WE RISE: OUR THEME FOR IFC 2024

The world stands at a crossroads. Our planet teeters on the brink of ecological catastrophe. Poverty, which had been declining for so long, is on the rise, and the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. Images of war are taking over our screens.

In 2023, one common thread woven through conversations with our community was that of growing acceptance that our systems are broken: the nonprofit sector systems are broken; the fundraising system are broken; and, more importantly, our wider systems are broken – the socio-economic, political, and governance systems that we live in. The result of this is anxiety, fear, even despair. But, in the face of these systems failures stand optimism and hope and outrage. Our community united to confront the realities of our time and we are ready to do what must be done.

Humanity is at a critical juncture. The time has come to harness our collective power and come together to ignite a movement that transcends borders and is bigger than any one cause. It is time to rise.

We rise to defend our planet: Earth is in peril and we are running out of time. Climate change, exacerbated by continuing deforestation and worsening pollution, threatens the very existence of countless species, including our own. We must rise to defend our planet, uniting to protect the ecosystems that sustain us.

We rise to end poverty: The world is more prosperous than ever before, but in the shadow of that prosperity, ever more people are denied access to their basic need. We must rise to end poverty and strive for a world in which everyone can live with dignity and opportunity.

We rise for equality: The chasm of inequality deepens as the many suffer for the benefit of the few. Across the world, progress is grinding to a halt as hard-won minority rights are being stripped away once more. We must rise for equality in the knowledge that true progress can only be achieved when every person’s worth is recognised.

We rise for humanity: Our empathy and compassion have the power to bridge any divide. It is imperative that we foster a global community that cherishes the richness of diversity. In a world fractured by division and strife, we must rise for humanity.

IFC 2024 is more than just a conference; it is a rallying cry, a call to action. It is an urgent and unapologetic declaration that the power to drive change resides within each of us, and that together, as a united force, we can alter the course of history. Join us in October 2024, as we come together to shape a future that prioritises our planet and defies these waves of oppression, war, and inequality. Like the tide, unstoppable, we rise.

And just as IFC 2024 is more than just a conference, the Resource Alliance is so much more than this one event. Our 2024 programme of content has been shaped around this concept of rising together to create the change so long talked about, and you are invited to engage with us on the theme via working groups, online keynotes, and other events throughout the year.