Creating Community Consulting

🌱 Want to grow your business, strengthen your nonprofit, learn to leverage AI, or build a stronger community? 🌱

This summer, you'll find the team at Creating Community Consulting sharing practical tools, innovative strategies, and real-world lessons with leaders across the Midwest and the Nation.

From entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence to non-profit grant writing, youth engagement & agency in community, and overarching community development approaches, we're sharing lessons learned and a guide of field tested strategies and tools that help organizations and communities move from vision to action to results.

📍 Here's where you can find Karen Pifher representing CCC this summer:

🌸 Today | ABWA Lakes Area
A Bloomin' Business: How to W**d, Seed & Feed
Learn how to identify what needs to be removed, planted, and nurtured to help you & your business thrive.

🤖 June 23 | FM Small Business Summit | Brewhalla, Fargo
In partnership with SBDC
AI Integration in Small Business
Practical learning on how AI integrates into small business: lessons learned, best small biz utilization and ROI.

🌎 July 19-22 | Community Development Society Annual Conference | Savannah, Georgia
The Intergenerational Blueprint: Youth-Led Strategies that Close Health Disparity Gaps and Build Thriving Places Together with Community Changemakers
Discover how youth engagement & development of agency, community voice, and cross-generational collaboration can transform communities and improve outcomes. Conference registration is currently open.

💰 August 5 | Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Fundraising Conference | St. Paul
Grant Writing with AI: Save 75% of Your Time While Achieving Results
Learn the exact framework our team uses to streamline grant prospecting, writing, and research while maintaining quality and increasing efficiency. Registration is open for the statewide conference.

🎯 September 24 | Detroit Lakes Noon Rotary
A special presentation focused on leadership, community impact, and creating stronger places together.

At Creating Community Consulting, we believe communities don't change because someone has all the answers.

They change when people are willing to learn, innovate, collaborate, and take action.

Whether you're a nonprofit leader, elected official, board member, grant writer, community leader, or simply someone who wants to make a difference, we'd love to connect with you this summer.

✨ Come learn.
✨ Come be challenged.
✨ Come leave with tools you can use immediately.

Because stronger organizations create stronger communities.

As Creating Community Consulting continues to evolve, we're excited to open our Moorhead office to office sharing and leasing opportunities!

We have always envisioned this as a shared space where good work happens, connections are made, and community is built.

Here's what's available:
✔️ Open space ideal for board meetings, trainings, and small gatherings
✔️ Private office area with 4 workstations (co-working space for individuals or a single office space for an organization)
✔️ On-site parking and green space
✔️ Flexible leasing and use options

Whether you're a team of one looking to work outside of your home or an organization looking for a home base in Moorhead, looking for an affordable event space, and something in between, we'd love to connect.

Reach out directly to our team at [email protected] to learn more!

Know someone who's been looking for the right space? Tag them below or share this post, we'd love to connect!

We have some exciting news to share as we head into the next season at CCC… and yes, it comes with all the feelings!

First, we want to celebrate Kristin Knorr as she steps into an incredible new chapter. Kristin has accepted a role at Fargo Cass Public Health, a position that's a natural fit for her expertise and dedication to community health. We are so grateful for the work she brought to CCC and wish her every success in this exciting next step. We look forward to working together as colleagues moving ahead.

And with every transition comes something to look forward to! We are thrilled to welcome Shelly Blauert back full-time to the CCC team! If you've crossed paths with Shelly before, you already know she brings energy, heart, and genuine commitment to this work. We are glad to have her on board in this expanded capacity.

CCC is strong, has expanded our reach, and is as rooted in community as ever. We're grateful for every person who has been part of this journey and excited for what's ahead. Watch out for a monthly series of our client stories starting in June! We can’t wait to share how they are “Creating Stronger Communities” and our gratefulness to help them in their journeys.

We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity for the opportunity we had to play a role in making this a success!!! ❤️❤️❤️

At 12:29 AM… it happened. ❤️

The Minnesota bonding bill was announced as passed with the City of Frazee- River North Drive- pavement, multi use trail, water and sewer access being FUNDED.

This is more than infrastructure.

This is safer access for kids walking and biking to school, ballgames, the new pickleball courts, and Wannigan Regional Park.

This is water and sewer infrastructure that opens doors for future growth and development.
This is a transformational investment in the future of the City of Frazee and our entire region.

The paved River Drive N. Loop and multi-use trail will help connect people, recreation, safety, opportunity, and community in ways that will impact generations to come.

And we could not have done this without YOU!

To every person who contacted legislators, testified, shared posts, showed up to meetings, advocated, encouraged, believed in the vision, and helped amplify why this mattered so deeply… thank you. Your voices mattered. They truly made a difference.

We are incredibly grateful to Senator Paul Utke, Senator Rob Kupec, and Representative Krista Knudsen for authoring the bills, championing this effort, and advocating every step of the way! Please thank them.

Thank you to our Frazee Community Development Corporation leaders for investing time and resources to lead this process and develop Wannigan Regional Park.

A special thank you as well to Creating Community Consulting for their leadership, strategy, communications support, and guidance throughout this process.

Thank you to everyone behind the scenes who played a role in this monumental feat.

There are moments in communities where you celebrate people coming together and choosing to believe in what’s possible, and taking action.

Last night was one of those moments.

Frazee—we did this together. 🌲

Some people never hesitate to get to work and figure out how to pitch in to "create stronger communities" - our mission at CCC.

Today, we celebrate one of those people.

Madison Olson — recipient of the United Way of Becker County's Community Spirit Award.

From the moment Madison stepped into her role as Miss Frazee in August 2025, she didn’t just carry a title… she carried a vision. Rooted in her platform, “Disconnect to Connect: Building Community Beyond Screens,” she set out to create something real — a space where people could gather, move, laugh, and truly connect.

She showed up.
She built relationships.
She asked for help.
She joined committees.
She learned to find and talk with investors.
She kept going.

In just eight months, Madison helped in leading a capital campaign that has raised over $215,000 to date. Not because it was easy… but because she believed in what it could become and she was willing to ask for help, learn and grow.

At Creating Community Consulting, we had the honor of coaching and supporting Madison and the incredible team at the Frazee Area Community Club who are leading development of the Frazee Pickleball Courts. And here’s what we’ll tell you:

👉 This didn’t happen because of one person.
👉 It happened because of leadership that inspires others to show up.

Madison has been that kind of leader.

What started as an idea is now becoming something tangible. The pickleball courts will bring energy to Frazee, support local businesses, and strengthen the heart of a community already on the move!

And the best part?

She’s just getting started!

With dreams of future projects and continued leadership in Frazee, Madison is proving that community development isn’t about age, titles, or waiting your turn…

It’s about stepping up, bringing people with you, and refusing to let a good idea stay “just an idea.”

Madison — we are incredibly proud to stand alongside you.

This award is well deserved.
But the impact you’re creating?

That’s the real legacy. 💛

Most people will never see the work.

The spreadsheets.
The late-night edits.
The grant narratives rewritten five times to align with one line in a rubric.
The coaching calls.
The capital campaign meetings.
The strategy pivots.
The “what if we tried this instead?” moments.

At Creating Community Consulting (CCC), that’s where we live—behind the scenes—helping nonprofits and communities turn ideas into something real. To create stronger communities step by step.

And then in memorable moments, you get to stand in the creation.

This weekend, we walked the trails at Wannigan Regional Park in Frazee, MN.

Not plans.
Not projections.
Not “someday” ideas.

Real, tangible impact. Seeing how our efforts brought life to a community project.

✔️ Over 2.2 miles of multi-use trail
✔️ Fully connected loop with lighting
✔️ A school pathway linking a major highway to ballfields, future pickleball courts, the park, and the North Country Trail
✔️ ADA accessibility throughout—because community spaces should be for everyone

And it’s still growing this year… with new shelters, the kayak launch, and overlooks going up this year to make the space even more usable, more welcoming, more human.

This is why the behind-the-scenes work matters.

Because when it’s done right, it doesn’t stay behind the scenes.

It becomes:
🚶‍♀️ A mom pushing a stroller on a safe path
🚴 A kid biking to practice without crossing danger
🌳 A community gathering in a place they’re proud of
💛 A healthier, more connected rural community

This is what happens when vision meets strategy… and strategy meets persistence.

To every nonprofit leader, community champion, and funder doing the unseen work right now…keep going.

You’re not just writing plans.
You’re building places people will walk through for generations.

🚨 BIG NEWS. BIG IMPACT. 🚨

Creating Community Consulting took 🥇 1st PLACE + $50,000 in the Minnesota Virtual AI Pitch Competition this past month!

This statewide competition, powered by Minnesota SBDC, Amazon Web Services, and PREDICTif, brought together innovators and entrepreneurs from across Minnesota to compete. The vision in this space was top notch, and we’re honored to come out on top.

We want to thank West Central SBDC and our coaches, Beth Pridday and Josh Sowl, for their support!

We learned SO MUCH in the past year about AI software, accessibility, mobilization and capacity, and we took those lessons and are turning them into sustainable, accessible solutions.

Here’s what matters most 👇

💡 We’re building something designed to change the game for communities AND we’re doing it with equity at the center.

Because here’s the truth:
Too many communities and organizations are rural, under-resourced, historically left behind in community planning and engagement, they are masters of wearing 20 different hats, and they just don’t have the time, tools, or support needed to engage, design, prioritize, and move forward the projects they need and deserve.

They matter, the voices of people in their community matter, and their story matters.

💭 So what are we building with this $50,000 investment?

Take a guess in the comments below! We will select one organization or community (any nonprofit, coalition or government agency can participate) to pilot this for FREE as part of our beta testing from those that comment.

We’ll give you a hint:

🔥 This is being built for ALL communities, especially those who’ve been left out
🔥 We complete about 10 of these per year as an agency and they are needed across the nation in different fields. They all look a little different, but are desired or required in community development and community health spaces.
🔥 This engine will help you engage your community better, plan smarter, prioritize better, and fund projects faster

Imagine…
✔️ Reducing hundreds of hours worth of work
✔️ Having clarity to help your community decide what matters most
✔️ Unlocking funding with confidence backed by data and community voice

This isn’t just about efficiency…
It’s about equity, access, and empowering organizations and communities to lead their own future.

What do YOU think we’re creating?

Drop your guesses in the comments ⬇️👇👇👇

Watch for the announcement coming soon on the product and the winner of a FREE beta test!

What happens when a 20-year-old walks into the room and asks, “How do we get Pickleball Courts in Frazee?”

You don’t smile politely and move on saying they are too expensive.
You don’t say “maybe someday.”

You lean in. You listen. You believe them. And then you build it together as a community.

Today, what started as that simple question from Madison Olson has turned into something extraordinary:
💥 Over $206,000 raised toward a $282,000 goal in 8 months.

Let that sink in for a moment.

This isn’t just about pickleball courts.
This is about what happens when a community decides that youth voices matter. When people listen and come alongside to show their dedication and belief in youth as co-creators in community.

At Creating Community Consulting (CCC), this is the work that lights us up. Across Minnesota, we get to support incredible projects, but there is something deeply powerful about walking alongside young leaders as they discover what they’re capable of and being able to provide the skills, knowledge and management to help them be successful.

Because here’s the truth:
When you teach a young person how to lead…
how to ask for support…
how to build relationships…
how to turn an idea into action…

👉 You don’t just build a project.
👉 You build a lifetime of confidence, leadership, and community impact.

You provide a lifetime of fundraising skills that can allow communities to ACHIEVE BIG DREAMS!

This effort started with curiosity.
It grew through courage.
And now it’s fueled by a community that said, “Yes, we’re in.”

Through this journey:
✔️ CCC helped provide capital campaign training, guidance and we support all the magic in organizing people and information behind the scenes
✔️ We connected people who care to come alongside include several passionate pickleballers and community stakeholders
✔️ The Frazee Area Community Club stepped up as the lead agency, believing in the future of Frazee and the importance of youth voices
✔️ And together, we’ve been working behind the scenes to keep the momentum moving

And now… we are so close to reaching that goal.

🚨 Just $76,000 left to cross the finish line. 🚨

Imagine the ribbon cutting.
Imagine the laughter, the tournaments, the connections.
Imagine that 20-year-old standing there knowing: “We did this together because I was brave enough to ask and believe it could happen.”

That’s how communities are transformed.
That’s how leaders are developed.
Listening, investing time and knowledge, and providing opportunities to "do" the work.

So here’s the call:
If you’ve ever wondered how to make a real difference… this is it.

💚 Be part of the story
💚 Invest in youth leadership
💚 Help Frazee cross the finish line

Because when a community rallies behind its young people…
there is no limit to what can be built.

We have some bittersweet news to share — Siham Amedy is moving on from the CCC team.

Siham has been an incredible part of what makes Creating Community Consulting special. Her dedication to our clients and community, her attention to detail, and her genuine commitment to community-centered work have left a real mark on our team and the projects we've had the privilege of doing together.

We are so excited for her next chapter as she joins the Minnesota Public Radio team, and honestly, MPR is lucky to have her. 🎉

Siham, we are so proud of you and everything you've brought to this work. We will miss you, and cheer you on from our seats!

Join us in congratulating Siham — our community is better for having people like her in it. 💙