Each year, Independent Sector invites the field to shape the national summit through a Call for Session Proposals. Independent Sector’s National Summit 2026 will bring together charitable sector professionals from October 13–16 at the Phoenix Convention Center under the theme The Future We Build Together.
Independent Sector’s National Summit is built on the belief that the sector’s most enduring solutions emerge from practitioners, researchers, advocates, and community leaders thinking and working in the same room, at the same time, with the same sense of urgency.
We welcome proposals from anyone whose work advances the four pillars that define a healthy charitable sector:
- Thriving Workforce
- Financially Robust
- Trusted & Well-Governed
- Active Advocates
Our work is grounded in a conviction that nonprofits and philanthropy are more impactful when we unite around our shared desire to serve and strengthen our communities.
If you have expertise, tools, or practice-tested approaches to move the sector forward, we want to hear from you.
Why Present at the Summit?
* Join a distinguished community of thought leaders driving sector transformation.
* Share your expertise with an engaged audience of decision-makers.
* Contribute to strengthening sector-wide capacity and knowledge.
* Network with peers and potential collaborators.
* Receive special recognition and speaker rates to the summit.
Summit Tracks
We seek session proposals on a range of areas that strengthen the collective power of nonprofits, philanthropy, and social impact organizations and advance the health of the charitable sector. Session topics should relate to one of the four below tracks:
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Thriving Workforce:
The charitable sector — nonprofits, philanthropy, and social impact organizations — depends on a workforce that is equitable, well-supported, and representative of the communities it serves. This requires fair wages, clear pathways for advancement, and workplace cultures that prevent burnout and financial hardship. Sustaining this workforce also demands investment in the people who power the sector, including strong talent pipelines, leadership opportunities, and workplace practices that reflect diverse perspectives and lived experience.
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Financially Robust:
Charitable sector organizations must maintain diversified funding, adequate reserves, and adaptive financial strategies to withstand economic disruptions while continuing to serve communities. Financial resilience is not only about survival — it enables nonprofits to advance their missions and philanthropy to sustain commitments to equity, innovation, and long-term impact. Achieving this requires proactive risk management, scenario planning, and funding practices that support true-cost recovery and equitable resource allocation.
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Trusted & Well-Governed:
The charitable sector must be accountable, transparent, and governed by diverse, representative boards and leadership structures that build trust and legitimacy. Nonprofits must demonstrate strong governance, clear communication, and measurable impact. Philanthropy must model transparency in funding decisions, remain accountable to communities, and ensure grantmaking practices reinforce equity and legitimacy. Across the sector, organizations must sustain public trust through governance and transparency that go beyond basic compliance.
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Active Advocates:
The charitable sector must be empowered to engage in advocacy and civic participation so its collective voice helps shape the laws and systems that affect communities. Nonprofits must build the skills and capacity to advocate effectively, while philanthropy must resource advocacy, support responsible risk-taking, and use its influence to protect civic space. Advocacy is essential to defending democracy, advancing equity, and enabling the sector to fulfill its mission.
Guiding Principles
Sessions at the 2026 summit must do more than inform — they must equip. We are looking for proposals that meet practitioners where the work is hard: navigating funding disruption, rebuilding institutional trust, developing the next generation of sector leadership, and making the case for the charitable sector’s value in a skeptical political environment.
Strong proposals are built around honest exchange. They center the expertise in the room, transfer tools that participants can implement in their organizations, and treat equity as a design requirement.
We prioritize sessions that reflect the full range of the sector: diverse organizational sizes, geographies, communities served, and leadership backgrounds. The most valuable sessions at this summit will come from practitioners who have tested what they are teaching.
