Our learning experiences will help you build collaborative capacity and make greater impact.
Build your capacity to work better together to address our region’s complex problems and create community assets for all. Learn to use systems practice, a process to understand the system you’re working in and identify leverage points for change, and explore a suite of skills and mindsets to help you create the conditions for meaningful collaboration. Filter the list of upcoming learning experiences by the impact areas below, find the path that is right for you and take the next step in strengthening your organization, network and community.
Ready to learn? Let us help! The Learning Fund provides financial support to help local changemakers cover tuition and conference fees for virtual learning experiences offered from partners across the globe.
Upcoming Learning Experiences
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by TSNE, explore what organizational agility is, what it isn't, and why it matters and how to assess organizational agility and incorporate it into your strategic planning process. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by Candid Learning, learn how to quickly identify the best potential funders for your nonprofit organization using Foundation Directory and discover the most efficient methods of saving and sharing your research with your nonprofit's stakeholders. Access the Foundation Directory for no cost at the Woodmere branch of TADL.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center, this 2-day course will prepare your organization to secure and manage grants, build your grant writing skills with key elements to create a proposal, and learn how to maintain strong relationships with foundations. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by the Michigan Community Service Commission, this fast-paced and interactive workshop will explore the role of grant writing in your overall fund development efforts, how to use a strategic planning process to guide your grant applications including key policies and practices, and how to get key players involved in the development process.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Chronicle of Philanthropy, learn key steps to take to cultivate a wide variety of donors, explore ways to identify and build trust with potential donors, and engage people of all backgrounds in meaningful ways to inspire giving and to strengthen your work. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by LifeLabs Learning, learn how to diagnose conflict hotspots and skillfully navigate them, gain tools to bridge the gap between different team cultures and collaboration styles, and walk away with pro-tips to scale these habits across your organization.
Time: 2:00 pm
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by TSNE, examine personal and societal biases and what impact these biases have on our work, explore successes and challenges related to inclusivity, develop skills to discuss these topics and identify policies and practices that promote greater inclusion and equity within organizations. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by Center for Nonprofit Management, explore fundraising best practices, create a development plan and case statement for your organization, and learn techniques for the identification, cultivation, and stewardship of donors. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center, identify your Top 5 Strengths and how they show up — for better or for worse, understand Strengths domains and how they inform your natural responses, and create an action plan or lay the groundwork for team dynamic discussions. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Bolder Advocacy, learn how to use Alliance for Justice’s ACT! Quick tool to assess advocacy capacity providing a framework around prioritizing advocacy capacity to achieve goals and share ideas and best practices on how to build advocacy capacity. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 9:30 am
Offered by Volunteer Fairfax, learn about hosting interns: defining, planning, recruiting, supervising and clarifying what students (whether high school or college-aged) can and cannot do to impact your organization.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by the Center for Nonprofit Management, learn fundamentals of annual and monthly budgeting, explore the do's and don'ts of nonprofit budgets, and craft an annual budget based on seasonal operations. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Time: 12:00 pm
Offered by the Chapman Foundation, this 7-week course provides an in-depth exploration of how you listen, relate, discern, and communicate including examining your behavioral tendencies, exploring the Communication Cycle, learning how to listen to connect, and developing a more effective way to handle confrontation. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 7:30 am
Offered by Perspectivity, this 2-day workshop will explore which situations and contexts Sprockler is best used, how to design story-based inquiries, how to work with the three tools Designer, Collector and Visualizer, and how to get creative with storytelling and collecting stories in your own work. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by Acumen Academy, in this 5-week course you will learn the Lean Data methodology, a new way to collect insights from customers in order to measure your outcomes and make decisions that maximize impact.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by Interaction Institute of Social Change, this 7-part series will explore practical tools and skills to engage your own and your colleagues’ skills, wisdom, end energy and learn frameworks for using these collaboration tools to build shared power. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Bolder Advocacy, explore the rules governing organizations with different tax-exempt statuses and how different types of nonprofit organizations can work together while staying in compliance with the law. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:00 pm
Offered by Candid Learning, explore the basic elements of a proposal, the "do's" and "don'ts" of writing and submitting a proposal, and how to follow up whether the answer is yes or no.
Time: 9:00 am
Offered by TSNE, explore how to confidently reach out to your donors using the Connecting Conversations Model to engage in meaningful conversations with your donors. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by the Center for Nonprofit Management, explore the digital media landscape, create a research-informed social strategy, develop personas to better understand your audience, and articulate goals and SMART objectives and strategies to create basic content to engage your audience. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:00 pm
Offered by Human Systems Dynamics, learn about HSD and how it works to inform understanding and action in human systems that work outside the bounds of traditional systems logic, giving the option for insight and intentional action event when the system and its future are unknowable.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by ZingTrain, learn how to design interview questions that help identify an applicant's aptitude to match with job requirements, receive examples of job descriptions and interview questions that can be adapted to your business, and learn tools for building confidence and improving your interview process to prepare for your next great hire. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by Human Systems Dynamics, this 2-part workshop will explore how to reframe challenges, develop the power of pattern recognition, create maps and models to guide you, establish rules for collective clarity and individual flexibility, and prepare to help others develop their adaptive capacity. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 6:00 pm
Offered by NMC Extended Ed, learn the basics of human resources laws, areas, and functions in this three-hour class geared towards helping those who find HR a part of their job duties without a human resources degree or department to lean on. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by Collective Mind, explore what power dynamics look like within networks, how they occur and evolve, and how their negative impacts can be mitigated.
Time: 12:00 pm
Offered by Systems Innovation Network, explore fundamental ideas of systems inquiry and concepts and ideas on systems mapping in a way that is going to be accessible and easy to understand.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by the Tamarack Institute, this 7-part cohort workshop will explore new skills, tools and frameworks which enhance your ability to lead change, participate in reflective activities which deepen your knowledge and skills, have access to peer and individual coaching sessions to accelerate change, and hear from leading practitioners in the field of community change. Deadline to apply March 17. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center, gain knowledge of demographic and sector trends, understand recommended practices for recruiting and engaging millennials, and explore the impact of newer generations on the social sector.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by the Center for Nonprofit Management, develop an understanding of key leadership competencies that foster an inclusive environment, explore inclusive leadership traits, review organization strategies for inclusion, including building diverse teams, recruiting, interviewing, and day to day management of teams. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Candid Learning, explore the basic elements of a proposal, the "do's" and "don'ts" of writing and submitting a proposal, and how to follow up whether the answer is yes or no.
Time: 6:00 pm
Offered by NMC Extended Ed, learn techniques for putting together an engaging and readable newsletter. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 11:00 am
Offered by Ideo U, this 5-week course will explore how to create an environment that encourages new mindsets and behaviors that will help change take hold and grow, how to co-create change by involving the people it affects from the beginning, and make change tangible by collaborating on small experiments that demonstrate the potential for your change. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by Ideo U, this 5-week cohort will explore techniques for mapping complex systems and identifying the root causes, establish a shared view of the system, and reframe problems from different perspectives to uncover new solutions. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Ideo U, this 5-week cohort will explore how to clarify the problem you’re tackling to uncover more effective solutions, develop a shared understanding, and clearly define a purpose for the work. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:30 pm
Offered by Compass Point, this 2-part course will explore the distinction between change and transition, adaptive challenges vs technical fixes, and frameworks to address an adaptive challenge in your organization. Cost associated. Eligible for support through the Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 5:30 pm
Offered by the City of Traverse City, during this 5-week program participants will connect with City staff to discover what goes into both long-term planning and day-to-day operations, how you can become more involved, and "behind-the-scenes" facility tours give participants a better understanding of the role local government plays. Deadline to apply: February 28.


Join the staff of Rotary Charities for coffee on April 19 from 8:30-10:30 am at the Strongheart Center in Peshawbestown, MI! Our Connecting with Changemaker gatherings are a great opportunity for nonprofit, business, and community leaders to network with each other, share updates on their work, and connect with Rotary Charities staff.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by TSNE, explore how to remove psychological stressors that hinder effective communication, practices for leading and managing remote teams, and master a powerful and effective meeting facilitation technique. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 11:00 am
Offered by the Center for Creative Leadership, explore how organizations can expand on traditional ideas about good leadership to transform their cultures, and provide practical ways that (better) leaders can support themselves, their teams, and the larger collective, so that everyone can thrive. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Candid Learning, learn the importance of individual giving in a nonprofit’s fundraising strategy, identify key steps for a successful individual giving program, and draft a plan to start or improve your annual individual giving program.


Offered by Rotary Charities, join us for an interactive workshop that will teach you how to create context, bridge connections, and inspire people to act through storytelling. During this workshop, you will learn tools to take back to your organization, hear about case studies that inspired action, and learn a powerful framework that any organization can use today.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Chronicle of Philanthropy, learn how to identify key people who have the capacity and inclination to give generously, explore donor traits to look for in your database, and learn smart tactics for connecting with supporters and prospects. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 6:00 pm
Offered by NMC Extended Ed, learn how to recognize some of the common implicit biases that often lead to negative reactions and outcomes and explore the effects this has on society and your own experiences to strengthen your ability to act for the best outcomes with clarity, consciousness, and intentional decision making. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 8:00 am
Offered by the School of System Change, this 5-part course supports underlying capabilities needed to work systemically and relationally, with others and yourself, to support the application of systems change in practice. Previous to this course, participants should have a foundational understanding of systems change, previous group facilitation experience, and an opportunity to apply the skills you are learning from this course in a practical setting. Apply by April 5. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 8:00 am
Time: 12:00 pm
Offered by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center, learn the importance of centering the “why” in collaboration, how to move beyond cooperation into meaningful collaborative relationships, and how thoughtful collaboration from the nonprofit ecosystem of funders and practitioners can further the journey toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center, explore how to use the Form 990 as an organizational tool and better understand the information it communicates and how 990 data can tell a story and where to find the elements of that story. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by TSNE, explore practices that create a culture of mutual respect, one in which employees and supervisors communicate regularly and clearly about job-related expectations, tasks, and overall performance. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:30 pm
Offered by Compass Point, this 2-part series will explore the five Conflict Resolution styles and how they intersect with positional power and social privilege, how you want be your “best self” in conflict, and how to build on your abilities of listening, inquiry, and empathy as skills for working through conflict. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center, explore what leadership is and isn’t, identify key ways to delegate with care, and learn tips for working with teams for a more strategic focus. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:00 pm
Offered by Human Systems Dynamics, explore how the power and privilege that people hold affects conflict and how to get unstack and stay unstuck from old habits of thinking, talking, and acting.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Bolder Advocacy, learn how to how to maximize your advocacy, the kinds of advocacy activities 501(c)(3)s can engage in, and when a communication is considered lobbying. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by TSNE, in this “no lectures allowed” workshop, participants will learn dozens of powerful presentation and facilitation techniques that can help restore productive communication, morale and trust. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by ZingTrain, learn how to recognize and better handle workplace conflict, gain techniques to engage effectively in a courageous conversation, and practice the skills needed to have a courageous conversation. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:30 pm
Offered by CompassPoint, in this 4-part series you will learn the coaching mindset, build on your communication abilities through three key coaching skills, and learn how coaching interrupts dominating behavior and builds power with others. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:30 pm
Offered by Compass Point, this 2-day workshop will explore effective meeting habits, skills to plan a meeting, how to wield power to unlock everyone’s contributions, get the right voices in the room, and guide conversations toward meaningful goals. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by Human Systems Dynamics, this 2-part workshop will learn how to recognize the challenges of living in our old assumptions, explore 4 assumptions that limit our potential in today’s world, and how to plan responses, using new assumptions to address your greatest challenges. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by CoCreative, this 3-part course will explore the critical elements of multi-stakeholder collaborations and how to convene diverse networks across organizational, sectoral, cultural, and political boundaries to increase your collaborative impact. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Candid Learning, explore who funds nonprofits and what are their motivations, what funders really want to know about the organizations they are interested in funding, and how do you identify potential funders and make the first approach.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Chronicle of Philanthropy, learn simple steps you can take right away to enhance your donor records and customize your communications to offer donors updates and appeals that resonate. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:30 pm
Offered by Compass Point, this 2-part series explores how the four types of power intersect with supervision, how transformational commitments and practices can change the status quo patterns in supervision, and how to set expectations and sharing feedback as a supervision practice. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center, explore using Form 990 as an organizational tool and the information it communicates, identify often-cited flags in Form 990 and begin to challenge assumptions, and use 990 data to find trends or opportunities in the community. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by TSNE, learn approaches to build feedback into your supervisory practice, discover barriers to receiving constructive feedback, and how to hold one-on-one meetings that strengthen communication, trust, and staff effectiveness. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:00 pm
Offered by Candid Learning, explore the basic components of a project budget including income and expenses, how to estimate the realistic cost of a project, and what other financial documents you may also need to submit with your proposal.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by TSNE, explore foundational principles of new governance frameworks and strategies to engage communities more directly in the governance process, learn about the benefits and challenges of these frameworks, and develop a plan to bring back the learning to your boards or networks/coalitions. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by Interaction Institute of Social Change, this 7-week series will explore practical tools and skills to engage your own and your colleagues’ skills, wisdom, end energy and learn frameworks for using these collaboration tools to build shared power. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm
Offered by Bolder Advocacy, learn how your nonprofit can take advantage of social media while staying in compliance with laws that govern advocacy and how to treat social media and other communications in the context of lobbying limits for 501(c)(3) organizations. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:30 pm
Offered by Compass Point, this 2-part course will explore the distinction between change and transition, adaptive challenges vs technical fixes, and frameworks to address an adaptive challenge in your organization. Cost associated. Eligible for support through the Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 12:30 pm
Offered by Compass Point, this 2-part series will focus on understanding the framework for energy management and strategies and practices for self-care. Cost associated. Eligible for support through the Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 1:00 pm
Offered by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center in partnership with Volunteer Michigan, gain knowledge of demographic & sector trends, understand recommended practices for recruiting & engaging seniors, and explore the impact of older generations on the social sector.
Time: 12:00 pm
Offered by Big Waves, this 4-part workshop will explore skills for steering discussions and making lasting decisions and tools for engaging with tensions and mining the gold of conflict. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 10:00 am
Offered by Ideo U, this 5-week course will explore how to unlock your team’s ability to generate new ideas and reach better solutions by tapping into diverse perspectives, establish the cultural conditions that teams need to thrive with thoughtful rituals and agreements, and turn tensions between ideas into opportunities for your biggest leaps forward. Cost associated. Eligible for support through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.
Time: 2:00 pm