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. 

[If selecting all-access, include below justification]
Additionally, as part of the all-access conference pass, I’ll have access to a full day of hands-on learning to help build my skills and expertise in [specify products], most of which offer credits towards my continuing professional education [insert based on the sessions you select: NASBA CPE or CFRE]. These workshops are small-setting classroom-style sessions that give me an opportunity to learn first-hand from Blackbaud University instructors and peers from organizations just like ours.

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]