Learning for Good | L&D Solutions and Leadership Development for Nonprofits

Good training has a real impact on those who receive it. It can shift mindsets. It can build skills. It can change the way your organization works. And that's what I want to share with you today.

Nonprofit leader, Lauren Wiley, shares how one training at her nonprofit impacted the midwives and doulas they train and ultimately the pregnant and postpartum women they serve.

▶️ How One Nonprofit's Training Saved a Postpartum Woman's Life with Lauren Wiley

▶️ Key Points:
03:44 Lauren’s journey from a finance major to a nonprofit leader
15:11 The training and technical assistance that Start Early provides in the state of Illinois
17:51 The importance of a continuous quality improvement process for trainings
24:53 The impact a good training can have on those who receive it

Resources from this episode:
Episode 47: What is the Real Value of Training?

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

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Connect with Lauren
Linkedin: Lauren Wiley
Website: startearly.org

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

All too often, L&D feels like a last resort in the workplace. We, as L&D, need to be brought in earlier in the process of decision-making. We have experience and expertise to share and we have value to add, and we can help shape that final decision.

In this episode, I’m sharing some tips to help build relationships so that L&D can become the first response in your nonprofit.

▶️ Is L&D a Last Resort or a First Response? 

▶️ Key Points:
05:14 Building relationships between L&D and other teams
06:07 Sharing the value of people development
07:22 Tell AND show others in your business what L&D can do
09:05 Share the business impact of people development

Resources from this episode:
2024 HR Trends Report: https://hr.mcleanco.com/research/ss/hr-trends-report-2024
Episode 59: Measuring the Impact of Your Training with L&D Detective Kevin M. Yates

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Work is a major contributor to well-being. Your leaders influence the well-being of everyone on their teams. So those leaders become an important part of the conversation. 

That's why I'm so excited to have well-being strategist Loretta Turner as my guest today. We’re exploring how you can take a well-being approach to leadership development. 

▶️ A Well-Being Approach to Leadership Development with Loretta Turner 

▶️ Key Points:
03:21 Loretta’s career journey and unique background in the wellness and well-being sector
06:55 The meaning of a well-being approach to leadership development
10:17 The challenge with traditional leadership development
14:24 Outcomes of a well-being approach to leadership development
17:55 One way to make your leadership development more well-being focused

Resources from this episode:

Check out my other episodes on well-being at work:
▶️ Episode 38: Dealing with Corporate Burnout? One Easy Way to Manage Stress as a Nonprofit Leader with Jessie Pagliari
▶️ Episode 30: Why Well-Being Is The Secret Sauce to Change Management with Mandy Sharp Eizinger

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Loretta
Linkedin: Loretta Turner
Website: www.lorettaturner.com

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

The skills you need as an individual contributor are different than the skills you need as a manager. We hear it time and time again - you promote your very best individual contributor to a supervisory position and they struggle because they aren’t equipped with the skills they need.

That’s why I’m so excited to have Summer Davies, an award-winning leadership development expert with over 15 years of experience, as my guest today. We talk about the 3 basic skills your frontline managers need and how you can develop these skills.

▶️ 3  Essential Skills for Nonprofit Frontline Managers with Summer Davies 

▶️ Key Points:
03:35 Summer’s career journey from equine reproduction to an award-winning leadership development expert
10:51  Why organizations struggle so much with frontline manager positions
03:15 Why frontline managers are so critical to organizations
17:37 The 3 basic skills that all frontline managers should have
22:48 How to develop these critical skills in your frontline managers

Resources from this episode:
Find the two books Summer recommended below

• First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Gallup Press
• It's the Manager: Gallup finds the quality of managers and team leaders is the single biggest factor in your organization's long-term success by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Summer
Linkedin: Summer Davies
Website: www.leader-shop.com

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Let's say you are kicking off 2024 with a new program or service. Are your staff prepared to implement it? Have they had a chance to build the skills and confidence they need? Or will they be struggling to figure things out on the job?

In today’s episode, I’m discussing just how Learning and Development can support your nonprofit as you’re changing program or service offerings. Have a listen to make sure you aren't left wondering whether you should have done more to support your staff during a time of change. 

▶️ Is Your Staff Prepared To Implement Your New Program or Service? THIS Is How Training Can Help

▶️ Key Points:
02:43 Capturing data and listening to experiences and ideas
04:10 Uncovering staff motivation or skepticism related to program changes
05:19 Identifying skills gaps
05:59 Creating trainings
06:28 Creating valuable peer-to-peer connection

Resources from this episode:

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇

Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Today’s episode is all about humor. I’m not talking about corny jokes or puns, but rather the lightheartedness and energy that you need in your nonprofit to get things done and to help teams work together.
 
My guest, Gita Kulkarni, explains why we need to care about humor and how to use humor as nonprofit Learning and Development leaders. Gita is a humor coach who helps people find and express their sense of humor to be more productive and effective in work and life.

▶️ Using Humor to Promote Change Management, Leadership Development & Workforce Development with Gita Kulkarni

▶️ Key Points:
02:29 Get to know humor coach, Gita Kulkarni
09:56 The psychology of humor and its effect on stress
14:33 Using storytelling for humor as a nonprofit L&D leader
19:55 How nonprofits can incorporate more humor into their existing training and leadership development strategies
23:21 Finding humor within yourself

Resources from this episode:
Take a look at these episodes on play, improv, and well-being:
▶️ Episode 38: Dealing with Corporate Burnout? One Easy Way to Manage Stress as a Nonprofit Leader with Jessie Pagliari
▶️ Episode 36: How Nonprofit Learning and Development Leaders Can Use Play to Create Organizational Change
▶️ Episode 30: Why Well-Being Is The Secret Sauce to Change Management with Mandy Sharp Eizinger
▶️ Episode 17: This One Element Changes Everything for Training (storytelling)
▶️ Episode 07: Do THIS and You Will Never Have a Boring Virtual Training Again with Melissa Dinwiddie (play)
▶️ Episode 05: Three Must-Haves in Any Virtual Training (improv)

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective:
https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Gita
Linkedin: Gita Kulkarni
Website: thehumoredge.com
Instagram: @thecorporatelaugh

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Hey friend and Happy New Year! Today's episode is a quick one. I wanted to kick off 2024 with something kind of fun and different. I’m sharing  24 tips for L&D leaders.

From knowing your worth as an L&D leader to building relationships with other business units and teams, these tips will help you get 2024 off to a great start. Let’s jump right in.

▶️ 24 L&D Tips for Nonprofit Pros to Kick Off 2024

▶️ Key Points:
01:08 24 Tips for L&D Leaders: Kickstart 2024
02:21 Creating a Theory of Change for L&D
02:40 Identifying competencies and creating career path roadmaps
03:33 The Role of critical, creative, and collaborative thinking in L&D
03:54 Leveraging technology and learning in L&D
05:16 The importance of self-care in L&D
06:20 The Final Tip: Keep Learning

Resources from this episode:

Custom Competency Model Episodes:
▶️ Episode 51: Using Your Competency Model to Develop a Comprehensive Training Program And Boost Workforce Development
▶️ Episode 39: Ask These Two Questions to Identify Your Nonprofit's Core Competencies
▶️ Episode 20: How to Determine Which Competencies Are Right for You
▶️ Episode 19: One Nonprofit's Honest Opinion after 6 Months with a Competency Model

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

If you're doing a year-end reflection, you need to listen to this episode. 

I have some tips for how to do your time of reflection so that you get the most out of it. Because at the end of the day, I want you to learn from this time of reflection because when you learn from what you've done in the past, your perspective changes for what you can do in the future.

▶️ Once You Reflect This Way, Your Perspective Changes  

▶️ Key Points:
00:58 Reflecting on 2023
04:30 Scheduling a time and goal for reflection
05:37 Reflection questions
9:13 What do you want to do differently in the future?

Resources from this episode:
Listen to the episodes I mentioned in the episode:
▶️ E52: Should You Use Leadership Training or Leadership Coaching in Your Nonprofit?
▶️ E43: Is Learning and Development a Valued Business Partner in Your Nonprofit? Three Ways to Know For Sure
▶️ E36: How Nonprofit Learning and Development Leaders Can Use Play to Create Organizational Change
▶️ E50: An Inside Look at a Learning and Development Consulting Business

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Do you ever feel like you're having two different conversations with someone? It’s like you're saying one thing, and they are hearing something completely different. This happens regularly in our workplaces. Your Gen Z staff are waiting for you to set clear expectations and if you don't, they just might leave.

In this episode, I’m going over three ways we can help ensure clear expectations are set for staff and in turn, increase staff retention. 

▶️ Why Setting Clear Expectations May Help Retain Gen Z Staff in Your Nonprofit

▶️ Key Points:
03:37 How Learning and Development is related to staff retention
05:19 Using a competency model to define expectations
06:09 Developing your nonprofit’s people managers
7:41 Building relationships and trust

Resources from this episode:
Take a look at the YoPro Know ‘The State of Young Professionals Today’ report

Custom Competency Model Episodes:
▶️ Episode 51: Using Your Competency Model to Develop a Comprehensive Training Program And Boost Workforce Development
▶️ Episode 39: Ask These Two Questions to Identify Your Nonprofit's Core Competencies
▶️ Episode 20: How to Determine Which Competencies Are Right for You
▶️ Episode 19: One Nonprofit's Honest Opinion after 6 Months with a Competency Model

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms