NonProfit NewsPod: Philanthropy Summit 2026 Is Sold Out: Now, Come Ready to Connect & Learn

Jeff Holden: [00:00:00] Welcome to this Nonprofit Podcast News Pod, where we amplify the voices of nonprofit leaders making a difference in their communities. I'm joined by Kelly Siefkin, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Sacramento Region Community Foundation, yes, once again, to give us an update on this year's Philanthropy Summit and where we are today.

Kelly, welcome. 

Kelly Siefkin: Thank you, Jeff, for having me. 

Jeff Holden: So Kelly, we are speaking to a select group today, those who are attending Philanthropy Summit. I mean, my goodness, where are we at on attendance? 

Kelly Siefkin: We're completely sold out. Over 600 people took advantage of registration and are gonna be joining us on the big day.

But if you've missed it and still wanna be part of [00:01:00] the Philanthropy Summit, volunteers are still needed. So it's a great opportunity not only if you missed the ticket sales but still wanna be part of the fun, or you can only attend for part of the day. And as a bonus, those who volunteer for two or more shifts may actually stay for the remainder of the day.

Jeff Holden: That's an incredible opportunity because you will have the ability, even if you're volunteering, to pop in and out of some of the rooms- Yep ... certainly to see the people. This is such a connection event, which I really believe is a good portion of the interest because it's where you can meet and greet the people that maybe you haven't been able to see or, or catch up with or introduce yourself.

They're there. 

Kelly Siefkin: It'll be a great day for that and so much more. We're, uh, making sure that you're thinking with that mindset, and when you show up, you are ready to pass out your business card, connect with new people. I guarantee that someone has a similar question that you, or maybe even answer a question [00:02:00] you have, and your solution buddy will be there on that day.

Jeff Holden: You, you said business card. I have an aside here that I have to share. Many times we're all at these events and somebody goes, "Well, do you have a business card?" Most of the time they do. The appropriate excuse is, "I brought so many I ran out of them." Great. The inappropriate excuse or the unacceptable one is, "I forgot to bring them.

I didn't bring any business cards." And the one that I'm finding not only frustrating to me but to many of various generations is, "Oh, I have a digital card." Yeah. And we've had this conversation many, many times with people at the events. The digital card's wonderful if we know who you are, but when we're meeting for the first time, we then put you into our digital space.

You drop into our contacts. We get back to the office. We get busy. We get going, and it's like, "Oh, I met that person. I don't know who you are. I don't remember your name. I don't remember your organization. You were somebody with something like." [00:03:00] And without that business card, without that tactile, hard piece of content sitting on your desk that you visually saw and then implemented into your digital device, I think we lose something.

And so I'm just word of caution, if you're just digital only, so many of us will not remember. So- Business cards, my suggestion. Call me old school, call it dated, but I'm seeing a lot more people handing out cards at all generational levels. 

Kelly Siefkin: Absolutely, Jeff. I'm a digital business card girl myself, but I want to let folks know that it's really everybody has a brochure from their business, something from their nonprofit that they can have handy.

You have programs that you'll be receiving. Jot something down on the column for folks who don't have business cards and need that tactile remember. You know, make sure that you're taking people's business cards, writing on the back, you're entering and sending yourself a text on your phone, you're taking a picture, whatever's necessary so that you [00:04:00] retain that information for the day.

Jeff Holden: And that is a great, great, great suggestion, the text. I've done that many times. If it's somebody I re- really wanna make sure I follow up with, I text myself and say, "Hey, so and so, digital, it's in the phone." All right. Our FOMO comment last NewsPod really was no joke. You know, fear of missing out, you, you have now missed out, with the exception of the opportunity to volunteer, which is great.

So congratulations to you and the Community Foundation for all that great strategy to deliver yet another clearly desirable event. And people are, are really, really excited about Philanthropy Summit. And last year's attendance, I don't recall, what was the total? 

Kelly Siefkin: We had 462. And, and so we 

Jeff Holden: have 50% more this year and sold out again with a waiting list.

That's, that's incredible. I think- Yeah ... this speaks volumes for, you know, touching a nerve of something that the community really, really [00:05:00] wants. 

Kelly Siefkin: And we're hopeful that we're responding as well. You know, the very first year when we tried to have 150, we had over 300. We thought we're really onto something.

And then last year, you know, we tried to do those different segments of the day because that was feedback that we'd heard from the first year, and the multiple tickets, you know, didn't really work for a lot of folks. So this year, gathered all that feedback. We've made it during the business day. We've made it one ticket entry for the whole day.

And 600 is not a small number of people. I think you're right that the community is really looking for guidance and wanting to know what the trends are in philanthropy and making these connections, because all of the work that we do in Sacramento is so critical and so important, and we'll do it better sort of as a unified, um, force moving forward.

Jeff Holden: And I know a, a handful of people have just jumped in. They got their registration just 'cause they knew if they didn't, they wouldn't. They may not know really what's going on, so just as a brief refresher, what's happening that day? Who are, are some of the, you know, the keynotes, panels, the things that are gonna be of interest to [00:06:00] nonprofits?

Kelly Siefkin: Yeah. Well, for nonprofits and donors alike will be interested in kind of the three parts The Philanthropy Summit is built upon. The first is education. That's our keynote speaker to kick us off in the morning. Jerrianne Koshi will be there. Get very excited for his presentation. There's nine breakout sessions, and those are composed of panels from individuals.

Um, there'll be discussion, everything from learning how to create your own giving circle to how does maybe AI affect what you're doing in the fundraising space. A lot of really great topics. The second is connection, hence that mention about business cards that you made earlier. You will leave with some new friends, possible new supporters, and maybe exposure to a nonprofit you didn't previously know about.

And then third is celebration. The Philanthropy Summit is grown out of a celebration of generosity. This region needs to be incredibly proud of everything we do. I think we have a great start on that. Big Day of Giving really gets us revved up to shout from the rooftops how wonderful and generous this community is.[00:07:00] 

If you think about the stuff that we do the other 364 days a year. So celebration is part of this day. 

Jeff Holden: And to your point, it's easy to get lost while we're talking about nonprofits, nonprofit benefit, et cetera, et cetera. This is also a- attended by philanthropic leaders in the community, business leaders, as well as individuals.

They will be there, and they are looking to hear stories. They want to know what's happening with various organizations. May- be they have a particular segment that they're very, very interested in. They're, they're watching, they're looking, they're introducing themselves, and they're learning as much as the nonprofit organizations are.

So logistical items. Let's talk about some of those 'cause it's at Cal Expo. I know people tend to think Cal Expo, oh gosh, I gotta do this, I gotta deal with parking, I have to... Well, that's a little bit different, right? 

Kelly Siefkin: Absolutely. We've got it all handled, and I'd love the opportunity to share it because it is a new venue this year, and that's because we keep outgrowing the previous one.

So we'll be at Cal Expo this year, and all attendees will be receiving communications [00:08:00] via email starting a week before with all the helpful links, most importantly, where to park, to your point. Parking is free, but if you're taking the bus or rideshare or being dropped off, Cal Expo has that great horseshoe right out in front, so guests can be loaded or unloading if they don't want to park that day.

All guests enter through the main gate at Cal Expo. We'll have lots of signage so you know where you're headed. And we also have golf carts running the entire day. So if you like some mobility support, you can ride a golf cart from the main gate to the center and back. People should wear really comfortable clothing, often in layers.

And I know folks who are, who are frequent a conference or two, you get used to it. Oh, it's beautiful outside, or it's even warm, and you go inside, it's freezing cold. This is a conference, so remember to dress in layers during that day. We're gonna have coffee and muffins and lunch provided for all attendees.

And then those who are gonna stay for that celebration of generosity from 4:30 to 6:00 will also enjoy appetizers, desserts, beverages, [00:09:00] including a cool wine tasting from Vogel and a beer tasting from Three Mile. So it's gonna be a great day. Come with open minds. Come excited. We can't wait. We can't wait to see you.

Jeff Holden: And one thing I'm gonna ask, because both of us have seen this many, many times. When you go to these conferences, we're gonna have beginners, people who have not been before, some of the, the, the newer leadership in the community at their various organizations. What about a strategic approach? 

Kelly Siefkin: You know, there are a lot of things that people can do, especially if you're coming for the first time.

It's not only a great place to network, but look at your network you already have, reach out, see if anyone's going to be there that you know. It's great to say, "Text me when you get there and I'll find you in between sessions," or something along those lines. It's really great, and the nonprofit community is incredibly inclusive and welcoming.

I challenge all of the attendees, whether they're donors, whether they're fund holders, whether they're nonprofits, is to have a, an open mind and welcome and greet someone, especially if they've never been to a conference before. [00:10:00] But my best strategy tips are check out the schedule that's posted online.

Do not spend time flipping through the program, you know, at the breaks trying to decide what session you'll attend. Think about which ones you're gonna attend in advance. You won't register for those in advance, but don't spend all of your time deciding between the two, you know, when you're there. We talked about packing business cards or updating your current business card.

There's so many people you'll want to meet. I'm gonna throw out one more. 

Jeff Holden: Be that business card digital or hard, correct? 

Kelly Siefkin: Exactly. And I wanted to throw out one more idea, and that's just to really thank our sponsors. I know a lot of people are really surprised about how we can keep the cost this low for a full day of education plus all of the food, parking, all of these conference amenities, and that's really due to their generosity.

So I think you're gonna meet a lot of great people. You're gonna learn a lot of information. You're gonna have a great time. Special thanks to all of our sponsors, including River City Bank, who [00:11:00] is returning for the third year as our platinum sponsor. 

Jeff Holden: That's, that's wonderful. It's so exciting to think 150, 400, 600, sellout, sellout, sellout.

What a compliment to understanding the need of the community, because that certainly is recognition for Sacramento Region Community Foundation and for the nonprofit community to see the value of what you're providing, and our philanthropic donors, business leaders, and community leaders who will all be in attendance.

So I'm really, really looking forward to this. I love seeing the community embrace the opportunity to learn and connect, and I am so looking forward to seeing you, our listeners. Uh, please come up and say hello if you're there on September 15th, and for our alumni, of which there will be many in attendance, meaning the Nonprofit Podcast Alumni who have done an episode, [00:12:00] I'm looking forward to seeing them.

So Kelly, thank you so much. 

Kelly Siefkin: You're welcome. Thanks, Jeff. 

Jeff Holden: Thanks for listening. If you like our program, please subscribe and give us a positive review. Share with someone you know. This Nonprofit Podcast News Pod is a production of Hear Me Now Studio.