Icebreakers can sometimes get one or two people well acquainted, but rarely most of the people in the group. Here is an effective icebreaker that is also an excellent mixer. More people in the group will know each other.

1. Provide each person with a nametag-plastic ones work best for this exercise. Give them a marking pen to record their name. Ask the participants to find someone they do not know and introduce themselves to each other. Allow about 1 1/2 minutes to 2 minutes for this activity.
2. Next, have the participant's trade name tags. They find a new person they do not know and have to answer questions about the person whose nametag they are wearing. You can repeat this for several rounds until most people in the group have met at least half the group.
3. The final activity is to retrieve their nametag. You can debrief by asking people their reaction to the exercise. It is also helpful to have each person give his or her name.

Crossword puzzles are an effective way to summarize the material covered in a training session. The best way to design them is to make a list of key phrases or words that are used during the training. Then create short definitions for the words. If you have a computer program that makes puzzles, all you have to do is put in the words and definitions and the computer maps out the puzzle for you. There are some of these programs available online. It is also possible to do this manually.

The crossword puzzle is then distributed to individuals in the training. However, not everyone likes a crossword puzzle (too bad, it is very good for your brain's agility!). Here are a couple variations to the traditional crossword.

• Create the crossword only put on easel paper. Make multiple copies. Professional copy centers, like Kinko's, can usually do this for you. Then you can assign groups to complete the puzzle and have prizes for the group that finishes first.
• Teams can do the puzzle. Partnering with someone and being able to discuss the words and definitions is more effective for some learners.
• Simplify the puzzle by picking the most important key word and put it in the center of the puzzle. The letters appear in the boxes. Then put in squares horizontally to hold words that summarize other points made during training.
• No matter how you do this, the purpose is to help learner's review the key concepts covered in training and reflect on what they have learned.

Close to 200 colleges and universities offer academic programs on nonprofit and volunteer sector management. They are usually master's degree programs, but not always. American Humanics sponsors undergraduate programs, as well. If you are looking to push out the professional development window, consider taking a course at one of these colleges. A full list resides at http://pirate.shu.edu/~mirabero. Thank Roseanne Mirabella, of Seton Hall University for keeping up with this list.