Engage Winona

What Engage Winona does

Engage Winona is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Winona, Minnesota, that strengthens civic participation in southeast Minnesota through community programs, leadership training, and paid consulting services. Its core offerings include the Lived Experience Leaders cohort leadership program (five cohorts completed, with a sixth launching for 2026-2027), the Winona Area Kitchen Table program focused on residents with lived experience of housing instability, the Winona Together facilitated conversation series, the Stories for Good community book club, and the Leading Local initiative run in partnership with the Winona Post. The organization also sells community engagement consulting services to local governments (City of Winona, Winona County), nonprofits, educational institutions (notably Winona State University), and healthcare systems (Gundersen Health System), and it has produced multi-year engagement outputs such as the City of Winona Comprehensive Plan Update.

The underlying operating model is a place-based, highly relational engagement methodology organized around three pillars: Connect (welcoming entry points such as block parties and community conversations), Build Capacity (free workshops, leadership cohorts, and technical assistance), and Change the Narrative (reframing rural community narratives through storytelling and arts). Technology use is light and supporting rather than core: SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, and online engagement platforms are used for data collection, and the organization emphasizes in-person delivery across Winona County venues. The 1-10 person staff is led by Executive Director Marcia Ratliff and is augmented by an Americorps Vista fellow placed through Civic Bridgers.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid of foundation grants (Blandin Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Otto Bremer Trust, Minnesota State Arts Board, Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council), individual donations and monthly giving, corporate and organizational program sponsorships (Miller Ingenuity, Target, Walmart, Women's Foundation of Minnesota, United Way affiliates), and fee-for-service consulting contracts with public and institutional clients. All community programs are free to participants, with participants in the Lived Experience Leaders program receiving stipends. The 2025 fiscal year is marked by an anticipated 25% budget shortfall tied to grantor strategy adjustments and federal funding uncertainty, which has already triggered early staff cost reductions.

Name

Engage Winona

Legal name

Engage Winona

Website

https://engagewinona.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Engage Winona is a 501c3 nonprofit in Winona, Minnesota that runs free civic engagement and leadership programs in southeast Minnesota and provides paid community engagement consulting to local governments, nonprofits, universities, and healthcare systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Engagement Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI)

Keywords

• Community engagement services
• Civic participation programs
• Leadership development
• Nonprofit consulting
• Rural community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Winona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Foundation Funding: Primary funding from grants including from the Blandin Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, and others. The organization received a 2021 Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council grant and operates with grant-funded positions.
2. Donations and Community Support: Individual donations and community fundraising, including monthly giving programs. The organization runs annual fundraiser events and has a June fundraising goal of $5,000 in community support.
3. Consulting Services: Fee-for-service consulting provided to nonprofit organizations, local governments, educational institutions, and healthcare systems for community engagement and collaboration support.
4. Program Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsors support specific programs. Miller Ingenuity is a Builder level sponsor for Lived Experience Leaders. Target, Walmart Spark Good Community Grant, and Women's Foundation of Minnesota have provided program support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Engage Winona runs free community participation programs (Lived Experience Leaders, Winona Area Kitchen Table, Winona Together, Leading Local, Stories for Good, Block Parties) that build civic capacity among SE Minnesota residents. It also sells paid community engagement consulting services to local governments, nonprofits, educational institutions, and healthcare systems to help them conduct inclusive, representative engagement with their communities.

Product overview

Engage Winona is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of community programs and services rather than software products. The core programs include: Lived Experience Leaders (a flagship cohort leadership program), Winona Area Kitchen Table (housing instability support), Winona Together (community conversation events), Leading Local (civic workshops in partnership with Winona Post), Stories for Good (book club), and Community Engagement Consulting services. These programs are designed to strengthen communities in southeast Minnesota by reigniting community participation through dialogue, support, and training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lived Experience Leaders A flagship cohort community leadership program that provides training, resources, mentorship, and community support — including participant stipends — to residents with lived experience who are ready to bring their vision for community change to life through workshops and community projects.
• Winona Area Kitchen Table A program that supports people who have experienced housing instability and want to give back to the community, focusing on building their leadership skills so they can identify solutions and advocate for positive change in housing.
• Winona Together A recurring conversation series bringing community members together to connect, share stories, and strengthen their sense of belonging through facilitated dialogue events held at local venues such as Peter's Biergarten and Two Fathoms Brewing.
• Leading Local A collaboration between Winona Post and Engage Winona offering civic workshops, in-depth reporting on local issues, and community forums designed to strengthen civic participation, increase access to reliable civic information, and raise awareness of local news as a trusted resource.
• Stories for Good A community builders book club that brings people together to read books covering a wide range of topics, connecting people and ideas while making new friends and neighbors.
• Community Engagement Consulting Consulting services offered to nonprofit organizations, local governments, educational institutions, and healthcare systems to help them meaningfully engage and collaborate with their communities, including engagement for comprehensive plans, sustainability plans, and justice programs.
• Block Parties Neighborhood block party events hosted by Engage Winona featuring games, food, activities, and opportunities for community members to connect with neighbors and local organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Connected with more than 2,000 community members in a single engagement project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Winona PostcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 March 2026Leading Local is a collaboration between Winona Post and Engage Winona designed to strengthen civic participation in Winona County. The initiative combines trusted local journalism, practical civic learning, and community conversations. In 2026-2027, it offers workshops on civic engagement, in-depth local reporting, and community forums. The goal is to make local news and civic information easier to find and use.
• Civic BridgerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivic Bridgers is a 501c3 organization that aims to strengthen American democracy by preparing emerging leaders to bridge divides. Their fellowship program provides development training for Americorps Vista fellows placed at Engage Winona, including the Program Development Fellow position.
• State of Minnesota / MN StoryCollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngage Winona partnered with the State of Minnesota on MN StoryCollective, an innovative project inviting people across Minnesota to share anonymous stories that form a collective resource to help shape how the state invests in communities through future funding, programs, and policies.
• Winona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with Winona State University social work department. Jay Palmer is a social work professor at WSU and co-leader of the Community Changemaker Lab. The organizations co-led a collaborative program from 2018-2022 to address community challenges affecting marginalized populations.
• Habitat for Humanity WinonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the 'Everyone Deserves a Home' mural project. The Winona Area Kitchen Table program partnered with The Joy Labs and Habitat for Humanity Winona to create a mural amplifying voices of people who have experienced homelessness and housing instability.
• Blandin FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Blandin Foundation and University of Minnesota Extension on the 'Highlighting Stories of Community Resilience' project. This initiative showcases stories of resilience while refining strategies to support rural leaders and communities through cross-sector projects.
• Miller IngenuityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBuilder level sponsor for the Lived Experience Leaders program. Their generous support helps sustain and grow the program, ensuring emerging leaders have opportunities to learn, connect, and lead. Randy Skarlupka, VP of Operations at Miller Ingenuity, serves on the Engage Winona board.
• The Joy LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSarah Johnson founded The Joy Labs and collaborated with Engage Winona on the mural project. Sarah Johnson is also a facilitator for the Lived Experience Leaders program and serves as an advisor to the organization.
• United Way of Olmsted CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided grant support for the Lived Experience Leaders program alongside other funders including Target, Walmart, and McKnight Foundation.
• Art of the RuralminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative publication of Spillway Stories, a magazine featuring stories from artists, storytellers, culture bearers, and creators from the upper Mississippi region around Winona. The project was funded by Chicago Foundation and Minnesota State Arts Board.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Headwaters Foundation: Montana-based foundation funding community-led solutions and rural civic engagement — comparable rural community-development focus in a different geography.

Direct peers

• Everyday Democracy: National nonprofit focused on community dialogue and equitable civic participation, offering training and consulting to local governments and civic groups — directly comparable to Engage Winona's community engagement methodology and consulting services.
• National Civic League: Nonprofit that works with local governments and civic coalitions on inclusive community engagement, civic health, and collaborative governance — directly aligned with Engage Winona's civic participation and capacity-building programs.
• Art of the Rural: Rural cultural organizing initiative partnering with Engage Winona on Spillway Stories; comparable mission of strengthening rural communities through culture, narrative change, and place-based programming.
• Civic Bridgers: 501c3 fellowship program that trains emerging leaders to bridge civic divides — comparable mission and is an active Engage Winona partner placing AmeriCorps VISTA fellows, but operates nationally.
• Kansas Leadership Center: Organization developing civic leadership capacity in communities through training, cohorts, and consulting — comparable cohort-based leadership development model to Lived Experience Leaders.

Broad incumbents

• Blandin Foundation: Minnesota-based rural community leadership foundation running Community Leadership Programs and rural-resilience initiatives — engages the same rural civic-leader audience as Engage Winona, but at a foundation-grantmaker scale.
• Minnesota Council of Nonprofits: Statewide association supporting nonprofit operations, advocacy, and capacity-building in Minnesota — adjacent service provider for the same regional nonprofit ecosystem in which Engage Winona operates.
• IAP2 (International Association for Public Participation): Professional association for public participation practitioners, offering training, certification, and standards used by governments worldwide — engages the same consulting and government-relations audience as Engage Winona.
• McKnight Foundation: Large Minnesota-focused foundation funding place-based community development and equitable rural prosperity — an active Engage Winona funder, but also a comparable civic-equity player with broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/engagewinona
• Facebookfacebook.com/engagewinona
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/engagewinona

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Engage Winona