Print pageWe’ve been mindful about including expert instruction and peer learning in the NeighborWorks Training Institute. But networking informally with colleagues, and focusing on personal growth, is also important and having a relaxed and positive mindset will help facilitate your learning all around! Check out the fun and impactful activities and power sessions we’ve built into the time slots around course offerings. Be sure to add these activities to your schedule as time permits. We will be adding new activities, so check back regularly to the event platform site to sign up.
Welcome to the Event! Badge pick-up and Meet our Team
Sun. Aug. 9, 3-6 p.m.
Join us for a smooth and welcoming event check-in experience by picking up your name badge early, mingling with other early arrivals, and learn about NeighborWorks Professional Learning offerings by meeting our curriculum and online learning instructional team. First time at the NTI? Be sure to stop by our information tables, introduce yourself, and pick up a special first-timers gift.
Want to personalize your event name badge? Stop by the badge decoration station
Opening Plenary
Mon. Aug. 10, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
An opportunity to come together with colleagues from throughout the country, network, and enjoy lunch.
Walking Challenge
Monday activities: Aug. 10
Monday - Thursday, self-led
The NTI walking challenge is a friendly 3-day competition that involves tracking steps taken during the NTI for prizes and bragging rights. Participants use a personal fitness tracker (e.g., Fitbit or a smartwatch) and/or a free downloadable app, such as Fitbit or Map My Walk, to track their steps each day during the event. Earn additional points by participating in the daily discussion board challenges or other event engagement activities at the NTI. To report steps, participants will send a picture of their step tracker to the designated email address by the end of each day or no later than 9:00 a.m. the following morning. Rankings for daily challenges and accumulated steps will be shared by noon each day, with an overall winner announced on Thursday. Prizes will be distributed onsite or mailed to the winner.
Participants MUST pre-register for this activity to receive rules and regulations prior to the start of the event.
Activity will be limited to the first 25 registered (non-staff) participants.
Power Session: One Project, Many Benefits: Community Data Collection Can Inform Your Program Strategy, Build Partnerships, Engage Residents, and Strengthen Your Impact Story and Fundraising
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 7:15 - 8 a.m.
How can collecting primary data directly from residents and assessing conditions in your community pay off for your organization? NeighborWorks' 12+ years of experience with the Community Impact Measurement (CIM) project reveals the many different benefits gained by local organizations. CIM is a project of NeighborWorks America conducted through its Success Measures program to support systematic primary-data collection by local organizations through resident surveys and structured observations of conditions in a community, repeating the cycle every 3 years.
Participants in this session will explore how engaging in a project like CIM can help your organization:
- Better understand community priorities
- Actively engage community residents
- Gain grounded insight to refine program strategies
- Build and deepen partnerships
- Provide evidence to strengthen impact storytelling
- Make a more compelling case for funding
- Focus on impact in the community
Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the CIM project overall, key findings over time, and hear examples from multiple organizations about their experiences, challenges, and benefits of engaging in community impact measurement.
Presenter: Brooke Finn, Senior Vice President, Evaluation, Leadership & Peer Learning
Power Session: Weaving Networks: Visualizing and Creating the Connections for Collaboration
Thursday, Aug. 13, 7:15 - 8 a.m.
The Weaving Networks Power Session will be an introduction to network mapping and weaving. Participants will learn key aspects of network theory for collaboration, enabling teams and partners to coordinate action on shared goals most effectively. The session's interaction includes real-time mapping of their own networks, including those in the room. By the end of the session, participants will have learned about network evolution and how to begin mapping the networks that influence change within their work and community.
Presenter: Santiago Bunce, Founder and CEO of Viabosque Group
