About the event

​Have you planned an event only to realize another group with a similar audience also is doing something the same day? Have you realized that you put time and effort into a project just to find the perfect partner for it after the fact?

​As a community organizer, I’ve noticed a gap in knowledge of what else exists in the community and seen myself and others put our limited resources into events and projects that then struggle for attendance, volunteers, and stretch our already thin resources to their limit. What if we instead worked in community, leaning into each others’ strengths and skills, and through partnership we find abundance?

​On July 7th, Samantha Kirsch from Give A Fudge Consulting & Events and Andrea Prebys-Williams from Fireweed Consulting are hosting a workshop and speed “dating” event for community organizations. This event is geared towards folks in leadership at their respective community orgs and solopreneurs who are trying to engage with the local community in workshops. If you’re an organization that has volunteers, you’re welcome to bring a few of them as well!

​During this event, attendees will have time to share a meal and chat with other groups, take time to discuss and align on vision, mission, and values for with their own org, and get a chance to find out what other people and groups are up to…with the hope that some partnerships start to bloom!

​Please arrive by 5:15 so you do not miss the start of programming!

​About Your Hosts:

​Samantha Kirsch, Give A Fudge Consulting & Events

​Samantha Kirsch (she/her) is the outgoing Community Lead for Soapbox Project Portland and is Community Manager at Way of Being, a low-waste store in SE Portland. She holds a BS in Apparel Supply Chain Management from Cornell University and is currently in her final year at Presidio Graduate School, where she’s earning a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Public Administration, both in Sustainable Solutions. She serves as a board member at Lloyd EcoDistrict, a non-profit on a mission to make Portland’s Lloyd neighborhood the most sustainable community in North America. Sam’s been in the sustainability and social impact space for nearly two decades. She posts blog and social media content on low-waste living, plus you may have caught her on KATU’s Afternoon Live as their Sustainability Expert.

​The Oregon Climate Action Hub (ORCAH)

​The Oregon Climate Action Hub is on a mission to empower ALL Oregonians to take effective climate action.

​The ORCAH website helps users find positive ways to engage; helps organizers connect with each other’s work; and facilitates the flow of climate action opportunities to new audiences.

​By mobilizing climate concerned Oregonians and normalizing climate-positive engagement, ORCAH grows the climate movement’s reach and efficacy, for a just and livable future.

​About Your Workshop Facilitator:

​Andrea Prebys-Williams (she/her) is the founder of Fireweed Consulting, LLC, where she helps social change leaders and organizations build cultures rooted in trust, clarity, and shared power. With 20 years of experience in leadership development, organizing, teaching, coaching, and consulting, she brings a justice-centered and practical approach to organizational work. She serves as Interim Faculty Chair and adjunct faculty at the Presidio Center for Sustainable Solutions. Her work centers the belief that how we work together matters. Andrea lives on unceded Ohlone land in Oakland, CA with her partner and kid.

​About Your Venue Host:

​The Lantern invites us all to embrace and illuminate the full human experience. As an intergenerational gathering place, The Lantern offers connection, grief support, healing, and belonging so that the community can come together to share in life’s joys and sorrows.

Please also check out Part 2 of this event!