Challenge: We need to adopt more effective strategies to increase retention in our various programs. Over past year, we have been making changes to and growing a number of our programs. We've also moved from mostly serving a core, highly engaged audience - some obligated to participate as part of a judicial or other agreement, to including those who voluntarily attend and have no formal participation requirements. The programs we offer are free-of-charge, and we've been challenged to retain participants for the duration of the program. Data from surveys and RSVP's indicate that the programs add value for people, and that people are interested in participating. We need to better understand the perceptions on the cost/benefit of participation to our target audience, any blockages that increase the likelihood of attrition, and potential interventions (e.g. incentives, resources/support) to promote their commitment and engagement over the duration of the program. This is a top challenge for our organization, and we are looking to you to make research-driven recommendations for increasing program retention among participants. We are interested in learning what other successful programs do to effectively bring about strong retention outcomes, and looking to you for recommendations for increasing retention in voluntary community programs with different target audiences and objectives. The milestones and activities for this project are grounded in a design thinking approach. To learn more about design thinking and how it works, check out these online resources: HBR, Why Design Thinking Works. https://hbr.org/2018/09/why-design-thinking-works  MIT, Design Thinking Explained. https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/design-thinking-explained  IDEO, Design Thinking.  https://designthinking.ideo.com/