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

Your staff already know what to do and how to do it. So why are they still not doing it? In this episode of Learning for Good, I break down why explaining the why is one of the simplest and most overlooked workplace behavior change strategies nonprofit leaders have available. Nonprofit leaders pour energy into teaching their teams what to do and how to do it, then feel baffled when the new behavio...

In this episode of Learning for Good, I share 10 questions strategic learning leaders can ask to move beyond content creation and into real organizational impact, using learning and development strategies rooted in behavior change and performance. Most nonprofit L&D professionals know that training alone does not create change. But without the right questions, it is easy to build solutions tha...

Many nonprofit learning and development professionals know their work matters, but still find themselves executing requests rather than shaping solutions. In this episode of Learning for Good, I sit down with global learning and development leader Mark Nilles to explore what it really means to shift from order taker to strategic partner, and how nonprofit L&D professionals can build the capabi...

You invested time and resources into staff training and development, but your team still isn't applying what they learned. Why? Many nonprofit leaders focus heavily on what employees need to learn and how they should learn it. While those elements are essential, they're only part of the equation. In this episode of Learning for Good, I’m exploring why even well-designed training programs...

What does it really take to grow as a learning leader?  In this episode of Learning for Good, I sit down with instructional design expert Dr. Luke Hobson to explore how learning professionals can build confidence, strengthen influence, and develop a clear leadership voice. We reflect on our own career journeys into learning and development and discuss how intentional growth, networking, and relati...

What does proof of impact really look like in nonprofit learning and development?  In this episode of Learning for Good, I break down how nonprofit leaders can measure staff training and development in a way that actually connects learning to organizational performance and mission impact. Many nonprofit organizations focus only on participation numbers or satisfaction surveys when evaluating train...

What does it take to build high-performing nonprofit teams that stay engaged, grow their skills, and strengthen organizational impact?  In this episode, I sit down with Melanie Gonzalez, Chief People Officer at the Behavioral Science Research Institute (BSRI), to explore how intentional career pathing supports nonprofit leadership development, staff training and development, and employee retention...

If you want to elevate your learning and development role from an order taker to a strategic partner, it starts with something many leaders overlook: mindset.  In this episode, I explore how the way you think about your role in learning and development directly impacts your influence, credibility, and results inside your organization. Too often, nonprofit learning professionals feel stuck reacting...

Mentorship is a powerful yet underutilized tool in nonprofits, and in this episode, we’re diving into how to operationalize it for real organizational impact.  I sit down with Larcy Douglas, director at Common Power, to explore how mentorship can transform both individuals and organizations. From designing collaborative mentor-mentee relationships to embedding mentorship into broader learning and...

Good training takes time, and in a world where AI can generate content in seconds, that truth is more important than ever.  In this episode, we unpack why effective learning and development strategies in nonprofits can’t be rushed, even when tools promise speed and efficiency. Because training isn’t just about content creation. It’s about behavior change and performance improvement. We break down...

Training volunteers is one of the most complex and overlooked areas of nonprofit training and development.  In this episode, I had the privilege of talking with the VP of Training at For the Children, Jim Farmer, to unpack how organizations can design training experiences that actually prepare volunteers to succeed without overwhelming them or driving them away. Jim shares how his organization has...

If you’ve ever struggled to gain buy-in for nonprofit leadership development, you’re not alone. Many nonprofit leaders hesitate to invest in training, not because they don’t care, but because they have real concerns about time, cost, and impact. In this episode, we break down the most common objections to staff training and development and show you how to address them in a way that builds trust, c...

AI is rapidly reshaping nonprofit leadership development, and organizations that embrace it now will be better positioned to build stronger teams, scale impact, and drive consistent performance.  In this episode, I sit down with the president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, Jorge Perez, to explore how AI is transforming learning and development strategies and what that means for nonprof...

Too often, staff training and development ends when the workshop does. But as I share in this episode of Learning for Good, training alone rarely leads to lasting results. Without the right systems in place, even the most engaging learning experience will fade as staff return to their daily demands.  If you’ve ever struggled with creating impactful training programs that last, this episode gives y...

In this episode of Learning for Good, I’m sharing a heartfelt message for nonprofit learning and development professionals who want their work to drive real impact, not just course completions.  If you’ve ever felt like a “training factory” instead of a strategic partner, this episode will remind you why your work matters and how to step into your identity as a change agent. ▶️ Nonprofit L&D L...

While leadership transitions are inevitable, there are too many organizations that aren’t prepared for this eventuality.  In this episode, I’ve got Jeremy Bouman with me to explore how nonprofit leadership development and intentional succession planning can protect your mission and ensure your organization continues to thrive long after a founder or executive leader steps away. Jeremy is the found...

 As learning and development leaders, we have lots of tools in our toolkit, and when others in our organization come to us with a challenge or an opportunity, we don't always have to point to training. Coaching is one alternative option that can help us and our nonprofits achieve our goals. While I've talked about coaching on the podcast before, I've never really explored executive...

As nonprofit L&D leaders, we often sit and wait for our stakeholders to approach us with their demands, and only then react to their needs. Unfortunately, this isn't always conducive to creating change. But what would happen if we shifted from being reactive to proactive? What if we go to the stakeholders first, rather than the other way around? What if we drive the learning strategy? In...

Motivation is fickle.  At the end of the day, even with the best learning experience and high motivation, people are going back into their workplace, and when you're back in your day-to-day, it's easy to fall back on a habit. So, how do you actually change behavior within your nonprofit? In this episode, I'm joined by  Amy Glover from the British Red Cross, who has found a great sol...

In your experience as a nonprofit L&D leader, has telling people what to do and forcing them to comply ever led to the behavior change you were looking for? Unfortunately, this doesn't work for two-year-olds, 52-year-olds, or those who work at your nonprofit. In this episode, I talk about how  it's culture, not compliance, that drives consistent performance, and that if we want to cr...

I'm a big believer in the personal brand and how it can impact you and your career. I've seen it in my own life, both internally at organizations and as a consultant and a community builder. How others perceive us matters.  In this episode, I'm doing something unique, and I'm bringing you one of our sessions from the recent  Nonprofit L&D Collective Career Week. This is a c...

 When our stakeholders come to us asking for training, they are usually thinking of traditional training.  So, they treat us, nonprofit L&D pros, like training factories that can easily produce a new training in a day. But we are here to create behavior change, and that takes time. In this episode, I'm sharing four recommendations that will help you embody the change agent you already are...

It's estimated that organizations spend somewhere between 50% to 200% of an employee's annual salary to replace them, depending on the level and complexity of their role. Not only that, when someone leaves, it impacts morale, our organization, and ultimately our mission. So, it benefits nonprofits to keep our employees. In this episode, we talk to Rachel Platt, an HR leader and people st...

Recent data shows that more than half of all nonprofit leaders in the US are women. Unfortunately, we also know that many nonprofit leaders are on the brink of burnout. This calls into question what we are doing to support these female leaders and prompts us to consider how we can give them the support they truly need. In this episode, I'm joined by Marisa Ciesluk, a women's  leadership...

It can be frustrating when nonprofit leaders and other stakeholders approach us demanding training to solve a problem. However, it's important to remember that people outside of learning and development don't always know which tools are available or which one is right for each situation, so they stick to the familiar. But it's our job as nonprofit L&D pros to diagnose the proble...