Educating and Supporting the Community Through Effective Community Navigation Outreach

Join this interactive roundtable to explore strategies for building a successful, community-centered outreach program. Rather than a traditional presentation, this session will engage participants in collaborative discussions and idea sharing. 

Three key areas to be highlighted as instrumental in strengthening outreach efforts will include:

• Community Partner Roundtables: Learn how hosting partner roundtables has transformed outreach from passive engagement to active community facilitation, positioning 211info as a trusted convener and collaborative leader.

• Consistent Branding & Marketing: Discuss the importance of aligning marketing materials across presentations, event displays, print collateral, digital communications, branded merchandise, and social media to create a recognizable and trusted brand presence.

• Outreach Team Development: Share approaches to leadership, culture building, public speaking, mentorship, training, and continuous improvement that empower outreach staff and strengthen organizational impact.

Whether you're looking to enhance community partnerships, strengthen your organization's brand, or invest in your outreach team's growth, this roundtable offers practical ideas, networking opportunities, and actionable takeaways.

This Roundtable will be moderated by Andy Bethke and special guest Nickie Thornton.

Nickie Thornton serves as the Director of Outreach at 211info, anchoring the organization's statewide outreach & engagement strategies for Oregon.
With a foundational 17-year career in public education, Nickie excels at designing and facilitating impactful training programs for Community-Based
Organizations and the public. During her 4.5-year tenure at 211info, she designed and executed the "Community Partner Roundtables" initiative
while mentoring the outreach staff at 211info in the same work. These Roundtables have become a strategic pillar that have seen 26 successful
events statewide in just 2.5 years. This program has positioned 211info as a trusted bridge for statewide resource collaboration, by connecting
community members to the resources they need most, while being rooted in productive agency partnerships. As a facilitator, Nickie combines her
deep pedagogical roots with modern community-building strategies to empower teams and strengthen partner networks.