Webinars

Grand Aspirations is pleased to announce our spring webinar series: Building Your Toolkit. This series of webinars focuses on building some basic and advanced skills in your solutionary organizer’s toolkit. From fundraising to movement strategy, this series is a chance to grow your ability to create real change in your community. Check out the five webinars offered below. Every webinar is at 9pm EST/8pm CST/7pm MST/6pm PST on a Tuesday.

All webinars are now 2 for 1! Purchase any one webinar and get a second one for FREE! Email ruby.levine@gmail.com to let us know which FREE webinar you want to attend with purchase of your first webinar.

Members of Grand Aspirations at the $25 level or above receive $5 off each webinar as well as many other benefits. Become a member today!

Note that the time of Joshua Kahn Russell’s Social Movement Theory has changed to Thursday, May 24.

 

Sustainable Business Planning with Timothy DenHerder-Thomas
Time: 8pm-9pm EST, Tuesday May 15
Description: Creating a business model is a good idea any time you want to create a program, initiative, or venture that you want to be self-sustaining and entails helping some group of people solve some problem individually or collectively. Traditionally, this has meant financially self-sustaining, but you can use a similar approach using the full range of types of potential (social capital, skills, natural capital, etc.). Through this webinar, you will:
- Learn the purpose and value of business models and how they can advance their social change work.
- Gain access to tools and an approach to develop your own business models.
- Gain knowledge and experience with a number of core strategies for creating value in the green economy.
- Experience the process of developing a business model around the green economy.
Presenter: Timothy has built an energy cooperative that links many of the core principles of sustainability in community-based enterprise to create competitive advantage. He has also supported the development of a for-profit urban agriculture CSA and advised others on a number of other green business concepts. He has researched a wide range of case studies and business development techniques around the green economy as well as various models that can be used to turning great ideas into self-sustaining realities.

Webinar: Sustainable Business Planning with Timothy DenHerder-Thomas

Framing the Environmental Movement with Zach Wahls
Time: 8pm-9pm EST, Tuesday May 22
Description: This webinar is a crash course in public speaking 101 and with a focus on the nuances of speaking on environmental topics specifically. The session will cover a number of pitfalls environmentalists tend to fall into when speaking about environmentalism as well as the “traps” that hostile audiences often set for those of us speaking on this topic.
Presenter: Zach Wahls is a program leader for the Iowa City Summer of Solutions program. Additionally, his speech to the Iowa State Legislature in defense of gay marriage in 2011 went viral, reaching and impacting millions of people. Since, Zach has made a career of public speaking for marriage equality and has appeared on Ellen and the David Letterman Show. He is the author of the forthcoming book, “My Two Moms.” You can read more about Zach at his website. 

Webinar: Framing the Environmental Movement with Zach Wahls

Social Movement Strategy with Joshua Kahn RussellTime: 8pm-9:30pm EST, ThursdayMay 24Description: Our world is bursting at the seams with civic activity and social movements right now. But a social movement isn’t just spontaneous action from a lot of people – movements have characteristics and cycles. Many activists learn how to build strategic campaigns – making a plan to pressure a target for a demand. But “Social Movement Strategy” is a set of lenses and tools to shift the balance of forces in an entire society, and build broad based mass alliances for justice. Through story telling, case studies/examples, movement theory, and actual strategy tools, we’ll learn how to build powerful movements that are bigger than the sum of their parts.

Presenter: Joshua Kahn Russell is an organizer working to bridge movements for ecological balance and racial justice. He is a strategy and non-violent direct action trainer with the Ruckus Society, and serves communities directly impacted by fossil fuel extraction. Learn more about Joshua at his profile.

 

Webinar: Social Movement Strategy with Joshua Kahn Russell (90 minutes)

Grassroots Fundraising with Rachel Aitkens
Time: 8pm-9pm EST, Tuesday May 29
Description: This webinar will focus on grassroots fundraising from individuals or through small donations from organizations. The focus will be on on fundraising for a specific project or program, rather than general fundraising. This webinar will help you learn how to get volunteers excited about fundraising. 
Presenter: Rachel has been a member of the Sierra Student Coalition’s fundraising team and worked to develop their successful fundraising curriculum.  She was the recipient of their fundraising award last year. She has extensive experience with budgets and stretching budgets through grassroots fundraising. Additionally, she is the Southeast Campus Organizer for the Sierra Student Coalition.

Webinar: Grassroots Fundraising with Rachel Aitkens

From Burnt Out to Lit Up with Zo Tobi
Time: 8pm-9:30pm EST, Tuesday June 5
Description: Overwhelmed? Stressed? Struggling with conflict, self-doubt, or burnout? Learn to bring clarity, focus, ease & grace to your leadership and your life as a whole.  Out of this webinar you will:
1.    Discover the aspirations, values, and goals that bring meaning and relevance to your life.
2.    Learn to quickly spot “Monkey Mind” – your voice of worry, doubt, and fear – and move past it!
3.    See how to consistently take action in a way that lights you up rather than burning you out.
4.    See how to effectively clean up the “unfinished business” that is draining your energy.
5.    Learn to consistently receive and give support that is truly supportive.
Presenter: An accomplished performing artist, social movement organizer and certified coach, Zo  excels in helping others act successfully on their most meaningful ideas, and make the difference they’re here to make.  With years of experience and training in music, organizing, and empowerment, Zo brings together the worlds of personal transformation and social change. Inspired by a reverence for life, a hunger for justice, and a belief in human potential, Zo has logged over 100 live performances as a songwriter; empowered thousands of young leaders as a former organizer with the Sierra Student Coalition and as former Co-Director of Generation Waking Up; and supported over 100 changemakers as a Certified Coach and Licensed Academy Trainer with the Academy for Coaching Excellence. Learn more about Zo at his website.

Webinar: From Burnt Out to Lit Up with Zo Tobi (90 minutes)

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