To: [insert name]
From: [insert name]

Subject: bbcon 2024 – Great opportunity for our team

Dear [insert supervisor's name],

I’d like to get your approval to attend bbcon, Blackbaud’s major annual conference for its customer community, in Seattle from September 24–26. 

The event would be a win-win: My goal in attending is to make sure we’re getting the maximum value from our investment in Blackbaud software, plus attending would be a great professional development opportunity for me personally. 

Here are some ways [name of organization] would benefit from my attendance: 

  • Making the most of our Blackbaud investment: There are more than 150 breakout sessions for me to learn more about how to use our software. 
  • Growing our network: This is the largest gathering of Blackbaud customers in the world, so I’ll have the opportunity to build our network with peers from other organizations. 
  • Investigating opportunities for tech stack: The event also includes dozens of Blackbaud’s tech partners, so I’ll have the opportunity to explore any enhancements to our tech stack we should be thinking about. 

Here’s an approximate breakdown of the costs: 

  • Registration: [reference current pricing] 
  • Airfare: [insert] (Flights into Seattle in September are currently under $450 roundtrip, for more accurate costs try searching from your home airport) 
  • Hotel: $259-$335 per night (varies across hotel room blocks – check them out here) 
  • Any meals, not covered in conference pass: $100 (most meals are covered, except dinner) 
  • Total: [insert] 

After bbcon, I’ll submit a post-conference report with major takeaways and learnings so I can share everything I absorbed at the conference with other team members, and potentially the larger organization. 

Thank you for considering my request. Looking forward to your reply. 

[NAME]