Canada's Fundraising Conference 2026: Full Schedule

Canada’s conference with a heart!

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9:55am EDT

B1-3: The Mycelial Exchange: A Circular Dialogue on Community Centric Fundraising

Thursday May 28, 2026 9:55am - 10:55am EDT

In the forest, the mycelial network serves as a subterranean intelligence. A vast web of fungal threads connects individual plants into a collaborative ecosystem. This "wood wide web" facilitates reciprocal exchange, ensuring nutrients reach the most vulnerable and allowing the forest to communicate as a single organism. This session adopts a micellar learning model to explore Community Centric Fundraising (CCF).

Moving away from traditional, top-down lectures, this is a circular facilitated conversation designed to mimic ecological interdependence.

Participants are invited to submit questions ahead of time.

These inquiries will be grouped into thematic clusters: themes with the highest volume of questions will receive the most expansive time for discussion, ensuring an adaptive, emergent learning experience where we are all equal in learning and sharing.

Speakers

Chantelle Ohrling, CFRE

Senior Officer of Legacy Giving, David Suzuki Foundation

Chantelle Ohrling, CFRE (she/her), is the David Suzuki Foundation’s Senior Officer of Legacy Giving, helping caring Canadians alchemize their values and hopes into enduring environmental protections. Chantelle also serves as Chair of Communications and Chair of Equity & Reconciliation... Read More →

Thursday May 28, 2026 9:55am - 10:55am EDT
Victoria Room

Breakout session

11:00am EDT

B2-3: Interactive Content to Boost Online Donations

Thursday May 28, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT

Victoria Room

Details coming soon.

Speakers

Claire Kerr

Sr. Director, Care2, Inc.

Claire is a nonprofit veteran who has worked for organizations in economic development, education, and fundraising sectors. At Care2, she works with charities and nonprofits as they use digital channels to acquire new supporters. She has presented online, social and mobile fundraising... Read More →

Thursday May 28, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Victoria Room

Breakout session

1:50pm EDT

B3-2: Legacy Landscape Report: What You Need to Know Now

Thursday May 28, 2026 1:50pm - 2:50pm EDT

Victoria Room

Epilogue Wills teamed up with Good Works to look at Canada’s Legacy Landscape in 2025, and the result is an insightful report that every fundraiser should read. Join him for the most urgent and actionable highlights.

Speakers

Arin Klug

Co-Founder & COO, Epilogue Wills

Arin Klug is Co-Founder and COO of Epilogue. With backgrounds in Computer Science and Estate Planning, Arin co-founded Epilogue with the goal of democratizing estate planning for all Canadians.

Holly Wagg

Partner and CEO, Good Works

Holly Wagg, CFRE, leads both the people and business at Good Works - a Canadian fundraising agency that specializes in direct mail, digital and legacy giving for annual donors. She is the proud co-author of You Can’t Take It With You: The Art & Science of Legacy Fundraising (20... Read More →

Thursday May 28, 2026 1:50pm - 2:50pm EDT
Victoria Room

Breakout session

3:15pm EDT

B4-3a: How to Connect with Multi-Racial Donors

Thursday May 28, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT

Victoria Room

Presented by Eric Saarvala, Executive Director of the Raymond James Canada Foundation

Fundraisers often talk about connecting with specific cultural communities — but what happens when more and more donors don’t fit neatly into just one group?
As Canada’s population continues to evolve, a growing number of people identify as multi-racial, bringing different lived experiences, perspectives, and identities to the donor journey. In this timely and thought-provoking session, Eric Saarvala will explore what this shift means for fundraising and how organizations can adapt to ensure more people feel seen, welcomed, and valued.
Participants will leave with fresh ideas for building stronger relationships and deeper donor engagement in the future of Canadian philanthropy.

Speakers

Eric Saarvala

Executive Director, Raymond James Canada Foundation

Eric Saarvala is the Executive Director of the Raymond James Canada Foundation and Head, Corporate Sustainability. His 20+ years of consulting and management experience in the private, public, and non-profit sectors focuses on social impact through sustainability, corporate social... Read More →

Thursday May 28, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Victoria Room

Breakout session