For social entrepreneurs, attending conferences is important, stimulating, and just plain fun. You get to network with like minded and passionate young professionals, be inspired by visionaries, and learn from experts. With the growth of the social sector, there has been a corresponding growth in conferences. How does one identify the right conferences to attend given limited budget and time? Below we have listed some of our favorite conferences with their areas of focus. We have chosen conferences with a broad cost range to try and fit every budget.  

Skoll World Forum

This forum, held annually in Oxford, England, is celebrating its 20th year this year. The conference brings together a growing network of social entrepreneurs, business, and civil leaders to discuss social and environmental interventions and impact. They have over 100 speakers annually, and thousands of participants that are all actively participating in some form of social impact creation. This conference is priced on a multiple-tiered scale that is dependent on the type of organization an individual works with. This year, online participation is free, and more information on registration will be available in 2023. This year’s event dates are April 12th – 14th, 2023.

SOCAP

This yearly conference is held in the fall in San Francisco, CA by Social Capital Markets. The event brings together impact investors and social entrepreneurs, drawing thousands of attendees from over 70 countries. Participants discuss new developments and successes in impact investing and market based solutions to social problems around the world; this is a great opportunity for social entrepreneurs to attract funding and broaden their networks. With hundreds of speakers each year, a wide range of topics are covered, including climate action, social justice, and sustainable development. This conference is pricey at around $1,700 for individual attendees, but if you are actively seeking investment, the exposure you would gain could make it worthwhile.

Sankalp Global Summit

This conference, hosted by Intellecap, takes place virtually every fall, and is centered around achieving the UN SDGs by 2030 through development, entrepreneurship, and innovation. There are over 2,000 participants with over 160 speakers from over 100 countries, showing the truly global focus of this event. The three day conference includes a vast variety of sessions, and also has workshops, masterclasses, interactive Fireside Chats, and many more interactive features. It also has an advanced virtual networking platform to ensure participants make meaningful connections. It is free to join, and the dates for 2023 have yet to be announced, so watch for updates here.

Salesforce Nonprofit Summit

This conference, hosted by Salesforce, is a truly global experience that is entirely virtual. The conference caters to different stages of growth in an organization, from management, growth, increasing sales, data management, and more. Resources that are used for each of the different tracks are open source and available on their website. Registration is not yet open this year, but be sure to keep an eye out for updates.

Generosity Xchange

This conference, hosted by Neon One, is held virtually over two days, and focuses on professional development within the nonprofit sector. It includes many ways for the virtual participants to get involved, including Q&A sessions, live chats, small group discussions and coaching sessions. This conference is free for general admission, and $199 for premium tickets. The dates for the 2023 conference are not solidified yet, so be sure to check their website for updates.

Cause Camp

Cause Camp, hosted in Ohio and virtually September 14th – 15th 2023, is a smaller conference with a few hundred attendees. With a lineup of nonprofit leaders speaking and hosting breakout sessions, this informative and intimate conference is a good place to learn, problem solve, and network. For 2023, the theme of the conference is “Lessons in Building Momentum”, and the goal is to inspire leaders and provide them with solutions that they can take back to their organizations. This conference is more affordable to attend in person, with early bird tickets on sale currently for $325.

Attending one or more of these conferences, whether virtually or in person, is sure to inspire new ways of thinking and problem solving and expand one’s network, which often translates to expanding impact through collaboration. Have you attended any of these conferences before? If so, let us know what you thought in the comment section below!