Hot Marketing News

 The top marketing area to improve for 2026. The most likely hot marketing tip to be implemented in the coming year. And the marketing tip that would have the biggest impact for programs.  These were the 3 big marketing topics practitioners responded to and set the direction for LERN practical, how-to tips for members. Top

The Most Wanted

   Programs doing community classes for the public most want to grow their older audiences in the coming year.   People in their 40s and 50s were rated the most wanted growth area by 33% of practitioners, followed by people over aga 60, which came in at 30% of programs.   The 40s and 50s age range

New GOLD CLUB Services

Some 30 member organizations have achieved Gold Club member status for 2026 with LERN. Gold Club membership is brand new and our highest level of services and benefits. You can join them. In addition to receiving all the benefits and services of both Essential membership and Premier membership, Gold Club members get: *Free consulting via

Pioneering Breakthroughs Coming

The 5 new pioneering breakthroughs this year for the field are coming this fall. They all will premiere at the largest conference in the field, LERN 2025 Annual Conference, Nov. 17-20; Online. Stay ahead of your competition, and your boss. Get the huge ROI for your program, and all your staff, generating tens of thousands

Brochure Trends for 2026

Jeff Bezos is not wrong.  Amazon’s Jeff Bezos did not become rich by being wrong. His marketing team is much larger than yours.  They track everything. So what did they do this year? They doubled the number of print brochures they send out, reports LERN’s brochure experts Julie Coates and Jordan Kivley. Now’s the time

Upgrade ‘Contact Us’

Upgrade your ‘Contact Us’ web page to encourage more new and potential participants to engage with you.  Every program has, or should have, a ‘Contact Us’ web page on its website. Here’s WhyPeople who contact you are more likely to register than other non-customers. They are as likely to register as your best customers, your

Target Better

With exclusive software and expert analysis,  we can save you 20% on your brochure and brochure distribution costs. And increase registrations. The service is FREE when you register for the Annual Conference, Nov. 17 -20, 2025.        U.S. programs can save tens of thousands of dollars in marketing costs. Here’s the deal. You know your best zip

Summer Camps 2026

The best youth program practitioners will report on the new successes of 2025 and what they are planning for summer 2026. Join them and get their hot programs, trends, new strategies and predictions for summer 2026. It’s time to plan your Summer Camps or Kids College program for summer 2026. Two great webinar programs this

Future-Proof Your Program

In an era of rapid change and uncertainty in lifelong learning programming, you may unexpectedly face demands seriously impacting your program. “Your unit must do more than respond – – you must anticipate,” says Dr. Travette Webster, LERN’s Chief Operating Officer. Three actions to help you anticipate: 1.Proactive planning.Design a strategic portfolio, learner-centered marketing and

Do More Recognition

Nobody gets too much recognition, says Tim Litfin of Minnetonka, Minnesota.  His community education program is ranked annually as one of the top ten in North America. Do more recognition for your volunteers, instructors, staff, advisory boards, business partners, and anyone else who helps your program be successful. “You have the opportunity to pat someone

Gen X and Y Managers

Gen X and Gen Y have different priorities when it comes to new management concepts. The differences has implications for your own workplace, plus working with other generations and even customers. Gen Y/Millennials overwhelmingly say the most immediate and relevant new management concept is Exploring empowerment in decision making, according to an exclusive survey of

Need AI Instructors?

If you need an AI instructor for your community, partner with LERN to offer AI classes online. With just one registration, you can get up to 50% of the revenue. LERN’s AI instructors Betsy Flanagan and Marcus Lander are nationally known, with participants all over North America.  Flanagan consults with Silicon Valley tech companies. Lander

Nurturing Staff

The agenda is now out! ‘Nurturing Staff’ is one of six new themes for the LERN Annual Conference, Nov. 17-20, 2025. The conference will have all-new sessions in pioneering best practices and advanced strategies and tips. The most exciting week in lifelong learning just got more exciting. Over 1,500 people will attend, making it the

Dashboard Open

It’s free and open to all, even non-member organizations. Get feedback on the five most important measures in our business. Enter your data and get comparisons with your fellow organizations by institutional setting and size of community.  Your data is confidential. Just go to www.LERNdashboard.org   Now. Don’t wait. Find out what the average program gets

Pricing Tips

Pricing is a critical activity we do all the time.  This is one of the three most popular topics for members.  Last month we had over 200 people sign up for our complimentary webinar on pricing. Let’s look at the 5 pricing tips that stand out right now in 2025. 1.Courses and offerings with the

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