The Collective Impact Forum invites you to propose a session for the Virtual 2023 Collective Impact Action Summit on April 25-27, 2023.
Please submit your proposal using this online form by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, November 7, 2022.
Please read the following information carefully before beginning your submission. You can also access a copy of the session nomination questions so that you can plan your responses before submitting in the online form by the deadline.
In order to make the Collective Impact Action Summit a more accessible and equitable event, we will be providing complimentary registration to all Summit speakers in 2023.
Visit our Online Submission Form
Action Summit Content Priorities
The 2023 Virtual Collective Impact Action Summit will center on the overarching theme of “Coming Together to Work Together.”
To build out this theme, we are designing the Action Summit around the five strategies that support centering equity within collective impact, as shared in the article, “Centering Equity in Collective Impact.”
While we recognize that these five equity strategies are interconnected, session submissions should choose one of the five strategies below to highlight and go deep on in your session in order to make the lessons and application specific during a limited session presentation.
1. Ground the work in data and context, and target solutions: How has your effort used quantitative and qualitative data to more deeply understand inequities that exist in your community? How has an understanding of the historical and current context contributing to inequity influenced your initiative’s work? How has your initiative targeted solutions for specific marginalized populations, based on a deeper understanding of the data and context?
2. Focus on systems change, in addition to programs and services: How has your collective work focused on creating systems change? (e.g., Focusing on changing policy, shifting resources, changing mental models, pursuing narrative change.) How have you woven systems change and programmatic strategies together into your collaboratives work?
3. Shift power within the collaborative: How has your collective shifted or shared power amongst those engaged in the collaboratives work, so those most affected by your core issue are key decision-makers, drivers, and designers of the solutions?
4. Listen to and act with community. How has your collective acted with community members (i.e., families, friends, neighbors) most connected to your issue area? Has your relationship with your community changed? How has this influenced your work?
5. Build equity leadership and accountability: How has your collective focused on building leadership skills around embedding equity practices in the collective’s work? How have you built-in and maintained equity accountability within your work? Where have you seen the most growth, trust, and progress?
What experiences with these strategies do you want to share?
We want to hear how these equity strategies are incorporated into your own collective work. We are eager for sessions to explore different dimensions of implementation:
- What’s been helpful? What’s been challenging?
- What has your collective learned through the process? Have you had to make changes along the way? What has your journey centering these equity strategies been like?
- What progress and results (community or systems-level) have you seen, especially for those most affected by inequity?
- What recommendations would you share for others hoping to learn and bring these practices into their own work?
Along with your equity strategy focus, please indicate:
- the target stage of collective impact for your session (e.g., not yet initiated, early stages of developing, mid stages of implementing, late stages of refining/sustaining), and
- what population-level or systems changes have you seen as your work has progressed.
Proposal Submission Instructions
You are invited to submit a session proposal for one of two different session formats:
75-minute how-to session: These concurrent sessions will focus on how-to “nuts and bolts” advice for collective impact leaders (e.g., how to build trust and capacity around sharing data, how to build and support accountability structures); maximum of 4 presenters, including moderator.
60-minute tool session: These concurrent sessions should provide attendees a chance to practice using a tool or technique (e.g., actor mapping, data visualization, eco-cycle, accessible community meeting facilitation techniques) that they can adapt for use in their own collective impact initiatives. All tools highlighted at the Action Summit must be available for free, rather than proprietary tools only for purchase or subscription; maximum of 2 presenters, including moderator.
Note that sessions will take place at various points in the agenda from Tuesday (April 25, 2023) through Thursday (April 27, 2023), U.S. Eastern Time (New York).
To submit a proposal, please complete this form by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, November 7, 2022.
Suggestions for Submitting a Strong Session Proposal
The Collective Impact Forum gives priority consideration to session proposals that demonstrate:
Clear Session Objective and Design: You clearly state learning objectives for attendees so they know what to expect and to easily choose sessions that are most applicable to them. In addition, your session allows attendees to hear from and interact with presenters and peers with varied virtual facilitation techniques, as well as have time for questions.
Speaker composition: Your session brings together diverse points of view and experiences on a topic. Examples of diverse perspectives might include speakers who are people of color, people with disabilities, people who identify on the LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) spectrum, and/or programming that promotes gender equity among speakers. In addition, we ask you to consider including community members who are involved with your initiative and/or are directly impacted by your initiative’s work in your session, as makes sense for the topic.
Relevance of content: Your session provides practical, actionable insights for attendees who are doing collective impact and other forms of collaboration/coalition work. The Action Summit audience appreciates practical, real life examples of what you’ve learned, what worked for you and your collaborative and what didn’t work, and what lessons they could take with them back to their communities.
Sharing Learnings and Not Selling Services: Sessions that focus on or have an undercurrent of selling/highlighting products or services will not be selected. This can include selling books, software, or professional services.
We are seeking proposals from both within and outside of the United States.
Please note: the Collective Impact Forum reserves the right to make adjustments or recommendations to final session designs, including speaker lineup, virtual session format, and description.
Additional Considerations
Comp Speaker Registration: The Collective Impact Forum will provide complimentary registration for all concurrent session speakers to attend the three-day virtual summit. Please wait to hear back on the status of your session proposal before you register to attend the virtual summit.
Elevating Speakers from the Community: We encourage including community member voices on sessions when appropriate. We define “community members” as those who will be impacted by the collective impact initiative, and are participating in that capacity rather than as the employee of an organization that is part of the collective impact initiative. Session leaders are encouraged to consider providing an honorarium for community members who are speaking on their session.
Key Dates
- September 28, 2022: Call for session proposals launched.
- Monday, November 7, 2022 (11:59 p.m. ET): All session proposals must be completed and submitted online.
- November 2022: Sessions under review.
- December 2022: Collective Impact Forum staff communicates session decisions to thoes who submitted. The point-of-contact for accepted proposals may receive session design recommendations, as needed.
- January to February 2023: Session designers select final speakers and re-submit an updated speaker lineup and session description to the Collective Impact Forum.
- March to April 2023: Session designers and speakers refine their sessions, with support from Collective Impact Forum staff.
- April 25-27, 2023: The Collective Impact Action Summit takes place virtually..
If you have any questions or experience technical difficulties, please contact Tracy Timmons-Gray at tracy.timmons-gray@collectiveimpactforum.org.
