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The Engagement 4Cast
ENCC D.C. packed more than two dozen sessions into two days in Arlington, Virginia, and I came home with a notebook full of things I want to try. If you’ve never made it to ENCC, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s consistently the most helpful (not to mention friendliest) conference I attend. Here’s a link to view the videos from the conference.
For those who weren’t there, here are six themes that ran through the week, and what they mean for your Engaging Networks program heading into year-end.
1. Search is no longer a straight line to your website
More people now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews about causes, and fewer click through. M+R (shoutout to Diego for a great presentation) and USA for UNHCR called this a “great divergence” between interest and traffic. Answer engine optimization (AEO) keeps you visible and cited, and an “always on” approach means being ready to take a gift wherever a donor shows up.
2. Use AI to listen, not just to produce
The most practical AI sessions focused on what your data already holds: spotting sustainers about to lapse, finding likely major donors, and asking your data questions in plain language instead of building another report. The Great AI Debate also sparked a lot of conversation about how your organization’s AI use policy (or lack of one) might be helping or hurting you.
3. Segments are the power of EN. Move now.
Ocean Conservancy and Cornershop Creative showed that segments are the engine behind better email production and reporting in Engaging Networks, yet most organizations aren’t using them to their full potential. Profiles and Query Builder will eventually be sunset, so don’t wait. Start building segments now, experiment with them, and learn how they work while you still have the old tools to fall back on.
4. Match the page to the job
I was excited to be part of a panel on Smart Pages, EN’s quick spin-up alternative to Page Builder for donation forms. I shared three takeaways. First, Smart Pages let you hand page building to less technical staff. Second, it isn’t either/or: use Smart Pages for speed, and keep investing in Page Builder pages customized to your audience. Third, A/B test the two page types against each other so the data decides (and then email me to tell me which page won).
Want to watch the session? Enroll for free in the ENCC D.C. replay course on Engaging Networks Academy.
5. Test more ways than A/B
A/B tests are still the starting point, and the American Kidney Fund showed how to run them well. The “Let’s Test That” session laid out six methods, from landing page splits to randomized control tests, and argued for a year-long testing plan. The National Trust for Historic Preservation applied the same mindset to texting.
6. Ask for one more yes at the right moment
As fundraisers, we don’t prioritize TYPOs enough, and by that we mean “Thank You Page Optimizations.” Bryan and Fernando presented on this very subject with Stephanie from the National Wildlife Federation, showing how an opt-in ladder on the thank-you page adds one more chance to say yes after a gift or action. Food Bank of the Rockies used an automated welcome journey and survey to learn why first-time donors gave during the SNAP crisis. And a “snooze” option in the preference center gives tired supporters an alternative to unsubscribing.
Keep the conversation going
If we didn’t get a chance to talk at ENCC D.C., send me a note. I’d love to hear what you thought of the conference or what’s top of mind for end of year.
This post first appeared in the October 2026 issue of the EN Insider, our monthly roundup for Engaging Networks teams: what shipped in the latest release, builds worth borrowing, and open roles across the EN community.
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