ONE-DAY, IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
15 years
building the framework
2,500+
innovators
$2 Billion
in revenue generated by big ideas
FIND YOUR WORKSHOP
One day to make space for the idea you keep thinking about.
NYC
October 16, 2026
D.C.
October 20, 2026
CHICAGO
October 22, 2026
We’re finalizing centrally located venues with easy transit access and will share details with participants in advance.
WHAT YOU’LL LEAVE WITH
ONE PRACTICAL, INTERACTIVE DAY
9:00–10:00 · Vertical Takeoff
Connect as a group, set intentions, and build energy for the day ahead.
10:00–12:00 · The Dream Habits
Use three habits to shape, expand, and refine your big idea.
12:00–12:30 · Lunch
Pause and refuel with a light lunch provided by us.
12:30–4:00 · The Design Habits
Use three habits to test your idea through clear, specific action, then close with time to plan and reflect.
You might be a founder, nonprofit leader, executive, team leader, board member, funder, investor, independent coach, or solopreneur. What matters most is that you have an idea you want to give real time and attention.
Ideas might include:
A new program, service, product, or priority
A better way to pitch, go to market, find customers, engage partners, or build your brand
A new approach to selecting, advising, or supporting grantees and ventures
A passion project, hobby, or dream that has collected too much dust
The big, cool thing that keeps staying on your to-do list
WHY DESIGN DREAMING
Start from possibility
Give yourself a true blank canvas instead of beginning with the same old constraints.
Finally make time for the idea
Devote a full day to something you’ve wanted to build but haven’t had the space to prioritize.
Cross-pollinate
Build alongside founders, nonprofit leaders, executives, funders, and independents. Different perspectives make ideas stronger.
Use it again and again
Practice six innovation habits you can return to long after the workshop ends.
Early-bird ticket: $395
Available through September 18, 2026.
Standard ticket: $495
Your ticket includes the full 9am–4pm workshop, a light lunch, and electronic copies of the Design Dreaming framework, session materials, and go-to resources.
Bringing five or more people? Email hello@designdreaming.org to ask about group pricing.
FAQs
Who is Design Dreaming for?
Design Dreaming is built for leaders, founders, nonprofits, foundations, schools, and teams navigating change or pursuing a bold new opportunity. Whether you're launching something new or reimagining what already exists, the experience is designed to help you move forward with clarity and momentum.
What kinds of ideas work best?
Anything you've been thinking about but haven't quite been able to move. New programs, products, revenue models, organizational strategies, partnerships, culture shifts, grantmaking approaches, or entirely new ventures. If it matters to you, it's worth exploring.
What will I leave with?
You'll leave with a clearer vision, stronger decision-making tools, concrete next steps, and practical experiments you can begin immediately. More importantly, you'll leave with renewed momentum and greater confidence in your ability to turn ideas into action.
What happens during a Design Dreaming experience?
Through interactive activities, storytelling, collaborative exercises, and rapid idea development, you'll strengthen your creativity, pressure-test your thinking, identify your biggest assumptions, and leave with experiments you can begin testing right away. Every experience is highly participatory and designed to build on the wisdom already in the room.
How is Design Dreaming different from Design Thinking?
Design Thinking helps solve problems. Design Dreaming helps uncover new possibilities worth pursuing. We begin with imagination, lived experience, and bold questions before moving into rapid experimentation and action. It's designed not just to improve existing solutions, but to expand what you believe is possible.
Can you customize a Design Dreaming experience for our team?
Absolutely. Every organization is different, and every Design Dreaming experience is designed around your goals, your people, and your moment. Whether you're planning a leadership retreat, exploring a new strategy, launching a product or program, or building a more innovative culture, we'll create an experience that meets your team where they are and helps them move forward together.
What should I bring?
Bring an idea you want to explore. It can be new, unfinished, practical, ambitious, work-related, or personal. You do not need a polished plan.
What is included in a workshop?
Your full-day workshop, a light lunch, and electronic copies of the Design Dreaming framework, session materials, and go-to resources.
Where will my workshop be held?
We’re finalizing centrally located venues with easy transit access. Registered participants will receive full location details in advance.
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