The Junior League of Omaha is a training organization first and foremost. Since we can’t be together IRL, the training committee put together a list of (mostly free) digital resources. While tie-dying sweatsuits and making your own sourdough starter are worthy endeavors, we might be social distancing for a long time. Please comment and share anything you’ve learned or DIY successes during this time! 

Community

Did you know that even before the pandemic, AJLI has tons of resources on their site? To access their library of content available to Members, log in to jlomaha.org. In the top right click on AJLI. This will take you to the AJLI website as a logged-in Junior League member. Beyond COVID-19 resources, you can find past webinars, materials from past AJLI trainings and conferences, self-paced online courses, and more. They’ve also added a bunch of COVID-19 specific resources, such as webinars about serving communities from a distance and leading teams virtually. 

If you want to further your nonprofit knowledge, take a look at nonprofitready.org and join for free. They’ve curated over 500 free online courses, videos, and downloadable guides to support the most common nonprofit jobs including: Fundraising, Grant Writing, Leadership, Governance, Accounting and Finance, Operations, Marketing and Communications, Volunteer Engagement, and Program Management.

With the Nebraska primary election around the corner on May 12, and politics on the mind, She Should Run is an excellent resource to get more women elected and involved in policy. Check out their Road to Run 2020 Virtual Series.

Continued Education

Harvard is offering the opportunity to audit select digital courses and webinars. Topics range from science and math to humanities and current events. There’s a webinar on Nonprofit Accounting and Financial Statements that looks like a great intro to nonprofit finances (looking at you, incoming treasurers!). 

Coursera is a collection of digital courses offered by a huge variety of educational institutions and has almost 2,000 free online courses. Some interesting courses we saw: The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs, through the University of Toronto, Stanford Introduction to Food and Health, and Project Management Principles and Practices Specialization. 

Udemy is another online learning platform with tons of Free Courses. Take a look at Becoming a Service Leader.

Interested in learning the basics of software development, design, business, photography, or web development? New users get a free month on Lynda.com.

Try Free Fridays at General Assembly. Topics include data, marketing, career development, coding, UX design, and business.

Buddy up and split the cost of the Buy One Share One promotion on Masterclass. Learn Creativity and Leadership with Anna Wintour, Entrepreneurship with Spanx founder, Sara Blakely, and many other courses with masters of their fields.

There are so many free resources for schools out there, but a lot of the content is helpful beyond childhood education.

Money Moves

Sophia Amoruso founded Girlboss a few years ago, and it’s an excellent resource for all things branding and professional development. Given that we’re in SUCH an uncertain time, they’ve rounded up some timely links and articles called Girlboss Guide to Pivoting Like a Pro.

By subscribing to the Ladies Get Paid Institute for Higher Earning, you’ll get an all-access pass to over 30 hours of expert content, with new courses added weekly, designed to help you advance in your career, manage your money and grow your wealth. Try a 30 Day FREE trial with code: 30DAYSFREE

New to investing? Consider joining Ellevest, which guides women through finances to level the playing field. From their site, “86% of Investment Advisors Are Men, With an Average Age of 50+. So the “gender-neutral” investment industry defaults to men’s salaries, career paths, preferences and lifespans. That’s not good enough. So, we’re changing the game.” Even if you don’t want to commit now, follow Ellevest and founder Sallie Krawcheck on Instagram for helpful money tips with women’s interests in mind.

Here are 5 podcasts for professional development and 10 career podcasts for your listening pleasure. We also love Second Life, Women at Work, and Gallup Theme Thursdays.

Arts & Entertainment

Who remembers places? While we can’t travel, we can explore online. Here are 10 Virtual Experiences in the State of Nebraska. Architecture geeks and interior design lovers can enjoy Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Visits. Joslyn Museum is offering Art From Afar. Check out this virtual tour of the British Library’s virtual exhibit of “Harry Potter: A History of Magic.” Fun fact: the first book came out 23 years ago this coming June.

Take guitar or ukulele lessons. Learn piano. Lin-Manuel Miranda announced free theater classes. Moma is offering free art courses through Coursera as well. If that’s too intense, get out your finest gel pens and enjoy some Manolo Blanik Coloring Sheets.

Mind & Body

Beachbody has a free 14-day trial right now.

Cloud 9 has a free 90-day trial of meditation resources. 

JCC in Omaha is streaming free fitness classes. 

Some of Todd Smith’s trainers are posting some free at home workouts.

Sanvello is an app offering free premium access during the COVID-19 crisis. You’ll find tools like meditations, mood trackers, and guided journeys to help navigate the complicated world of mental health.

We understand that time is a luxury that not everyone enjoys, and even with potential extra time, not everyone is feeling productive or ambitious right now. That’s okay! No matter what your situation is, however you’re coping, you’re doing the best you can. The training committee just wanted to provide some useful content to our fellow members.

We are in this together.

Sara Huse, Training Coordinator