This has been a challenging year as community-based organizations of all types navigate ongoing change and urgent needs. We are responding by ramping up our efforts to build rural leaders, grow small businesses, and engage community members in the issues that matter most to them - community members like Yolanda who opened her own food business as a result of hard work, determination, and support from RDI’s programs. Yolanda’s journey is a powerful example of what is possible when dedication meets opportunity, and the right support is in place. Together, we can help people overcome challenges and build prosperity in rural communities. Will you please donate today to give people in rural places the opportunity to create a vibrant future for themselves, their families, and their communities?

The Rural Visibility Project is a policy advocacy campaign designed to center rural priorities through community-driven dialogue and elevate rural voices in state-level policy conversations. As we revisit and redesign this project, we are focusing on priority topics to impact specific policies and legislation that will move through the Oregon State Capitol during the short session in 2026, with the hopes of creating our own rurally inclusive policies (informed by you) for the 2027 session. Along with monthly topics, we'll also highlight rural development hubs, rural nonprofits, resiliency, and tribal and rural investment—all critical to rural ecosystems and the education of decision makers at the state and local level. Join us for a virtual information session on January 27 to learn about how you can help spread the word about small businesses and downtowns in rural Oregon, and get involved with the Rural Visibility Project to move rural-oriented solutions across the Pacific Northwest forward.

Save the date for April 16 and 17 and join more than 300 rural changemakers, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs at Regards to Rural (R2R), the Pacific Northwest’s premier rural development conference. The 14th Regards to Rural conference will be held in Bend, OR, with keynotes, networking opportunities, the Rural Visibility Project Live, the Rural Action Lab, and sessions interpreted or offered in English and Spanish. Topics include community building and engagement, economic vitality and wealth building, policy and influence, and access to resources. New in 2026 - you won’t want to miss the mobile workshops on April 15, along with the opportunity to connect with NADO and Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition as their annual summits are being held in coordination with R2R. 

We were thrilled to lead a community-based, leadership skills workshop this fall as part of the City of Independence Civic Leadership Program. This program was developed as a new way for community members to learn how their city government works and how community volunteers and organizations help keep Independence thriving. Participants took behind-the-scenes tours of the wastewater treatment plant and police facilities, explored hands-on presentations on government finance, and visited the public library to see how local services operate on a day-to-day basis. They also heard directly from community partners, gaining insight into the role that local groups play in supporting the community. This program is designed to build community leadership capacity and encourage people to get more involved, and we are excited to have had the opportunity to be a part of it.

This fall, 34 women from counties across the state of Oregon participated in the 2025 Rural Women’s Leadership Cohort, coming together both virtually and in person to learn how to engage government to catalyze positive change in their communities. Attendees increased their capacity to advocate for their work and step into positions of leadership in their communities. This is the third cohort of rural women leaders that RDI and the Center for Women’s Leadership have brought together since 2023. We continue to be inspired by the dedication these women have to the rural places they call home.