Founded in 2005, Marnita’s Table has served over 200,000 people.

We provide the design and delivery expertise to bring hard-to-reach community members into the room with measurable outcomes.

Intentional Social Interaction (IZI) has been designed to help you achieve your goals.

90% of the making of a great convening happens before you walk in the door. It is imperative that people and organizations who are seeking to bring people together make accommodations for people before they show up, without them having to ask for what they need to be welcomed and to be fully present. We prepare you for whoever walks through the door and however they enter. We help you uncover and invite individuals who are usually left out of the decision making conversations impacting their lives.

IZI puts the convener and hard to reach stakeholders at the forefront. Although Marnita’s Table is a 501(c)(3), we are good enough at what we do that 80% of our income derives from organizations who hire us. Marnita’s Table either helps you deliver IZI or demonstrates, trains and provides tools so your team or community can deliver IZI with the same fidelity and impact we’ve achieved.

A partial list of our services:

• Experience Engineering / unConferences / Galas / Strategic Convening Design & Delivery
• Forging Alliances across Difference
• Catalyzing Community Collaboration
• Participatory Action Research
• Inclusive Belonging / Embodied Cross Cultural Practices Training
• Leadership & Talent Development
• Cross-cultural Community Engagement

A few of our clients / partners / funders / investors:

• Best Buy/Best Buy Foundation
• Catalyst Initiative of George Family Foundation
• CentraCare Health Systems
• Central Minnesota Community Foundation
• City of St. Cloud, Minnesota
• City of St. Paul, Minnesota
• InGensa, Inc.
• Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development
• Minnesota Public Radio
• Ramsey County
• St. Paul Public Schools
• Suburban Ramsey Family Collaborative

YOUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT.

Delivering four outcomes at the same time:

• Leadership Development
• Cross-cultural Competency
• Community Engagement
• Participatory Action Research

We maximize your investment in building social equity by returning at least 25% of every dollar you spend on IZI back into your local economy, through hiring people of color to fulfill key roles. We also engage and highlight local catering and service providers who are indigenous, immigrant and/or of color. We frequently hire youth from under-resourced communities to staff our IZIs where they are able to learn job skills and network with decision-makers and potential mentors and employers.

Hosting a successful community event is more than just inviting people and putting out some food.

MEASURABLE BEHAVIORAL SHIFTS

38% of the over 200,000 people who have come to an IZI since our founding
have VOLUNTARILY reported one of the following outcomes

• Finds it much easier to connect across culture & easier to talk about crosscultural issues
• Welcomes the “other” into their homes now when they didn’t before
• Continues to collaborate either individually or organizationally with someone they met at one 3-hour IZI
• Understands something about the “other,” an issue or organization that they didn’t before
• Leadership opportunities or actual job offer or other tangible outcome for people of color
• Reported that it catalyzed “transformational” life-changing trust and connection across difference

Convening in the community isn’t simple, but IZI makes it easier.

We catalyze systems change and measure the impact of convenings. IZI helps you shine by providing the preparation, process and practice to exceed the outcomes you seek.