What type of sessions will be included in the conference?
We're looking for a broad array of proposals that encourage visioning, as well as practical, skills-based learning. Successful session proposals will be geared toward one or more of these three key audiences: people who do marketing and communications for their organization, people who do fundraising for their organization, and people who do technology planning and implementation for their organization. We seek sessions to fit all of these audiences and at all levels -- from beginner to advanced.
Plus, we're especially interested in finding presenters who are able to share knowledge that reaches advanced levels of learning. We have found that advanced level learning is a key component that has been light in past years. In some cases, we'll invite presenters to lead two sessions during the day: (1) a beginner or intermediate level session during the first half of the day; and (2) an advanced level session during the second half of the day.
MCN is working toward full integration of its strategic commitment to advance equity and justice. With this in mind, we are bringing forward a slightly adapted version of the Equity and Justice Guidelines first established with MCN’s 2020 Annual Conference to ACTcon. In developing your proposal, please be mindful of the following:
- Sessions and presenters should reflect the racial, economic, cultural, age, and geographic diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage participation from Greater Minnesota leaders and leaders from the LGBTQIA+, accessibility, BIPOC-led and serving organizations, and intersecting communities.
- Consider your audience and let us know how you’ll address different ways of learning throughout your presentation. For example, how will you reach introverts and extroverts? How will you reach internal and external processors?
Whether you’re in an executive leadership role or just getting started in the workforce, we want to hear from you. Preference will be given to sessions that demonstrate active involvement of nonprofit professionals as session presenters or co-presenters.
If you are a consultant, employee for a for-profit company or nonprofit-adjacent organization, we encourage you to include one or more nonprofit representatives in your session. This way, session participants will have a direct connection to the topic or issue through a peer presenter. Sessions with nonprofit co-presenters have a much higher rate of acceptance.
Please note that the session's actual length and time slot will be selected by MCN staff. Sessions are typically 60 or 75 minutes each. Sessions take place in the morning and afternoon so please hold the full day(s) until you hear from us if possible. We will do our best to work with your schedule. The planning committee will review all proposals and make its selections by the second week in April.
NEW THIS YEAR: facilitated networking and social hours. If you are a facilitator and connector extraordinaire and there’s a topic you know your peers are eager to discuss, please indicate on the proposal form that you’d be open to facilitating a networking circle and share the topic you’d bring to the table.