How to become an IFC speaker

How the IFC programme is put together

The programme is put together by the IFC Advisory Panel, who work alongside members of the Resource Alliance staff. The Panel consists of a group of volunteers who each bring a different area of fundraising expertise to the panel. The current members are:

• Paul Farthing, Age UK (UK) – Chair 2012/13
• Kyla Shawyer, Operation Smile (USA) – Vice-Chair
• Anne-Marie Grey, UNHCR (UK)
• Bryan Miller, Strategy Refresh (UK)
• Gavin Hilton, RAPP (UK) 
• Julie Verhaar, UNICEF (Switzerland)
• Laura Iucci, UNHCR (Italy)
• Olav Bouman, Bouman Consulting GmbH (Germany)
• Douglas Tanton, CARE International (Canada)
• Sarah Scarth (South Africa)
• Kirsi Mettälä, Plan (Finland)
• Kristina Sparreljung, Swedish Heart And Lung Foundation (Sweden)
• Laura Boulton, the Resource Alliance (UK) 
• Neelam Makhijani, the Resource Alliance (UK).

As well as providing the best learning on fundraising to the non-profit sector, the IFC is also one of the principle sources of revenue for the Resource Alliance and is vital for financing the organisation’s other charitable activities around the world. When putting together the programme, the Advisory Panel are therefore motivated by two major concerns – to meet the needs of our audience and to put together a collection of speakers and sessions that assures relevance and enhances learning.

Proposals are sought for both Masterclasses and Workshops. However, as preparing and presenting a Masterclass is a substantial piece of work and in order to ensure high quality of Masterclasses, proposals to run these sessions are only sought from previous IFC speakers who are sent an invitation to submit a proposal by email.

The deadline for submitting Masterclass and Workshop proposals has now passed. Over the next few months, the Panel's role is to select the very best from the proposals received. Many applications to speak are received each year and unfortunately it is impossible to find a place for each suitable proposal due to the restrictions of the programme. On average, four proposals are received for each available Workshop slot in the programme, so although a proposal may be suitable, the IFC Advisory Panel needs to take other factors into consideration when making their choice. The two key areas to take into consideration are the overall balance of the programme and the quality of the speakers.

Balance of the programme

• The right balance of topics
  The programme is designed to ensure that the right number of sessions are run on each topic. More proposals are received in some subject areas than others, and we are always particularly interested in receiving proposals under the 'leading and managing' and 'fundraising from the few' tracks. While we’re committed to keep on delivering the best of what keeps delegates coming back each year, we’re also looking to keep the programme fresh. For 2013, we’re planning to build on the new perspectives theme introduced in 2012 and also to start looking more at the impact of fundraising.
• Increased digital content
  As digital plays an increasingly important role in the fundraising mix, we are encouraging all speakers to include at least one digital example in their sessions.
• The balance speaker profiles
  To promote diversity and new ideas and approaches, a mix of new and returning speakers is sought as well as a gender balance, mix of practitioners, consultants and corporates, and different geographical locations. With this in mind, we are actively looking for speakers outside the UK and USA, especially from fundraising practitioners.
• Resting policy
  To ensure that speakers are regularly rotated, please note that a revised resting policy for all volunteers has been introduced. All speakers are able to speak for a maximum of three years in a row before being rested for one year. This is applied to all session types, not just Masterclasses and Workshops. The full resting policy for volunteers can be downloaded here

Speaker criteria

• Proven expertise
  To be considered as an IFC speaker, you will need to demonstrate a proven track record of expertise in your chosen field as well as great presentational skills. Additional support can be provided for speakers who are less experienced in presenting in English. If you have presented at the IFC before, your previous scores will be taken into account by the Panel when reviewing your proposal. If you haven’t spoken at the IFC before, you can include evaluation scores from other events in your proposal and referees who are familiar with the IFC. The IFC’s reputation has been founded on the strength of our speakers and the quality of the presentations that they deliver so the Advisory Panel will take this information into account as well as your ideas for sessions.
• Have attended the IFC in the past
  In order to demonstrate your familiarity with the event and its unique audience we request that all speakers submitting proposals have attended the IFC in the past.

• Provide evidence of new content
  As many delegates return to the IFC year after year, it is important to ensure that they are exposed to new materials and ideas each year, which they would not have heard previously at the IFC.

Next steps

Successful applicants will be notified that their proposal has been accepted once the programme has been finalised in March 2013. If you do not hear from us by the end of April, this means that your proposal has not been accepted.

Due to the volume of proposals received, it is not always possible to provide detailed feedback on every proposal received.

Additional information

Support for new speakers

As part of the Resource Alliance’s commitment to our speakers, first time presenters at the Congress will be offered support to help them make the most speaking at the IFC, particularly if they are less experienced in addressing an international audience.

Co-speakers

Where the Advisory Panel thinks it would be beneficial to have two speakers appearing in a session, the main speaker should suggest a co-speaker for the panel to approve. Speakers can also propose to run a session with another speaker via the online proposal form. Please note that the aim of having more than one speaker in a session is to offer different perspectives, insights and examples on the same topic, therefore two speakers from the same agency should not speak together in the same session.

Terms and conditions

All IFC speakers are volunteers give their time free of charge. The Resource Alliance offers to refund the cost of economy travel to and from the conference for Masterclass and Workshop programme speakers but no speaking fees are paid out. Accommodation is also offered free of charge for speakers who present at least three times during the Congress.

Exact terms and conditions will be sent to successful speakers with their invitation to speak.

Contact

If you have any questions about speaking at the IFC, please contact Laura Boulton on +44 (0) 20 7065 0808 or by email at laura@resource-alliance.org  

Applying to speak at the IFC 2014 

Applications to speak at the IFC 2014 will be open in September 2013. Please check back on this page in September for more information.

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