2025 Conference Programme

Tech Team

Programme Explanation/Updates; Notices

Sophie Olivier

This session will provide practical strategies for identifying open donor calls to support fundraising efforts. Topics covered will include key resources, directories and tools to track new opportunities, tips for targeting the most relevant donors, and insights into analysing funder priorities to improve the likelihood of a successful application. Delegates will gain actionable knowledge on proactively discovering and responding to funding opportunities that align with their organisations’ missions and goals.

Rowen Ravera-Bauer

Delegates wanting to grow and retain donors and supporters need to graduate beyond Excel and Google Sheets. In this talk, Rowan will share some practical tips on integrating NPOs’ websites with a donor management tool such as Salesforce to enable more personal and effective communication with each donor so as to grow income.

15 min Tea Break

Derek Lubner & Henk Swanepoel

In this session, Derek Lubner and Henk Swanepoel, the visionary founders of iZinga Assist, will update delegates on the substantial progress made in the groundbreaking and unprecedented development of their platform. Their presentation at last year’s Papillon Conference sparked a surge of interest, and it’s great to have them back to discuss iZinga Assist’s remarkable evolution and its plans for the future.

iZinga Assist is a revolutionary platform transforming the philanthropic landscape through fostering a culture of trust and transparency in the South African non-profit sector. This critically needed service verifies the compliance, financial standing, governance, and impact of NPOs, providing donors with the assurance they need to make informed giving decisions.

Host: Melanie Jackson | Panelist: Clara Kwizera

South Africa’s corporate giving led the world in structure and sophistication. Local companies’ staff spoke of ‘CSI’ while the rest of the world still referred to ‘CSR’ (and many continue to do so). The donor trust arena also professionalised and evolved rapidly in line with the vitally needed NPO sector striving to address the results of the evils of apartheid.

The CSI/donor trust environment is dynamic and ever-changing. Seasoned fundraising professional, Melanie Jackson, will host this high-level panel discussing these vital sources of funding for NPOs, schools, tertiary institutions, clubs and faith-based organisations.

The panel will also answer delegates’ questions.

30 min Lunch Break

Host: Nomagcwanini Gracia Nokwe 

People want to help to address the causes that they care about: people, animals and climate change. NPOs provide an excellent vehicle for all aspects of support – donations and volunteer time/expertise. However, not everyone in the non-profit world understands or maximises voluntary help. And few are recognising the value of micro-volunteerism.

This panel, hosted by NPO leader, Nomagcwanini Gracia Nokwe, will share tips on the successful engagement of volunteers. They will consider why people volunteer, what’s in it for the volunteer, careful volunteer recruitment, and when and why to decline offers of volunteer support. They will also, generously, share anecdotes of errors made in volunteer recruitment.

Prof Eric Atmore

For non-profit organisations to deliver their programmes, the necessary funding must be sought each year. NPOs scramble to raise the necessary funds to run programmes. One way to reduce the anxiety associated with the need for funding, is to establish of an endowment fund to support the NPO in difficult times. Using a long-established endowment fund as a case study, Professor Eric Atmore will clarify what endowment funds (and what they are not), how to establish and manage these much-needed funds.

15 min Tea Break

Jill Ritchie

Fundraising is tough – and likely to become more competitive and challenging. Yet, some NPOs, universities, schools and faith-based entities secure funding more readily, find and retain donors and have a pool of loyal supporters whom they can all upon in tough times, to fund new concepts and even to support those most difficult of all needs: money for endowments and reserves. Why? What do they get right that others (sadly, the majority) don’t? Trust. Their supporters trust them. Seasoned fundraising consultant, Jill Ritchie, will share tips from the world’s most trusted organisations. She will discuss how trust is earned and, vitally, maintained, to ensure true sustainability.

Dr Carolyne Opinde 

Khashifa Ussuph

There remains confusion around the roles and responsibilities of board members when it comes to fundraising. In this session, experienced legal practitioner and NPO board member, Khashifa Ussuph, will clarify what board members/trustees/council members are required to do around resourcing their organisations. Importantly, she will also explain which resource mobilisation tasks are not required of board members/trustees/council members.