You poured your first cup of pumpkin spice latte and spent a weekend picking apples on a farm - you know Fall is here. With lots of planning for your year end fundraising campaigns, Fall is a perfect time to attend a fundraising strategies conference and recharge your potential.

With so many great events happening in Toronto this Fall, it is getting hard to choose just one to attend. Check out a few tips on how to pick the right event and get the most out of your trip.

1. Set your goal

Whether you decide to attend a conference, a seminar or listen to a webinar, be sure to set your goal first. Why do you want to attend the event?  What do you want to take away from it?  Do not limit your research to checking the conference date & venue. Check the event website for agenda, speakers and session descriptions. See if the conference offers any interactive sessions and panel discussions where you can have your critical questions answered by the experts. We all learn best from personal experience; use any opportunity to participate in engaging dialog on topics that matter to you.

2. Choose the Right Session

When checking who is presenting at the event, don't just focus on big names.  At the end of the day, you want to leave a session with a hand full of tips that you can apply to your day-to-day projects. Experience, motivation and passion - that's what you are looking for. See what projects a speaker was involved in, was the project successful? What tools were used in the fundraise campaign?  Do you run any similar event and want to compare results?

Most of us would come to the conference with at least some knowledge and experience in fundraising and non profit marketing. There are a lot of things you might want to discuss or just hear once again that all you are already doing is right.

Look who is speaking at ArtezInterAction 2012

3. Get Certified!

Outstanding speakers, thought provoking discussions… but wait, there's more! More of the things you should expect from the conference. New ideas - great; tips & tricks - even better. But how much nicer it would get if you could receive a certificate or earn credits that you can apply towards your professional development.

Check if a conference has to offer something extra to sweeten the deal.

Now you've got this checklist it's time to find your perfect event and get your tickets!

We suggest ArtezInterAction, October 18^th In Toronto!