# Political scientist & Harvard professor to open this year’s IFC

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/08/21/political-scientist-harvard-professor-to-open-this-years-ifc/
- Published: 2023-08-21T11:06:39+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**This year’s International Fundraising Congress will be opened by Erica Chenoweth,
an award-winning political scientist and Harvard professor whose research on nonviolent
civil resistance has influenced global movements such as the Extinction Rebellion.**

Chenoweth was also named as one of _Foreign Policy_‘s _Top 100 Global Thinkers_.

The keynote will offer an insight into Chenoweth’s research into the power held 
by the many, which finds civil disobedience to be the most powerful way to shape
global politics. Their work has shown that nonviolent protests are twice as likely
to succeed as armed conflicts, and that the movements that engage over 3.5% of a
population have never failed to create change: known as _the_ _3.5% rule_.

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Commenting on the opening keynote, Ruby Chadwick, Director of Programmes at the 
[Resource Alliance](https://www.resource-alliance.org/), said:

> “Our theme for IFC 2023 is _UNITE_. This year’s event is built around how we can–
> and must – come together in a world on fire, where war still rages, women are 
> still being stripped of their rights, and the few still have more than the many.
> We already know that the thing that delivers real change is people power, but 
> Erica Chenoweth’s work proves it.
>  
> “Throughout history, when ordinary people _UNITE _against those in power, they
> have achieved radical change. Ordinary people like those who come together for
> IFC every year, who spend their lives working to create change.”

The International Fundraising Congress returns to Noordwijkerhout in the Netherlands
this 17-20 October and will once again be presented in a hybrid format welcoming
delegates in person as well as online. [Early bird pricing](https://hopin.com/events/ifc-2023)
is available until 16 September.

 * **[Call issued for IFC 2025 masterclass speakers](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/11/07/call-issued-for-ifc-2025-masterclass-speakers/)**(
   7 November 2024)
 * **[Virtual lineup for International Fundraising Congress will be free to access](https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/09/17/virtual-lineup-for-international-fundraising-congress-will-be-free-to-access/)**(
   17 September 2025)
 * **[Resource Alliance invites speaker proposals for IFC 2026](https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/12/17/resource-alliance-invites-speaker-proposals-for-ifc-2026/)**(
   17 December 2025)