WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: Proposals are vetted by the IFC Asia Advisory Panel … and it’s a tough job! We get on average five proposals for each available slot, so even with more than 60 educational sessions to present, many considerations factor into the selection process. Here’s what the panel is looking for:
Proven expertise. To be considered as an IFC Asia speaker, you will need to demonstrate a proven track record of expertise in your chosen field, as well as great presentation skills.
New ideas or fresh takes on the basics. The IFC Asia audience craves new, compelling ideas and insights. It’s our mission to keep everything fresh – not just for regulars, but for new IFC attendees who might have lots of experience at other conferences. Wow them with compelling materials and share things they wouldn’t have previously seen or heard at the IFC – or anywhere!
Diversity: To promote new ideas and new approaches, each year, the panel seeks to ensure a mix of new and returning speakers; gender balance; a mix of practitioners, consultants and corporate speakers; and speakers from different geographical locations. We also encourage speakers to introduce perspectives from the corporate sector; donors (for example foundations, individuals and bilaterals); other departments within NGOs; and academics, where appropriate.
Balance: To ensure a well-balanced examination of the points presented in each session, speakers from agencies, consultancies and providers must invite a co-presenter from an NGO client who can provide a real-life case study of the ideas and theories being presented.
THEME: The theme for IFC Asia 2018 is ‘Beyond fundraising: New ecosystems for social good’. We require all speakers to work the theme into their session content. The Resource Alliance team will work with speakers whose proposals are accepted to craft powerful and intriguing session descriptions that shed light on the session topic in relation to the theme.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Increased digital content: As digital plays an increasingly important role in the fundraising mix, we are encouraging all speakers to include at least one digital example in their sessions where the topic merits it.
English not your first language? Don’t be discouraged if you’re less experienced presenting in English. We can provide additional support for you, plus we strongly welcome different voices from the around the globe!
Spoken at the IFC before? If so, your previous scores will be taken into account by the IFC Advisory Panel when reviewing your proposal. If you haven’t spoken at the IFC before, you can include evaluation scores from other events in your proposal, along with references from people who are familiar with the IFC. The IFC’s reputation has been founded on the strength of our speakers and the quality of the presentations they deliver, so the panel will take this information into account along with your ideas for sessions.
Haven’t spoken at IFC before? As part of The Resource Alliance’s commitment to our speakers, first-time presenters at the conference will be offered extra support to help you make the most of speaking experience, particularly if you’re less experienced in addressing an international audience.
Co-speakers: Speakers can propose to run a session with another speaker when they send their proposals. Indeed, we request that speakers from agencies, consultancies and providers invite a non-profit client to provide the best balance of theory and practice of the strategies and ideas presented. The aim of having more than one speaker in a session is to offer different perspectives, insights and examples on the same topic; therefore, two speakers from the same agency may not speak together in the same session.
Promoting IFC Aia and your session(s): Once your proposal is accepted, it’s key that you (and we) stir up lots of excitement over your session(s). To this end, someone from The Resource Alliance will reach out to request and/or work with you on these essential items.
* A powerful and compelling session description for the website, which will be cut down for the delegate programme and app
* A personal and inviting speaker bio for the website, which also will be condensed for the delegate programme and app
* Your photo
* A fun, 30- to 60-second video that you’ll provide promoting your session(s) – shot on your phone is OK – but remember to hold your phone horizontally, please!
* An email addressing why you’ve chosen to speak at IFC and why you feel it’s important to attend
* A blog post on the topic of your session(s) to run on 101fundraising or the Resource Alliance blog.
To help you promote the conference and your session, The Resource Alliance will provide you with:
* A social media toolkit that includes theme materials and suggested posts for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, etc.
* A personalised email for you to send to your key contacts
* Ongoing communications and support to meet your needs.
THE FORMS
Ready to submit a proposal? Do it here.
Contact: If you have any questions about speaking at the IFC, please contact James Tennet, Head of Events, on +44 (0) 20 7065 0818 or by email at james@resource-alliance.org