Philanthropy Summit

The Philanthropy Summit is a full-day gathering brought to you by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. Our goal is to inspire generosity, share practical knowledge about effective social impact, and spark collaboration among people and organizations working toward a more just and vibrant Sacramento region.

The Philanthropy Summit takes place Tuesday, September 15, at Cal Expo in Sacramento, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Our primary audiences are:

• Local donors and philanthropists who care about the Sacramento region and want to give with more purpose and impact
• Nonprofit professionals, including staff and board members from organizations across the region

We also welcome professional advisors (accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, and consultants), business leaders, government officials, community members, media, and teams from fellow community foundations.

The full day runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and includes a keynote speaker, three blocks of concurrent education sessions, lunch, and a closing reception. Education sessions take place between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Selected speakers are warmly invited to join us for the entire day, not just their session.

We’re looking for workshops and panels that educate, engage, and inspire action on topics relevant to philanthropy and social impact.

We welcome sessions pitched at a range of levels, from accessible introductions to topics to more advanced content for experienced practitioners. Because we expect to receive more proposals focused on nonprofit professionals, we’re especially eager to hear ideas that would resonate with donors.

Past attendees have requested content on topics including:

• Financial resilience and sustainable program funding
• Mergers and strategic collaboration
• Power dynamics in philanthropy
• Legal considerations for nonprofits
• Organizational effectiveness and culture
• Cross-sector collaboration
• Corporate giving (e.g., panel of corporate givers, corporate giving fundraising strategies)
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion in philanthropy
• Engaging new philanthropists
• Planned giving
• Tax law and charitable giving (e.g., review of tax law changes)

That said, we welcome proposals on any topic you think could be compelling and relevant. Don’t feel limited by this list.

Each session is 55 minutes long. That time should include your presentation plus meaningful Q&A or audience interaction, not just a few minutes at the end.

We’re open to different formats. Most sessions will be workshops, typically facilitated by a single speaker. We expect to select no more than three panels, total. If you have a creative format in mind, feel free to propose it, though please note that room layout may limit certain configurations.

We’ll select nine sessions total. The day includes three education blocks, with three sessions running concurrently in each block. We aim to serve the full range of our audience across the day, so we’ll look for a mix of topics and experience levels as we make selections.

We invite proposals from a wide range of subject matter experts, including nonprofit leaders, consultants and professional advisors, professors and researchers, authors, and others who have a perspective that could help drive social impact in our region.

Yes. Panels may include up to three speakers and one moderator (if the moderator is a separate role from the speakers). The person who submits the proposal will serve as our primary point of contact and will be responsible for coordinating with co-presenters to ensure we receive bios, slides, and any other materials on time.

If your session is selected, we’ll ask you to:

• Quickly confirm your acceptance (we’ll need a fast turnaround)
• Confirm your session title and a brief description
• Sign a speaker agreement
• Submit any session materials (such as slide decks) in early to mid-August
• Join a speaker preparation call in early September

We’ll also warmly encourage you to join us for the full day on September 15.

This is not a paid engagement. Selected speakers will receive a complimentary ticket to the full event and the opportunity to direct a $100 donation to the nonprofit of their choice.

• Monday, June 8: Proposal deadline (RFP closes)
• Late June: Selected speakers notified; confirmations and speaker agreements due (quick turnaround required)
• Early July: Sessions announced; ticket sales open to the public
• Early–mid August: Session materials (e.g., slide decks) due
• Early September: Speaker preparation call
• Tuesday, September 15: Philanthropy Summit at Cal Expo