Make an Impact! Volunteer with MN DI 

LOOKING TO APPRAISE AT OUR MN DI AFFILIATE TOURNAMENT ON MARCH 2, 2024? SEE BELOW, UNDER APPRAISER!

Destination Imagination (DI) is a volunteer-run organization, and we depend on the efforts and energy of our 38,000 volunteers annually around the world.

MN DI is seeking new volunteers to help equip students with the skills needed to fuel the economies of tomorrow. We are seeking support from individuals with interests in web design, marketing, fundraising, recruiting, training, social media, event coordination and more to work with students across the state. We are enormously grateful to all of our MN DI volunteers!

There are a variety of options for volunteering, with varying time commitments. Some of our key roles are:

  • Team Manager: In this role, you can mentor a DI team. You’ll guide them on their creative journey as they make and build friendships, come together as a team, and work on solving Challenges throughout the season. To make the DI experience accessible to as many Minnesota students as possible, team managers are critical. We hate to turn interested kids away due to a lack of team managers.
  • MN DI Team Manager Ambassador: Are you a former Team Manager? Are you missing DI fun? Hanging up your Team Manager hat doesn’t mean the fun has to end. Come on along and help new TMs understand and thrive in DI! We are looking for former and current TMs to share their tips and tricks during our virtual At Home with MN DI evenings throughout the season! 
  • Appraiser: Spend a day immersed in the celebration of teams as you provide feedback and encouragement for their creativity and innovative Challenge solutions. Join us for one or all of our Saturday DI tournaments around the state. You can choose a Team Challenge that interests you, or appraise Instant Challenges. Virtual training will be provided to all appraisers by our MN DI Challenge Masters in February. Once you register, you will receive details of our training day.  NOTE: Instant Challenge appraiser training is on tournament days only Registration process: All Appraisers will fill out the RegisterYourTeam form, beginning December 13, 2024, and let us know whether which Challenge you would like to appraise. We will hold an appraiser training in February. You will receive an email with those details in early January. Please email Pamela at pfschroeder@district287.org with any questions. Follow these directions to register!
  • Tournament Volunteer: As an official Tournament Volunteer you can play a part in bringing a DI tournament to life. Your role might be to appraise teams, to help in the score room or to usher teams to their sites.
  • Regional Director: Dedicated volunteers who coordinate Destination Imagination activities for a specific geographic area. Our Regional Directors market the program in our MN DI regions, arrange regional events and tournaments, and make up our MN DI Executive Board, setting policies for the MN DI program.
  • MN DI Advisory Board: Our MN DI brain trust, these excellent volunteers are team managers, officials, community members and students who act as event trainers, strategic partners, fund- and friend-raisers, and ambassadors to extend the MN DI brand in communities. Annual commitment.
  • DI Alumni: Stay TIED to DI – volunteer as an Appraiser and receive the awesome MN DI Alumni Tie to wear at tournaments. Check out more amazing opportunities for DI alumni here!

These are just a few of the roles available. If you’re interested in being a part of the Destination Imagination experience, please contact Pamela Schroeder, pfschroeder@district287.org.

Appraiser Training

All appraisers will spend 2-3 hours with the Challenge Master(s) of their chosen Challenge going over appraising points, and the scoring program. Appraiser training for 2025 will be announced via a link here, social media and email in early January. All registered appraisers will receive details about appraiser training from their Affiliate Challenge Masters. 

Additional training for all volunteers                                                         

DI maintains an online learning portal with self paced courses for all DI volunteers – tournament officials and team managers – ranging from how to be a Team Manager, how to be an Appraiser, how to understand the Challenges, and more.  Email AskDI@dihq.org for access to the DI Learning Homepage.