NIO Summit Workshops
On Tuesday, September 22, before the main conference begins, join the NextAfter team for one of two interactive workshop experiences designed to help you improve your fundraising program with practical insights, peer collaboration, and hands on application.
Adding the optional workshop ticket to your summit registration gives you access to both the morning and afternoon sessions.
Meet Your Instructors
Yanni Saratsis, NextAfter
Yanni serves as the Vice President of Client Services at NextAfter, where he uses his 16 years of non-profit fundraising experience to help organizations make an even greater impact on the world.
An award-winning digital strategist, prior to joining NextAfter Yanni spent 10 years at RKD Group, where he was responsible for creating breakthrough, multi-channel strategies for over one hundred local and regional nonprofits, primarily focusing on the health and human services sector.
He also spent 7 years in Washington, D.C. working at one of the country’s premier think tanks, focusing on security research, marketing, congressional relations, and fundraising. Yanni holds a B.A. in International Studies from Bryant University and an M.A in International Relations from Sussex University in the U.K. He currently resides in Dallas with his fiance and fur baby, Maximus.Ardee Coolidge, NextAfter
Ardee believes that the best fundraising and marketing connects with someone’s heart and empowers them to be a better person than they were before.
In an age of “click bait” and robotic campaigns that treat people like cogs in a machine rather than human beings, there’s greater opportunity than ever for fundraisers to leverage digital technology to meaningfully create value for donors at scale. The world’s challenges have increased in complexity but the solution to the crises we see today remains the same: people are relentlessly committed to bettering their communities through generosity and service, and that’s what fundraisers get to help unleash every single day.
Before Next After, Ardee spent his career working for three national nonprofits helping them scale their marketing and fundraising efforts to achieve success through constant testing and optimization. He helped grow one organization’s email file by more than 550% and their monthly donor program by 300%. Ardee and his wife Christina have four children and live in West Virginia.
Morning Workshop
Optimization Masterclass
Tuesday, September 22 | 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Have you ever wished you could leverage the wisdom of other fundraisers before hitting send on your next appeal, or gain the insights of 50 other fundraisers when optimizing your website?
This is a hands on workshop with the NextAfter team where they will work directly with you on your website, donation pages, email campaigns, value proposition, advertising copy, and fundraising strategy.
Bring anything you want to improve.
The NextAfter team will guide the discussion, but the real value comes from learning alongside other fundraisers who are facing similar challenges and sharing what is working across different organizations.
Over four hours, you’ll learn how to identify friction, uncover opportunities for improvement, prioritize what matters most, and build a roadmap for future testing.
You’ll leave with practical ideas you can immediately apply to your fundraising program.
Afternoon Workshop
Research Exploration:
The True Lifetime Value of an Email Address
Tuesday, September 22 | 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
This session may change the way you think about the value of an email address.
Many organizations invest heavily in email acquisition but struggle to answer a fundamental question:
What is an email address actually worth?
In this research exploration, we’ll walk through new findings that track downstream conversion from email subscribers to donors, how long that journey typically takes, and the lifetime value associated with those donors.
You’ll see benchmarks for conversion rates, revenue, and return on investment, while gaining a clearer understanding of how acquisition spending connects to long term donor value.
If you’re responsible for growth, donor acquisition, or digital fundraising strategy, this session will help you better evaluate the true impact of your email program and make smarter investment decisions moving forward.
Join Us For The Full Workshop Experience
Your workshop registration includes access to both Tuesday sessions, giving you the opportunity to learn from live optimization discussions in the morning and explore brand new fundraising research in the afternoon.
Whether you're looking for practical feedback on your fundraising program, deeper insight into donor behavior, or new ideas to bring back to your team, these workshops are designed to help you leave with greater clarity and actionable next steps.
The Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization Summit is presented by NextAfter.
5810 Tennyson Pkwy, Suite 102, Plano, TX 75024