Thriverr Learn: Launching a Resident Recruitment Effort
Description
The Launching a Regional Residential Recruitment Effort Cohort is for rural community leaders who want to do a better job of seeing, reaching, inviting, and welcoming new residents. This cohort will explore how communities across a region can work together to share a stronger story, connect with people who are looking for what small towns have to offer, and welcome those new residents who have already made the move.
This four-session learning cohort is designed to help rural communities build an effective regional resident recruitment effort. Through expert guidance from Ben Winchester, a nationally recognized rural sociologist, participants will:
Learn about migration trends using demographic data,
Map shared assets that attract newcomers,
Gather insights from new residents,
Develop regional collaboration strategies, and
Host an actual community welcoming event sometime in 2026.
Sessions will take place from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CT on August 5, August 19, September 2, and September 14. All sessions will be hosted on Zoom.
How each session works:
Welcome
Debrief
Topic presented
Facilitated discussion
Cohort engagement
Work together
Recap
Action to take before the next event
Lineup
Ben Winchester, Cohort Facilitator
Ben Winchester has been working both in and for small towns across the Midwest for around 30 years. He lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota with his wife and two children. Ben is trained as a Rural Sociologist and works in the Extension Department of Community Development at the University of Minnesota. He conducts applied research on economic, social, and demographic topics surrounding a theme of "rewriting the rural narrative" and received the Rural Renewal Research Prize in 2021 for this work.
Sponsor
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
