Overview

This is a new era of civic engagement. Millions of individuals, organizations and companies are uniting to drive real and sustained change in communities around the world. We all have distinct pathways to civic impact, and together, we can learn from our unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to forge social change on a global scale. From community organizers to corporate citizens, each point of light amplifies the potential in us all and unites to form a powerful spotlight on changemakers.  

The 2024 Points of Light Conference and Global Network Preconference will be held June 11-14 at the Marriott Marquis Houston, offering more than 70 workshops with actionable takeaways led by industry experts, five all-conference sessions with inspirational keynotes, panel discussions and performances, and compelling leadership discussions that amplify social good.  

The theme is Leading Change Together 

Points of Light is seeking proposals for content workshops that are geared toward audiences actively engaged in initiatives for positive social and community change. Our audience is made up of experienced thought leaders representing nonprofits, businesses, education, faith-based and national service who are hungry for the next level of learning. We’re looking for proposals that reflect topics and content, expand learning and help experts level up.  
Sessions should be designed to engage individuals where they are in their commitment to social good, volunteerism, civic and community engagement. Points of Light reserves the right to select the session format offered to any presenter.

Workshop proposals that show innovation with clear examples of successful activations in the areas of: 

  • Volunteer and community engagement 
  • Social innovation and change 
  • Equity 
  • Corporate social responsibility 
  • Civic engagement and activism 
  • Voice as a change-making platform 

or include evidence of application of Points of Light's Civic Circle will be prioritized for review.  

Attention will be focused on the quality of proposals that align with the conference theme, Leading Change Together, and content areas noted above. Proposals should strive to reach experts in the social impact space. In addition, the selection team will balance a suite of workshop offerings representative of varying geographic regions, diverse leadership, audience and market reach, as well as audience type, experience level, and innovative thought. 

Submission Guidelines

The following questions will gather important information about your session proposal. All required fields are marked with an asterisk (*). 

The submission period is November 1 - November 17, 2023. All proposals must be submitted online through the official submission process by 11:59 p.m. ET on November 17. We are unable to accept proposals submitted by email, by postal mail or after the deadline. 

No workshop session for the Points of Light Conference shall have more than two (2) presenters unless expressly curated by Points of Light. Workshops are presented in person and will be scheduled by Points of Light in one of seven workshop blocks between June 12 to 14, 2024. Workshops selected for the Global Network Preconference will be presented on June 11, 2024.

If you have questions, please contact the conference team at speaker@pointsoflight.org. 

Be sure to add speaker@pointsoflight.org to your email safe senders list so you receive important notifications about your proposal. After submitting your proposal, you will receive a confirmation email. If you don’t receive it, please check your spam folder and then contact us to confirm that we received your proposal. 

 

Presenter Requirements

To ensure high-quality educational experiences for our attendees, we request that all presenters have the following: 

  • Experience as a trainer and/or presenter. 
  • Education, training and/or expertise in identified subject matter. 
  • Professional skills or direct knowledge related to the topic. 

 

Review Criteria

Subject matter experts will evaluate submissions based solely on the information provided in the proposal. Each proposal will be reviewed carefully based on the following criteria:

  • Alignment with innovative and inspirational work in the areas of volunteer and community engagement, social innovation and change, equity, corporate social responsibility and civic engagement and activism or voice as a change-making platform.  
  • Completeness, accuracy and clarity. 
  • Well-defined, realistic learning outcomes. 
  • Clear, appealing and leading-edge content that is appropriate for the proposed audience. 
  • Case studies, best practices and examples for a diverse audience. 
  • Up-to-date, innovative and replicable strategies. 
  • Evidence of measurable impact and effectiveness when appropriate. 
  • Session design with strong potential for audience engagement and learning. 

 

Presenter Terms and Conditions

Please review the presenter terms and conditions outlined below. By submitting a proposal, you indicate that you have read and are willing to abide by the terms and conditions.

  • Proposal submissions for the Points of Light Conference are accepted for an individual or a maximum of two (2) presenters. Panel presentations are not suitable for general conference workshop submissions. Points of Light reserves the right to select sessions from this submission for the Global Network Preconference.
  • The primary contact listed in the proposal will receive all communication about the session.
  • Information submitted in the proposal may be used for marketing the conference and be included in the final program. The conference team may edit workshop titles and descriptions.
  • In-person workshop sessions are 45-60 minutes in length and should be designed for audiences of 50-100.
  • There is a limit of two (2) presenters per conference workshop session. One presenter per session will receive waived (complimentary) registration for the conference. The second presenter will receive a discounted registration rate.
  • All presenters must register for the conference and are responsible for all expenses related to participation including travel, printing and shipping of session materials.
  • Presenters will help market their session and the conference with user-friendly marketing materials provided by Points of Light.
  • Presenters will use the conference PowerPoint template provided for presentations and will upload all session materials (including handouts, activities and other takeaways) to the conference website by May 24, 2024.
  • The session will not be used as a platform to sell a product or service. If you mention products (e.g., books, software, etc.), they will be referenced as examples and not for sales purposes.
  • The session you present at the conference will be the same format and content as agreed upon by you and the Points of Light conference team.

 

If you are submitting this on behalf of the workshop presenter, please login as the workshop presenter. You can identify yourself as the point of contact later.

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