We celebrate achievements, we share best practices, we replicate and adapt successful programs. But let’s be real-- oftentimes, our proudest accomplishments, greatest innovations, and most effective programming result from trial and error, from continuous improvement, and, whether we care to admit it or not, from flat out failure!

When this happens, we’ve chosen not to shut down, not to give up, and not to forget the experience. We don’t take the easy way out. Instead, we embrace the mistake, we analyze it, we learn from it.

We think it’s time to recognize those failures and setbacks – and our perseverance to them.

In this Fail Fest, we’ll hear from organizations/individuals (lightning talk-style) that have experienced a major failure and then we’ll vote on the most epic fail. Following the vote for “Best Failure,” we’ll have an open forum discussion with space for you to share your own stories about failure, trade tips for transforming mistakes into successes, and celebrate setbacks.

Answer the questions below about your failure - and the silver lining - and be in the running to present during the Fail Fest. 

Submissions due 12pm EST on Nov. 19.

Question Title

* 1. Your name

Question Title

* 2. Your organization

Question Title

* 3. Your email address

Question Title

* 4. The Name: If you could give your failure a catchy name, what would it be? (this will be used in the promotions for and announcements about the Fail Fest)

Question Title

* 5. The What: (100 words max) High level description of what happened.

Question Title

* 6. The Backstory: (100 words max) What factors contributed to the failure?

Question Title

* 7. The Fallout: (100 words max) What was the reaction? What were the effects?

Question Title

* 8. The Silver Lining: (100 words max) What steps were taken to mitigate the effects? What did you learn from it? What would you do differently? Was there a silver lining?

Question Title

* 9. The new reality: What do you do differently now? Did the failure lead to a new program or practice for you/your organization?

Question Title

* 10. Anything else we should know?

Thank you! We'll contact you in mid-November on the status of your submission.

Register here for the Fail Fest on Dec. 5: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/18c1b027826d93ff7510d14dfea9e911

T