The 2025 Nonprofit Technology Conference (25NTC) marked a special milestone—25 years of bringing together nonprofit leaders, technologists, marketers, and fundraisers to share ideas, sharpen skills, and build community. As longtime attendees, the Fresh Eyes Digital team was proud to be part of this year’s celebration in Baltimore. We brought our full selves to both Baltimore and Zoom to share what we’ve learned, connect with brilliant folks, and nerd out on all things nonprofit digital strategy.

Why We Love NTC

“I’ve been attending NTC since 2005 and it’s always my favorite conference of the year. The hard work that the NTEN team and board puts into this conference always shows, and the connections that I make with clients, other agencies and vendors are always so valuable. Plus every year, I get to see my once-a-year buddies, now 20 years on and love this niche community that I get to be a part of. ”

— Jenn Lejano, Principal & Co-Founder

“This was my fourth in-person NTC and my first time presenting as part of the Fresh Eyes team. I felt so proud to be in community with people who care deeply, think boldly, and genuinely support and root for each other. Maybe I’ll be around for the next 25 years too.”

— Thelma Andree, Production & Design Director

Whether it was catching up with friends, discovering new tools, or hearing hallway stories about campaigns that worked (and didn’t), 25NTC was packed with inspiration and solidarity. In a year full of tension and uncertainty, it felt good to be in spaces where people are still building, still sharing, and still showing up.

Where We Showed Up: FED’s 25NTC Sessions and Events

Fresh Eyes Digital came in hot with two 30-minute sessions, three sessions in partnership with our wonderful clients (plus one pre-conference panel!). We also tried out NTEN’s new Expert Feedback Table sponsorship where we connected with new and old friends (and shared some conference survival kits!).

Keep Campaigning Experimental: Rules to bend (& break!) to authentically engage (Virtual Session)

With Rachel and Thelma, and Miguel Sedano from Peninsula Open Space Trust

We explored creative ways to challenge best practices, take strategic risks, and breathe life back into nonprofit campaigns that are starting to feel a little too familiar. Check out the takeaways in this write up from NonProfitPro.com.

Harnessing Celebrity Influencers for Fundraising Success

With Jenn and Jess Ray from Adler Planetarium

Yes, even nonprofits can work with influencers! We shared stories and strategies from Adler’s annual gala featuring beloved meteorologist Tom Skilling and our best tips to working with an influencer of your own. 

Connecting Small-Dollar Donors to Your Major Donor Event

With Jenn and Jess Ray

How do you make small-dollar donors feel seen when the spotlight’s on major giving? We shared creative ways to bring everyone into the fold—plus lessons learned from Adler’s campaign planning and execution.

Pivot, But Don’t Perish: Changing course when campaigns aren’t going as planned 

With Jenn

When a campaign isn’t landing, what now? Jenn shared strategies for mid-campaign pivots from our work across the years with many different types of organizations, and how your org can best prepare to be ready to pivot too.

Monthly Giving Success Stories and How to Build Your Sustainer Base

With Rachel (Adapted from a session that Sara was going to share!) 

From first forays into monthly giving to donor retention best practices, this session focused on launching and strengthening sustainer programs—including running dedicated campaigns.

Expert Feedback Table

Hosted by Jenn and Rachel

We loved chatting one-on-one with attendees about email strategy, campaign pain points, and digital tools. Big thanks to everyone who came by for brainstorming, venting, or just grabbing a conference survival kit (that Advil came in clutch after Thursday night karaoke).

Cool AI Sh*t Summit (Pre-Conference)

With Thelma and friends from Stratovation Partners

At this free, pre-conference event, Thelma joined Eric Rubin, Jen Newmeyer (aka CharityJen), and others to talk about the creative potential of AI — and how nonprofits can use it to enhance (not replace) the work we do. 

What We Took Away from 25NTC

AI isn’t going away

All the AI sessions we attended were packed. Jenn noted that nonprofits are eager for guidance on AI policies, ethical implementation, and real-world ways to ease team workload.

The basics still matter

Monthly giving, email deliverability, and strategic pivots aren’t going out of style. In fact, they’re more relevant than ever. The fundamentals are still at the heart of successful digital programs.

Meetings can be better

Thelma attended a standout session on inclusive and engaging virtual meetings, part of the Leadership track. Real, practical takeaways were shared such as sending agendas in advance with clear next steps, defining roles in meetings, and listing agenda items as questions with designated allotted time, to name a few!

Make room to gather

Shoutout to NTC’s quiet rooms, affinity lounges, and breakout areas. We didn’t always take full advantage, but every time we did, it felt like a breath of fresh air. This year felt especially focused on leaving space for natural connection and downtime (did you get to pet one of the therapy dogs??). 

Community is the constant

This year felt heavy but hopeful. From funding threats to political instability, people had real concerns. But the energy in the rooms and keynotes reminded us that we’re not alone. It’s going to be interesting to see how NTC 2026 will look.

Until Next Time

Whether you caught a session, stopped by our table, or waved to us in the hallway, thank you for being part of our 25NTC experience! We’re already going to start brainstorming for next year’s presentation proposals, so if you have a topic you want to hear about, or want to collaborate on, please reach out!

Thank you, NTEN, for 25 years of creating spaces where nonprofit professionals can grow, recharge, and reconnect with why we do what we do.