The concurrent sessions at the NCCEP/GEAR UP Annual Conference are the backbone of the event. They provide vital learning and professional development opportunities for college access professionals across the country. GEAR UP is a community of practice and it requires constant learning from one another, so we encourage everyone to submit a proposal to present. I have learned a lot in my three years managing the proposal process, and I want to share some meaningful tips with you on how to submit a successful proposal.

Tip #1: Explain why your topic is relevant.

Provide a clear rationale. NCCEP seeks session topics relevant to GEAR UP staff, students, and systems that help GEAR UP to fulfill its mission – increasing the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Perhaps you have evidence-based best practices to share or a newly implemented program or tool for dissemination or that can be replicated. Whatever the topic, in your proposal provide a clear rationale for why the topic is important and relevant to the GEAR UP community.

Tip #2: Make your title and description clear and enticing.

Attendees won’t know how awesome your session is unless you tell them. Make your title exciting and explicitly communicate your session topic. Your abstract should precisely convey the following:

• What your session will accomplish 
• The presentation format and engagement style that will be used
• Why conference attendees should attend your session
• Which conference attendees should attend this session (is it for evaluators, site coordinators, directors, etc.?) 

Tip #3: Diversify your speaker list.

The best proposals include a diverse group of speakers who have distinct titles and roles, backgrounds, and levels of experience. That is not to say that you should exceed the number of allowable speakers (max. 5 per session) but be mindful that having different perspectives will attract a large and diverse set of attendees.

Tip #4: Review our RFP how-to-guide and submission guidelines.

The NCCEP how-to guide provides insights into the proposal selection process and has many other tips on how to submit a successful proposal. Be sure to also review the submission guidelines to identify the specific criteria required for a proposal to be considered.

Tip #5: Proofread your proposal.

This is perhaps the most important tip of all. Proposals should be error-free and grammatically correct. Remember to proofread your entire proposal before submitting. 

With these tips, you are well on your way to submitting a successful proposal and being selected to provide valuable knowledge to your fellow colleagues. Good luck and don’t hesitate to reach out to rfp_proposals@edpartnerships.org if you have any questions.