Fundraising Day Wisconsin

Leading Through Complexity Without Losing Ourselves: Reclaiming Energy, Purpose, and Impact

In the nonprofit sector, we often lead with passion and purpose—but the complexity of our environments, paired with limited resources and growing demands, can leave us drained, misaligned, and reactive. This session invites participants to reflect on how to lead through uncertainty without losing connection to themselves, their values, or their teams.

We’ll explore the invisible dynamics—like unspoken norms, power tensions, and emotional undercurrents—that often disrupt impact, and pair that with strategies for restoring personal and team energy. This is both a reflective and practical session, combining insight, dialogue, and real-world tools to support participants in leading with greater clarity, agency, and care.

Kelvin Alfaro

Kelvin Alfaro has over 20 years of experience in strategic planning, leadership development, process improvement, and transforming organizational culture and climate. His work centers on building inclusive, resilient, and responsive systems grounded in relational accountability.

Before joining UW–Madison, Kelvin directed Campus Compact for Wisconsin, leading statewide initiatives to enhance community engagement and strengthen partnerships between higher education institutions and their communities. He is also the founder and managing partner of Alfaro Consulting, which helps mission-driven organizations align their internal culture with their purpose through participatory planning, team development, and systems-based coaching. Kelvin supports groups in navigating complexity, building trust, and creating environments where all members can thrive and contribute meaningfully.

An Indigenous person of Nahuatl descent and immigrant from El Salvador, Kelvin’s journey reflects a deep commitment to equity, shared leadership, and healing-centered change.

Kelvin holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology and an MBA from Fresno State University. He is also a certified Technology of Participation (ToP) facilitator, Prosci Change Management practitioner, and an ORSC™-informed systems coach.

Unlocking the Key to Grants: Fundamentals for Success

Unlocking the Key to Grants: Fundamentals for Success" covers the nuts and bolts of writing and securing nonprofit grants. Included in the presentation are types of grants, documents required, what happens after a grant is submitted, and an interactive grant writing myth-busters section. Later, we delve into more tactical strategies, including where to find mission-aligned grants, grant writing factors that are within our control, AI in grant writing, and the real key to securing grants (hint: it has nothing to do with writing). Pro tips will be shared along the way to streamline processes and simplify writing grants over time. This presentation may be helpful for beginner and intermediate nonprofit professionals tasked with writing grants, though advanced grant writers have indicated they picked up new information as well.

Throughout the session, I encourage robust dialogue with the audience to leverage the knowledge of the individuals in the room and to foster engagement. 

Amanda Garry Aliperta

Amanda Garry Aliperta is the Founder and Principal of Momentum Nonprofit Strategies. Amanda spent 15 years in Milwaukee’s nonprofit sector honing skills in donor relations, development strategy, board engagement, corporate and foundation relations, grant writing, and event management. Since launching Momentum in 2020, she has helped her clients raise millions of dollars, including more than $1.5 million through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Amanda most recently worked for Safe & Sound, first as Institutional Support Manager, managing a portfolio of public and private funders and writing grants, and later promoted to Development Director, overseeing her department’s expansion and leading the organization’s development strategy. During her tenure, the organization shifted its revenue model from approximately 85% government/ 15% private to 60% government/ 40% private through targeted private fundraising efforts.

Prior to Safe & Sound, Amanda spent time with Vivent Health (formerly ARCW), UPAF, and Marquette University in University Advancement, where she revived the dormant Founders Society recognizing donors whose lifetime giving surpassed $1 million and orchestrated customized donor events and experiences for major gift prospects that contributed to individual gifts of up to $400k.

Amanda is passionate about supporting marginalized communities and firmly believes in the nonprofit sector’s ability to tackle deep systemic problems to improve communities. She was first exposed to the nonprofit sector’s potential as a child in her hometown of Sioux Falls, SD, where she watched her father volunteer to serve on boards of directors and chair fundraising campaigns for a variety of organizations that went on to change the lives of those they served.

Amanda earned Bachelor of Arts degrees from Marquette University in Theatre and Communication Studies. She serves on the board of directors for Milwaukee Diaper Mission. She lives with her family in Whitefish Bay, WI.

Breaking Down Silos with Shared Language: How Cohesive Messaging Drives Fundraising Success

A powerful fundraising strategy starts with a unified, shared language across your organization. Without it, teams can inadvertently create mixed messages that confuse donors and derail campaigns. This session will teach nonprofit leaders how to build a common language for fundraising that aligns leadership, staff, and volunteers, making your efforts more cohesive and compelling. By embedding shared messaging into the culture, nonprofits can drive clarity, strengthen donor relationships, and maximize their fundraising success.

Angela Marino | Founder, Relevant Thread Consulting

Angela Marino helps nonprofit leaders create the clarity and alignment they need to turn big visions into action. With more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, marketing, and organizational change, she brings a deep understanding of how mission-driven organizations grow. Through her firm, Relevant Thread Consulting, Angela partners with organizations pursuing growth, preparing for transition, or leading change. Whether launching a strategic plan, reimagining fundraising, or uniting teams around a shared direction, her work focuses on aligning internal messaging, building trust across stakeholders, and helping leaders communicate with purpose. She is known for bringing sharp insight and calm clarity to complex moments, helping organizations move forward with confidence and with everyone on the same page.

In Good Company: Relationship-Based Change Management for Fundraisers

Now more than ever, change is constant -- so how can we, as fundraisers, lean into the opportunities for innovation and collaboration presented by these consistently unprecedented times? Join Aliya Pitts -- veteran nonprofit leader, advancement professional, and change agent -- and learn to lead through periods of uncertainty while deepening connections and building trust with donors and colleagues. You'll come away with an understanding of how to gracefully handle workplace (and worldwide) unpredictability while leveraging the opportunities it creates to grow your relationships in service of your organizational mission. 

Aliya Niazi Pitts, PurposeBridge Partners

A nonprofit strategist and organizational change expert, Aliya Pitts is no stranger to navigating transitions: she’s transformed six-figure development offices into multimillion-dollar operations, developed reluctant Board chairs into fundraising powerhouses, and guided institutions through watershed moments ranging from sudden leadership shifts to the COVID-19 pandemic. After nearly three decades working in philanthropy, Aliya believes that strong, trusting relationships are the key to making change a positive experience.
Aliya is also the Founder of PurposeBridge Partners, a consultancy that helps nonprofits unlock funding, focus, and impact. Known for her joyful energy and inclusive nature, Aliya’s approach -- reinforced by her M.S. in Learning & Organizational Change from Northwestern University -- blends clear strategy with collaborative execution, focused on both people and systems. She trusts that when smart, mission-driven leaders get the right support, they can impact more lives (and have a lot more fun doing it!). 
When she’s not out there changing the world, Aliya can be found either spending time with family and friends in her adopted hometown of Wind Point, Wisconsin, planning her next trip, or cultivating the newest generation of female leaders by volunteering as an admission interviewer for her undergraduate alma mater, Smith College.

Resilient Fundraising: Harnessing Sage Powers Amid Cuts and Chaos -- Build emotional strength, mental clarity, and confidence in your fundraising efforts—no matter the external pressure.

In an era marked by economic strain and government funding cuts, nonprofit professionals face more than just financial challenges—they face emotional ones. When you’re not mentally fit, you feel the weight of these challenges as anxiety, frustration, or discouragement. The reality? Research shows that 80% of people score below the minimum level of mental fitness required for peak performance and happiness. The good news is that breakthroughs in neuroscience and technology now make it possible to build that mental fitness—with just six weeks of consistent practice.
This session introduces Positive Intelligence® as a powerful framework for recognizing your inner saboteurs and activating your Sage mind—the part of you that thrives under pressure, leads with empathy, and makes clear-headed decisions even in crisis. Whether you're facing donor fatigue, grant rejections, or impossible targets, you’ll walk away with simple, science-backed tools to stay grounded, inspired, and effective.

This session is an invitation to move beyond survival mode, and toward a steadier, stronger version of yourself—one equipped to lead with resilience, no matter the funding landscape.

This session is based on the Positive Intelligence work of Shirzad Chamine, a New York Times Bestselling author, Stanford lecturer, and coach to hundreds of CEOs and executive teams. 

YOUR ACTION ITEM prior to the session: Take the free 5-minute Saboteur Assessment (results will not be shared) Previous participants have enjoyed discovering which Saboteurs present the greatest internal obstacles to their optimal achievement and well-being. And they are thrilled to learn simple science-based tools to remove these obstacles.

Anita Rodriguez Cordero

Information coming soon!

Merging for Impact: How Strategic Nonprofit Mergers Create Stronger, More Attractive Investment Opportunities for Donors

In this session, nonprofit leaders, board members, and development professionals will explore the strategic considerations and benefits of nonprofit mergers, with a focus on how they can enhance an organization’s appeal to donors. Merging organizations often face concerns about maintaining donor relationships, mission alignment, and financial stability, but when done thoughtfully, a merger can create a more powerful and sustainable entity that attracts greater support.

Participants will learn how to communicate the merged entity’s value proposition—showcasing how a unified organization is stronger, more efficient, and better positioned to achieve its mission. By consolidating resources, expanding programmatic reach, and increasing operational efficiency, nonprofits can present a compelling case to donors that their support will go further, whether they’re backing one of the merging organizations or both.

Key takeaways from this session will include:

How to identify synergies in programs, operations, and funding to make a merger more attractive to donors.
Approaches for reassuring donors that their support remains integral to the new organization’s mission and vision.
Effective messaging strategies that highlight the enhanced impact and sustainability of the new entity.
Real-world case studies of successful nonprofit mergers and the resulting increase in donor investment.

Join us to discover how a thoughtful approach to nonprofit mergers can create new opportunities for growth, collaboration, and deeper engagement with donors, ensuring that their contributions help drive long-term, meaningful change.

About Tania Ibarra

Tania Ibarra is a dynamic and agile solutionary who strives to help people reach their full potential. She believes in powerful environments where people can contribute their talents, knowledge, and skills freely. A professional with diverse industry experience in finance, accounting, and assurance, her strength lies in connecting process with financial and operational results while consistently seeking efficiencies via manual procedures automation. As a speaker, Tania combines personal experiences, data, and frameworks to connect and inspire audiences into action. She focuses on moving dreams to goals and desires to results.

Tania is a founder and board member of the Latino Professionals Association, an organization that cultivates a community that inspires, develops, and empowers Latinx professionals to pursue success.

Tania earned a Bachelors of Arts in Accounting and Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from Clarke University. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Wisconsin, a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and holds a Professional Trainer Certificate from UW-Madison. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Open Compliance and Ethics Group. As a Green Belt project manager, she centers stakeholders to deliver value and balance interests in outcomes. Incredibly involved in her community, Tania volunteers on the Kids Forward and Downtown Madison Inc. boards. She is also a former board member of the Fund For Women, the Madison Coalition Cooperative Development, Centro Hispano, and the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County.

From Crisis to Confidence: Best Practices for Handling a PR Crisis Before It Occurs: Building Effective Advocates for Your Brand and Mission

Data breaches, funding shortfalls, and negative customer experiences. Are you prepared to handle these and other types of PR crises? Join The Creative Company to learn how to navigate a crisis and protect your reputation successfully. We'll equip you to develop a crisis communications plan that enables you to drive the narrative, mitigate the spread of misinformation, and maintain public trust. You'll also receive our
Crisis Planning Guide: spending just 30 minutes with this document will make you more prepared, confident, and capable than before.

In this dynamic, hands-on training session, Creative Company will transform you into confident, media-savvy advocates capable of effectively promoting their organization's mission and services. The session

I will empower team members with the skills, techniques, and mindset needed to engage with the media, raise awareness about their work, and inspire positive action within their communities.

Ben Sefarbi, The Creative Company

Ben has spent more than 10,000 hours in newsrooms in the Midwest, including time at NBC15 in Madison. He received a certificate in Crisis Communication from the Public Relations Society of America and holds the role of helping local businesses and nonprofits prepare for crises. His passion for digital content, helping clients communicate their message to communities, and collaborating with media to cover meaningful local news is precisely what he sought to accomplish after obtaining his Journalism degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Leading From the Deep End: Navigating Murky Waters and Building Your Own Raft
In the unpredictable waters of fundraising, do you feel like you’re swimming with a clear direction, just trying to stay afloat, or barely keeping your head above water? When leadership provides little to no guidance, fundraisers must take charge by setting their own goals, managing up, and leading authentically—whether navigating fresh or saltwater environments.

Megan Spranger, ThedaCare Family of Foundations

Megan Spranger, JD, CFRE is a seasoned development leader who brings a hands-on approach to major gift fundraising. With a career spanning healthcare, education, and conservation, she has helped organizations build donor relationships that lead to transformational support. Megan specializes in simplifying moves management and helping teams focus on building authentic donor relationships that align with mission priorities. She currently serves as President of her local chapter, AFP Northeast Wisconsin, and as the Chapter Presidents Council Representative on the AFP Global Board of Directors.

10 Simple Steps to Capital Campaign Success

How does my organization prepare for capital campaign success? Where do you start? What do the most successful capital campaigns have in common? If your organization has been considering a capital campaign for a building, endowment, or program growth, this session will provide a strong overview on how to start and build a successful capital campaign. Taking time to do the planning today will save you and your organization stress down the road. Amanda will share 10 key steps to put your organization on the right path for a thriving, achievable campaign. She'll provide examples of recent successful campaigns and provide time for conversation and discussion. Whether your organization is seeking to raise $500,000 or $50,000,000, Amanda will provide key insight, tips, and tools that will help you build a strong foundation for capital campaign success.

Amanda White, Amanda White Consulting

Amanda White has been working to advance nonprofits and small businesses in Madison for 25 years. She has directly raised millions of dollars to support local nonprofit missions, including coaching over 50 clients, including 25 capital campaigns. Unique from other consultants, Amanda is fortunate to have worked in a variety of capacities within the small business and nonprofit sectors. While fundraising and storytelling is her passion, Amanda also has strong experience in financial forecasting, statewide program development, media relations, and even lobbying. These experiences give Amanda a complete understanding of non-profit management, enabling her to create a fundraising strategy that supports an organization’s mission and operations.

Feel Good Fundraising: An Intro to Values-Based Major Giving

Feel Good Fundraising: An Intro to Values-Based Major Giving is designed to help nonprofit professionals align their major giving strategies with their values to build relationships with trust, transparency, and meaningful impact. You can feel good while you’re fundraising for major gifts. We’ll help you find more ease and joy and move more money to mission! 

Laura Vitelli believes fundraising is about community and possibility. As a co-founder of Staiger | Vitelli and Associates, she brings warmth, clarity, and deep strategy to every engagement. Her approach is rooted in trust, relationships, and shared values—not transactions. Laura has led teams, grown campaigns, and coached dozens of nonprofit leaders to align their fundraising with who they are and what they stand for. She's a thought partner, storyteller, and systems thinker who helps people feel confident and connected in their fundraising.

Sarah Staiger brings creative spark and strategic insight to values-based fundraising. A co-founder of Staiger | Vitelli and Associates, she’s part coach, part connector, and part message whisperer. Sarah helps people and organizations step into their power, build real relationships, and ask boldly. Whether she’s facilitating, scripting a donor conversation, or mapping a campaign, Sarah leads with care and candor. She believes fundraising can be joyful, relational, and deeply aligned.

Philanthropic Leadership: A Strategic Awakening for Nonprofit Professionals

Designed as a deep dive into the soul and strategy of nonprofit leadership, this training helps leaders connect their role to the broader purpose of philanthropy. Participants explore the ten domains of nonprofit excellence and how to lead with heart, clarity, and strategic focus. It’s equal parts head and heart, anchored in theory but activated through real-world application.

Nicholas Reising

Nicholas “Nick” Reising is a passionate nonprofit strategist, educator, and doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where his research explores trust, strategy, and donor engagement in the nonprofit sector. He has held senior leadership roles in fundraising operations for nonprofit organizations and continues his work in advancing the nonprofit sector while teaching at the collegiate level. With a deep commitment to cultivating a culture of philanthropy, Nick helps leaders bridge the gap between purpose and performance, encouraging them to lead with clarity, compassion, and courage. His work is grounded in real-world application and academic rigor, blending strategy with soul to elevate the field of philanthropy. At the heart of it all, Nick is a proud dad who believes the most meaningful leadership begins at home and that authentic relationships are the foundation for lasting change.

Consent is Key: Revolutionize Your Organization’s Fundraising

Today’s nonprofits are facing an unspoken, ethical dilemma: Do we have the right to publish our beneficiary's stories to raise money?

In this interactive session, attendees gain insights into how to craft inspiring narratives that prompt their donors to take action, without violating the privacy or dignity of their beneficiaries.

Diana will guide attendees through her well-structured EQUAstory™ Framework. This will help them grasp the ethical way to tell stories and raise funds for their missions. She will also show them how to integrate this framework into their organization’s
storytelling routine.

When attendees adopt this method of gathering narratives, their beneficiaries will feel appreciated and comfortable sharing their genuine experiences. Simultaneously, their donors will understand the impact of their donations through ethically sourced and shared stories.

This is a session philanthropic pioneers won’t want to miss!

Diana Farias Heinrich, Habrá Marketing 

When I went to Ghana to help start a sustainable clean water business with the women who lived there, I ended up quitting my job. The alternative was not to leave and keep my job, but that wasn’t happening!

It was my life long dream, to travel to Africa and change the world. Little did I know the change that awaited me and that this was just the beginning of my journey to fulfill what is now a lifelong mission – to be in service of others.

I fulfilled my commitment to go to Ghana and when I came back I changed careers to work in the nonprofit sector. Now I’m supporting Executive Directors in raising awareness for their amazing nonprofits by taking care of their marketing and communications so they can get their time back and focus on what matters most!

Over 10 years of working in software, e-commerce, project management, and nonprofit development and communications, I’ve learned that systems and processes are the key for time-strapped businesses to grow and thrive. It’s the way I work and drive my client’s communications so that they can stay on-track with their organizations goals, knowing that the marketing is always there to support their efforts.

I became an entrepreneur to thread the knowledge between for-profit and non-profit and apply proven strategies from each to move the needle forward for my clients’ missions.

I keep it creative between my life as an entrepreneur, mom, and circus arts enthusiast. I live in Southern California now, but started my new career in nonprofit in the Bay Area. I’ve worked since I was 14 and nothing has been as fulfilling as helping my client’s now.