RETHINK Fundraising Auckland 2026

Agenda

• Opening Talk - 17 Things I've had to Rethink

  Dominique Antarakis will kick us off with a list of the things she’s had to let go of in her 23-year career as a fundraiser. Some of them might surprise you! 

• Keynote Speaker - Michelle Blau, Fair Food NZ

  As the CEO of Fair Food, Michelle is fighting hunger differently. Moving beyond traditional fundraising, she'll share how Fair Food applies a mutual aid model to foster reciprocal relationships and remove the divide between donors and recipients. Learn how you can use these strategies to inspire deeper engagement and support by making room for people in the heart of your mission.

• Rethinking Brand: The brand decision gap

  Good organisations often know their brand needs to change, but still struggle to move it forward. Tim explores where brand decisions get stuck and the five practical steps that help reframe the branding conversation to build internal confidence, reduce risk and gain leadership or Board support.

• Rethinking Charity Comms: Banish the boring 

  When it comes to getting people enthused about our cause, too often we focus on the what rather than the why. Worse, we risk boring our audience to death with earnest, organisation-centric communications which neither inspire nor instruct. Dominique Antarakis from DOMA Consulting will show you a new and fun way to look at your charity comms for maximum engagement and donor retention.  

• Morning Workshop

  Facilitated workshop which will provide the opportunity to take the learnings from the morning sessions and give you the practical branding and comms tools to take back to your organisation - and transform your fundraising!

• Lunch Break

  Take a break, mix and mingle, and enjoy a fabulous lunch selection.

• Rethinking Personalisation: Under the hood of a supporter journey

  Everyone says "right message, right person, right time." Paul Wright from mimo shows you the machinery that actually makes it happen. He'll walk a single supporter journey end to end and pull back the curtain at each step: the email that rewrites itself for every reader, the letter that does the same on paper, the UTM code that tells you what worked and the txt shortcode that ties it all together. Practical, plain-English and ready to use the moment you're back at your desk.

• Rethinking Data: The benefits of cleaning up your dirty data

  Is data left in the ‘too-hard basket’ at your NFP? In his presentation, Mark Newell from DATAM reveals the easy wins that can come from finally getting stuck in to doing a complete Marie Kondo on your organisation’s data. With real-world examples of charities that have got it right, we guarantee you’ll leave inspired to finally tackle what you once mistakenly thought was the most boring task in your day job.

• Rethinking Bequests: Lessons from the legacy frontlines 

  Based on interviews with practitioners from organisations large and small, this session shares unfiltered insights from Gift in Will managers who are doing the work every day—what's actually generating pledges, where they're getting stuck, and what they wish they'd known sooner. Through their collective wisdom, and guided by Tedirex’s Martin Ruane, we'll explore the biggest challenges facing legacy programmes today, the opportunities hiding in plain sight, and tactical takeaways that work for both beginners and experienced practitioners. 

• Afternoon Workshop

  Facilitated workshop which will provide the opportunity to take the learnings from the afternoon sessions and give you the practical personalisation and other tools to ramp up acquisition and retention.  

• Closing Speaker - Vivian Chandra

  Vivian Chandra is a writer, speaker, and community educator based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland). With experience across the nonprofit and social impact sectors, she is passionate about helping organisations build stronger relationships, communicate with authenticity, and create meaningful change. Her work spans fundraising, digital safety, community engagement, emerging technology, and leadership, with a focus on practical solutions that put people first. Vivian has written for publications including The Spinoff, RNZ, NZ Herald, and CIO Magazine, and brings a thoughtful, human-centred perspective to conversations about innovation, advocacy, and the future of social impact.

• Fundraising Follies

  Stick around to enjoy drinks, canapes and post-conference networking with your peers.