed tax”—the loss of visitors due to slow load times—using Google PageSpeed Insights.
The FUNDRAISING AI Breakpoint
Mina Demian, Founder of Grants-Ease AI, predicted 2026 as the year manual grant work dies. He demonstrated how “augmented intelligence” allows fundraisers to instantly align their mission language with funder values. This shift turns repetitive drafting tasks into high-level strategic management.
The Ethics of AI in HR
Trisha Neogi and Steph Bergman from Bright + Early tackled AI ethics within nonprofit teams. They walked us through risks like bias and privacy violations when using AI for hiring or staff management. The key takeaway is the need for a clear “AI Protection Statement” and policies to maintain team trust and data security.
The Shifting Social MEDIA Landscape
Steve Anderson, Co-founder of New/Mode, shared data on where supporters are moving online. He highlighted the growth of Bluesky for progressive causes and the incredible engagement rates of WhatsApp messaging. Direct, peer-to-peer messaging is becoming the most powerful tool for mobilization and advocacy in 2026.
Stop Building Audiences, Start Building Belonging
Sophie Bujold, Community Strategist at CliqueWorthy, shared a framework for member engagement: Noticed, Named, and Needed. We learned that community is active when members feel their unique contributions truly matter to the mission. This simple shift can turn a passive audience into a vibrant, self-sustaining community of advocates.
A massive thank you to all 19 of our guest experts for donating their time and brilliance to the community! We hope you walked away with actionable steps to apply to your organization.
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Keep being awesome,
The TechSoup Connect Canada Team