Envision Greater Green Bay

08/27/2026

At Envision Greater Green Bay, we spend a lot of time thinking about tomorrow. It's in our name, and it's been our mission for the past ten years and embedded in our earliest days as the Bay Area Community Council since 1990. So when Common Good Philanthropies invited us to bring that same forward-looking mindset to nonprofit leaders across Wisconsin, we knew we had to say yes.

We are thrilled to announce a new three-year partnership with Common Good Philanthropies as recipient of their 2026 Strategic Funding Award. A shared commitment to systems change will help nonprofits build resilience and take a longer-term view to collectively innovate and collaborate more effectively. This initiative brings Strategic Foresight training to nonprofit leaders across Wisconsin's long-term services and supports (LTSS) sector, the organizations and people who show up every day for older adults and people with disabilities.

Nonprofit leaders in the aging and disability services space are navigating a lot at once: workforce shortages, rising costs, demographic shifts, and changing expectations about what care and access should look like. Those pressures aren't going away, and they don't leave much room for purely reactive planning.
Strategic Foresight is a discipline built for exactly this moment. It helps leaders anticipate the potential effects of change, identify emerging disruptors, and explore a range of possible futures. By working through different scenarios, organizations can make more informed decisions, respond proactively, and move toward their preferred future — rather than simply reacting to whatever comes next.

Before we teach a single foresight tool, we want to understand what Wisconsin nonprofits are actually facing. That's why the initiative kicks off this fall with a Statewide Discovery Survey, designed to capture the real challenges, risks, and emerging trends organizations are currently encountering. The results will allow tailoring of our training topics, speaker sessions, and regional focus from day one.

● Year One — Awareness and Engagement (2026): The Statewide Discovery Survey, virtual speaker sessions, and in-person half-day seminars introduce foresight thinking to a broad audience of nonprofit leaders.
● Year Two — Skill Building and Application (2027): Regional Strategic Foresight Cohort Programs give leaders hands-on practice applying foresight tools inside their own organizations.
● Year Three — Integration and Systems Impact (2028): One-on-one organizational consultation, advanced cohort programming, continued Regional Strategic Foresight Cohort Programs and a new Statewide Foresight Network help embed these practices for the long haul and strengthen collaboration across the sector.

Training will be led by University of Houston–trained futurists, delivered through a mix of virtual sessions and regional in-person events, so that leaders in every corner of the state can take part. Over the next three years, we aim to reach 300 to 500 leaders from more than 100 organizations statewide.

The future of care for older adults and people with disabilities in Wisconsin is not something to passively let happen. Forward thinking and strategic action will shape that future toward a preferred destination. We thank Common Good Philanthropies for their trust and support and cannot wait to get started.

08/11/2026

Do you know what your organization's transformational future looks like in 10-15 years? And though none of us wants to think about it, what would a future of decline and collapse look like? How do you plan now for the future that you envision as you recognize the signals of change that are leading to one of these futures? These are questions that the Envision Foresight Workshop addresses as you are empowered to pursue the future with more clarity and purpose. There are still a few seats left in the fall workshop cohort! Log onto www.envisionggb.org/workshop for more information and to register.

07/04/2026

06/24/2026

Non-profits collaborating with each other in making our community a better place to live is important! The Aging & Disability Resource Center of Brown County WI serves as the "town square" of our community, welcoming all to their beautiful facility, providing resources and classes for those who are aging or have disabilities of any kind. They also take the mission on the road with their Grounded on the Go Food Trailer from the Grounded Cafe at ADRC.

Envision Greater Green Bay seeks to serve as a leader in helping Green Bay be a community of choice, where people want to live here and remain here in this thriving community into the future.

The ADRC has welcomed Envision Greater Green Bay in so many ways. As a way to give back, Tony Pichler, Executive Director of Envision Greater Green Bay, has driven and served on the Grounded on the Go Food Trailer a few times this spring and summer. Today's stop was PACE. Thanks ADRC!

06/19/2026

It is still officially spring so there is still time to make a contribution to the Envision Greater Green Bay Spring Appeal! If you are unfamiliar with the work of this futuring non-profit, please watch this short video and then log onto https://www.envisionggb.org/ and click the Donate button to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

06/01/2026

Envision Greater Green Bay, recently kicked off its 2026 Spring Appeal with this video. Please take a minute to view if you have time. Then, more importantly, if you have a few dollars, or a few thousand dollars, that can support this futuring work that is not being done anywhere else to the extent that we are doing it as a community in Green Bay, please click here and donate: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-envision . Your support is greatly appreciated! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlhpD5ocR_M

Greater Green Bay is about creating a better future and a community...

05/18/2026

Envision Greater Green Bay finished up the Spring 2026 Foresight Workshop cohort on Friday. We had a few members that had attendance conflicts. And one cohort participant logged in from Atlanta and is not shown. These newly trained futurists were asked by Garry Golden to celebrate with the requisite Jazz Hands! What a great group! There is room for you in our fall cohort which begins September 25!

05/11/2026

Today a friend Googled "Unique Local Experiences in 2026." World Future's Day, sponsored by Envision Greater Green Bay each year around March 1, came up 6th on the list! Not bad! Here is the complete list:

6. World Future's Day: A uniquely local, "geeky-cool" event in Green Bay that engages in community-wide foresight, which is rare for cities of its size.

5. Live Music at Lambeau: Following years of limited shows, 2026 is seeing a massive return to major country and rock acts playing Lambeau Field, such as the Luke Combs back-to-back night concert, which is the premier summer event.

4. Interactive Culinary Classes: The Flour Pot has seen high interest in hands-on cooking, especially for fresh pasta, pierogies, and unique health-focused items like sea moss smoothies.

3. "Retro" Amusement & Nature: Continued popularity of “old-school” fun, including 25-cent rides at Bay Beach Amusement Park and walking the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary.

2. Vintage Market Finds: Green Bay Vintage Market at Badger State Brewing is a growing trend, featuring sustainable fashion, retro clothing, and home goods, merging shopping with a local brewery experience.

1. Tacos & Tequila Events: Emerging in early summer 2026, events like the Resch Plaza Taco & Tequila Festival are highlighting a trend of combining specialized, high-end spirit tastings with outdoor music.

There you have it! World Future's Day is right up there with Bay Beach and Luke Combs!

05/08/2026

This week we say "until later" to our student intern, Adam Reiswitz, from UWGB. Adam has been an incredible worker for us, setting the bar extremely high for any future interns that we have as an organization. In fact, last week we presented Adam with the "Setting the Bar High" Award for his work this semester for Envision Greater Green Bay. Adam will be missed but never forgotten. And for that we do not say "good-bye", but rather, "until later!" If anyone is interested in hiring an incredibly talented, hard working, and personable young man who will graduate next week with his accounting degree, please reach out!

04/18/2026

A team from Envision Greater Green Bay is teaching an MBA course for UWGB. Today we are onsite at Vyper in Kaukauna. What a great organization that is operating out of a futures lens as they manufacture shop chairs and more. Thanks to Brooke Bayerl, HR Director for the company, for hosting our group.