Beyond the Pitch: Unlocking More Human Connections and Capital Through Powerful Conversations

This interactive workshop introduces an alternative to traditional fundraising pitches: the practice of Powerful Conversations. Designed for social entrepreneurs seeking funding, as well as others whose work requires them to raise funds, participants will learn about nine key elements to building stronger connections with capital allocators, grounded in a ‘Fully Human Fundraising’ approach. Through practical frameworks and hands-on practice, they will experience how to move beyond transactional interactions to build authentic, trust-based relationships that resonate with potential funders, especially when quantifying impact is challenging. This session will provide actionable tools and techniques to help social entrepreneurs more effectively engage potential supporters, secure resources, and ultimately, advance their missions.

The workshop will be led by Alex Johnston, a philanthropy expert with extensive experience in advising donors and nonprofits. He is the Founding Partner of Building Impact Partners, a philanthropy advising practice that has helped its clients give away more than $1.5B over the past 12 years. Content for this session builds on Johnston’s Fully Human Fundraising training series for social entrepreneurs. Johnston is also the author of “Money with Meaning: How to Create Joy and Impact Through Philanthropy” and the founder of the Advisors Accelerator certification training program, where he has trained more than 60 philanthropy advisors from around the world who collectively advise donors on over $600 million per year in giving.