What you’ll get from this post: the five design decisions behind the first WellTold Conference, and ideas you can borrow for your next donor event or gathering.
- Spend your event budget with nonprofits wherever you can, from the venue to lunch.
- Bring in teachers instead of keynoters so people leave with tools they can use right away.
- Care for your speakers as people. The audience feels it.
- Plan small surprises. They’re what people remember.
At Tellwell, we believe stories shape how we see, understand, and engage with the world. The way we gather should reflect that belief too. So when we set out to design the first WellTold: A Nonprofit Storytelling Conference, we started with questions about people instead of logistics.
What did we want people to feel? What memories did we want them to take home? How could we make sure folks left with practical knowledge they could use to make a bigger impact? And where could we make room for connection, creativity, and a dash of inspiration?
Meaningful experiences don’t “just happen.” We had to design on purpose. So we dreamed ’n’ schemed alongside our presenting partner DonorDock and landed on five key decisions.
Spend with nonprofits at every chance
From day one, we asked ourselves a question: we have purchasing power, so how can we invest it in the good around us?
That question led us to build nonprofit partners into the conference itself.
- The venue. We chose the Plains Art Museum, a nonprofit space that champions community, creativity, and accessibility.
- Lunch. We partnered with Heart-n-Soul Community Café, a pay-what-you-can mobile café that feeds people and supports the community.
- The Happiest Hour. Our friends at Hope Blooms closed out the day. Founder Kelly Krenzel shared Hope Blooms’ story and its message, “You Matter.” Then their team helped attendees make bouquets that were later delivered to folks around the community.
We also chose event partners who love nonprofits as much as we do. DonorDock supports nonprofits every day with its CRM tools and trainings, and Pinnacle Productions brings nonprofit events to the next level. Lots of love to our other event sponsors who support nonprofits too.
Design for practical learning (and inspiration, too)
There’s a time and place for keynotes meant only to inspire. We wanted more for WellTold. We wanted every attendee to leave with real tools and frameworks they could use right away, because change happens when people get something that’s both inspiring and usable.
So we built the day around how adults actually learn. Instead of keynoters, we brought in facilitators and teachers with field-tested, nonprofit-approved frameworks. Everything went into a branded binder with handouts from each speaker and pages for notes. Attendees also took home Janese Evans’ Brain Noodling Cards and a copy of Patrick Kirby’s book “Fundraise Like a Fifth Grader!”
We skipped the closing keynote. All the speakers came back to the stage together to share something they’d learned from each other that day. Then Max led attendees through a reflection to capture:
- The most useful insights from the day.
- Their next steps.
- What to share with their teams.
- How they’d apply the tools.
Practical doesn’t have to mean dull. We laughed plenty, and the speakers inspired the crowd too. Inspiration tends to show up when something clicks.
Take extra care of the speakers
Every speaker we invited is a human being first, and at Tellwell, people come first. So we set out to care for our speakers as people, beyond the knowledge they brought to the stage.
- Before they arrivedClear communication
A speaker guide covered the logistics and the intentions behind WellTold. We also got to know each speaker through our “mini-sode” series on Tellwell The Podcast.
- While they preparedCoaching
We offered coaching to help them shape talks that felt approachable and grounded, with real-world application over lofty ideas.
- In FargoA local’s list
We gave them our favorite Fargo spots to explore. Vinyl Taco was a BIG hit. Just ask Jon, John, and Lisa.
- Day ofA Midwest welcome
Their favorite snacks waited in the greenroom, and our incredible friend Terry served as their day-of liaison for questions and pep talks.
That care was for the audience too. When speakers feel supported, they show up as their best selves, and everyone wins.
Much love to the speakers who said “Heck yes!” to the WellTold stage: Jon McCoy, Janese Evans, John Lepp, Bridgette Bitzegaio, Patrick Kirby, and Lisa Nelson-Haynes.
Moments of surprise and delight
Running a smooth conference is one thing. Making someone’s eyes light up is another. That sense of delight (the unexpected, the whimsical, the joyfully human) is what takes a good conference and makes it a great experience.
So we wove a few surprises through the day.
- Our friend James Bergman, a musician and songwriter, greeted everyone on the sidewalk outside the venue with a song and a smile.
- At lunch, a Connection Card gave attendees an easy way to start a conversation. They also took home a “Spark-a-Story” card and practiced deeper conversations during breaks with “Roll ’n’ Share.”
- The stage was open to attendees too. Patrick Kirby hosted “Fundraising Therapy,” where folks hopped on stage to solve a real challenge with the room’s collective wisdom.
- DJ 1PrettyRicky from WEAREONE kept the energy high and the vibes immaculate all day. Good music can make or break an event.
- We skipped the usual throwaway swag and partnered with Brandfolk on custom merch people would keep. Tellwell’s design team created weekender bags, marker sets, and binders. And the event program was a chocolate bar. (Yes, really.)
- During the Happiest Hour, Patrick Kirby’s son, the cover model of “Fundraise Like a Fifth Grader!”, signed autographs. Another talented fifth grader did card tricks, and a few cards in the deck won a donation to the nonprofit of the winner’s choice.
These moments gave people a sense of joy and wonder, and a reminder that someone had shaped the day with them in mind.
Make room for creativity
Our final goal was creativity. We wanted people to dream, imagine, and set reality aside for a day in a space that felt like a learning wonderland.
Our friends from Unglued ran a “Beautify Your Badge” station stocked with stickers, paints, jewels, gold leafing, and collage supplies. Attendees turned plain name tags into keepsakes.
We also went all in on set design and turned the event space into a three-dimensional woodland straight out of a storybook. We wanted people to feel transported, like they’d stepped inside a story that invited imagination and curiosity. Stepping away from familiar surroundings opens up new possibilities.
The takeaway: design with people in mind
Whether you’re sharing stories, planning a gala, or building community, intention makes the difference.
Every choice we made, from the venue to the swag, came from one intention: to invite people into an experience that lasts far beyond one day.
Want to see what you missed, or relive the day? Browse every event photo from Britta the Photographer. They’re that good.
