Rachel had known about Civic Nebraska for years.

She knew the name. She knew some of the work. She knew Civic Nebraska showed up in communities across the state to support civic education, civic health, and voting rights. But until recently, she had never attended a Civic Nebraska event in person.

That changed when she joined a community conversation in Fremont. What she found was not intimidating or one-sided. It was not a room where people needed to arrive as policy experts or political insiders. Instead, Rachel found a welcoming space where people were greeted, invited in, and given room to learn, listen, ask questions, and think critically.

“When I came in, I was greeted. I was welcomed. Every team member introduced themselves,” Rachel said. “It felt like it was participation on my own terms.”

The event focused on Nebraska’s district-based electoral vote allocation system and the public conversation around winner-take-all. But what stayed with Rachel was not only the issue itself. It was how Civic Nebraska created space for people to engage with it. There were handouts. There were visuals. There was historical context. There was time for discussion. Rachel described it as an intentional effort to “level the playing field,” giving people in the room shared knowledge before asking them to participate.

“We had common knowledge,” Rachel said. “We had a shared way to talk to each other.”

That shared understanding made the event feel different. Rachel described it not simply as a forum, but as a conversation. A two-way exchange. A place where Nebraskans could learn together, reflect together, and better understand the choices shaping their communities.

She already had a perspective when she walked into the room. But she left with a deeper understanding of why the issue mattered and how civic participation can help people see their community, their state, and their own role in democracy more clearly.

“What I walked away feeling from the forum with Civic Nebraska was, I felt like a better educated person,” Rachel said.

That feeling moved her to make her first donation to Civic Nebraska. For Rachel, the gift was not just about one event or one issue. It was about what that event made possible: helping more people feel welcome in civic spaces, making trusted information and thoughtful discussion more accessible, and supporting opportunities that help Nebraskans move from uncertainty to understanding, and from understanding to action.

“I know that I want a better community. I want a better state. I want better policies,” Rachel said. “How do we do that? Become a better educated community.”

That is the heart of Civic Nebraska’s work.

Across the state, Civic Nebraska works to create a more modern and robust democracy for all Nebraskans through youth civic leadership, civic health, and voting rights initiatives. That work happens in classrooms, after-school programs, community conversations, voter education efforts, leadership development programs, and Election Protection work that helps Nebraskans participate with confidence.

But it does not happen alone. It happens because people show up. Volunteers give their time. Community members attend events. First-time participants walk through the door. First-time donors decide this work matters enough to support. Returning donors continue investing in the future of Nebraska’s civic life.

For Rachel, the decision to give came from seeing Civic Nebraska’s work up close.

She saw a team that traveled to a community because being present matters. She saw an event that welcomed people no matter how much they already knew. She saw transparency, thoughtfulness, and an invitation to critical thinking. She also saw a model for what civic life can look like when people are given the tools and space to participate.

“It felt more like a partnership, a partnership of conversation,” Rachel said.

That partnership is what Civic Nebraska works to build every day: between neighbors, communities, students, voters, volunteers, donors, and local leaders. When Nebraskans are equipped with training, mentorship, information, and networks, they are better prepared to lead, support one another, and turn concern into lasting change. This is especially important in communities that have historically had fewer resources, fewer opportunities, and fewer pathways into civic leadership.

Civic Nebraska’s work helps equip Nebraskans, especially those in our most underserved communities, with the training, mentorship, and networks that transform neighbors into leaders and leaders into agents of lasting change.

Rachel’s story is one example of that larger journey. She came to listen. She left feeling more informed. Then she chose to give, so others could have that same opportunity.

“That’s where I’m going to put my money,” Rachel said, reflecting on Civic Nebraska’s welcoming, educational, and engaging approach. “Because that’s what I want other people to participate in and have access to.”

This Give to Lincoln Day, you can help make that possible.

Whether you are a first-time donor like Rachel or a longtime supporter of Civic Nebraska, your gift helps strengthen civic life across Nebraska. It helps young people see themselves as leaders, communities build trust and connection, voters access the support they need, and more Nebraskans find their place in our shared democracy.

Rachel said it best:

“It all starts with Civic Nebraska.”