LifeSkills

Is your organization a 501c3 nonprofit?

Yes, LifeSkills is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with tax exempt status as listed by the internal revenue code.

How long have you been around?

LifeSkills was founded in 2001.

Do you travel or do we come to you?

Whichever works best for you and your group. We, however, find that things work best and a lot less logistical planning and administrative work goes into us visiting you!

Do you have several locations?

No, LifeSkills operates out of St. Paul, Minnesota; we do, however, travel anywhere we’re requested.

What is the investment?

Our pilot campus program (6 visits to your campus) is a $20,000 investment and covers all service and supplies fees as well as continued support and service to your students, evaluation, and consulting to your school.
Compared to the industry standard of $60,000.

A single visit to a campus is a $3,500 investment for any training event.
Compared to the industry standard of $10,000

Keynotes, workshops, and breakout sessions vary from $1,000-$3,500.
Compared to the industry standard of $2,500-$7,500

We’re a nonprofit and supplement much of the cost burden with donations, sponsorships and scholarships; but that doesn’t mean we won’t fully refund your money if you or your students aren’t satisfied.

Who presents at your events?

Our presenters are LifeSkills certified speakers and trainers and are highly skilled, professional and dynamic presenters that are committed to the success of your students. Each of them brings a diverse background and set of experiences to their presenting and undergo over 1000 hours of training and development of LifeSkills curriculum and presentation methods before being able to direct or lead any of our services.

Do you work with Native/First Nation communities?

The Native communities have been and will always be a large part of our organization, our roots and our history. At this time, we are focusing on Native Colleges and Universities. If you’d like more information on how our services can be available for your community or association, please visit www.jamesandersonproductions.com or www.lifeskillsbusiness.com to find out more.

Are you faith based?

No, we are not affiliated with any religious/faith-based groups or intentions.

Are you affiliated with a particular political party?

No, we do not affiliate with any particular political view, party or direction.

Will I meet Famous Dave Anderson?

Unless you are hosting Dave Anderson as a keynote speaker for your campus, organization or event; Dave will not be involved in the program facilitation, speaking or coordinating of LifeSkills and a partnering entity.

What role does Famous Dave Anderson play at LifeSkills?

Famous Dave Anderson is the founder of LifeSkills and plays a visionary role within the organization. He is also the chair of our board of directors.

How can I get in contact with Famous Dave Anderson?

Please do not call the LifeSkills offices in regards to soliciting a donation, funding or business investing from Dave Anderson. Dave is the founder of LifeSkills, he does not operate out of our offices. If you’d like to get in touch with him, please connect with him through his website, www.famousdaveanderson.com.

How can LifeSkills help in real world preparation for my post college career?

LifeSkills takes 20+ years as well as the experience of Famous Dave Anderson, Industry best practices and feedback from professionals in order to provide curriculum and content that is timely, relevant and applicable to giving students the competitive edge in the marketplace. The tools, tips and strategies we discuss in all of our services provide students with a mindset, competency, preparedness, advantage and most of all, PRACTICAL resources that they can immediately implement that consistently yield results in their lives. When we say STANDOUT, STAND UP, BE MORE, BE READY and GIVE MORE, we mean it!

How can my school get involved with LifeSkills?

There are several ways your school or student group can host LifeSkills for an event or service. Call us, and we’ll get started on a plan to make things happen effectively, efficiently and with the results you’re looking for. Our availability decreases significantly as the academic year progresses, so if you are interested in having us at your school, don’t wait. Let’s be sure to get you on the calendar!

What makes LifeSkills so different from other college leadership organizations?

We aren’t a happy camp experience. Our curriculum is developed from direct feedback from the professional world. Our principles are utilized by every professional industry imaginable. We cut through the fluff and get to the results. We use participant time effectively and guarantee results. We’re a nonprofit, but that doesn’t mean we won’t fully refund your money if you or your students aren’t satisfied. We actively engage students throughout our training style and we build on real-world challenges that students will face after college. To learn more, please visit the how we create curriculum page.

How does LifeSkills track results?

LifeSkills uses several methods to gage results in order to report the most accurate evaluation of our programs and services. We utilize a 2 week and a 6 month survey, both of which measure 125 data points of 25 different indicators. We track use and follow through of specific strategies created within the training. We also take the time for one on one feedback and focus groups after our services are completed.

What is the responsibility of the school/faculty you work with?

The minimum we ask of a hosting campus is to 1) recruit participants, 2) reserve training spaces on the campus, 3) organize and arrange meals for the training days if necessary.

In regards to our primary service, the two day leadership intensive, we strongly recommend that faculty attend the graduation ceremony as well as commit to a follow up luncheon or meeting with student participants in order to gage feedback and create a dialogue around the LifeSkills experience.

What happens after a training?

LifeSkills and its trainers/speakers are always an available resource to students via email. Students are included on our weekly email which simply gives them reminders of our curriculum, links to online resources or news that’s applicable to professional development, as well as insights/strategies that continue to develop professional readiness. LifeSkills also provides several online resources for students to watch videos or listen to audio resources that are related to their personal or professional development and growth.

How should we choose or recruit students?

Every school does this in a different way depending on their own environment and goals. Some take the first that sign up are the first that are in; but what we’ve seen work most effectively is when it’s an application process and students are chosen to participate based on specific guidelines set by the school or by LifeSkills. LifeSkills will help in marketing in order to raise awareness, interest and application submition.

What is graduation?

Graduation refers to an hour and a half long celebration that only happens within our two day leadership training. This graduation is a very exciting and inspiring time where we describe much of the two day training and distribute certificates to participants. Participants take the time to share what they learned and gained in the experience and guests are free to share as well. It’s a very HIGH ENERGY process, so bring your cheers and applause, you’ll need them! Graduation is open to everyone and anyone and we recommend faculty, staff, parents and community members participate in support of the students!

Can faculty observe the program?

In most situations, yes! In the case of the two day leadership training, however, we decide this on a case by case basis. We generally recommend that faculty and staff actually participate rather than simply observe!