Let’s Get This Party Started! Celebrating our Platinum Anniversary!!

2026 is shaping up to be a BIG year for the Professional Organizers Collective! We are celebrating 20 YEARS together! This group started with a handful…. literally 5 organizers who met for coffee TWENTY years ago. Now we are more than 30 organizers strong, spanning across 7 states and serving families and businesses nationwide. How is this possible? Where has the time gone? Let’s start with a little stroll down memory lane…

Featured first, are 3 original members of the Collective, from way back when we were known as Iowa Professional Organizers. Jennifer Buser, Joy Bayshore, and myself (Jenn Robb) are pictured looking all put together before dancing the night away at the Simple Organizing Strategies 5 year anniversary party. This photo is dear to me, as we remember Joy in love and fondness. Our beloved friend lost her battle with cancer in 2014. She was the owner of The Joy of Organizing in Iowa City, IA and a respected member of our group.

Being part of the Collective has always presented opportunities for members to network… sometimes meeting for coffee in our sweat pants, and other times getting dressed up to attend events. Some of us attended events like the Iowa Women’s Foundation Annual Luncheon (featured below) to listen to guest speakers, while other times, we are the guest speakers! Here are a few shots from over the years. (Pictured below: Jenn and Maggie Jackson, along with Celia Boone (Center of first photo), Co-Founder of the Container Store(2009). Adam Stevens and Anne Ahmann offering a marketing presentation to the group at Big Grove Brewery in Des Moines, and Trish Raap, on location from the Galena Winter Retreat offering a workshop on the Balance Wheel of Life.

Being as geographically spread out as we are, it is always great to be able to meet via zoom in addition to our in-person get togethers. Meetings are held in person, on location from various retreat settings around the Midwest, but the Collective has also offered a live, online option to attend virtually since the technology became available. In addition to the meetings, we offer peer support networking zoom calls as a more informal compliment to the bi-annual meetings . Peer support zoom calls are a place to gather to laugh, ask questions, share experiences, and gather feedback from other members of the group. Sometimes we record fun videos of our favorite things to add to our YouTube channel.

Team work makes the dream work, and we are each so grateful and blessed to be able to work on projects together while supporting deserving families. Here are just a few examples of our amazing organizers sharing time and talents to completely overhaul the storage spaces of overwhelmed families. Left photo: Carrie Blackburn (Tidy Butterfly), Kelli Siebenahler (Gracing My Space), Jolene De Bruijn (Nice & Neat Pro Organizing) and Anne Ahmann (Happy.Healthy.Home). Right photo: Amber Tice (Amber’s Home Organization), Beth Nordby (Custom Order Home Organizing), and Jenn Robb (SOS-Simple Organizing Strategies)

Looking ahead, we will kick off our 20th Anniversary Celebration with a winter retreat at the famous Highlander Hotel in Iowa City, February 27th through March 1st, 2026. With it’s game room and sunken lounge, we have so many options to hang out and network. We have reserved poolside suites, and look forward to eating, drinking, and laughing in a cozy space while escaping from the winter cold. Downtown Iowa City always offers a visitor’s wonderland of pop-up shops, dining, art, and events. We will be spoiled with meals by Chef Annie, a special guest speaker on location at Elevate, and a cozy evening pizza party followed by a gentle meditation sound bath at Be Loved. There are still spaces available - JOIN US!

Although we will likely be bundled up for our Winter Retreat, our fall retreat happening October 16th-18th, 2026 will leave lots of space for warm weather fun! We will celebrate with sunshine and smiles for our second BIG 20th ANNIVERSARY BASH of the year!

With members across the country, there are so many beautiful places we can visit! Where should we celebrate? Do we stay in the Midwest or go BIGGER? Do we crash Sidney’s new place in North Carolina? Should we show up on Laura’s doorstep in Texas? Maybe somewhere with direct flights that are also within driving distance for most of our members like Nashville or Kansas City?

Let us know where we should go!

And finally, a huge thank you is in order. With so much gratitude to Collective Members for being YOU, and for all you bring to the group. Each one of you is so incredibly appreciated! Congratulations on all of your successes and CHEERS to this platinum anniversary and to many more milestones, adventures, and laughs together!

If you just read this and want to join this amazing group of humans, or if you are considering a career in Professional Organizing or Efficiency Consulting, find out why Professional Organizers Collective just may be the best decision you will make in the New Year!