Learn to create environments that support all children in engaging thoughtfully through room layout and design by understanding how a student’s physical surroundings impact their ability to function, learn, and thrive at school. Students who learn in a predictable, safe, and purposeful environment are able to spend more of their energy on the content and less on navigating their space.

Dig deeper into the Catalyst Whole Group Leadership foundation skills as well as additional strategies and refinements to impact the learning in your classroom even more. Collaborate and practice with other educators who are committed to preserving relationships, increasing engagement, and have more curriculum time for their students.

At the core of strong classroom management is how the adults manage themselves. In this class, participants learn strategies (based on observations and field-testing in more than 50,000 classrooms) that allow them to strengthen relationships, increase equity, reduce frustration, and foster independence in the classroom.

The Minnesota Service Cooperatives have collaborated to bring you a virtual, asynchronous option to meeting your Cultural Competency licensure requirement. This course provides video learning, personal reflection time, an opportunity to hear from educators in the field, and many additional resources to explore as you continue your journey to be an even more culturally competent educator.

EcoTime 2.0: Where Outdoor Learning Meets 3-Dimensional Teaching 

This interactive session introduces teachers to life science lessons that encourage outdoor learning while incorporating the use of science journals. Teachers will participate in lessons that: build community and engagement in science concepts; promote investigation, analysis, and interpretation of data; and extend science instruction to language arts, math, art, and engineering. Teachers will receive a copy of EcoTime 2.0, which includes 120 lessons that focus on the 3-dimensions of science instruction emphasized in the new science standards, and learn about opportunities for free workshops at their schools. Participants will learn through experience, so come prepared to go outdoors!

This event is offered in partnership with the Initiative Foundation.

Are you ready to strengthen your nonprofit’s fundraising game? Whether you’re new to fundraising or looking to refine your approach, in this interactive workshop Janet Cobb will guide you through the essential building blocks of a strong, sustainable development strategy.

What You’ll Learn:

• Put Your Policies and Processes in Place—Set the foundation for ethical, effective fundraising.


• Craft a Strong Case for Support—Inspire donors with a compelling story and clear impact.


• Get It on Your Calendar—Plan and prioritize your fundraising activities for success.


• Know Your Numbers—Gain confidence in your financials and fundraising metrics.


• Get Your Board on Board—Engage your board as fundraising champions.

Key Takeaways:

• Fundraising Policies & Processes Checklist—A ready-to-use framework to ensure your nonprofit’s fundraising is ethical, legal, and effective.


• Case for Support Template—A structured document to help you craft a compelling, donor-focused case for funding.


• Fundraising Action Plan & Calendar—A customizable template to help you plan, track, and execute your fundraising activities with clarity and confidence.

This hands-on session is designed for nonprofit leaders, development professionals, and board members who want to build confidence, clarity, and consistency in fundraising.

Take the next step toward sustainable growth and lasting impact!

Sourcewell strives to bring the highest-quality resources, information, and training opportunities to our members. We’re honored to team up with the Initiative Foundation to bring this opportunity to our central Minnesota region.   

This event is offered in partnership with the Initiative Foundation.

Fundraising events are more than just a means to bring in immediate dollars—they are key moments to cultivate individual donors, engage corporate partners, and build long-term financial sustainability. Too often, nonprofits see events as an isolated fundraiser, missing opportunities to maximize revenue, deepen donor relationships, and secure lasting corporate sponsorships.

This six-hour interactive workshop, led by Janet Cobb, a seasoned nonprofit strategist and fundraising coach, will show you how to make your events work smarter—creating profit while serving as a catalyst for ongoing donor and corporate engagement.

Key Takeaways

• Designing Events That Drive Revenue and Relationships:
  
  
  
  • Develop events that balance profitability with donor cultivation, ensuring that ticket buyers and attendees stay engaged beyond the event.
  
  
  • Learn budgeting and planning strategies to maximize your net revenue while creating an experience that strengthens donor and sponsor connections.
  
  
  
  


• Corporate Partnerships That Extend Beyond the Event: 
  
  
  
  • Learn how to position your nonprofit as a valuable partner that corporations want to invest in—not just for a one-time sponsorship, but for long-term collaboration.
  
  
  • Understand what companies seek from nonprofit partnerships and how to craft compelling sponsorship packages that align with corporate goals and community impact.
  
  
  
  


• Using Events to Cultivate Individual Donors for Long-term Support:
  
  
  
  • Move beyond “just an event” by using it as a springboard for deeper donor relationships.
  
  
  • Learn strategies for effective follow-up, donor segmentation, and post-event engagement to convert attendees into long-term supporters, monthly donors and major gift prospects.
  
  
  
  

You will leave the workshop with an ROI calculator, corporate partnership communications templates and an event follow-up calendar template.

Sourcewell strives to bring the highest-quality resources, information, and training opportunities to our members. We’re honored to team up with the Initiative Foundation to bring this opportunity to our central Minnesota region.   

This event is offered in partnership with the Initiative Foundation.
Minnesota’s Give to the Max Day on Nov. 20, 2025, is a prime opportunity to engage donors, inspire giving, and build momentum for a strong year-end finish. But how do you ensure that your nonprofit stands out in a crowded field of organizations vying for attention? And how do you transition Give to the Max Day donors into long-term supporters, rather than just one-time givers?

This 6-hour interactive workshop will equip you with practical strategies to maximize Give to the Max Day results while integrating it into a powerful year-end fundraising plan. Led by Janet Cobb, a seasoned nonprofit strategist and fundraising coach, this session will help you navigate timing, messaging, donor engagement, and revenue planning—so you can turn Give to the Max Day into a launchpad for long-term financial health.

Key Takeaways:

• Crafting a standout Give to the Max Day campaign:
  
  
  
  • Learn what motivates donors on giving days and how to craft compelling messaging that inspires action.
  
  
  • Master the art of donor segmentation—tailoring asks to new, recurring and major gift prospects.
  
  
  • Get tools to amplify your reach through peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate matches, and social media strategies.
  
  
  
  


• Bridging the Gap Between Giving Day and Year-End Fundraising:
  
  
  
  • Develop a seamless follow-up and stewardship plan to turn one-time donors into ongoing supporters.
  
  
  • Understand the psychology of year-end giving and how to use momentum from Give to the Max Day to maximize holiday giving.
  
  
  • Learn how to align Giving Day efforts with your larger fundraising goals and integrate it into your year-round donor engagement strategy.
  
  
  
  


• Managing the Financial Ebbs & Flows of Year-End Fundraising:
  
  
  
  • Address the challenge of calendar-year donations vs. budget-year planning and how to manage fluctuating revenue.
  
  
  • Explore tools for cash flow management, reserve planning, and donor retention to create a more sustainable funding model.
  
  
  • Learn how to use year-end giving data to refine your fundraising approach for the coming year.
  
  
  
  

You’ll leave the workshop with templates for communicating effectively leading up to Give to the Max Day and through year-end, and a plan for creating a sustainable funding model.

Sourcewell strives to bring the highest-quality resources, information, and training opportunities to our members. We’re honored to team up with the Initiative Foundation to bring this opportunity to our central Minnesota region. 

Get equipped to use FastBridge interventions tailored to meet students' instructional needs. Interventions for early reading, independent reading, foundational math, applied and advanced math, and behavior will be explored.

Take a deep dive into FastBridge reports. Explore popular reports such as the Group Screening Report, Screening to Intervention Report, Progress Monitoring Report, and Group Growth Report alongside an experienced and knowledgeable FastBridge trainer. Questions about best practice uses of any and all FastBridge reports will be addressed.