This might be a good weekend to make some fall travel and conference plans.

Or so I was reminded by a call from Erica Waasdorp of the firm A Direct Solution, who is serving as U.S. Ambassador for the International Fundraising Congress (IFC) held annually in The Netherlands..

The IFC is truly one of the wonders of the fundraising world. Now in its 33^rd year, this conference is a must-attend for anyone serious about our business.

This year it will be held from October 14^th through the 17^th at the Leeuwenhorst Hotel and Conference Center near Amsterdam. You can register here.

Agitator readers in the U.K., Europe and Canada are familiar with IFC and make up a good portion of the 1,000 attendees from 60 countries. I wish I could say the same for my fellow Americans, who are pathetically under-represented.

So … here’s my shameless plug urging you to attend.

• No conference that I’ve ever attended (and I’ve done my share) is as well organized as the IFC.

• The speakers are meticulously selected, are fully prepared, and rehearsed to assure first-rate quality. Take a look at this year’s program here.

• Unlike American hotels with their massive ballrooms, the Leeuwenhorst Conference Center was specifically designed for … well, conferences. Attendees have their own rooms right in the center … the dining rooms are designed to encourage mingling and idea sharing … the meeting rooms are sized appropriately each session … and there’s a bar/lounge/social area smack in the center of the facility.

• Beyond the first-rate sessions there’s plenty of opportunity to meet other fundraisers, share ideas and socialize. This conference is actually FUN!

• The IFC is totally all-inclusive. For a single fee of £2,570 (US $4,260 ) you receive a hotel room, breakfast, lunch and dinner and admission to the social events. A wonderful deal.

Check out the program (it’s easily searchable by topic/area of interest), then register today.

I look forward to seeing you there.

And, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to call Ambassador Erica Waasdorp at (508) 776-1224 or email her at Erica.adirectsolution@gmail.com.

Roger

P.S. Given Tom and my obsession with donor retention I’d be remiss if I didn’t call your attention to two sessions on that topic.

• A Retention Masterclass, “Everything that’s wrong with our retention programs and how to put it right”, to be conducted by Giles Pegram, CBE, Charlie Hulme, and Francesco Ambrogetti will among other things give you 10 steps you can take to improve retention — beginning the first day you’re home.

• On October 15^th I’ll do a 60-minute session with plenty of discussion and question and answer time titled “Donor retention made easy”.

I hope to see lots of American Agitators at IFC and look forward to buying you a beer, Coke or mineral water.