The IMPACT National Conference is planned by volunteers who apply to be a part of the behind-the-scenes action. Conference logistics and promotions are primarily carried out each year by the National Conference Planning Committee, with additional support by the host campus and the IMPACT Board of Directors.
National Planning Committee Roles and Responsibilities
Why should I get involved?
- Be part of the largest gathering of campus community members involved in community service, service-learning, activism, advocacy, and other forms of civic engagement
- Help to improve and enhance the conference
- Work with other campus administrators, student leaders, and non-profit professionals
- Gain valuable skills and experience about various aspects of conference planning
- Earn complimentary registration and potential travel stipends in exchange for dedication and commitment to the work of the Planning Committee
- Have fun!
Applications for the 2025 planning committee have now ended. Thank you to all who applied!
Tell me more about the conference!
The IMPACT Conference is historically the largest annual conference focused on the civic engagement of college students in community service, service-learning, community-based research, advocacy, and other forms of social action. Building on the rich 30-year tradition of the COOL Conference and the Idealist Campus Conference, IMPACT is the one time during the year when students, administrators, faculty, AmeriCorps members and VISTAs, and non-profit professionals gather together to learn and share effective practices, improve personal skills and organizational strategies, discover opportunities and resources, exchange stories, be inspired and challenged to sustain our efforts.
Conference Co-Coordinators
Karen Wong (she/they) and Caitlin Silver Negrón (she/her)
The IMPACT Conference Co-Coordinators are responsible for managing the planning and logistics throughout the year. They oversee a 19 person planning committee composed of the following committees:
Conference Planning Subcommittees
Subcommittees are the heart of planning for the conference, and subcommittee members pull a lot of the planning weight. We are looking for members of many different subcommittees, each with different levels of involvement and commitment.
Keynote Committee
Committee Chair: Meg Evans (they/them)
- Conduct outreach to potential keynote speakers and panelists
- Select keynote and panel speakers in alignment with conference mission
- Solidify keynote and panel speaker contracts and travel plans (if applicable)
- Support keynote speakers pre-conference in developing an engaging address in alignment with conference values
Outreach Committee
Committee Chair: Naomi Weiss (she/her)
- Create and implement overall conference outreach plan
- Promote various aspects of conference involvement, including workshop presentation opportunities, registration for pre-conference and social events, and sponsorship options
- Manage IMPACT Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube platform
- Conduct email campaigns to promote conference registration
Pre-Conference & Social Events
Committee Chair: Kaylynn Hill (she/Kaylynn)
- Organize pre-conference activities, potentially including discussion groups and service projects
- Coordinate affinity spaces during the conference
- Plan and facilitate evening social activities
- Identify campus activities for attendees to participate in outside of conference programming in coordination with host campus staff
Sponsorship Committee
Committee Chair: Jes Davis (she/her)
- Develop and implement sponsorship strategy
- Maintain relationships with past and potential future conference sponsors
- Coordinate Administrator/Exhibitor Networking Reception and Opportunities Fair events
- Organize and oversee collection of all sponsor material
Workshops Committee
Committee Chair: Christopher Lipari Pazienza (he/him)
- Develop workshop submission materials and set application, review, and acceptance timeline
- Prepare workshop presenters for conference presentation through pre-conference support and resource provision
- Build workshop schedule, arrange room assignments, and manage theme tags
- Train IMPACT planning committee and board members to provide in-session support during workshop sessions
What do you expect of me?
- Contribute to the planning of the IMPACT Conference in your respective role/committee
- Attend scheduled conference calls (note: schedule of calls will be determined by Chairs and the Coordinators, we do our best to vary the day of week and time of day, but due to the nature of members who make up our full planning committee, we often have calls that start no earlier than 7pm EST to accommodate members who might have evening classes or live on the west coast) – things come up, which we understand, but serving on the Planning Committee requires attending 80% of call
- Each subcommittee will vary in their “busy” times, but it will be common to have at least a bi-weekly call with your subcommittee (determined by your subcommittees availability) and a monthly call with the full planning committee (determined by the best time for the majority of the full planning committee)
- Respond to all correspondence in a timely manner and consistently communicate project progress through email and conference call attendance
- Remain open, flexible, and enthusiastic about the dynamic nature of this event
- Seek out opportunities to enrich the conference agenda and approach tasks creatively
- Openly and honestly share any personal or professional challenges experienced as part of this committee
- Maintain a sense of humor, even when things get stressful, and a willingness to have lots of fun!
- Attend the Conference (arrive early for planning if able)