Jeff Koterba speaking at TS Bank's nonprofit event

TS Bank hosts Impacting Nonprofits: Where Creativity Sparks Innovation workshop

April 30, 2025

Council Bluffs, IA, April 30, 2025 - TS Bank believes in supporting the mission-focused work of local nonprofits, exemplified through its purpose to ignite lasting client and community prosperity. The Impacting Nonprofits: Where Creativity Sparks Innovation workshop, held on Tuesday, April 29th, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at The Arts Center at Iowa Western, Black Box Theater in Council Bluffs, was a full house with over 110 attendees representing 63 different nonprofit organizations.

The workshop was proudly hosted by TS Bank and sponsored by gold sponsor: Share Iowa, silver sponsor: Fox Creek Fundraising, bronze sponsor: Kid Glov, along with additional support from Four Corners Community Foundation.

The nonprofit professional development workshop focused on embracing vulnerability, overcoming obstacles and how thinking differently drives progress. Jeff Koterba, an author, speaker, musician and longtime Omaha World-Herald cartoonist served as this year's keynote speaker. His work has been exhibited all over the world including Paris and his original drawings have even flown in space!

 

Key takeaways included:

  • Find your why and articulate it in simple ways.
  • Writing and creating helps put thoughts into action - it unlocks deeper creative potential and inventive solutions.
  • Carve out time daily, if possible, to foster quiet time, mind map, listen or simply go for a walk - this helps unlock the subconscious to work on your behalf.
  • Barriers as opportunities to encourage fresh perspectives and new strategies, sharing from his own experiences.
  • Thinking differently drives progress and leads you outside of your comfort zone, like hosting a radio show or leading the largest free weekly French conversation groups in the United States without knowing the language at the first meeting.

Jeff also illustrated an example of how a notebook was critical in working out the solution to save the crew on Apollo 13. This resonated deeply, especially since one of Jeff’s original drawings has flown on the space shuttle Discovery—a childhood dream come true! To conclude his session, Jeff led a fun, interactive cartooning experience.

Additionally, the event featured an exciting panel of nonprofit advocates:

 

From turbocharging housing construction to innovative programs helping at-risk individuals with homelessness or undertaking robust childcare and education causes, the discussions centered around key partnerships and explored unconventional ideas to foster deeper engagement, collaboration with long-term impact for our area communities.

"Our tagline, IGNITE PROSPERITY®, truly articulates our desire to help change lives. Events like this reflect TS Bank's belief in strengthening our communities and supporting the mission-focused work of local nonprofits for long-term impact. At TS Bank, we have joined together for a greater purpose and have found meaning in what we do. Like our local nonprofits, we are proud to help champion local causes that create a lasting legacy of impact and a positive ripple effect," said Kelsey Stupfell, Director of Public Relations at TS Banking Group.

 

Community banks play a vital role in supporting nonprofits by providing financial resources, guidance, and a strong foundation for growth. To learn more about how TS Bank serves local nonprofits or community reinvestment efforts, contact Kelsey Stupfell at kelsey.stupfell@tsbg.com.

About TS Bank: TS Bank’s mission is to Ignite Prosperity® in the communities it serves. Leading the resurgence of community banking, TS Bank reinvests 10 percent of their net income locally; hosting educational events and partners with local organizations and non-profits. TS Bank was chartered in 1923 and has $445 million in assets, along with the largest Iowa state-chartered C-Corp trust department west of Des Moines at nearly $215 million in assets named TS Prosperity Group. Locations include Treynor, Macedonia, Atlantic, Corning, Council Bluffs and Ames, Iowa. For more information visit tsbank.com.