5 big days giving you the latest digital strategy for nonprofits, advocacy, and social impact organizations.
Training, strategy, & insights to expand your digital strategy.
Streaming Live and Fully Interactive Online Summit.
All sessions are recorded and available to stream on-demand.
What to expect from a 5 Day Online Digital Strategy Summit
Explore winning strategies, immediately applicable tactics (news you can use!), and case studies from organizations leading in social impact.
A digital-first experience — not stream a half-hearted stream from an in-person event.
Designed for busy professionals and teams. Easy access, access to resources, and watch on-demand for the sessions you can’t make.
Access to every speaker in Q&A and extensive options to follow up and connect.
Perfect for Nonprofits, Civic and Advocacy Organizations, Social Impact Organizations, Political Campaigns, Charities, Labor Unions, Foundations and their Grantees, Educational Institutions, Governmental Agencies, International Organizations
Understand the most crucial changes in the digital landscape affecting social impact
Break down fundamental strategies for navigating the new era on social, email, web, advertising, sms/text, and more
Explore the new opportunities for growth and scaling: the creator economy, artificial intelligence, and more
Welcome to the new era of Digital Strategy for Social Impact 2.0
We’ve reached a point where consistent digital playbooks of the last decade are broken. Across the board, social impact leaders and practitioners are struggling with significant portions of their digital programs. Email deliverability and engagement are down for many orgs. Social media feels more unwieldy than ever. Which platform now? What happened to Facebook and Twitter? Digital ads got more complex and more expensive to target overnight about 18 months ago. Influencers and creators are mainstream. Google Analytics is a primarily new platform. AI is going to change workflows for many people rapidly, and being adopted right now.
In this Keynote Address, award-winning author and strategist Brad Caldana will move you from focusing on what is broken to focusing on what you can do using his decades of experience in social impact.”
Brad Caldana Founder – Center for Digital Strategy
Sarah Ali Founder – Sarah Ali Digital / VP CDS
Fireside Chat: Communicating with Communities of Color through Digital
2 ET / 11 am PT
Learning Objectives
Targeting best practices on digital ads for communities of color
Latest changes to tools and technology for targeting communities of color online
How to center culturally competent content with the right audiences
A Fireside Chat on Communicating with Communities of Color through Digital
In this fireside chat with Digital Strategist Salim Shariff and Digital Advertising & Targeting Expert Cheryl Hori, you’ll hear about the latest best practices for effectively communicating with communities of color online.
Between Cheryl and Salim, you’ll hear about digital organizing, digital advertising, and targeting approaches to centering communities of color in your outreach.
In addition to a discussion between Salim and Cheryl, there will be ample time for Q&A.
Cherly – Founder & CEO, Founder, Pacific Campaign House
Searching for Answers: Disrupting Disinformation During the 2023 Ohio Issue 1 (Abortion Access) Ballot Initiative
3 ET / 12 PT
Learning Objectives
Learn how a successful campaign combated digital misinformation with innovative strategies and measurable success.
Understanding the latest tools and tactics for countering misinformation you can apply to your cause or campaign.
An inside look at a strategy that disrupted disinformation campaigns that threatened Ohio’s critical 2023 abortion rights ballot initiative. Drawing on firsthand experience, this training will showcase proven tactics to intercept and redirect misled voters searching for clarity.
We’ll expose opposition disinformation tactics and battle-tested narrative interception strategies that achieved unprecedented results. Learn how we defeated multifaceted confusion and disinformation efforts through innovative search strategies, and uncovered (and later removed ) dangerous state-sponsored misinformation that received national attention through AP News coverage.
How to Create a Long-Term Social Media Strategy in A Short-Term World
5 ET / 2 PT
Learning Objectives
How to decide where to focus your limited time in the fast-moving social media landscape.
A framework to create content designed for more engagement and community building
In a world where social media trends come and go in the blink of an eye, it’s crucial for nonprofits to adopt a long-term strategy to thrive in the ever-changing digital landscape. However, the third sector faces unique challenges in maintaining a long-term social media strategy that drives sustainable impact.
In this session, nonprofit social media marketing expert Julia Campbell will address. the specific needs of nonprofits and provide practical insights on developing a social media strategy that aligns with long-term goals. We will explore strategies, techniques, and best practices that empower nonprofits to navigate the short-term trends while fostering meaningful connections with donors and supporters. Bio:
Innovate to Advocate: Harnessing AI for Political Impact
6 ET / 3 PT
Learning Objectives
Learn Ethical AI Implementation Strategies.
Customize AI for Your Nonprofit’s Mission.
Master New AI Tools for Impactful Change.
This training from Change Agent AI, led by Craig Johnson and Tyler McFadden, is designed to empower your organization with the tools and knowledge to harness the power of AI for movement-building communication. Our session will delve into the creation and application of AI language model’s customized for your organizations or clients, focusing on overcoming the biases (and lack of diversity) present in mainstream AI technologies and prioritizing privacy, security, and ethical use to serve vulnerable communities effectively.
Explore practical applications of AI in crafting compelling content across various platforms, from social media to press releases, tailored to amplify your message and mobilize your base.
Learn how to become a better prompt engineer and understand the appropriate application of Large Language Models.
Learn how we implement AI solutions that resonate with Progressive values, enhancing your outreach and engagement strategies. Understand how they are made and how bias affects output.
Craig Johnson Chief Technology Officer – Change Agent AI
Tyler McFadden Campaigner, Lobbyist, Social Justice Advocate
Tuesday, February 27th
The Reddit to TikTok Content Pipeline
12 ET / 9 am PT
Learning Objectives
Learn one strategy to boost engagement on TikTok with content from Reddit.
Leave the training feeling ready to try this Reddit to TikTok approach on your own.
Learn how to go viral on TikTok using content from Reddit to fuel your engagement goals. This training will share more about the Reddit to TikTok content pipeline for advocacy organizations: Why it’s useful and how to do it.
Angela Mika Holton Digital Organizer in the Progressive Movement
Reinforcing equity, psychological safety, and inclusion in remote/hybrid workplaces
1 ET / 10 am PT
Learning Objectives
Identifying the struggles, biases, and experiences BIPOC intersectional people face during the hiring process and within the workplace
Recognizing how transparency, accountability, and trust reinforce equity, psychological safety, and inclusion in the workplace
Reducing and repairing harm in the workplace for intersectional identities
An increase in remote/flexible workplaces has its’ perks, but it doesn’t eliminate barriers caused by systemic injustice and oppression. Anti-Blackness, transphobia, sexism, ableism, and other forms of discrimination continue to negatively impact Black and Brown people in work cultures across the globe. In this session, Jasmine Williams-Jacobs (they/she) will discuss intersectionality, transparency, accountability, harm reduction, and reparations in the workplace.
Examining diversity, equity, and inclusion at its’ core, they will also address the following:
The importance of centering employee wellness and anti-oppressive principles in hiring practices and work cultures
Dismantling power dynamics in the workplace
How to set up systems and tools benefiting folks most impacted by systemic oppression
Jasmine Williams-Jacobs Founder and Director at Black Remote She LLC
What interactive content boosts online donations?
2 ET / 11 am PT
Learning Objectives
Learn the research behind marketing messages that prompt people to take action
Get donor cultivation tips you can apply immediately to your upcoming campaigns
Claire Kerr uses case studies from the nonprofit sector to prove the famous “marketing rule of 7” that says your audience needs to see your messaging multiple times before taking action.
She’ll show you which types of interactive content prompt reactivation, more frequent donations, and increased new gifts from your community members.
Your list members & past donors are the folks who care most about your work – this session will break down how interactive messaging can improve their likelihood to convert to donation.
Summarize the process of planning, executing, and optimizing user-generated video campaigns to support a campaign’s strategic objectives
Identify the AI-powered tools that will accelerate the impact of video campaigns
Learn how AI will change the way people engage online
* Explore the power of AI tools and their transformative impact on nonprofit and campaign video marketing strategies.
* Discover how AI can enhance and streamline various aspects of community-driven video marketing campaigns, including content creation, personalization, distribution, and analytics.
*Learn how the age of AI will change what kind of content people are exposed to and what content will cut through the noise.
Email Deliverability and DMARC – What to know in 2024
4 ET / 1 PT Learning Objectives
The difference between DKIM, DMARC, and SPF, and why they matter
How to read and use engagement metrics
How to improve deliverability when it begins to suffer
Do you find a lot of emails end up in spam? Are your open rates suddenly tanking? Why should I care what DMARC? Join me to learn about the answers to these questions and more!
By the end of this training, you will know how to stay on top of the latest compliance rules from email providers, the best delivery practices to protect your email program, and help your emails end up in inboxes and avoid spam folders. You’ll also learn how to improve your deliverability and reputation if it’s taken a hit.
Right-size your digital strategy with limited capacity
5 ET / 2 PT
Learning Objectives
A strong understanding of how to create a digital comms strategy when capacity and expertise are very limited
Knowledge on how to walk a group through a process of identifying and executing a digital comms strategy that meets capacity limitations
In this session we’ll talk about what to do when you actually can’t follow all of the best practices for digital strategy – like when you have a small org with no comms staff or everything is volunteer-led. Some of the things we’ll cover will include:
– Identifying and prioritizing digital needs (and wants)
– Figuring out a group’s actual capacity and ways to increase it
– How to align digital needs and capacity in ways that are sustainable for small and/or volunteer-led orgs
– Different ways to manage digital strategy for the long haul and structures for accountability and streamlining the work
Where generative AI shines, and where it struggles
Themes and use-cases from the filed
How to be a savvy customer of AI products
This session offers a crash course on the current state and near future of generative AI in politics and advocacy. With a mix of lessons from past campaigns and the latest research, we’ll explore:
-A working definition of generative AI
-Emerging uses for generative AI in the field
-Useful, low-stakes ways to test the tech at your organization
-The biggest AI risks for your office (and why it’s not just deepfakes)
Ben Resnik – Deputy Director of Tech Strategy @ Zinc Labs
Wednesday, February 28th
Free Digital Tools You Should Be Using in 2024
12ET / 9 am PT
Learning Objectives
We will cover tools to help with your writing, graphic design, video work and much, much more.
We’ll also walk through how to think about the applicability of each tool we share, so you know when you can bookmark it for a later day, and when you should dive in and become an expert.
The digital toolkit is constantly evolving. There is no limit to the powerful paid tools out there that can help you take your digital program to the next level. But there are also loads of free tools out there that can help give your social media and digital marketing a huge lift, without pulling out the credit card.
Josh Klemons -Digital Storyteller/Strategist and the founder of Reverbal Communications
Stop Spamming Us: The Case Against Fundraising Spam
1ET / 10 am PT
Learning Objectives
The many risks and consequences associated with sending unsolicited spam
How to push back on leadership pressuring you to send spam
New ways to grow email lists and raise money online without spamming and alienating supporters
From deliverability concerns to the risk of alienating potential supporters, there are countless reasons campaigns and organizations should not send unsolicited fundraising spam. In this session, we’ll detail the problems and risks associated with spamming and outline better ways to raise money and reach supporters who actually want to hear from you.
Strategies for Leveraging Google’s AI Integration and Social Media Focus for Your Nonprofit
2 ET / 11 am PT
Learning Objectives
What AI chat is and how to use it in marketing
Understand how Google is integrating both AI and social media in its search results
Learn tactical tips to create a new strategy for ranking in search results with AI answers and social media posts & profiles.
This session will explore Google’s AI integration into search and its increased focus on highlighting social media posts and profiles in Google Search results. Attendees will learn how to rank in the Search Generative Experience and Google Perspectives to enhance nonprofit organizations’ online presence and outreach. The session will also delve into practical SEO and social media strategies, the significance of user experience (UX), and the integration of AI in content creation. Attendees will learn to leverage social media in search and use AI in their marketing processes. The sessions will provide actionable insights to empower nonprofit professionals with the tools and knowledge to navigate Google’s 2024 search landscape complexities.
Where Did Bounce Rate Go? Making Sense of Google Analytics 4
3 ET / 12PT
Learning Objectives
Get your GA4 questions answered in a QA session
Get a quick overview of GA4’s new metrics
Join Emily Patterson from Bee Measure to get an overview of the updates to GA4. Find GA4 baffling? This session is a walk through of what digital teams must know about the new software and metrics. She’ll also give you a rundown of her new course “How to Make Google Analytics 4 Work for Your Nonprofit.”
Emily Patterson runs Bee Measure, an agency that helps clients use data to create more effective web content, social media outreach and digital marketing. Drawing on her experience at Public Broadcasting Service and Better Business Bureau, Emily started Bee Measure in 2016 specifically to help nonprofits and government agencies. Emily is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional. She graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor’s in journalism and the University of Virginia with a graduate certificate in digital marketing.
Case Study: Digital ads as a tactic during labor strikes
4 ET / 1PT
Learning Objectives
Creative digital ad tactics to try during a strike or boycott
Messaging that moves activists during a strike
Why digital ads should be a part of your strategy during strikes
UFCW 3000 workers at Macy’s stores in Washington State went on strike and asked shoppers to boycott. In a huge win for workers, Macy’s came back to the bargaining table and gave a historic contract to union members. Digital ads were just one tactic in their toolbox, and this session will detail how we targeted retail workers, corporate employees, and shoppers.
We’ll review how we used innovative tactics like geofencing, billboards, and programmatic ads to bolster striking workers and educate the public about how to support them.
Pleasing Your People: Retaining Digital & Marketing Talent
5 ET / 2PT
Learning Objectives
Rethink your definition of retention
Find balance in your employee retention triangle
Build a self-perpetuating talent pipeline
Turn reviews into evolutions
In this seminar session, Jonathan Jacobs will delve into the critical issues of hiring and retention, which pose significant challenges for managers across industries. Drawing from his extensive experience, Jacobs will share proven strategies that he has implemented and imparted to fellow marketing managers, leading to the establishment of robust talent rosters within various organizations. He will highlight successful approaches that not only fostered above-industry retention rates but also cultivated a workplace culture that encouraged former employees to return, underscoring the effectiveness of these methods in nurturing long-term employee engagement and loyalty.
Attendees can expect to gain valuable insights into practical techniques for building and maintaining high-performing teams, as Jacobs elucidates the intricacies of talent acquisition and retention strategies honed through real-world experience. By learning from Jacobs’ expertise, managers will be equipped with actionable tactics to address the persistent challenges of talent management, ultimately fostering environments conducive to sustainable organizational success.
Exponential Reach with Organic Sharing: Compelling Your Supporters to Share on Social Media
12 ET / 9 am PT
Learning Objectives
Reasoning and research on why organic social sharing is more efficient and powerful than paid ads
Cutting-edge tools available to scale organic social sharing
Case studies from prominent nonprofits/advocacy organizations on how they’ve benefitted from organic social sharing
Trying to spread the word about your campaign or cause? Digital ads are increasingly costly and ineffective: they’re expensive, cumbersome to manage, and it’s difficult to break through the noise. Organic social sharing from your supporters is the dream, but how do you get them to actually share content?
We’ll discuss how to unlock the exponential reach of organic social sharing, using cutting-edge tools and techniques (like AI-powered content!) from relational organizing experts at Impactive and SoSha. With practical case studies from leading organizations like HeadCount and Community Change Action, you’ll learn how to build buzz online by using your supporters as messengers.
Social AI: How Platforms View, Analyze, and Distribute Your Content
1 ET / 10am PT
Learning Objectives
View how AI visualizes or ‘sees’ content
Recognize how AI identifies context
Understand how AI distributes your content
Learn what to look for to maximize performance
With the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence, the world of content is again facing the dawn of a new era. How can creators succeed in this new reality? By understanding how social platforms are using AI and how to harness it.
Understand the different types of creator programs.
Understand how to build a strong creator brief.
Strategy for creator campaign metrics and measurement.
Join Social Currant for a session to help you understand the different types of creator programs and how you can level yours up. Learn how to implement measurement, metrics and build a strong messaging brief.
Ellie Artone – Co-Founder & Chief Creator Officer Social Currant
Abby Vang – Creator Coordinator @ Social Currant
Digital Fundraising in 2024: Strategies and Insights for Nonprofit Leaders
3 ET / 12 PT
Learning Objectives
How to create digital fundraising campaigns that resonate with today’s easily distracted donors
Tips on boosting your digital and social media advertising, email marketing, and search marketing strategies to enhance donor engagement
Real-life examples from growing nonprofits that have successfully implemented an omnichannel strategy to elevate their digital fundraising outcomes.
In a world where digital interaction is paramount, nonprofits face the constant challenge of standing out and making a meaningful impact. In this Feathr Live session, we’ll explore which trends in digital technology genuinely matter for nonprofits and how these can be leveraged to maximize impact.
We’ll delve into:
1) How to create digital fundraising campaigns that resonate with today’s easily distracted donors, ensuring your message cuts through the noise.
2) Practical tips on boosting your nonprofit’s digital and social media advertising, email marketing, and search marketing strategies to enhance donor engagement and acquisition in 2024.
3) Real-life examples from growing nonprofits that have successfully implemented an omnichannel strategy to elevate their digital fundraising outcomes.
Join us for this session to sharpen your digital fundraising strategy and enhance your nonprofit’s digital presence. Whether your goal is to attract new supporters, strengthen bonds with current ones, or boost your online impact, this session is your key to success in 2024.
Design for the Outdoors; Rebranding a Legacy Nonprofit
4 ET / 1 PT
Learning Objectives
Seeing how human-centric branding resonates personally with your audience
How better design happens through better strategy
Why visual brand elements are also important easter eggs in telling your larger brand story
Ask/Q+A starter: What would you like to know about building a brand? Or designing a logo?
Have you ever wondered how the big redesigns truly get made? How ideas are sparked, why design elements are drawn, and how you know it’s all going to resonate for a legacy membership brand? Get an inside first look at Rails to Trails Conservancy’s redesign launching Feb 22 from its agency Creative Director that created it.
Rails to Trails Conservancy was founded in 1986 with a goal to reimagine public spaces in order to create safe ways for all individuals to walk, bike, and be active, no matter your abilities or accessibility limitations. Connecting communities, creating equity and access, and bettering policy, climate, health and families through the places you are outside. Outright partnered with RTC to blaze the trail on an entirely new brand that better represented who the organization is already. We started with the feeling of an open trail and started walking. We asked; what if a non-profit tread like a consumer brand?
This session will be a fast-paced look the making of a large rebrand from the perspective of creative strategy and design. Summarizing 2+ years of extensive conversations, testing, storytelling, sketches and deep strategic decision-making that formulated a brand whose every pixel and piece was lovingly hand-crafted for joyful impact. A brand that smells like a day outside. See a peek inside the elements of a 110 page brand guide and ask all your brand questions in the Q+A following.
The Top 3 Google Ads You Should Be Running & Maximizing Your Google Ads Grants (the $10,000 a month grant for nonprofits!)
5 ET / 2 PT
Learning Objectives
You’ll learn about the Google Ad Grants program and what is available to nonprofits.
You’ll understand eligibility for Google Ad Grant feel confident taking the steps to accessing both.
You’ll be able to create ads that suit you organization and put use to use this grant opportunity.
Free advertising. You read that right. Free! It can feel rare these days to see free marketing resources in the pay-to-play world we live in. Yet, Google offers a great resource to nonprofit organizations — a grant of $10,000 per month.
During this session, we’ll share the top 3 ads any organization should run to increase awareness of your brand. You’ll learn our top tips and tricks to get started on the right foot.
2024 Digital Fundraising Best Practices with ActBlue
12 ET / 9 am PT Learning Objectives
Acknowledge personal emotions around asking for money
Understand the building blocks of digital fundraising including the importance of leveraging small dollar donors
Identify next steps your campaign or organization neds to dive into digital fundraising
Discover how to best leverage ActBlue as a digital fundraising resource
Create a one-time or recurring fundraising ask using the Theory of Change formula.
Want to level up your grassroots fundraising skills? Learn about best practices for fundraising online, explore how to ask for money, and build your own fundraising ask!
How to Use Generative AI To Create Effective Social Media Content
1 ET / 10am PT
Learning Objectives
An understanding of what Generative AI actually is
How to choose an AI tool for social media content creation
How to integrate it in your workflow
How to measure efficiency
This session will focus on providing actionable insights into how to integrate Generative AI tools in the social media content creation process for your campaign or non-profit. During the session, we will be discussing what specific AI tools can be beneficial to use for each step of the content creation process and distinguish between types of social media content that you can create (orgs’ own posting ads, social media toolkits etc.). We’ll also be discussing how to measure the efficiency of AI powered tools and best practices for integrating these tools into your existing workflow. To make the session easy to follow, we’ll be taking specific case studies from the progressive movement to illustrate how these steps can be achieved practically.
Gain a deeper understanding of how and why ads work (and don’t work).
Strategy to ensure the best outcomes for your media spend.
After this training, you’ll be able to better assess the impact of your media spend through vendors and develop your own metrics for in-house media programs.
Every cycle, campaigns, nonprofits, and political organizations spend on digital ads. When the ads have an immediate goal like acquisition or a direct donation, measuring success is fairly simple. But how do we know if our persuasion, mobilization, and advocacy ads are achieving their intended results?
This session will delve into the world of media measurement:
– We’ll cover types of media measures ranging from activity metrics to outcome metrics
– The differences between vanity metrics and impact metrics
– Ways to evaluate impact ranging from free in-platform metrics to brand lifts to paid options like RCTs.
Yes, to make the event as accessible as possible we offer our summits completely online so people can join from anywhere in the world.
Yes, all sessions will be recorded. You will receive a login for https://centerfordigitalstrategy.com after the event to access all recordings and resources.
Yes! This event will have chances to connect attendees, sponsors, and speakers.
You can pay above with a credit card. If you need to pay with an online check please email: [email protected]
