Nonprofits: Training and Development
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As an ethics-, environment- and animal-first agency, we’re glad we can provide marketing and PR guidance to support your nonprofit team. It’s tough to cover everything you need to know, though. Rather than reinvent the wheel, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite online training resources to support your team. Why? We love that you’re making this world better and consumers more conscious! Whether it’s business guidance, analytics, grant writing or something else, here are some great resources to learn more and help your organization blossom.
Nonprofit Guidance
First, let’s start with the National Council of Nonprofits. You’ve likely heard of this group before -- they advocate for nonprofits, provide many resources related to governance and public policy and share information on emerging trends. Explore their tools and resources for everything from fundraising to volunteer management. Plus, if you’re interested in anything related to nonprofit status, set-up, governance or the IRS, they offer guidance on it all. Be sure to check their “Everyday Advocacy” section with advice and toolkits related to lobbying and advocacy as well.
Speaking of the IRS, if you ever need tax information or resources, it’s great to go straight to the source. Visit the IRS charities and nonprofits page. On this page you can verify your organization is tax-exempt, find annual filing forms and apply for your Employer Identification Number (EIN) if you haven’t yet.
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Online Courses
As your team begins their professional development journey, you’ll need to consider NonprofitReady. After setting up a free account, this initiative provides over 500 free learning resources like courses, videos and downloadable guides. NonprofitReady is great for teams that are new to the sector as well as those hoping to advance the professional development of team members. You can also earn free certificates and badges through your learning here and Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) points. This is a perfect place to start!
Next, if you’re looking for something a bit more interactive to grow your impact and develop your team, consider exploring the free nonprofit webinars available at CharityHowTo. This organization strives to provide nonprofits with high-quality online learning and partners with over 3,200 global organizations. CharityHowTo provides live and recorded training courses (and will also tell you how many CFRE points you’ll earn for attending each). Sign-up to get invited to free webinars or consider a membership for additional content access. You can also save up to 50% with the small nonprofit discount they offer.
Another resource you can check for webinars and courses is Nonprofit.Courses. There is something for everyone here from free videos shared on YouTube to paid live and recorded events. The search tool on this site is great for narrowing down topics, checking if Continuing Education Units (CEU) are available and finding videos that match your length of training time. If you’re interested in watching related videos, explore their available tracks. This is an excellent way to engage your team in relevant learning.
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Marketing Training
Beyond these resources specific to nonprofits, there are many other online learning platforms to improve your business and marketing skills. In fact, the following are go-to resources our team has explored and trained with:
1) Hubspot Academy
Hubspot Academy provides great short courses and certifications on current marketing best practices as well as on Hubspot software. Whether you’re interested in managing a Hubspot account, email marketing or building traffic through SEO, Hubspot has you covered. Create a free account for your business and elevate your strategy.
2) Google Analytics Academy
Learning to use Google’s data tools will help you to optimize your nonprofit’s site and social presence. Analyzing performance can change your game and in the process, help you to make a bigger impact. Market smart with a data-driven strategy. Start with Google Analytics for Beginners and explore the courses that are relevant to you. Data Studio and Tag Manager are two newer capabilities so keep checking back as new tools are created!
3) LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning has information on just about every business topic to keep your skills up-to-date and to help your team meet their professional goals. With LinkedIn for Nonprofits as we mentioned in our nonprofit resources post, you’ll unlock resources to help your team with over 16,000 courses available. Your team can learn on LinkedIn anywhere and will even receive recommended learning based on their app profile.
4) Udemy
Although not everything is free on Udemy, this online learning platform has some fantastic resources. Search a topic – like nonprofits – and narrow your search by level, topic, duration and more. Many courses that are not free are still relatively affordable. Plus, you can request a Udemy for Business demo. Check out these free nonprofit courses and free marketing courses to start and notice the total length and number of lectures associated with each. Udemy will help your team learn on a schedule that works for you.
Podcasts
Last but not least, let’s talk about audio resources. Running a nonprofit or small business can require doing some repetitive tasks and whether you need background noise or a break from your work, podcasts can be a great way to continue your learning, engage your brain and expand your perspective. Find them online and subscribe on iTunes, Android, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Here are a few relevant podcasts for nonprofit businesses:
Successful Nonprofits Podcast (The Goldenburg Group, LLC)
Nonstop Nonprofit (Funraise)
Nonprofits Are Messy (Joan Garry)
We Are For Good Podcast (We Are For Good)
The Small Nonprofit (The Good Partnership and CharityVillage)
...and a few more on other conscious brand topics:
Green Dreamer (Kamea Chayne)
Think: Sustainability (2SER 107.3)
Business with Purpose (Molly Stillman | Still Being Molly)
Spirit of 608 (Lorraine Sanders)
The Best Friends Podcast (Best Friends Animal Society)
This list just scratches the surface and there are plenty of niche podcasts out there to fit your brand or nonprofit.
Always Strive to Be Better
With a wide variety of resources available to you and your conscious business team, it’s time to get to work on training and professional development. These resources support your business and keep it cutting edge – allowing you to provide the most to your community and the world. Always strive to be better because really, learning never ends.
Our investment in ourselves and one another is what drives our progress, creativity and growth. What matters most is starting somewhere. Subscribe to a new newsletter, enroll in a free virtual course or start listening to a podcast – but most importantly cultivate a mindset and environment open to growth. Happy learning!
