Turning Headwinds into Tailwinds - Transforming Challenge into Impact

Join us for a day of learning, collaboration and inspiration as we explore how to turn today’s headwinds into tomorrow’s tailwinds.
About this Event

Charities are operating in an increasingly complex environment. Financial pressure on donors, tighter budgets, changing supporter expectations and growing demands for evidence, impact and efficiency mean organisations are being asked to do more with less than ever before. Yet within these challenges lie opportunities for growth, innovation and stronger supporter relationships. At this year's conference, we'll explore how charities are responding to today's headwinds and turning them into tomorrow's tailwinds.

Our CIOF Insight in Fundraising Conference 2026 brings together fundraisers, marketers, digital specialists, campaigners, analysts, insight professionals, agency partners and sector leaders for a practical and inspiring day focused on how better understanding, smarter decisions and innovation can help charities thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.

Across three dedicated streams, Main Stage, Tech & Tools, and Lean & Impactful (practical approaches for smaller teams and tighter budgets), delegates will hear real-world case studies, honest learning stories and actionable ideas from organisations across the sector. Sessions will explore how charities of all sizes can better understand and engage supporters, improve decision-making, embrace new tools and technologies, optimise campaigns and communications, and deliver greater fundraising impact with confidence.

Whether you are leading strategic transformation, delivering fundraising campaigns, managing supporter journeys, working in a data, digital or insight function, exploring new technologies, or simply looking for practical ways to achieve more with limited time and resource, the conference is designed to provide ideas and approaches you can immediately take back to your organisation.

Built by practitioners, for practitioners, the conference is also a chance to connect with peers across the sector, share experiences openly and be part of a supportive community passionate about evidence-led fundraising.

Turning Headwinds into Tailwinds is for you if you…

· want practical ideas you can apply immediately

· are navigating growing pressure on budgets, targets and resources

· are interested in how better understanding of supporters, smarter use of data and technology, and evidence-led decision making can improve fundraising effectiveness

· want to learn from real charity case studies and sector peers

· work in fundraising, marketing, communications, digital, CRM, insight or analytics within the charity sector

· are looking to connect with others facing similar challenges and opportunities

Confirmed Sessions so far:

· Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: The Messy Reality of Becoming Data-Driven

· AI Without the Hype: How Small Fundraising Teams Are Using Artificial Intelligence in the Real World

· The Growth Compass: How Brooke and Euler Used Scenario Modelling to Unlock Investment Confidence

· Giving insights to... the donors! How delivering personalised AI voice messages and websites for 40,000 supporters boosted donations 75%

· Insight at Pace: Delivering Supporter Engagement Scoring Through Agile Sprints

· Punching Above Your Weight: Big Fundraising Thinking for Smaller Charities

· One Plan, One View, One Truth: How RNLI Transformed Marketing Planning Across Multiple Teams

· ‘Whirlwind talks’ – the showcase of charities delivering real impact with supporter-led insight

· Forecasting and the spreadsheet you're afraid to touch (and how to replace it)

· Building Better Fundraising Journeys Through Paid Media

· It’s about less not more: How WaterAid reimagined supporter experience to drive long-term value with their audience

· The Insight Advantage: What High-Performing Fundraising Organisations Do Differently

· From Chaos to Clarity: How Data, Compliance and Insight Became Our Biggest Fundraising Opportunity

· What the hell is transformation?!

· What 2025 donor behaviour tells us about the future of digital giving

· How AI is Helping Farewill Protect and Grow Charity Legacy Income

· Science today or action today: what 100,000 new supporters taught us

· How Prostate Cancer Research turned supporter insight into a tool the team actually uses.

· How We Stopped Blaming the Old CRM (and Why We’re In No Rush to Replace It)

· From Insight to Impact: How Project Mercury Changed the Way We Engage Supporters

· From Gen Z cat vibes to protesting pensioners: bringing the Cats Protection audience to life through segmentation and storytelling

Please note that these are subject to change.