2025 Nonprofit Software Development Summit

Our 22nd annual Nonprofit Software Development Summit will take place 19-21 November, 2025 at our long-time home in Oakland, California USA.

We talk much less about software development that the event name might suggest, and much more about how digital technology can equitably, appropriately and accountably empower racial, social, and climate justice movements. We don't hype tech; we question and challenge the role of all things digital with regard to building power in movements.

Our collaborative annual gathering includes everyone from grassroots activists and campaigners, to journalists and policy advocates, to movement lawyers and fundraisers, to educators and communicators, to software and hardware developers. Our community comes together from around the world to share knowledge, build relationships, and collectively envision the future of free, open and equitable digital tools and practices to support social change.

This year, we'll continue our focus on "operations" technology, the so-called "back office" platforms that underpin organizational operations from accounting and contracting to HR and fundraising. We'll compare who is using what, take stock of gaps and concerns, and explore whether there are opportunities for open and values-aligned alternatives.

A range of ways to participate

(If you don't like using corporate registration platforms, just reach out directly and we'll happily get you sorted :)

For those not able to join us in person, or just wanting more Dev Summit Fun, we also plan to host another Virtual Ephemeral Dev Summit Session online on Thursday 13 November, 2025.

We will also be holding a pre-event on "Movement Hosting" on Monday and Tuesday 17-18 November, bringing together members of the Infrared network and anyone else interested in collaborating and supporting values-aligned hosting providers. Discussion on those days will focus on what can do to provide viable and sustainable alternatives to services provided by the large tech platform companies. For information in participating in the Movement Hosting pre-event, just contact us :)

Warm Data Lab Pre-Event: We are excited to again be co-hosting another "Warm Data Lab" on Tuesday afternoon 18 November at Preservation Park. This session will offer space for conversations that nurture mutual learning in transcontextual ways. Expect to enjoy listening to others’ enriching stories, be surprised by what you feel inspired to share, random bursts of laughter that sometimes breakout, and the possible emergence of deep insights. Check out the full details, and registration is free.

NOTE: In addition to all of the above, and in response to great suggestions that emerged at last year's Dev Summit, we will be hosting our first-ever "Dev Summit Welcome and Orientation Session" for first-time participants, taking place online on Monday 10 November at 9am US PT / Noon US ET / 17h UTC. We'll send out reminders to this list as that date gets closer.

Co-create the agenda

The agenda will be a diverse collection of discussions and interactive sessions developed in collaboration with participants. We will employ our interactive and participatory approach to convenings, and work to specifically address the outcomes highlighted as most useful and relevant to those in attendance.

Based on conversations, collaborations and real-world developments over the past year, topics likely to be on the agenda include:

Centering equity and inclusion in all digital practices
Better understanding the roles "artificial intelligence" and "machine learning" could *and should not* play in justice efforts
Data-driven campaign and program strategies
Strategic development and financial sustainability
Self-care and professional development
The role of digital policy in our work
Visions and plans for movement-owned, movement-governed digital infrastructure, and
Digital security practitioner skillshares.

There are sure to be continued dialogues on CRM's (constituent relationship managers) and CMS (content management systems, like Wordpress and Backdrop), all things free and open source software, capacity building, facilitative leadership, and more.

Each person participating will be encouraged to add their topics to the session list, and we invite everyone participating to bring your stories, ideas, questions, and knowledge to share.

You can check out the 2024 agenda and session notes from our most recent Dev Summit, all co-created with participants.

Get involved

Want to know how to stay involved in the meantime?

Join the low volume Nonprofit Software Development Discussion List to participate in nonprofit and activist tech conversations and get notified of important event announcements year-round.

If discussions lists are not your thing (or are way too much of your thing ;^), you can join the announce-only Nonprofit Software Development Announce List to get updates about the Dev Summit and Dev Summit-related announcements year-round.

Help us spread the word about the event using the hashtag #npdev.

Follow Aspiration on Mastodon, Bluesky, and Twitter (yuk, deprecating) to check out updates and join the conversation.

You can also browse the agenda and session notes from almost 2 decades of Dev Summits on our Dev Summit wiki.

Help us co-create safe and accessible spaces

We invite you to check out our Participation Guidelines and Event Expectations for sharing and exploration at Aspiration events. All participants are expected to help create the most inclusive and safe space possible by honoring the Participation Guidelines and Event Expectations.

We strive to host accessible events that maximize the opportunity of all individuals to participate and engage wholly in all spaces and activities, in full respect of cultural and linguistic identities, care needs, and abilities.

We will be gathering at Nile Hall at Preservation Park, located at 668 13th Street, Oakland, CA 94612.

For inquiries about accessibility or accommodation requests, please get in touch with us. Feel free to email us or give us a call at 415-839-6456.

We welcome suggestions and ideas for how we can create even more inclusive and accessible spaces at our Aspiration events. Share your thoughts with us.

COVID Protocols to be Observed at Dev Summit 2025

We are humble to the ebbs and flows of COVID, so Dev Summit '25 COVID protocols are still under consideration and development. Robust COVID protocols were very well-received at Dev Summit '24.

We will continue to monitor pandemic trends, while also trying to harmonize with convening norms we are observing across the sector, and overall trying to operate with a high sense of collective care.

We anticipate some of the following will be observed in order to maximize the health and safety of all participants:

Requesting/expecting masks to be worn indoors at all times when not eating/drinking
Asking participants to self-test each day, with tests provided for anyone who needs them
Providing a visual mechanism so folks can convey level of comfort with interaction with others (i.e. ability to convey that you appreciate distance/ or alternately don't care about the same)
Maximizing outdoor sessions as the weather permits
Other protocols/safety mechanisms to be identified in collaboration with participants

We welcome suggestions and ideas for how we can further enhance health and safety at the event. Share your thoughts with us.

Reach out to us if you want to connect or have any questions about attending.

Let us help you get there

If you're passionate about social justice and technology and want to participate but need support getting there, please let us know. We would love to have you there and want to find a way to make it work. We have sliding scale registration, registration scholarships, and limited travel stipends for those who need them. Please reach out to discuss options.