We just got back from the 2026 Nonprofit Technology Conference in Detroit and have a lot to share. This month's edition covers highlights from the conference, standout features in Engaging Networks’ next release, and a brand-new playbook written by yours truly on transforming your email preference user experience into an engagement opportunity.

Our Biggest Takeaways from #26NTC

This is me at #26NTC presenting with Angela Stoutenburgh on how the Rainforest Action Network gently guides its supporters away from the unsubscribe page by honoring their preferences.

There were nearly 150 sessions at the 2026 Nonprofit Technology Conference in Detroit last week. Here's the full list, including session notes and feedback. Our team came back with a lot to think about. Here are my big takeaways:

🤖 AI governance is the new AI hype. The conversation at NTC has clearly shifted from "should we use AI?" to "how do we adopt it responsibly?" One session included an Oxford-style debate on whether or not nonprofits that skip generative AI will lose funding and talent within five years. Sixty percent of the attendees voted against the motion, a reminder that thoughtful, ethics-first adoption matters more than moving fast. For those of us building digital programs, this is a good prompt to think about how AI is (and isn’t) showing up in your content workflows and constituent communications. BTW, Engaging Networks ("EN") has AI on its roadmap. They promise it will be explicitly opt-in and never enabled without your knowledge.

🔒 Data privacy is now an operational concern, not a compliance checkbox. Multiple sessions covered data classification, retention policies, and the tension between fundraising needs and donor privacy expectations. If your team hasn't reviewed what data you're collecting and retaining in EN (and how long you're keeping it), now is a good time to do that.

💌 Fundraising strategy is getting more sophisticated, especially around retention. A session on the International Rescue Committee's branded giving program "Rescue Collective" was a standout: They found that automating welcome journeys had a bigger impact on donor retention than the branding itself.

♿ Accessibility is a design requirement, not an add-on. Sessions throughout the Digital Inclusion and Communications tracks reinforced that accessible design (ie. Alt text, captions, keyboard navigation, color contrast) should be standard practice, not a last-minute check. It’s worth auditing your EN pages and email templates with this in mind.

What's New in the March 2026 EN Release

Several features that have been on the EN roadmap will officially go live in the next release on March 26. Here are the highlights:

🎪 Event Waitlist: You will be able to configure event registration pages to display a "sold-out" state and collect waitlist sign-ups. A long-requested feature for organizations running high-demand events.

🔌 Salesforce Connector Improvements: EN is adding additional fields to the Salesforce Connector Contact Mapping that will allow you to pull information from Salesforce and place it into Timezone Offset, Most Recent Contribution, Highest Previous Contribution, and Longitude and Latitude fields in Engaging Networks.

📊 New Custom Report Template: A new "Supporter Report" template will be available in the custom report builder, pulling together all of the relevant fields for you by Segment.

🔎 Email Preview Improvements: You will be able to preview email messages right from the Messaging Broadcasts screen, saving you time and clicks if you need to review sent or draft email messages.

See the full list of release notes.

Coming Soon to EN...

EN is also working on these other big updates:

🧠 Smart Pages: EN's new, streamlined page-builder experience will be available in an upcoming April 9 release. If you missed the update on Smart Pages, check out EN’s 2026 roadmap session.

📫 Continued Phaseout of Email Classic: In July, the ability to create or duplicate an email in Email Classic will be removed. You will still be able to finalize and send any emails you have already started to work on. In October, the ability to edit and send emails from Email Classic will be removed.

New Resource: The Unsubscribe Page Optimization Playbook

We've been thinking a lot about retention lately, and how most organizations treat their unsubscribe page as a dead end. Our new Unsubscribe Page Optimization Playbook is built around a different premise: The moment a supporter goes to your unsubscribe page is actually an opportunity. Our newest playbook covers design best practices for Engaging Networks users, including:

• How to use EN's preference center features,

• When and how to offer frequency reduction as an alternative to opting out entirely, and

• How a well-designed unsubscribe experience can actually improve your email deliverability metrics by reducing spam complaints.

If you've been looking for a way to reduce list churn, this is a good place to start.

EN Community Updates

📆 Nonprofit Fundraising Symposium: Happening next week (March 25–27) in Washington, DC, the symposium is a gathering for senior fundraising and marketing professionals, including many that rely on EN. If you are going, I encourage you to say "hi" to my colleague Heming Nelson. I also hear that Clint O’Brien and Carly Harris from EN will be there.

🤝 Job Opportunities at Engaging Networks: EN has open roles for a Front-End Developer and a Data Scientist. Check them out and share with anyone who might be a good fit.

If you have any EN news you'd like us to share...