Tuesday, August 25
5:00–5:30 pm
Registration
5:30–8:00 pm
Tuesday Night Welcome Program
Tuesday evening is your on-ramp to the FOG. Start with a hosted reception and bar, then move into an orientation, and continue the conversation together over more food and beverage. The whole evening is designed to make Wednesday feel like a continuation rather than a beginning. Come ready to meet people and have a conversation worth having.
Wednesday, August 26
7:00–8:00 am
Wednesday Morning Wellness Sessions (Optional)
Start your morning with chair yoga on the patio with Anni or a power walk with Jeff.
8:00–8:45 am
Breakfast Buffet and Networking
8:45–9:00 am
Welcome to the FOG
Alice Ferris and Jim Anderson set the stage for the day, frame the animating question, and get the room ready for what’s ahead.
9:00–10:00 am
Opening Keynote: The Gift of Uncertainty
Mark Schaefer opens the FOG with a session on what uncertainty makes possible.
Mark Schaefer
10:15–11:15 am
Huddle 1: Getting to the Conversation
What’s stopping you from picking up the phone and calling your donor? You’ll leave with a clearer sense of what’s holding you back — whether that’s making the ask, scheduling the visit, or simply staying in touch with the people who already believe in your work — and at least one concrete step toward the donor conversation you’ve been putting off.
11:15 am–12:15 pm
Huddle 2: Building the Right Team
Who in your organization could be a fundraising ally, and what’s standing between you and that relationship? You’ll leave with a fresh perspective on who’s already in your corner, who could be, and at least one practical idea for building the internal support your fundraising program actually needs, including the accidental fundraisers you didn’t know you had.
12:15–12:45 pm
Lunch Buffet
12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch Session: Hope Is a Strategy: A Resilient Fundraiser’s Guide
Fundraising is harder than it used to be — the channels are noisier, the attention is shorter, and some of the things we built our practice on don’t feel as solid as they once did. But people still care, donors still give, and relationships still win. Alice Ferris and Jim Anderson make the case for optimism — not the pretend kind, but the hard-won kind. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of what’s worth protecting, what to let go of, and why hope isn’t just a feeling. It’s a strategy.
Alice Ferris and Jim Anderson, GoalBusters Consulting
1:45–2:15 pm
Power Session: Slow Fundraising
Chad Barger makes the case for doing less better — and why slowing down might be the most productive thing you can do for your fundraising program.
Chad Barger
2:15–3:00 pm
Huddle 3: Doing More Without Burning Out
What would you stop doing tomorrow if you gave yourself permission? You’ll leave with a clearer picture of where your energy is actually going, at least one thing you’re ready to let go of, and one thing worth fighting to protect — because doing more with less only works if you’re still standing at the end of it.
3:00–4:00 pm
Huddle 4: Building Philanthropy from the Inside Out
What would have to change internally before your donors felt the difference? You’ll leave with an honest assessment of your organization’s culture of philanthropy: what’s working, what’s getting in the way, and at least one idea for shifting the culture toward something that puts the donor at the center of everything you do.
4:00–5:00 pm
Closing Session: Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI World
Mark Schaefer closes the FOG with the bigger picture — what it means for all of us, not just fundraisers, to stay human, stay connected, and stay audacious in a world where the machines are getting smarter every day.
Mark Schaefer
