Fundraising Events That Put People First: Our Mini-Con 2026 Recap
The Mini-Con event is produced as a partnership between four business owners, Seattle’s leading nonprofit event consultants and planners. From left to right, Deci Evans of Kind & Co Events, Mary Davidson of EP Events, Gazala Uradnik of GFS Events, and Alex Martin of Synchronicity Events on the stage of Mini-Con 2026. Photograph by Barbie Hull Photography.
Last month we gathered at Block41 for The Nonprofit Events Mini-Con 2026, our purpose-driven event created for nonprofit leaders, event planners, and community organizers. Together, we explored how designing fundraising events that are not only successful—but ethical, accessible, and deeply human is possible through collaboration. Here are some key takeaways from the very full day!
Synchronicity’s Mini-Con presentation centered around three key event checklists, which we created as take away zines:
A Guide to an Equitable Event
A Guide to an Accessible Event
Implementing Community-Centric Fundraising at Your Fundraising Event
These zines were more than take-home materials. They were the foundation of our conversation about changing nonprofit events to make them truly successful.
Synchronicity’s Guides to successful events.
Great nonprofit events don’t start with logistics—they start with values.
In her talk Synchronicity Events founder, Alex Martin, offered some of the magic that the Synchronicity team uses every day to build events for our clients. She used the zines as a guide to walk us through how equity, accessibility, and community-centric fundraising are not separate considerations, but pillars of strong event design. We saw that when these principles are brought in early in the creative process, events become more inclusive and more aligned with an organization’s mission.
Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, our zines—and the Mini-Con conversations that followed—encouraged everyone to ask better questions. To reflect on their own communities, and design events that truly serve the people they are meant to support.
A gathering designed with equity from the ground up: guests enjoying a friendly chat at the outdoor gathering Mockingbird Society Block Party 2024. Photograph by Michael B. Maine.
Equity: Designing With Your Community
The Equity zine centers on a key truth: your community already knows what it needs. The responsibility of the event planner is to listen closely and design accordingly.
Mini-Con inspired us to look for barriers that often go unnoticed—like VIP-only spaces, donor hierarchies, or cultural norms that unintentionally exclude folks from attending or belonging. Equity in event design is about making thoughtful choices that allow more people to participate fully and engage with their community.
Accessibility solutions are available everywhere: speakers at Ignite the Future Spring Gala had their speeches transcribed by a live captioner so all guests can fully partake in the program. Photograph by Felix Aguilar.
Accessibility: Proactive Hospitality in Action
We see accessibility not as a compliance requirement, but as a practice of care.
The Accessibility zine invites planners to imagine their event experience through many perspectives: someone using a wheelchair, someone with hearing loss, a caregiver with an infant, someone who doesn’t drink alcohol, someone who is neurodivergent, or someone whose first language is not English. This mindset shift moves accessibility from an afterthought to the core design of your event.
We explored how planning for accessibility early creates events that are calmer, more welcoming, and more effective for everyone involved. When guests don’t have to navigate unnecessary barriers, they can focus on connection with your mission, and begin true relationships that last long after the event clear-up is over.
Fundraising Without Transactions
The Fundraising zine introduced many to the Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) principles and challenged traditional assumptions about how fundraising events “should” work.
Key ideas & takeaways:
Offering sliding-scale or tiered event ticketing so everyone can attend the event
Moving away from donor hierarchies and instead offering balanced giving that provides recognition and joy no matter the donation amount
Rethinking sponsorship models for shared impact to build lasting and recurring partnerships
Reducing or eliminating non-aligned money-making activations or games that may distract from the overall mission storytelling
Instead, we shift the focus to direct philanthropy, ethical storytelling, and relationship-building—recognizing that trust, not transactions, is what sustains nonprofit work long-term.
Mini-Chat moment with Karen Foster of KF Curates and Deci Evans of Kind & Co Events talking with attendees on Continuing the Equity Conversation at Mini-CON 2026. Photograph by Barbie Hull Photography.
Mini-Con encouraged folks to consider how events can also amplify allies, invite advocacy, and honor volunteer labor as equally valuable to financial contributions. Reminding us that each person’s efforts are equally important when we hope to build a better community!
What made Mini-Con especially impactful was seeing these ideas translated from theory into real-world application. Folks left with a clearer framework for designing events that feel aligned, intentional, and respectful of the communities they serve.
From the left to right: Gazala Uradnik of GFS Events, Alex Martin of Synchronicity Events, our emcee Sasha Summer Cousineau of Revel Rouser Events, Deci Evans of Kind & Co Events, and Mary Davidson of EP Events on the stage of Mini-Con 2026. Photograph by Barbie Hull Photography.
Looking Ahead
Mini-Con reaffirmed something we deeply believe at Synchronicity Events:
The choices we make as event planners shape the experiences people carry with them—and the relationships they build with organizations long after the event ends.
We’re so thankful to everyone who joined us for Mini-Con 2026 and engaged with our ideas. We look forward to continuing the conversation — and designing events with care, intention, and community at heart. ♥️
Take a moment to relive this wonderful day with us below in our official Mini-Con Sizzle reel from our partners, Tideway Creative.
The Nonprofit Events Mini-Con video created by Mike Folden of Tideway Creative.
Thank you to our incredible Sponsors & Speakers —
Emcee & Host: @sashasummercousineau
Speaker & Sponsor: @epeventsllc
Speaker & Sponsor: @GFSEvents
Speaker & Sponsor: @kindandcompanyevents
Venue: @block41_seattle
Catering: @tuxedosandtennisshoes
Event Rentals & Linens: @cortpartyrental
Registration Software: @auctria
Audio & Visual: @liveoakav
Coffee Cart: @creaturecoffeeco
Photography: @barbiehullphotography
Videography: @tidewaycreative
Event Design & Decor: @genealexanderdesigns
Sponsors: @greatergiving & @givergy
Event Day Staffing: @northwestpremiereventstaffing
Event Day Registration Support: @minature_events
