2026 National Meeting: Call for Session Proposals

About the National Meeting
The Global Ties U.S. National Meeting is the premier gathering for exchange professionals. Our conference aims to involve participants with the latest research, best practices and lessons learned, nonprofit management skills, and more. The National Meeting Planning Committee, made up of representatives from Global Ties U.S. member organizations and the U.S. Department of State, seeks proposals that will inform and inspire meeting attendees.

This year, in response to participant feedback for more in depth engagement, we are looking to run at least 4 workshop-style sessions (~2.5 hours) and up to 13 panel or think-tank style sessions (~75 minutes), in addition to the 6 Regional Briefings and 3 thematic sessions run by the U.S. Department of State. Ideas for Flash Chat sessions may be combined into one 75 minute session.

Selection Criteria
Content for sessions should be grounded in theory, research, or proven best practices, and should be relevant to participants' work in international exchange and grassroots nonprofit leadership. Most importantly, all proposals should be audience-focused and should maximize meaningful engagement with the content through activities and discussion.

In particular, the committee will pay close attention to proposals that feature the following factors:

• Content is applicable to a range of attendees, including different experience levels, different professional responsibilities, and different organization types.

• Clearly articulated learning objectives with content that appeals to a variety of learning styles.

• Reflect current work and new perspectives that highlight challenges and successes in international exchange and the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).

• Demonstrates cutting edge innovations that spark new ideas and provoke discussion.

• Maximizes time to allow for participants to digest new content, engage with content through interactive exercises, explore applications, and dive deeper into content through questions.

• Highlights impact and creativity within exchange programs to demonstrate effectiveness in promoting a more peaceful, prosperous world.

• Geared toward adult learners in both content and presentation style

All proposals are welcome, however topics of particular interest (in no particular order) include:

• IVLP programming best practices
• emergency/contingency planning
• alumni engagement; proposal writing
• nonprofit management
• procurement
• strategic board management
• leadership skills
• ​​​​​​​fundraising
• building strategic partnerships (incl. with municipal governments) and external relations​​​​​​​
• programming complementary exchanges (IVLP and fee for service opportunities)

Proposals should include appropriate plans to engage with the experience and expertise available in the audience, and should contribute to the start of an ongoing exploration of the topic, either through networks built during the session or workshop, or on an individual participant's own time.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to collaborate with colleagues in the Global Ties Network to develop proposals. Please do NOT yet secure a commitment from potential speakers/panelists. However, it is OK to tentatively check availability. We’d like to hear from many voices from the Network and will work with you to identify individuals who are best suited to be a presenter/speaker/moderator for your session. Please note that honoraria or travel costs along with conference registration costs are not covered for any speakers/presenters. Incomplete proposals will not be accepted nor considered.

The National Meeting is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by Global Ties U.S.

If you have any questions, contact Global Ties U.S. at NationalMeeting@GlobalTiesUS.org

Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. ET Monday, June 23, 2025.