Practical Climate Action Training for People, Communities, and the Nonprofits
and Towns That Serve Them

PROVEN, PRACTICAL APPROACH
Get road-tested, affordable, do-it-yourself solutions for a changing climate that you can launch now!

Disaster Preparedness Training for
Nonprofits & Local Governments

Step-by-step guidance to help small towns organize emergency planning, clarify roles, and prepare practical, usable plans.

Designed for rural communities with limited staff, time, and resources.

Common Emergency Situations Rural Communities Prepare For.

Rural communities regularly plan for a range of emergency situations that can disrupt daily life, essential services, and community operations. While risks vary by region, many small towns face similar challenges.”.
Emergency Preparedness: Extreme weather icon of lightening and rain in the rural countryside.

Extreme Weather

  • drought & crop failure
  • severe storms & high winds
  • winter weather events
  • power outages stop services
Emergency Preparedness: Rural farm house in a flood icon

Floods

  • injuries and loss of life
  • displaced families
  • high recovery costs
  • erosion & pollution
Emergency Preparedness: Heatwave icon with a bright sun, a thermometer and a hot rural farmhouse.

Heat Waves

  • agricultural losses
  • outdoor work disruption
  • human health risks
  • strain on cooling centers
Emergency Preparedness: Wild Fire icon of a forest fire in a rural area.

Displacement

  • keeping people safe
  • temporary housing needs
  • strain on essential services
  • coordination challenges

About the Disaster Training Program

This training is delivered as two short, sequential courses designed for the schedules and realities of small town and nonprofit teams.

Learn more about the two courses: 245: Write Your Disaster Preparedness Plan and 246: Fund Your Disaster Preparedness Plan.

How This First 245 Course Works 

In 8 weeks, you’ll organize the core documents your community can use to start climate conversations and design a practical action plan — at your own pace and with guidance.

What You’ll Have By the End

Join the Disaster Plan Workshop! The next session begins:

February 1, 2026.

Learn By Doing: Practical Emergency Solutions That Work  

This hands-on training guides you step by step in identifying your community’s most urgent disaster risks and exploring solutions that have been effective in similar towns.

Whether you work in local government or a community-based nonprofit, the focus is on practical tools to support small-town preparedness.

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Community Members

  • family evacuation plan
  • sign up: emergency alerts
  • map evacuation routes
  • emergency supply kit
Icon of a street lamp and a tree beside a park bench

Local Businesses

  • know your business’s risks
  • stock backup supplies
  • install a backup generator
  • create a defensible space
Icon representing forest management in rural America showing three trees beside a pond

Nonprofit Services

  • organize support groups
  • run cooling centers
  • provide air filter kits
  • share emergency plans
Emergency Worker Icon

Local Government

  • list local community risks
  • form a planning team
  • draft disaster plans
  • set up emergency alerts

In this hands-on workshop, complete a ready-to-use disaster plan

A practical emergency preparedness plan tailored to your community’s needs

This training is also available as a facilitated onsite or virtual workshop for nonprofits and local governments. Learn about live workshops

Workshop Details

6 step-by-step templates + live guidance = a disaster plan you can count on.

Questions? For more information, see the full course details or contact us.

The next disaster plan workshop begins:

February 1, 2026.

Community workshops are limited to 6 teams. Secure your spot:

Watch Instructor Tim Magee Introduce the Disaster Preparedness Workshop

In this short video, Tim gives a two-minute overview of what this online workshop covers and how it works. Working side by side with him, you’ll develop a practical disaster preparedness plan in 8 weeks.

Tim is a disaster preparedness and climate change educator who works with nonprofits, local governments, and community members to design practical, real-world solutions that strengthen rural communities. He has over 20 years of experience in disaster preparation and climate training and has written a field guide on community-based emergency preparedness and climate adaptation as a vourse resource.

Is This Emergency Preparedness Workshop Right for You?

Designed for local governments, nonprofits, and community leaders who want to
strengthen small-town resilience and build practical disaster preparedness plans.

Icon of three people surrounded by two hands

Nonprofits & Community Organizations

Supporting practical disaster risk planning at the community level.

  • Rural development organizations
  • Faith-based organizations
  • Service based nonprofits
  • Climate change nonprofits
  • Community-based organizations

Local Governments & Agencies

Protecting local infrastructure, businesses, and residents.
  • Town or county governments
  • Tribal governments
  • Emergency management staff
  • Rural development offices
  • Extension officers
Icon of three people surrounded by two hands

Nonprofit & Community Staff Leading Disaster Planning

Often responsible for turning ideas into actionable plans — even without prior disaster planning experience or support from colleagues.

  • Program managers
  • Project coordinators
  • Community outreach staff
  • Emergency planning staff
Often the person told: “We should probably apply for this.”

Local Government Staff Leading Disaster Planning

Frequently tasked with “getting something started” while juggling many other responsibilities — often with little prior disaster planning experience.

  • Town managers or administrators
  • Planning or zoning directors
  • Emergency planning staff
  • Regional council staff
Often the person told: “We should probably apply for this.”

How the Training Is Structured

This training is offered as two short, sequential courses, built to fit the schedules and realities of small town governments and nonprofit teams in rural communities.

245 — Write Your Emergency Preparedness Plan (8 weeks)

Focus on understanding your community’s disaster risks and organizing your ideas into a practical disaster preparation plan.

  • assess what your community is already experiencing
  • prioritize the most urgent disaster risks
  • explore practical solutions
  • learn from what has worked in similar towns
  • organize your ideas into a clear plan for feedback

246 — Funding Your Emergency Preparedness Plan (6 weeks)

Prepare key documents to secure funding for larger civic projects before submitting formal proposals. In 246 you’ll create:

  • a clear project outline linking challenges and solutions
  • a simple plan for tracking progress
  • a preliminary budget and timeline
  • a concise two-page fact sheet
  • guidance for your first funder conversation

Testimonials: Success Stories From Past Participants

Learn how small towns, local governments, and nonprofits have applied this training to create practical, ready-to-use emergency preparedness plans.

Astrid Grigsby 
Farmer, West Virginia

“This course was the catalyst for connecting with my neighbors. I did, and I worked to develop a local flood preparedness plan that everyone was excited about.

Loraine Sivo 
Participant Awarded $40K

“After completing the program, I received a $40K grant for my flood preparedness plan. The workshop helped me develop this climate change adaptation project.

Wye Yee Yong
Nonprofit Project Manager

“Thank you for all your effort in putting together such a great program and providing all the program resources. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you again.

Gillian Primus
Agricultural Extensionist

“I just want to take this opportunity to compliment you on the practical ideas, knowledge, and vast experience that you continue to share with us on each assignment.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Ready to build a working Disaster Preparation Plan for your community?

Not Ready to Enroll Yet?

Start learning at your own pace: