What I Learned at the International Fundraising Congress 2025
Esther Njagi is a communications expert working with The Open Institute in Nairobi, Kenya. IFC 2025 was her first International Fundraising Congress – and her first trip to Europe. Here, Esther writes about her trip and about her experience at the event.
A few weeks ago, I visited Europe for the very first time, to attend the International Fundraising Congress in the Netherlands.
The IFC is one of the world’s biggest gatherings of fundraisers and social impact leaders. According to the IFC website:
“As the pace of change accelerates and the challenges humanity faces rise, life-saving programmes are being stripped of funding and hard-won gains in diversity, equity, inclusion, and access are under attack. Fundraising cannot afford to stand still. At IFC 2025, we brought together the brightest minds, the boldest ideas, and the most innovative new strategies to reshape and secure the future of social impact.”
And truly, it lived up to that promise.
For me, it was an incredible opportunity to learn more about fundraising — and honestly, it was hard to choose which sessions to attend because they were all so rich with insights. From legacy giving (a completely new concept to me) to digital tools for fundraising, every session offered something valuable. I was especially intrigued by how different organisations around the world are raising funds creatively, even with small teams and limited resources.
But the session that resonated with me most was by Amnesty Argentina. Led by Daniel Gamboa and Laura Durán, their story was a perfect example of innovation meeting impact.
The team shared how their communications and fundraising departments worked hand in hand to grow Amnesty Argentina from a little-known organisation into one with thousands of followers. Their creativity blew me away — especially the idea of launching a Roblox game to raise money! By deeply understanding their audience — particularly young men who enjoy gaming — they created a game where players could buy power-ups, with proceeds supporting Amnesty’s causes. They even designed custom Amnesty T-shirts for in-game characters, turning digital spaces into awareness platforms.
Their approach to thinking like a commercial brand and being boldly disruptive in a crowded media world really stood out. Even more fascinating was how they built AI versions of their audience personas to test and refine their messaging, having real-time “conversations” with these digital personas to see what resonated best. It was absolutely genius!
Other sessions that inspired me focused on how small teams can achieve fundraising success by making sure everyone in the organisation becomes a fundraiser in their own way. Overall, IFC 2025 was a truly inspiring few days — full of learning, sharing, and connecting with brilliant minds from across the globe.
Of course, the trip didn’t end with the conference. I took a bit of time to explore the Netherlands, from Noordwijk, the charming seaside town that hosted the conference (and probably the coldest beach I’ve ever been to!), to Leiden, a vibrant university town nearby, and Amsterdam, with its stunning architecture and culture. I even crossed over to Bruges, Belgium, a picturesque historic town full of delicious food and chocolate.
It was, without a doubt, the trip of a lifetime — filled with new ideas, new friends, and a renewed sense of purpose for the work we do.