Politics, Funding and Technology: A Roadmap Through Epochal Change

The Board's Role in Fundraising

Building Bonds Through Strategic Donor Relations

Digital Presence 101 & 102: Make Your Event Data Work For You

As an event organizer, you spend a lot of time entering event information on your website and on events listings. But is this information fully optimized for discovery via search engines? Can it be reused across digital platforms? In the age of AI, could a machine “recommend” your events to arts-goers?

In this session, you will learn how structured data, entity SEO and other discoverability tools can boost your digital presence. You will also learn how sector-owned infrastructures such as the Artsdata knowledge graph may have already lent your organization a helping hand. By putting a few key recommendations into practice, you can harness the power of these technologies to reach new audiences!

While this session builds upon previous “digital presence” sessions delivered by CAPACOA, there will be useful advice both for participants who are brand new to the topic and those with more advanced digital literacy.

Because this session will include some "hands-on" activities, it is recommended to bring a laptop.

Evolve Your Emails: High-Performing Campaigns for Overloaded Inboxes

Have your email campaigns plateaued? Not getting the opens and clicks you once did? Are your messages buried in busy inboxes? Get actionable email tips from Amy Karlin, Digital Marketing Strategist at the National Arts Centre. 

Part of the NAC team since 2016, Amy has long worked with its robust and engaged email community. But recent technology shifts within the organization meant it was time to evolve and refocus: Amy guided the NAC through procurement and implementation of a new email platform, and a refreshed approach to email design and content. These efforts contributed to a 35% jump email list growth year-over-year and a 50% open rate, the highest global email KPIs the NAC has ever attained.

In this session Amy will share actionable tips for high-performing email campaigns, including:

• Designing user-centred templates
• Making data-driven decisions
• Strenthening opens and clicks
• Reducing unsubscribes
• Refining data hygiene and deliverability

Engaging Indigenous Audiences

Beyond the Scroll: Use Boosted Posts, Dark Social, and Paid Sponsorships for Exponential Advantage

The 1% You Should Love: The Nonprofit Superpower of Marginal Gains

Behind the Buy: Secrets to Creating Superfans of Your Arts Organization

Before anyone clicks “Buy Tickets,” their decisions' are already in motion. What they see, feel, and hear in the lead-up shapes whether they show up once — or come back.

This session explores what drives those choices and how you can influence them using short-term Pre‑Suasion techniques. Then, we'll unpack how to earn super fan status by building a thriving community, not just a passive audience. Because at a time when loneliness is one of the biggest issues facing our society, what you offer matters more than ever.

You’ll walk away with:

• Easy-to-use strategies rooted in behavioral science
• Messaging shifts that increase urgency and connection
• Ideas for building a thriving community, not just a traditional audience
• Real examples and a hands-on activity to apply it to your 25/26 plans

The Major Gifts Machine: Building the Business Processes for Your Major Gifts Pipeline

Staying on course with major gifts is mission critical for every not-for-profit. To be effective, you need ways to keep your team focused, capture important donor interactions, and develop and deliver meaningful cultivation and stewardship. 

How well you build and maintain your ‘machine’ is the difference between consistent success overtime, or constantly being set back by staff turnover, missed opportunities, and unfocussed ‘over cultivation’.

In this session you will learn about the building blocks of a major gift pipeline and using your CRM tools and team best practices to manage your most important funder relationships. Keeping it simple and consistent is key!

Reclaiming the Spotlight: Take Back Control of Your Digital Presence

For years, social media has been the go-to tool for arts groups to connect with audiences, but with shifting algorithms, declining organic reach, and platform restrictions it’s time to rethink the strategy. This session explores how organizations can take back control of their messaging and brand by focusing on owned platforms like email marketing, websites, and direct audience engagement.

We’ll also dive into the power of video and how to use it effectively on your website and in email marketing to create deeper audience connections, sell more tickets, and keep your productions top of mind. Learn how to repurpose show trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, and cast interviews into high-impact content that drives engagement on your terms. By the end of this session, you’ll have actionable strategies to reclaim your theatre’s digital presence and make video work for you, without being at the mercy of social media algorithms.

A Home Within a Home: An Innovative Collaboration Between Feminist Theatre, New Opera, and Affordable Housing

Two award-winning indie darlings, Nightwood Theatre and Tapestry Opera, share about their collaboration with St. Clare’s – Canada’s largest developer of mixed income housing– to find mutual stability and inspiration, enabling new artistic work and enriching multiple communities through adding new venues to Toronto’s space strapped arts ecology.

Nightwood Theatre

As Canada’s preeminent feminist theatre, Nightwood cultivates, creates, and produces extraordinary theatre by women and gender-expansive artists, liberating futures, one room at a time. Founded in 1979, Nightwood Theatre has created, produced and toured award-winning plays that have garnered Dora Mavor Moore, Chalmers, Trillium and Governor General’s awards. The company is helmed by Artistic Director Andrea Donaldson and Managing Director Naz Afsahi, whose leadership has received public acclaim for artistic excellence, the successful training and development of emerging female talent, and their on-going advocacy around gender equity.

Tapestry Opera

Founded in 1979, Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Toronto-based company dedicated to creating, developing and performing original, progressive opera. We are passionate about timely, resonant stories told in innovative settings and interpreted by extraordinary artists. We create space to unite diverse art forms, creators, and communities to develop powerful, boundary-breaking opera that reflects and changes the world. We believe in embedding our values in everything we do, on and offstage, and work to create a flexible, adaptable, and accountable culture for our time and communities.

Full-Season Media Plans That Work

100% Digital Marketing? No, You’re Not Crazy.

In today’s ever-evolving landscape, reshaped by post-pandemic shifts, organizations are rethinking their marketing playbooks. What if you ditched traditional media entirely and went all in on digital? No, you’re not crazy. Todd Vigil, founder of EleeHub and former Chief Marketing Officer of The Phoenix Symphony, will show you how this bold approach isn’t just possible—it’s profitable.

At The Phoenix Symphony, Todd led the charge as the organization pivoted its entire single-ticket and largest revenue stream marketing budget to digital platforms for three consecutive seasons. The outcome? Historic ticket sales and million-dollar, year-over-year growth.

In this candid, entertaining, and insight-packed talk, Todd shares the real-world lessons from this digital-first transformation. From harnessing the power of data analytics to fostering a culture of experimentation, he’ll reveal how they broke free from the diminishing returns of traditional media—and how you can, too.

Whether you’re in the arts, nonprofit, or any sector looking to challenge the status quo, this session offers a practical roadmap to thrive in a 100% digital marketing world.