By: Melissa Bank Stepno, President & CEO

There is something about the change of seasons, especially the arrival of fall, that signals a transition. The air shifts, routines reset, and, in the philanthropic sector, conference season kicks into high gear!

Last week, conference season took me to two very different places: the aasp 2026 Summit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the DAF Giving Summit in Austin, Texas. I attend my fair share of conferences each year, but two in one week is unusual, even for me.

Experiencing them back-to-back became an unexpected compare-and-contrast exercise. The similarities were striking; the differences were even more revealing. Together, they reminded me just how broad, varied, and interconnected the philanthropic ecosystem really is.

Four Similarities. Four Differences.

Where They Converged

• A shared commitment to philanthropy. At their core, both conferences focused on fundraising, giving, and the systems and people that help turn generosity into impact.
• Meaningful opportunities to connect. Both created space in the day to meet industry colleagues, like-minded professionals, clients, and partners. Structured workshops and roundtables sparked conversations during the day; informal receptions and activities kept them going well beyond the formal agenda.
• Responsible AI. Responsible AI ran as an undercurrent through both events, most notably in Meena Das’s keynote at the aasp Summit. The takeaway was familiar but worth repeating: AI may be changing our tools, but thoughtful human judgment still matters.
• Generational shifts in philanthropy. Sessions at both conferences—including “Gen Z at the Table: Rethinking How to Engage Donors” at the aasp Summit and a presentation on Cerulli Associates’ research related to the Great Wealth Transfer—asked a version of the same question: How must our sector adapt as donor behaviors, expectations, and motivations change?

Where They Diverged

• The weather! I went from Milwaukee’s damp, dreary upper 50s and low 60s to Austin’s hazy, hot, and humid upper 90s. That made packing especially interesting for someone (yes, that would be me!) who is deeply opposed to checking luggage on business trips.
• The people in the room. Although I noticed at least one company sponsoring both conferences, and saw the same non-profits organizations referenced on different people’s badges, I may have been the only person who attended actually attended both conference. The aasp Summit centered on advancement services professionals working in development operations, database management, gift processing, data governance, and related areas. The DAF Giving Summit brought together a broader mix: nonprofit fundraisers and executives, financial advisors, philanthropic planners, and representatives from sponsoring organizations.
• The role of data. Data mattered at both conferences, but it served different purposes. At the aasp Summit, sessions emphasized hands-on applications, such as building dashboards, deploying AI, and improving CRM data accuracy. At the DAF Giving Summit, the lens was wider and more strategic, using research findings to understand the broader giving landscape.
• Where each conference sits in the giving journey. Perhaps the clearest distinction was the conferences’ (what I’ll call) “outer” versus “inner” orientation. The DAF Giving Summit looked outward, exploring how to inspire donors, particularly high-net-worth individuals, to give more to the nonprofit sector. The aasp Summit looked inward, focusing on what happens after a gift reaches a nonprofit, specifically how it is recorded, tracked, governed, and stewarded. One conference examined how giving begins; the other examined how it is carried forward.

My reflection in this post is not a judgement that one conference was better, more useful, or more worthwhile than the other. I found real value in both.  But, I also know that my work sits at an unusual intersection of these audiences. I may be a bit of a unicorn in that respect.

But that may be the point I nearly buried in the roughly 600 words that preceded it.

Choose your professional development and networking opportunities with intention.

The choices extend far beyond these two conference organizers. Apra, AFP, AHP, CASE, ADRP, the list of professional associations and their associated acronyms go on.  Add to that the many vendors and technology partners that have their own offerings.  Across the board, there are many, many options for high-quality in-person conferences, along with an even wider range of accessible virtual programs.

So, look beyond the name of the organization and the session titles. Consider the questions you are trying to answer, the skills you want to build, and the community you want to be part of.

The right opportunity is not simply the one from your favorite association or vendor, or the one with the most compelling agenda. It is the one that meets you where you are, inspires you to keep going, and helps move you toward where you want to go next.

*image credit: Melissa Bank Stepno