IISC’s Trainings: Frequently Asked Questions

REGISTRATION and PAYMENT BASICS

I am with an organization that does not clearly fall into one of your two categories: nonprofit or foundation. How should I register?

• If you are with a social or public sector organization that is anything other than a grantmaking foundation, please register as a nonprofit.
• If you are with a social enterprise venture, please register at our foundation rate.
• If you are with a for profit organization, please see the training page of our partner organization – Interaction Associates.

How do I know if I’m registered?  I can’t find my registration confirmation? What do I do if I want to change something in my registration?

You will receive an email upon completion of your on-line registration. That email will include links to all relevant information about your workshop and provides the opportunity to edit your registration details. If you have lost your confirmation number, please find your workshop’s registration page by going to the training page on our website and clicking “register” next to your workshop. Once you are on that workshop’s registration page, please click “Already Registered” in the upper right corner. Then, click the link to have your confirmation number emailed to you. Once you have received your confirmation number, go to the registration page again and enter your confirmation number and email address. Your registration information will appear.

I am a student, I work for a small grassroots organization that has no training funds, or I am otherwise under/unemployed. Can I get a discount?

Unfortunately, IISC is unable to extend any discounts or scholarships to workshop participants at this time. Thank you for your patience while we determine the best ways for IISC to support grassroots leaders in the future.

Several of us from my organization want to attend one of our trainings. Do you offer a group discount rate?

Unfortunately, IISC is unable to extend any discounts to workshop participants. Multiple individuals from one organization are welcome to attend; however, we generally prefer that not more than four people from one organization attend any one workshop.

My organization does not have a credit card. How do I register?

IISC accepts checks and purchase orders. To pay using one of these methods, please contact our training coordinator at workshops@interactioninstitute.org. Registration by purchase order requires the additional step of agreeing to our cancellation policy, which still applies even if payment has not been made in advance.

I am on the waitlist for a workshop. How can I find out what my chances are for getting into the workshop?

Unfortunately, we rarely have enough cancellations to admit people from the waitlist. We can, however, assure you that we will contact you if/when a seat opens up. We recommend you register instead for an upcoming workshop that still has openings.

The training does not say “Sold Out/Waitlist Only” on your website. When I go to register, it sends me to the waitlist. What is happening?

Our event platform, Cvent, automatically closes the registration when we have reached capacity. Our website is manually updated, so it may take a few days to display. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any confusion.

What if I need to cancel? Can someone from my organization attend? Can I get a refund? 
All registrations are non-refundable.  If a registrant can no longer attend the training, they have two options:

1. Substitute another individual from their organization for no additional fee. They must inform the Training Coordinator of this change.
2. Cancel their registration and receive a portion of the registration fee as a credit for a future IISC workshop¹

Interaction Institute for Social Change reserves the right to cancel the workshop due to force majeure or any other legitimate condition beyond the control of IISC.  In this event, registrants shall receive a full refund of all fees paid to IISC. Registrant agrees that in all such circumstances, IISC’s liability shall be exclusively limited to refunding the fees paid and that IISC shall not be liable for indirect or consequential damages arising from the cancellation. If applicable, we recommend that you make refundable travel arrangements or purchase travel insurance.

Rarely, we must cancel a workshop due to low enrollment. We generally make that determination three weeks prior to the start date. In this case, you will be contacted by the workshop coordinator and a full refund or the opportunity to register for another workshop will be offered.

¹ Transfers to another workshop must occur within 365 days of the original workshop date. Participants are accountable for ensuring that they register within the transfer window. Credits will be given according to the fee structure below:

Here is an example for a non-profit Facilitative Leadership for Social Change registration ($700) occurring on March 31^st, 2019.

LOGISTICS (location, time, and more)

Where is the workshop taking place?
Refer to the logistics page for your workshop, or to your confirmation email.

I’m coming from out of town. Where should I stay and do you offer any discounts on lodging?
The workshop fee does not include hotel accommodations; however, there are many options in and around each of our workshop locations. We suggest that you use one of the many web-based services to search out those options. Under no circumstances do we reimburse workshop participants for travel or lodging, nor do we partner with any hotels for the purpose of offering discounts.

Will you ever offer a training in a location that is not covered by your current schedule?
At this time, IISC offers trainings only in the locations listed.

What time am I supposed to arrive, and when will we be done?
Our workshops run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Check in begins and breakfast snacks are available starting at 8:30am. We expect participants to be fully present throughout each day of the workshop and request that you make travel arrangements that allow for this.

How should I dress for the workshop?
Dress for comfort and fluctuations in temperature.

What will we be eating?
We will be serving breakfast refreshments, lunch, and midday snacks for each day of the training. Our lunches can easily accommodate vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free diets, but be sure to indicate this on your registration form.

When will I receive any pre-work I am required to do?
IISC sends out the pre-work approximately two weeks prior to the date of the workshop.

CHOOSING A TRAINING

What is the difference between your workshops and those offered by Interaction Associates?
Interaction Institute for Social Change offers trainings to individuals working for social change in a variety of contexts: nonprofit organizations, networks, foundations, educational organizations, and public-sector agencies, to name a few. Our partner organization, Interaction Associates, offers similar trainings to those in the for-profit sector.

Should I start with Facilitative Leadership for Social Change (FL4SC) before taking Essential Facilitation (EF)?
We typically recommend that participants start with FL4SC because it focuses on building the critical practices of a facilitative leader. It’s a broader introduction to our collaborative methodology. It then makes sense to move from FL4SC to Essential Facilitation (EF) to continue to build your facilitation toolkit as EF goes deeper into the specific meeting facilitation and agreement building practices introduced in FL4SC. Some content from FL4SC is reviewed in EF and many people value having the additional opportunity to review the practices covered in both courses; however, others have expressed a preference for less overlap.

What is the difference between Fundamentals of Facilitation for Racial Justice (FFRJW) and Advancing Racial Justice in Organizations (ARJ)?
FFRJW builds and deepens the skills needed to design and facilitate conversations about race among people who are different from one another. The workshop offers practical skills and tools for guiding others through productive conversations about race, racism, and racial justice that build understanding and agreement. FFRJW is appropriate for people working individually as facilitators of racial justice conversations in a variety of settings.

ARJ is one day workshop for operationalizing racial justice in day-to-day organizational life through strategy and action. Workshop leaders share theory, frameworks, tools, and stories about effective models for addressing racism and pursuing racial justice and racial equity in organizational life so that participants leave with specifics. We recommend participation by two or three individuals from one organization who can then work as a team to operationalize what was learned in the workshop.