Welcome to the AFP ICON 2026 Call for Session Proposals
BEFORE YOU BEGIN, PLEASE NOTE:
Thank you for your interest in submitting a session proposal for the AFP ICON conference, to be held April 26-28, 2026, in San Diego, California. AFP ICON is the world's largest gathering for professional fundraisers, offering the best educational and networking opportunities. We will accept proposals for pre-conference workshops and education sessions. Ethics and IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) are both pillars of the AFP Strategic Plan. As these ideals are core to our work and, therefore, to AFP ICON, we ask that you think about your session topic through an Ethics lens and an IDEA lens and incorporate the principles/ideals of each into your proposal. Thank you in advance for your willingness to share your expertise with our network of fundraising professionals and the time devoted to submitting a session proposal.
(1) Allow yourself the time (approximately 30-45 minutes) to complete the submission form. (2) To save your proposal and edit later, you must select the "Save and Edit Later" option before exiting the portal. (3) You must complete all edits to your saved proposal by May 21, 2025, at 11:59 PM (CST). (4) To finalize your proposal submission to be reviewed by the ICON Education Advisory Committee, you must select the "Submit" option before exiting the portal. (5) The Call for Session Proposals submission portal will close on May 21, 2025, at 11:59 PM (CST).
To view a sample PDF version of the proposal form, click here. This is for informational purposes only. To be reviewed, ALL proposals must be submitted via the online proposal portal.
AFP SESSION TRACKS (These tracks correspond to the fundraising knowledge domains.) Current and Prospective Donor Research (which includes: Donor Acquisition, Donor Retention, Donor Giving Patterns, Data Analysis Techniques, Data Gathering Techniques, and Data Management Systems) Securing the Gift (which includes: Direct Mail, Case Statement, Gift Agreements, Proposal Writings, Special Events, Social Media, Sponsorships, Annual Giving, Capital Campaigns, Bequests, and Major Gifts) Relationship Building (which includes: Cultivation and Stewardship, Communications, Incentives, Culture of Philanthropy, and External Spheres of Influence) Volunteer Involvement (which includes: Recruitment, Governance Principles and Models, Skills Training, Value of Diversity and Community Representation, Board/Staff Roles in Governance and Management, and Organizational Culture) Leadership and Management (which includes: Strategic Planning, Fundraising Plan, Financial Management, Marketing, and Public Relations Principles, Human Resource Management, and Effective Leadership) Ethics, Accountability, and Professionalism (which includes: Accountability and Ethics, Advocacy and Public Policy, Accounting, and Investment Principles, Transparency, and Continuing Professional Development Opportunities)
The Committee meets as many times as needed, 2-3 times per year, to review and recommend proposals to be included in the ICON conference program. The following criteria are among those taken into consideration: • Current relevance to the profession and contribution to the conference program in terms of topic, sector, and experience level • Evidence of innovative thinking and fresh insights • Research-based content (where appropriate or relevant) • The incorporation of diverse ideas and perspectives across difference • Knowledge and expertise of the speaker • Previous speaking experience and session ratings • Inclusion of adult learning principles, including interactivity/engagement with session attendees. To learn more about the Inclusion of adult learning principles, click here. • Diversity of speaker background, experiences, perspective, and ideas • Demonstrated thought leadership in the field
SCORING RUBRIC: To view the scoring rubric used by the AFP ICON Education Advisory Committee in rating each proposal, click here.
AFP will notify you of the status of your proposal by September 1, 2025. Note: AFP receives more proposals than can be accommodated in the ICON schedule each year. There are a variety of factors considered in selecting sessions, including but not limited to: the quality of the proposal, the number of other sessions on the same topic, the expected level of interest by attendees, gaps in sessions related to fundraising knowledge domains, and hot topics impacting/influencing the profession and/or the sector at the time. After notifications are sent, AFP will provide reviewer feedback on proposal submissions to the lead speaker (the lead speaker is the individual that submitted a proposal).
