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Early Bird Registration Ends on July 25

Regular Registration Ends on August 29

Click here to book at the Hilton in our room block

 

Building Community and Inspiring Ideas

 

GDConnect 2025 is an opportunity for the GivingData community to gather, learn, and connect with each other. It’s a space to exchange ideas, explore new approaches, and learn from one another’s experience in service of more thoughtful, impactful philanthropy through the GivingData platform. Whether you’re deepening your GivingData expertise or broadening your perspective on the future of grantmaking, GDConnect is where insight turns into action.


Join us September 17–19, 2025 in Portland, OR!

Details

Start: September 17, 2025
8:00 AM
End: September 19, 2025
1:00 PM
GivingData

Hilton Portland Downtown, Southwest 6th Avenue, Portland, OR, USA

Southwest 6th Avenue 921
97204 Portland OR
United States

Agenda

This is a preliminary agenda that is subject to change. Stay tuned for the full agenda releasing in July!

September 16 (Pre-Event)
September 17
September 18
September 19
8:30 AM — 12:30 PM
GivingData 101 (Part 1)

A workshop for new users (GivingData 101 add-on required)

8:30 AM — 12:30 PM
GivingData Workshop TBD (Part 1)

A workshop for advanced users (add-on required)

12:30 PM — 1:30 PM
Lunch (for workshop participants)
1:30 PM — 5:00 PM
GivingData 101 (Part 2)

A workshop for new users (GivingData 101 add-on required)

1:30 PM — 5:00 PM
GivingData Workshop TBD (Part 2)

A workshop for advanced users (add-on required)

2:00 PM — 5:00 PM
Office Hours

Office Hour sign-up forms will become available a couple of weeks before the event.

5:45 PM — 7:00 PM
Welcome Reception
8:00 AM — 9:30 AM
Breakfast & Networking
9:30 AM — 10:30 AM
Welcome, Energize, Engage
Roberto Cremonini picture
Roberto Cremonini
10:30 AM — 11:00 AM
Break
11:00 AM — 12:15 PM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
11:00 AM — 12:15 PM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
11:00 AM — 12:15 PM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
12:15 PM — 12:30 PM
Break
12:30 PM — 2:00 PM
Lunch & State of the Union
2:00 PM — 2:15 PM
Break
2:15 PM — 3:30 PM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
2:15 PM — 3:30 PM
Short Talk (TBA)

Each given twice with a 15-min break in between.

2:15 PM — 3:30 PM
Short Talk (TBA)

Each given twice with a 15-min break in between.

3:30 PM — 3:45 PM
Break
3:45 PM — 5:00 PM
Self Organized Time Discussion Groups / Networking
3:45 PM — 5:00 PM
Focus Group
3:45 PM — 5:00 PM
Office Hours

Office Hour sign-up forms will become available a couple of weeks before the event.

6:00 PM — 7:30 PM
Offsite Reception Hosted by GivingData (Location TBA)
8:00 AM — 9:15 AM
Breakfast & Networking/Self-Organized Breakfast Tables
9:15 AM — 10:30 AM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
9:15 AM — 10:30 AM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
9:15 AM — 10:30 AM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
10:30 AM — 11:00 AM
Break
11:00 AM — 12:15 PM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
11:00 AM — 12:15 PM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
11:00 AM — 12:15 PM
Focus Group
12:15 PM — 12:30 PM
Break
12:30 PM — 2:00 PM
Lunch & Keynote
2:00 PM — 2:15 PM
Break
2:15 PM — 3:30 PM
Concurrent Session (TBA)
2:15 PM — 3:30 PM
Short Talk (TBA)

Each given twice with a 15-min break in between.

2:15 PM — 3:30 PM
Short Talk (TBA)

Each given twice with a 15-min break in between.

3:30 PM — 4:00 PM
Break
4:00 PM — 5:15 PM
Self Organized Time Discussion Groups / Networking
4:00 PM — 5:15 PM
Focus Group
4:00 PM — 5:15 PM
Office Hours

Office Hour sign-up forms will become available a couple of weeks before the event.

6:30 PM — 8:30 PM
Dine Arounds

Dine Around sign-ups will be released a couple of weeks before the event.

8:00 AM — 9:30 AM
Breakfast & Networking/Self-organized Breakfast Tables
9:30 AM — 10:30 AM
From the Labs: What's New, What's Next
10:30 AM — 10:45 AM
Break
10:45 AM — 11:45 AM
The Wrap-Up Workshop: Reflect. Prioritize, and Build Your GDConnect Action Plan
11:15 AM — 12:00 PM
Awards / Closing Remarks
12:00 PM — 1:30 PM
Boxed Lunch

Sponsors

Interested in sponsoring GDConnect 2025? Click here to view our sponsor packet or contact us at gdconnect@givingdata.com.

Planning Committee

Alicia Baird

Director, Grants Management at Strada Education Foundation
Alicia Baird

Camille Cotton

Grants Manager at The Lemelson Foundation
Camille Cotton

Corey Smitke

Senior Grants Manager at Meyer Memorial Trust
Corey Smitke

Karissa Oien

Program Associate, Safe Water at Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Karissa Oien

Kyle Sheppard

Program Director at The Laffey-McHugh Foundation
Kyle Sheppard

Meron Kasahun

Grants Manager at Inatai Foundation
Meron Kasahun

Quinn MacNichol

Grants and Data Manager at Northwest Health Foundation
Quinn MacNichol

Rebecca Van Sickle

Managing Partner at 1892 Consulting
Rebecca Van Sickle

Wanda Miroslava Peguero

Grants Administrator at F. M. Kirby Foundation
Wanda Miroslava Peguero

FAQ

GDConnect is designed to provide thought leadership and best GivingData practices to all organizations within the GivingData community, from the grantmakers who use the system to the consultants and philanthropy-serving organizations we partner with. The GivingData userbase consists of nearly 200 grantmaking organizations of all sizes. No matter your level of expertise or familiarity with GivingData, even if you haven't started implementation, this event will have a lot to offer you.

GDConnect 2025 will start at 8:00 AM on September 17 and end at 1:30 PM on September 19.

Each year, we provide a GivingData 101 session that takes place the day before the event, September 16 from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. This session is perfect for new GivingData users, whether you're new to a foundation who has been using GivingData for a while or your foundation just recently joined the GivingData community and are going into implementation, currently in implementation, or recently completed it. We are also working to provide an advanced session which is TBA. Access to these workshops require an add-on ticket.

Registration will launch on June 23 and end on August 29.

Breakfast and lunch are provided through each of the three days of the event. A packed lunch will be provided on Day 3. Dinner on Day 1 and 2 will be self-organized. We recommend reserving a place after our reception on Day 1 and participating in the dine-arounds on Day 2.

This year, we're partnering with a new technology for the registration and mobile app: EventMobi. The EventMobi GDConnect 2025 app will be available a couple of weeks before the event.

Hilton Downtown Portland

During GDConnect 2025, we will be photographing and recording various aspects of our programs, and your image, voice, and conversations might be captured. By registering for this event, attendees accept the terms of our Photography, Video, and Audio Release:

By participating in this convening, you authorize GivingData to use and reproduce any photographs, videos, chats, and audio recordings taken, for promotion or distribution.  GivingData recognizes that people have varying levels of comfort being recorded. For more information, please contact info@givingdata.com.

Tickets can be cancelled with a full refund by August 22, 2025. You can transfer your ticket to another guest all the way up to September 5, 2025.

There is currently not an opportunity to attend GDConnect virtually. We will share recordings of plenary sessions and a few select breakout sessions after the event.

The first version of the agenda will be released alongside the launch of registration on June 23, 2025. Updates and more information will be released as we get closer to the event.