The Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC) is accepting proposals to present at its one day Equitable Development Conference in November 2026. Our theme this year is Pivoting for Nonprofit Sustainability: Strength, Strategy & Survival in a Shifting Landscape. We are asking, what it takes to not just to survive, but to move our sector toward something stronger. More than 250 attendees are expected from neighborhoods throughout the city and region. 

Presentations can be in a workshop, round table discussion, seminar or other formats and are expected to be interactive and include participant engagement. All proposals must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Monday, August 10, 2026.

What we are looking for:

What’s straining your organization – or the sector – most right now? Where have you seen something work – a pivot, partnership or model that strengthened an org’s footing? We are in search of innovative, thought-provoking presentations that explore the complex issues facing non-profit organizations. We ask that presentations focus on concrete and effective solutions and pathways that non-profit organizations and their partners can realistically implement. We are seeking presentations that are interactive and engaging.

About the tracks:

Built to Last: Leadership, Succession & Staff Care

This track centers on the people inside our organizations and the strain they’re carrying. Committee members described real difficulty hiring, especially for executive roles, and weak succession planning that has shuttered otherwise strong nonprofits. It also names the human side, morale and burnout intensified by federal and economic pressure, and the work of developing and supporting internal leaders and building a pipeline of future staff.

Designing Sustainable Partnerships & Programs

This track reflects how organizations are working together to stay sustainable and extend their impact, across a spectrum from informal partnerships to fiscal sponsorship, shared services, and full mergers. This would include practical guidance on the trade-offs of each, plus attention to cross-sector models, data-sharing, managing friction, and program continuity — how institutional memory survives transitions, alongside funders’ appetite for visible collaborations.

Strengthening Operations, Shifting the System

This track pairs the day-to-day work of staying financially and operationally sound, the work of doing more with less, and the advocacy those pressures demand. Rising costs, compliance burdens, and city payment delays largely originate in public-sector decisions, so the track joins internal operational strategy with collective advocacy to change these conditions, from contracting reform to full-cost recovery.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact Alex Millard at amillard@pacdc.org.