Nonprofit Events Calendar: Late 2026 and 2027

Upcoming nonprofit events at a glance

The dates below are future dates as of this review. The two GrantSummit entries are different annual editions of the same conference. Dates describe the organizer’s announced event window, which may differ from optional sessions, travel days or the schedule available to online participants.

Choose an event for a defined learning need and your team’s ability to use the information afterward. The presence of a conference in this calendar does not establish that every session fits your role or that attendance will produce a job, donor relationship or funding award.

November 2026: GrantSummit

The Grant Professionals Association announces GrantSummit for November 4–7, 2026 in San Antonio and online. Use the official event information to distinguish the conference window from the sessions and access available under a particular registration.

For a grant professional or development leader, a useful planning question is what part of the funding process needs improvement. That could concern prospect qualification, proposal coordination, financial collaboration or reporting. Review the actual agenda against that question rather than assuming every session is relevant.

Because this edition is close to the review date, confirm practical availability directly with the organizer. Do not infer that announced dates mean tickets, rooms or a particular attendance option remain available. Consider whether your team has time to prepare and maintain coverage.

March 2027: Nonprofit Technology Conference

NTEN announces the 2027 Nonprofit Technology Conference for March 23–26 in Portland and virtually. Check the organizer’s current program for the distinct online schedule and the sessions included in the format you select.

Bring a defined organizational question. Examples might concern maintaining usable information, improving a workflow, planning technology support or evaluating a system change. Identify the people who will need to participate in any decision after the event.

Avoid turning conference attendance into an immediate purchasing commitment. Record requirements, questions and alternatives before comparing products or services. A useful conversation can inform a review, but the organization still needs to assess implementation, training, ownership and ongoing support.

Assign a short internal debrief so relevant learning reaches colleagues who did not attend.

April 2027: AFP ICON

AFP announces ICON 2027 for April 11–13 in Baltimore. Use the official page for the current agenda, registration options and terms. Do not assume a rate or optional session from an earlier edition remains applicable.

A fundraising team can prepare by choosing a specific practice to investigate, such as stewardship, portfolio planning, communication or team leadership. Agree on what information would be useful and what decisions are outside the attendee’s authority.

Keep learning conversations separate from assumptions about donor access. A conference is not a promise of funding or an invitation to approach every attendee with an ask. Respect event rules, professional boundaries and people’s preferences.

Afterward, assess ideas against the organization’s resources and responsibilities. A compelling example from another institution still needs adaptation to your own work.

June and July 2027: Points of Light Conference

Points of Light announces its 2027 conference for June 28–July 1 in Long Beach, California. The organizer’s conference page is the source for the future dates and subsequent program information.

Teams working with volunteers or community engagement can use the planning period to identify an operational question. For example, they might investigate volunteer support, coordination, communication or the relationship between staff capacity and a new activity.

Clarify what the attendee should bring back: an approach to review, questions for the team or a proposed small test. Do not assume an idea will transfer unchanged between organizations with different communities and resources.

Check the agenda as it develops. A save-the-date announcement provides a calendar anchor, not a complete description of access, sessions or terms.

October 2027: GrantSummit

GPA’s future conference dates list October 27–30, 2027 in Phoenix. This is a separate annual edition from the November 2026 event above. Review the organizer’s current information as registration and program details become available.

The longer planning window can help a team connect attendance to its development and staffing priorities. Identify the grant responsibilities involved and whether one attendee can represent the relevant questions or a different learning arrangement would be more suitable.

Do not use a future calendar entry to assume that a specific course, speaker or credential opportunity has been confirmed. Check those details when the organizer publishes them.

Keep a reminder in the team’s ordinary planning process to revisit the program before approving travel or registration. The calendar should inform a decision, not replace the information needed to make it.

Choose a learning goal before choosing a conference

Start with a question the organization can act on. Improve our fundraising is too broad for useful planning. A narrower question, such as how to coordinate a grant proposal review or clarify ownership of a technology workflow, gives the attendee a basis for selecting sessions.

Name the people affected by the question. Ask what they need to learn and what has already been tried. This preparation can prevent the attendee from returning with a recommendation that overlooks existing constraints or repeats earlier work.

Decide what a useful output would look like. It might be a short briefing, a comparison of approaches, a revised checklist or a small test proposal. Attendance does not need to produce an immediate organizational change to be useful, but the intended value should be explicit.

Compare the event with other learning options, including suitable online sessions or internal development. The right choice depends on the question, budget, access needs and available time.

Budget for the full attendance commitment

Review registration, travel, lodging, meals, local transportation and other relevant expenses through the organization’s normal process. Use current organizer and provider terms rather than estimates copied from an earlier year.

Include staff time and service coverage. A conference can affect deadlines, supervision and the workload of colleagues who remain at work. Confirm who will cover essential responsibilities and whether the proposed dates conflict with other commitments.

Check accessibility and format details early enough to make informed arrangements. For virtual participation, consider schedule, time zone, technology and protected attention. An online option does not automatically remove the need for coverage or preparation.

Keep approval, booking and cancellation responsibilities clear. Announced dates are only one part of a workable attendance plan. Confirm the information necessary for the actual commitment before spending.

Plan professional conversations responsibly

Prepare a concise explanation of your work and a few relevant questions. Look for conversations that connect with the learning goal rather than treating every interaction as an opportunity to promote the organization.

Follow the organizer’s rules for exhibitors, attendee information and communication. Ask before adding someone to future contact, sharing their details or treating an informal conversation as permission for ongoing recruitment or solicitation.

Employers discussing opportunities should use approved role information and direct interested people to a current application path. Do not promise a position, flexible arrangement or compensation change informally at an event.

Candidates can ask about responsibilities, skills and career paths without assuming that a conference conversation is an interview. Exchange information where both parties wish to do so, then use an appropriate follow-up tied to the actual discussion.

Turn attendance into useful team learning

After the event, share a concise account of what was learned, what seems applicable and what remains uncertain. Distinguish an organizer’s announcement, another attendee’s experience and your own recommendation. They are different kinds of information.

Review possible changes with the people who own the work. An idea may require resources, permission, training or further investigation. Keep those requirements visible rather than presenting a conference example as a ready-made solution.

Choose a manageable next step and a review point. For example, the team might test a revised internal checklist before changing its whole process. Define what information would support continuing or adjusting the test.

Evaluate the attendance decision against the original learning goal. Record useful connections and follow-up work without inventing a financial return or attributing later outcomes solely to the event. Use that learning when planning the next development budget.