NDSU Extension Leadership and Civic Engagement

10/28/2026

🤝 Facilitation 🤝

When your board or organization begins strategic planning, consider using SMART goals to bring clarity and focus to your efforts.

SMART goals help ensure that your team is aligned around what truly matters—your mission, your priorities, and your impact. They turn broad ideas into actionable steps that support your organization’s daily work and long-term vision.

Common types of SMART goals include:
🔹 Increasing something (awareness, funding, participation)
🔹 Creating something (a program, event, or tool)
🔹 Improving something (processes, communication, outcomes)
🔹 Reducing something (costs, inefficiencies, barriers)
🔹 Saving something (time, resources, effort)
🔹 Developing someone (leaders, staff, volunteers—you!)

Strategic plans don’t just sit on a shelf. With SMART goals, they drive action and results. Let’s plan with purpose! 💡✅

Learn more here: https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/goal-setting-strategic-planning

10/27/2026

🎉💚 TODAY IS NDSU GIVING DAY!

Today, we are celebrating the people who make rural North Dakota stronger and inviting YOU to help invest in the next generation of leaders!

Through Rural Leadership North Dakota (RLND), participants build leadership skills, develop lifelong connections, explore new perspectives, and discover opportunities to make a difference in their communities.

🌱 Your gift helps make these experiences possible!

And thanks to the generosity of the RLND Alumni Association and Marie Hvidsten, we have an incredible opportunity to DOUBLE your impact!

💚 $4,000 matching gift opportunity
💚 Dollar-for-dollar matching on eligible gifts
💚 Potential for $8,000 in support of rural leadership development

Whether you give $25, $50, $100, or another amount, your support helps us invest in people who are committed to strengthening North Dakota.

Invest in rural leaders. Strengthen rural communities.

🔗 GIVE TODAY: https://www.ndsufoundation.com/donate/rural-leadership-nd

Thank you for believing in the future of rural North Dakota!

10/27/2026

Early voting starts today in Cass, Grand Forks, and Morton counties! :)

Early voting begins TODAY (Oct 27) in Cass, Grand Forks, and Morton Counties. Go to vote.nd.gov/myvotinginfo and enter your address to see polling location information, including dates/times when you can vote. .

10/25/2026

Learn what grocery buyers expect and how to get your products ready for retail success. This free, virtual training is for produce growers interested in expanding sales to grocery stores. Wednesday, November 4, 2026 12pm to 1:30pm (CDT) Selling to grocery stores can open new doors for your farm. Thi...

10/24/2026

⏰ Application deadline is coming soon!

We’re hiring a Project Coordinator to join the NDSU Extension Workforce Team supporting the NSF AgTech Engine in North Dakota!

If you’re skilled in project coordination, managing timelines, tracking budgets, and keeping initiatives moving forward, we’d love to hear from you!

📅 Apply by October 27!

🔗 https://www.ndsu.edu/employment/joblist

📣 We're hiring! Join our team!

The Agriculture Workforce, Industry and Innovation Center (AgWIIC) at NDSU Extension is looking for a Project Coordinator to join our growing team!

We're looking for a highly organized, detail-oriented individual to provide project, financial, and administrative support for our statewide AgTech workforce initiatives.

This position will play an important role in coordinating projects, tracking budgets and initiatives, supporting grant administration, managing day-to-day operations, and assisting with communications, reporting, and events.

📍 Location: Fargo, ND | Full-time
📅 Application deadline: October 27!

🔗 Apply here: https://www.ndsu.edu/employment/joblist (Job ID 2960107)

Know someone who would be a great fit? Please share this opportunity!

10/23/2026

Interesting resource and interactive map.

In much of North Dakota, the question isn't which grocery store to shop at. It's how far you have to drive to reach one.

That distance affects what families eat, how older residents get groceries after they stop driving, and how communities plan for their future. Understanding those needs starts with knowing where grocery stores and other food sources are—and who can reach them.

A new resource from the NSF AgTech Engine in North Dakota brings that information together. 'Grocery Stores & Food Systems in North Dakota' pairs a 2026 dataset with an interactive map showing grocery retailers, other food suppliers and distribution points across the state, along with information about the communities they serve!

WANT TO LEARN MORE? Visit the link below ⤵️
https://farmsfeedstheworld.com/grocery-stores-food-systems-in-north-dakota/

10/22/2026

Unsure where to vote on Nov. 3, 2026? 🤔

The ND Secretary of State's website has a tool to help! ❗

Enter your information into the My Voting Information portal, and it will show you a list of voting locations available to you, including early voting locations and times. 📋

Check it out here and make a plan to vote:

Welcome to the North Dakota Secretary of State Voter Information Portal

10/21/2026

Struggling to grow a following through your organization's social media? We can help! 🆘

Over five interactive online sessions, small businesses and nonprofit organizations will work through the process of:

✅ Auditing their current social media presence
✅ Clarifying their brand and online voice
✅ Building a two- to three-month content calendar
✅ Creating engaging, consistent content
✅ Using analytics to understand what is working

This is not five separate webinars. Each workshop builds on the one before it, giving you time between sessions to apply what you learn and continue developing a strategy that works for your organization.

📅 Nov. 2 | Dec. 7 | Jan. 11 | Feb. 1 | March 1
⏰ 10–11:30 a.m. Central
💻 Online via Zoom
💲 FREE

One registration includes the full five-part series.
Please sign up by Oct. 30!

Learn more and register: ndsu.ag/socialmedia

10/21/2026

🌍 Community Engagement 🌍

Start with Listening: The Most Underrated Engagement Tool

Before launching new programs or making big decisions, ask this: Have we really listened to our community?

Host Listening Sessions: Small, informal conversations can reveal big insights. 🧏
Use Simple Tools: Try suggestion boxes, brief surveys, or even a whiteboard at the local café. 📝
Listen Without a Plan: Don’t just seek input to validate existing ideas—stay open to new ones. 🤔
Be Present: Engagement isn’t always a formal event. Listening happens at ballgames, potlucks, and tractor pulls. 👂
Close the Loop: Always follow up to show people how their input was used—it builds trust. 🔁

Communities that feel heard are more likely to stay involved and invest in the future. 🎤

What’s the most effective way you’ve gathered community input? ✔️

10/18/2026

📣 We're hiring! Join our team!

The Agriculture Workforce, Industry and Innovation Center (AgWIIC) at NDSU Extension is looking for a Project Coordinator to join our growing team!

We're looking for a highly organized, detail-oriented individual to provide project, financial, and administrative support for our statewide AgTech workforce initiatives.

This position will play an important role in coordinating projects, tracking budgets and initiatives, supporting grant administration, managing day-to-day operations, and assisting with communications, reporting, and events.

📍 Location: Fargo, ND | Full-time
📅 Application deadline: October 27!

🔗 Apply here: https://www.ndsu.edu/employment/joblist (Job ID 2960107)

Know someone who would be a great fit? Please share this opportunity!