Glassboro, NJ—The people at Destination ImagiNation want to be clear: if you haven’t heard of Destination ImagiNation before, you will soon.
For more than 26 years, the nonprofit Destination ImagiNation—or “DI,” as it’s affectionately known—has thrived due to its namesake creative problem solving program. The DI program asks student teams around the world to solve mind-bending Challenges and present their solutions at tournaments. A Destination ImagiNation Challenge is an exercise that socially and intellectually activates students by prompting them to use creativity and teamwork to solve a problem.The DI program has been extremely successful over its lifespan. Currently, more than 100,000 students compete in the program annually, and more than 30,000 volunteers donate time, money and energy to make the program a success. But those numbers can and must grow. This year, Destination ImagiNation is ramping up efforts to increase involvement in its program. They have labeled their efforts “The Start a Team Initiative.”
“We will start a minimum of three thousand new teams this year,” said Rusty McCarty, DI’s Creative Director and Chief Operating Officer. “Our programming has made DI the authority in creative problem solving circles. We just need to expand those circles and make Destination ImagiNation a household name.”
Destination ImagiNation has made significant progress in growing its brand, and customized programming has contributed to much of that progress. In the past few years, the National Dairy Council has turned to DI to find creative methods to encourage fitness and nutrition; 3M has worked with DI to promote innovation in fun ways; the Association of Equipment Manufacturers has partnered with DI to present the successful “Construction Challenge” and develop a future workforce; and Syfy has teamed with DI to create a curriculum centered on alternative energies and a cleaner future. These projects have placed DI at the forefront of creative consulting, and they have brought in a number of new contracts and proposals for customized programs for a wide array of other organizations.
Destination ImagiNation’s “Start a Team” initiative can be seen from the organizational level to the volunteer front. DI’s headquarters in Glassboro, N.J., has recently restructured to provide better support to its volunteer base and manage projects more effectively. The restructuring has resulted in the creation of new service, project management, human resources, marketing, and training positions. To support its “Start a Team” campaign, DI will also launch a new Web site, support materials, and modern marketing and public relations campaigns.
“We want to celebrate the lives we’ve changed by focusing on growing the DI program and reaching more students,” said Chuck Cadle, DI’s CEO. “We’re inviting people to start teams and experience the benefits of creative problem solving, and believe me, there are huge benefits. We hear the success stories every day.”
