Important Notes

• Speakers should be available to deliver in person and be available during the full conference dates.
• All approved breakout session speakers will receive a free base conference pass. Vendors or Blackbaud Partners are not eligible.
• All approved speakers are responsible for arranging and paying for costs associated with their travel (airfare, hotel, registration, transportation, meals outside of those offered at conference).

Dates to Remember

• January 14 by 11:59 PM ET: Call for speaker abstracts due
• January-April: Abstract review
• April-May: Session notifications distributed
• End of May: Final program announced
• End of June: Session presentation decks (PPT) due
• July 15-17: Take the stage in Boston!

How to Submit a Proposal

Review the overview and requirements below and prepare your submission. To complete the process, you will need to provide the session information listed below.  

• Session Title (use title caps): Catchy titles are great, but clear descriptions avoid confusion and ensure people are in the right place when your session starts.
• Session Content Areas: Reference the grid below.
• Session Type/Format: Reference the grid below.
• Session Description: Limit the scope of your session. You may not be able to cover everything you’re passionate about in your session time (typically 30 minutes). Instead, pick a useful aspect or a specific best practice, or walk through a simple program.
• Learning Outcomes: Share 2–3 things that you expect attendees to take away from your session and be able to apply to their work. This provides more context for attendees, so they know what to expect. Based on attendee feedback, sessions that add value and provide best practices that the audience can take back to their office and apply immediately score high. Real-world scenarios with relevant examples are very well-received.
• Add additional speakers and supporting information. Make sure you have your bio and a headshot ready for when you submit your proposal. It’s vital to take the time to write your bio so we can understand who you are and what your experience is as we evaluate your session proposal.
• There are steps that allow you to select appropriate track, experience level, roles, and audiences that your session will target. Be thoughtful about what you select and do not simply select all of them as you want to ensure the session content will be relevant to the audience.

Session Information

We ask that you identify the primary content area that best fits your session topic:

All sessions are 45 minutes in length, unless otherwise noted. We suggest reserving 10-15 minutes for Q&A. We’re accepting proposals for the following types of sessions this year:

• Breakout Sessions [45 minutes]: More traditional conference-style presentation with a focus on sharing thought leadership, industry insights, and new prospective on innovation and emerging trends.
• Hands-on Workshops [60-90 minutes]: Interactive sessions where attendees build something—such as a campaign plan, dashboard, or training module. These are designed for practical application and skill-building.
• Panel Discussions [45-60 minutes]: Grab a group of peers and experts to share perspectives on a topic/theme and answer questions from our attendees (2-4 speakers).
• Master Classes [2-3 hours]: Advanced, deep-dive session designed to deepen attendees’ knowledge in a specific area. Best for experienced practitioners, decision-makers, or professionals seeking advanced learning and strategic takeaways. 
• Shop Talks [60 minutes]: Blackbaud product managers dive deeper into product innovation.
• Lightning Talks [5-10 minutes]: Short, high-impact presentations that spotlight a single idea or innovation. Great for showcasing quick wins or bold experiments.
• Leadership Summit [60 minutes]: Invite-only sessions for heads of school and senior leaders focused on strategy, culture, and innovation. These are designed for high-level visioning and peer exchange
• Roundtables [30-45 minutes]: Facilitated small-group discussions around shared challenges. These are ideal for networking and peer learning in areas like advancement, IT, or student data management.

Sessions for all experience levels are welcome. We ask that you designate the level of skill or experience your intended audience should have to get the most from your content.

• BASIC | 0–1 years of experience with the topic/product; looking for a basic introduction.
• INTERMEDIATE | 1–3 years of experience with the topic/product: comfortable with basic functions; looking for tips & tricks, ways to work smarter, not harder.
• ADVANCED | 3+ years of experience with the topic/product; well-versed in all functions‚ looking to learn complexities and new trends. This often includes deeper understanding of product behavior, optimizing workflows, etc.
• NOT APPLICABLE | Content is mostly informative and is of interest to any audience. This often includes thought leadership content and panel sessions, case studies, and roundtables.

Requirements

If your proposal is accepted, you’ll be expected to meet the program’s requirements, including the timely submission of session materials, recordings, and other resources, and attend speaker training and coordination sessions.

If accepted, you will be expected to:

• Produce a slide presentation (if applicable to your session type) that will be available on the K–12 UC 2026 (in PDF format) and support your session.
• Provide session resources that support topics you are covering. 
• Share your participation through social media channels.

Speakers must provide their own laptop for presenting onsite. 

Selection Process

Proposals go through an extensive review process. We consider how well proposals align with the specified industry topics, our audience, industry trends, best practices, the holistic bbcon experience, and how content will support year-round learning initiatives globally. We also balance new and experienced speakers to capture a range of voices.

Blackbaud values its partner ecosystem. The CFS is intended to elevate Blackbaud customers and is designed to gather the best customer stories for our participants. 

Partners may submit sessions on behalf of joint customers. Ensure to prioritize noteworthy customer stories and obtain permission from the proposed customer speaker before submitting. Partners may suggest secondary speakers from their company with justification outlining the benefits, however, speakers from the partner organization will not qualify for a free conference pass.  The content committee may request further details and has full discretion on session approvals.

Regardless of whether you're a technology or service provider within our Partner Network, sessions led by customers of our solutions have a higher acceptance rate by the committee. For a guaranteed speaking slot, partners should consider sponsoring.
 

Agreements

All approved speakers will be expected to sign a Speaker Agreement and Event Code of Conduct. Primary speakers are expected to ensure that all content aligns with your accepted proposal and communicate all relevant information to co-speakers and panelists.

As a speaker at a Blackbaud event, you grant Blackbaud a perpetual, unlimited, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to print, reprint, distribute, use, display, and redistribute all or any portion of the session’s materials. Full details are available in the Speaker Agreement once accepted.