In Education and Learning

Network Success Born from Online Learning

Shelby Cline and Colleen Walters contributed to this piece.

We’ve found the SRF Advocacy Training Series and Toolkit to be extremely useful and have even directed more of our staff members to complete the training to learn more about our current SRF advocacy priorities. I actually keep the SRF Advocacy Toolkit up on my computer and reference it quite often!”

– V Miller, Alabama Rivers Alliance 

It’s a new year – perhaps you’ve been considering personal and professional goals for the months ahead. Are you contemplating what kind of training or professional development opportunities might support your important water work in 2024? Here at River Network, growing the capacity and building the skills of organizations and coalitions in the network is one of our top priorities. We’re striving to achieve this goal by providing organizations with tools, research, communications, and hands-on technical assistance, skill-building, and training opportunities.

A River Rally 2024 attendee types on their laptop.

Working Definition: "Growing Capacity"

“Capacity” or “capacity building” can be a jargony term in the nonprofit world. The River Network team sees capacity building as “increasing a person or organization’s ability to do the work they want to do” – it’s the training, skill- and relationship-building, and resource distribution our staff provides to make organizations more sustainable.

As you scan newsletters, search online, or ask your colleagues about opportunities to gain valuable capacity-building training this year, make sure our Online Learning Platform is on your list!

In today’s rapidly changing world, where environmental challenges are increasingly complex, staying well-informed and equipped with the latest knowledge and skills is essential. River Network’s Online Learning Platform offers a unique gateway to a whole suite of resources, empowering river, water, and justice advocates to sharpen their expertise and deepen their understanding of critical issues. The Platform will be of use to anyone whose work relates to clean, safe, and affordable drinking water, water quality and quantity concerns, water infrastructure funding, and the foundational federal environmental laws that we must defend and use to protect our water. By engaging with these training opportunities, individuals can cultivate a comprehensive toolkit for effective advocacy, enabling them to drive tangible change in their communities and watersheds.

How These Training Series Are Helping the Network

Participating in the cohort-style State Revolving Fund (SRF) Advocacy Training Series builds connections between peers and opens new opportunities for collaboration. Victoria Miller, Director of Advocacy Research at Alabama Rivers Alliance, explains, “The SRF Advocacy Training Series really kicked off and inspired much of the SRF advocacy work I’ve done at ARA this year. It was an awesome way to meet other peers working in this same niche space I found myself in, connect with mentors in the water equity space, and learn about a litany of advocacy options and examples from other states. I found the connections I made with others working in this space to be about as important as the SRF Advocacy Toolkit that the training was based out of.”

Federal and state policy and program reform – of any kind – can take years of effort, and progress can feel slow at times. Gaining foundational knowledge can prepare you to consider the many facets that shape your state’s SRF processes and the progress you want to advocate for. “I really appreciated the opportunity to engage with others across the country who are at different levels of knowledge about the SRF program,” shared Mary Cromer, Deputy Director, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center. “I appreciate the way the programs were structured to provide an overall education/understanding of the SRF program and how we can work to make it better.”

The Clean Water Act Online Training Series brings our Clean Water Act Owner’s Manual to life and dissects the Clean Water Act (CWA) through information-packed modules that are inclusive across the many different ways people learn. Video presentations explain the basics of the key CWA program areas, while the “Take Action” section brings the participant out of the virtual world to dive into their own state’s implementation of the Act.

One of the best ways to interact with the content and fellow participants is through the “discussion” sections. Each module has a different set of questions and participants share their perspectives, their state-specific findings, and their motivations to act on what they are learning. Head to the discussion sections and learn more about what’s happening in watersheds throughout the country, like Diana’s work on stormwater runoff, Delaney’s pollution and high water table concerns, and the need for Saraly’s designated use upgrades for recreation.

River Network is also piloting a Delaware River Basin CWA Training cohort where eight individuals complete the self-paced training series on their own and meet as a group to identify action steps based on what they’ve learned. The cohort members will come away with an increased understanding of the CWA, a mapped-out action plan to use the tools of the Act, and stipend to support their advocacy for their waterways.

New this year: Upon full completion of any of our training series, you’ll receive a certificate to highlight your accomplishment in finishing the series. This can be added to your LinkedIn profile or other places where you share your professional education and training experiences.

What’s on the Horizon

Get Ready for the Safe Drinking Water Act’s 50th Anniversary

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 2024, we encourage you to sign up for the self-paced Drinking Water Guide Training! Module 3 provides a comprehensive overview of the SDWA, and the training as a whole guides you in creating an action plan to help further your goals on drinking water related topics.

New Learning Opportunities in 2024

We have a lot planned for the year ahead:

River Network’s Online Learning Platform is the latest iteration in our 35 years of training and supporting water leaders, a new approach to network support that is rich with new ways to learn and connect. If you care about clean, safe, and affordable drinking water, healthy rivers, and climate-resilient communities, our Online Learning Platform is the place to look for education and professional development. Leaders working through these series are applying what they learn and driving change for their waters – and we couldn’t be prouder to be behind the scenes powering this change.

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