Submitting a session proposal for Apra PD 2026 is more than a formality. It’s an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the profession of prospect development and to shape the conversations that will define the field in the year ahead. The most compelling proposals do more than describe a topic. They clearly articulate why the session matters, whom it serves, and how it will help attendees navigate today’s fundraising realities.
If you’re considering submitting a proposal, the following guidance and tips from Amy Carrier, a former Apra CPC Chair and past presenter, will help you craft an abstract that resonates with reviewers and lays the foundation for a strong, engaging session.
Start with “Why This, Why Now?”
One of the most important questions to answer—both for yourself and for reviewers—is why your topic is timely. Philanthropy and prospect development are evolving rapidly, shaped by changing donor behavior, increasing expectations, new technologies, and persistent capacity constraints. Strong abstracts are grounded in this reality.
Focus on the challenges the prospect development community is currently facing. What tensions are you navigating in your work? What problems are you actively trying to solve, or have you solved? An effective abstract makes it clear that the session is responding to the current moment, not simply revisiting familiar ground.
When reviewers can immediately see how your topic connects to today’s environment, your proposal stands out as relevant and necessary.
Show Prospect Development as a Strategic Partner
The most impactful proposals frame prospect development not just as a technical function, but as a strategic partner within the organization. Whether your topic focuses on research, data, analytics, portfolio management, collaboration, or emerging tools like AI, your abstract should demonstrate how prospect development influences decision-making and shapes outcomes.
Rather than simply describing what your team did, explain why certain choices were made, what trade-offs were considered, and how prospect development informed broader advancement strategy. This elevates a proposal from a tactical case study to a strategic conversation—one that speaks to the leadership role that prospect development professionals play.
Reviewers respond positively to proposals that help attendees see prospect development as a driver of insight, alignment, and impact.
Bring Your Real Experience—Including the Messy Parts
You do not need a perfectly polished success story to submit a strong abstract. In fact, some of the most valuable sessions are rooted in honest reflection. Sharing what didn’t work, what surprised you, and what you learned along the way can be just as powerful as highlighting successes.
If your proposal includes lessons learned, course corrections, or unfinished work, that’s a strength—not a liability. Abstracts that acknowledge complexity and uncertainty often resonate more deeply because they reflect the real-world conditions attendees recognize from their own roles.
If you’ve been doing the work, you have insight to share. Reviewers value authenticity and thoughtful reflection over perfection.
Be Clear About Your Target Audience
Apra PD attracts a diverse audience: professionals from small shops and large institutions, as well as from higher education, healthcare, arts and culture, social services, and beyond. A strong abstract helps reviewers understand whom the session is for—and how its ideas can be applied across different contexts.
Your proposal does not need to be relevant to everyone. However, it should clearly articulate its intended audience and explain how attendees might adapt the ideas to their own environments. Consider:
The strongest abstracts help a wide range of attendees see themselves in the room, even if the session is rooted in a highly specific context.
Focus on Takeaways, Not Just Content
Remember the days of secondary schooling, when the teacher would write the learning objective of the lesson, “The student will be able to…”? As with school days, your abstract should also include a participant learning objective.
Reviewers are looking for sessions that attendees can use—not just sessions that inform. As you write your abstract, think about what participants will walk away with. Will they gain a framework, a set of guiding questions, a new way of thinking, or a practical approach they can test back at their organization?
Your abstract doesn’t need to promise a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, emphasize adaptability. Sessions that offer ideas attendees can tailor to their own challenges tend to leave the strongest impression and are more likely to be remembered long after the conference ends.
A helpful way to test your abstract is to ask: If someone leaves this session with just one idea, what do I hope it will be?
Align with Apra PD’s Focus Areas
Apra PD sessions span a wide range of topics, including prospect research, relationship management, data science, leadership, collaboration, analytics, and emerging trends. As you craft your abstract, consider how your proposal fits within these broader focus areas and contributes to advancing the profession. Review Apra’s Body of Knowledge for definitions on each focus area.
You might explore current challenges, future planning, cross-functional collaboration, pipeline development, ethical use of data, impact measurement, or evolving donor engagement strategies. What matters most is clarity. Help reviewers understand how your session adds to the collective knowledge and conversations within prospect development.
Pay Attention to the Details
Finally, be sure to follow the submission instructions carefully. Complete all required fields, adhere to deadlines, and review your abstract for clarity and thoroughness. A thoughtful idea can be undermined by an incomplete or unclear submission.
Remember that your abstract is often the only information reviewers have when evaluating your proposal. Treat it as both an invitation and a preview of the experience you want to create for attendees.
Final Encouragement
Submitting a proposal for Apra PD 2026 is an opportunity to share your perspective, contribute to the profession, help shape conversations that advance prospect development, and be recognized for your accomplishments. Whether you’re early in your career or a seasoned practitioner, your experience has value. Reviewers prefer presentations from speakers with diverse fundraising roles and varied experience levels in prospect development. As the theme of Apra PD 2026 states, there is “Power in Perspective.”
If you can clearly articulate why your topic matters, ground it in real-world challenges, and show how others can learn from your experience, you’re well on your way to submitting an excellent abstract.
Submissions are open now through February 13. Click here for more details. The Apra CPC looks forward to reviewing your abstract and your vision of “Power in Perspective.”
Aisha Maddox
Chair, Apra Conference Planning Committee (CPC)
Aisha Maddox serves as Chair of Apra’s CPC and is Director of Research and Relationship Management at Rollins College.