When nonprofits scale programs too quickly without the right foundation, teams experience burnout, confusion, and inconsistent outcomes. In this episode of Learning for Good, I unpack the role of learning and development strategies in sustainable growth - and why scaling success starts with your people, not just your program.

You’ll learn how to build infrastructure and clarity, develop staff capacity through behavior-based training, and ensure long-term success through continuous improvement strategies.

▶️ Scale Smarter, Not Harder: A Better Way to Grow Nonprofit Programs

▶️ Key Points:

01:19 Common breakdowns in scaling nonprofit programs

03:56 Why clarity is the foundation of effective scaling

05:01 What capacity really means and why training is key

07:55 Continuous improvement through data and communication

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.

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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

Succession planning may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about nonprofit leadership development, but it should be. In this episode, I sit down with transition strategist Naomi Hattaway to explore what it really takes to ensure leadership continuity and why it's a core part of any learning and development strategy.

With executive turnover on the rise and funding environments shifting, organizations can’t afford to leave leadership transitions to chance. Succession planning supports not only operational stability but also employee trust, team morale, and long-term mission impact.

▶️ Not Just an HR Problem: The Role of L&D in Succession Planning

▶️ Key Points:

01:20 Why turnover hurts mission impact

03:20 Naomi’s background, career journey, and how she got into succession planning

09:05 What succession planning really means for nonprofits

11:27 How succession planning aligns with learning and development

15:00 Tips for integrating L&D with your succession plan

17:03 Questions L&D leaders can ask to influence succession conversations

21:28 Proactive steps and final advice for nonprofit teams

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 Naomi

LinkedIn: Naomi Hattaway

Website: naomihattaway.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

If training alone isn't moving the needle, it’s time to bring coaching into the equation. In this episode, I share how nonprofit leaders can use three simple yet powerful coaching questions to drive behavior change and improve staff performance, without micromanaging.

You’ll discover why traditional training isn’t always enough and how coaching can help build autonomy and accountability. These coaching questions are rooted in the Situation-Behavior-Impact framework for feedback and can be taught to people managers or used with external partners.

▶️ Stop (only) Training. Start Coaching. How to Improve Staff Performance

▶️ Key Points:

00:58 Coaching vs. directive management

02:35 Why training alone isn't enough

03:47 Three coaching questions to improve staff performance

06:55 The bonus question that unlocks ownership

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

Creating meaningful change through staff training and development in a nonprofit can feel overwhelming, especially when you're the only one driving it. In this episode, I talk with Jamie Bussey, Senior Director of Learning and Development at the National Audubon Society.

Jamie joined Audubon as a team of one, inheriting a blank slate and a whole lot of opportunity. She shares how she used a needs assessment to guide her strategy, implemented scalable solutions like a learning management system and coaching programs, and launched a comprehensive people manager training called "Leading the Flock."

▶️ Leading Change and Navigating Challenges as a New L&D Leader with Jamie Bussey

▶️ Key Points:

03:14 Jamie's career journey from journalism to nonprofit L&D

05:19 Starting L&D from scratch: challenges and early wins

09:56 Designing “Leading the Flock” for people managers

14:46 Creating a robust training program

17:02 Overcoming resistance and building credibility

21:54 Advice for L&D leaders starting from scratch in a nonprofit

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 Jamie

Linkedin: Jamie Bussey

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

Improving staff accountability doesn’t always require a training program. In fact, some of the most effective strategies for nonprofit leadership development and team performance don’t involve training at all. In this episode of Learning for Good, I share three powerful non-training solutions to boost accountability, enhance team culture, and drive consistent performance across teams.

Whether you're facing missed deadlines, inconsistent follow-through, or simply want to elevate your team’s effectiveness, this episode offers actionable ideas built on workplace behavior change strategies and rooted in the psychology of habit formation.

▶️ Three Non-Training Solutions that Improve Staff Accountability

▶️ Key Points:

00:58 Why accountability is essential for high-performing nonprofit teams

02:50 Three non-training solutions that can improve staff accountability

05:50 How these non-training solutions support behavior change and habit formation

07:44 Why training alone won’t solve performance challenges

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

Are you curious about what a career in nonprofit Learning and Development looks like across different types of organizations? In this episode of Learning for Good, we explore the real-life journeys of two nonprofit L&D leaders - Eric Wu, formerly of Northwestern University, and Matt Tod of Plan International Canada.

You’ll get an inside look at what Learning and Development roles actually look like in two very different nonprofit settings and honest advice if you’re looking to make the transition into nonprofit L&D.

▶️ Want to Work in Nonprofit L&D? Here’s What You Should Know

▶️ Key Points:

04:54 Introduction to Eric Wu and his background in university-based talent development

11:11 Key L&D initiatives at Northwestern University

19:40 Eric’s transition from corporate to nonprofit talent development

25:33 Advice for people looking to transition into L&D or the nonprofit sector

34:30 Meet Matt Tod from Plan International Canada

39:27 Structuring L&D across global nonprofit teams

47:00 Building an internal learning culture

50:47 Matt’s journey to L&D

57:33 Career advice for transitioning into nonprofit L&D

Resources from this episode:

Listen to Nadra Dennis and Jaimie Hoffman’s career conversations in episode 130: Nonprofit Learning & Development: What Is It Really Like?

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 Eric and Matt

Linkedin: Eric Wu & Matt Tod

Websites: northwestern.edu & plancanada.ca

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

Employees spend 42% of their time collaborating with others. That’s almost half of their time. But are they any good at it? Or are there challenges around collaboration?

And if there are challenges, what can we do about them?

Most people would say collaboration is important for their work, but we're less likely to do it when it feels challenging. And when there's conflict, we're less likely to do it then, too. Can training help? That’s what we’re exploring in this episode.

▶️ How Training Can Improve Collaboration in Your Nonprofit

▶️ Key Points:

00:58 Collaboration in the workplace

02:02 Building a good foundation for collaboration through training

04:43 Building collaboration skills through internal training

05:31 Nonprofit collaboration training example

Resources from this episode:

2023 Global Workplace Survey from the Gensler Research Institute: https://f.tlcollect.com/fr2/723/96308/global-workplace-survey-comparison-2023.pdf

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

What does it mean to be a good partner in Learning and Development? That’s what we’re exploring in this episode, but we’re doing it from the truest sense of the word partner.

I think one of the biggest mistakes we make is that we focus on the actions we need to take to be a good partner. And while actions are important, I don't want a list of actions today. I want us to look at the attributes or the characteristics of being a good partner.

▶️ Being a Strategic Learning Partner & The Biggest Mistake You're Making

▶️ Key Points:

00:58 The importance of being a good partner

04:45 The characteristics of being a good partner

07:05 Our goal in L&D

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