Courses
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  • Offered
    • In-Person
    • Online
    • On-Site

This program consists of online live learning (two hours), in-person instruction (four days) and optional professional coaching (two 1-hour sessions). See below for dates and details for our 2025 offering.

Overview

With NRECA, you can make an impact.

You know your cooperative inside and out. You and your team have the talent, knowledge and drive to make improvements, but without a plan, you’re stuck at square one. Our new, highly collaborative, blended learning program, Ideas to Impact – Project Management for Cooperative Leaders, was designed with you in mind. This new, transformative program will help you tackle challenges like succession plans, member engagement, safety improvements, culture change, AI and more! By leveraging a strong business case, proven project implementation methods, and people leadership skills, you’ll learn everything you need to take an idea and see it through to completion.

We've also built in accountability through peer and professional coaching, ensuring you stay on target and reach your goal. Even more valuable than building a concrete plan of action for your project, you’ll learn the process so you can do it again and again. That means you'll leave the program with the framework to take your next big idea all the way to the finish line. You’ll never again find yourself asking, “Where do we go from here?”


WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
  • Identify opportunities for change and improvement that impact members and the cooperative.
  • Collect, analyze and leverage financial metrics and other measures to support new initiatives.
  • Apply tools and techniques to gain buy-in from stakeholders at all levels of the organization—from the board to CEO, and direct reports.
  • Effectively lead cross-functional project teams.
  • Efficiently apply project management tools and techniques.
  • Skillfully present proposals, updates, and final reports to leaders.
  • Solve problems and seize opportunities to create sustainable change and improvement.


Take a big idea and facilitate it from concept to implementation through process improvement, people-powered leadership, and rigorous project management. All with the help from peer support and professional coaching.

LOCATION

The in-person classroom component of the program will be held at:
Hilton Ballston
950 N Stafford St.
Arlington, VA 22203

HOTEL & TRAVEL

A hotel guest room block will be available at the Hilton-Ballston, 950 N Stafford St, Arlington, VA 22203 for the in-person classroom component of the program. NRECA will provide registered participants a hotel guest room link and other program information approximately 2 months prior to the start of the program.

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE

Experienced co-op staff and leaders who are responsible for managing and improving strategic business processes and projects at their cooperative. Members who have earned the CCC, IDE, CLCP, CFPC are encouraged to enroll. Members who have earned several CCEP or SMDP credits through NRECA’s Executive and Staff Education would also benefit from participating.

CREDITS

NRECA – 1 credit
CEU – 5.5 credits

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

Ideas to Impact – Project Management for Cooperative Leaders gives you the training and performance support you need to get big things done. The program consists of an online live learning class (2 hours) and 4 days of in-person classroom instruction. The program then shifts from training to job application optional peer and professional coaching sessions.

We’ll ask you to bring your wishlist of ideas—anything you’ve ever wanted to implement for your co-op—and then we will give you the tools, support, and coaching you need to make it happen. If you don’t have that one burning idea when you register, we can help you formulate an initiative during the opening online live learning session so you’re ready to go on day one of the in-person learning.

Course materials will continue to be available to participants after the program via the Learning Management System (LMS) on cooperative.com.

Learn Online
Learn In-Person
Make An Impact

Online Live Learning Session (2 hours) – August 26, 2025

In-Person Classroom Instruction (4 days) – Sept. 8-11, 2025 -Arlington, VA
Apply What You’ve Learned, Get Support and Achieve Results (Optional Online Live Coaching)
Understand the program

Secure a sponsor

Learn to speak like a leader

Meet your cohort
Your role in implementing organizational strategy and managing risk

Crafting a compelling business case

Project management skills for leaders

Leading people powered change and improvement
Two post classroom peer coaching check-ins

Two post classroom professional group coaching lessons

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Curriculum

  • Online Live Learning Session (2 hours) - Aug. 26, 2025
    • Overview, Expectations and Using the S.E.E.R. Model to Speak Like a Leader
    • Program Participation Sponsor Support & Project Identification
    • Project Management Skills Assessment
  • In-person Classroom Instruction (4-days, Monday through Thursday) - Sept. 8-11, 2025
    • Implementing Organizational Strategy & Managing Risk
    • Crafting a Compelling Business Case
    • Project Management Skills for Organizational Leaders
    • People Powered Change & Improvement
  • (Optional) Peer Support Coaching & Professional Coaching (2, one-hour sessions)
  • Sumary Report to Sponsor and Cohort

Schedule

Information on the NRECA hotel guest room block will be sent to registered participants approximately 2 months prior to the start of the program.

Instructors

No
Display List of Materials
No

Informational Webinar

Hotel & Travel

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Fees

$6,445 per person and includes:

  • All course materials for the online orientation, in-person classroom instruction & materials, online live learning & materials, peer-support & professional coaching.

  • Daily breakfast at the Hilton Ballston in Arlington, VA.

  • Daily morning and afternoon snacks with beverages during classroom hours.

Lodging lunches and parking not included.

Competencies

CORE COMPETENCIES
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ROLE-SPECIFIC
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SUPERVISORY, MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
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See Also

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