Happy September! Below we have provided a list of workshops we’re offering this month at the Nonprofit Learning Lab! To register and find out more about each workshop, click the workshop titles of your choice to head to the workshop page.
Our memberships provide discounts to all our paid trainings - along with many other benefits. Learn more about our memberships here.
Not seeing a topic you'd be interested in learning more about? Let us know via email at info@nonprofitlearninglab.org.
FREE: Practical Steps to Organizational Development - September 4
Jessie Lee | Better Future Strategies, in partnership with Consultants for Good (C4G)
The workshop is designed to provide a broad overview of the knowledge and tools available to build an operational structure that enables nonprofit and social impact organizations to strengthen sustainability and improve flexibility to internal and external changes. The workshop includes practical approaches to gain a comprehensive understanding of existing activities and resources that may be sources of challenges but also insights into unexplored opportunities to create consistency with the agility of how organizations do things to be effective with their programs. It also explores realistic approaches to identify and adopt innovative ways to address challenges and explore opportunities that allow organizations to empower people within organizations while building data-informed and evidence-based decisions.
The Many Dimensions of Board Diversity - September 12
Michelle Mapp | Mapp Consulting Group
Having a wide variety of viewpoints, life experiences, and perspectives can be a valuable asset for a nonprofit organization. But boards often lack a robust level of diversity that can make a real difference. In this workshop, we will examine various dimensions of diversity including race, ethnicity, gender, age, skills, experience, and more. Utilizing a variety of tools we will dive deep into why heterogeneity is so important, how to build rich diversity into your Board, and how to ensure you are building a culture that will support this development.
FREE: Captivating Canva Graphics: Unlock the Power of Design Principles - September 16
Lidia Varesco Racoma | Lidia Varesco Design
Nonprofit communications and marketing professionals often juggle many tasks, including ad hoc Canva design. By understanding design best practices, you can create more effective Canva graphics—and stay on-brand. Learn the four key design principles (layout, color, typography, imagery) as well as sources for high-quality graphics. Basic Canva knowledge is helpful but not required.
Ace the Ask: Build Confidence in Face-to-Face Fundraising - September 16
Jessica Cloud | Starr King School for the Ministry
So many nonprofit leaders are new to fundraising and nervous about making face-to-face asks, but those conversations are where the major gifts happen. This session will help attendees question their assumptions about whether asking is "rude" and how to get comfortable bringing the needs of their organizations forward for donor support. With practical tips and specific scripts for attendees to practice, they will leave this session with more clarity around fundraising person-to-person.
Building a Strong Financial Foundation for Growth and Impact - September 23
Stephanie Skryzowski | 100 Degrees Consulting
Building a Strong Financial Foundation for Growth and Impact is a comprehensive session designed to equip nonprofit leaders with the skills to enhance their financial management. Participants will learn about essential software and tools, understand various finance roles within an organization, and discover how to build an outstanding finance team even with limited resources. Additionally, the session covers the development of effective finance routines for monthly, quarterly, and annual tasks.
FREE: Crafting Year-End Donor Engagement Surveys - September 25
Meena Das | Namaste Data
Want to prepare for the year end’s fundraising meaningfully? Then listen to what your donors have to say. Join this session to enhance your donor survey strategy, focusing on inclusion. Learn how to create surveys that authentically capture diverse perspectives and ensure accessibility. You then build knowledge and tools to deepen donor relationships, personalize communications, and fuel your mission. Whether you are doing a survey for the first time or planning to re-use an old one, this session is suitable for all. Register now to secure your spot and build a donor survey strategy rooted in inclusivity. Participants will explore harms of data collection, best practices of equitable and inclusive surveys, and five must-ask questions to include in your next donor survey.
Katie Clark | Katie Clark Digital Marketing
"Build Brand Awareness: Effective Marketing Techniques for Nonprofits" is a comprehensive workshop designed to equip nonprofit organizations with the necessary skills and strategies to enhance their visibility and impact in today's competitive landscape. Through interactive sessions and practical exercises, participants will delve into various marketing techniques tailored specifically for nonprofits to effectively communicate their mission, engage stakeholders, and ultimately strengthen their brand presence.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have gained practical insights and actionable strategies to enhance their nonprofit's brand awareness, effectively communicate their mission, and cultivate meaningful connections with their stakeholders and supporters.
How to Create Data Stories That Actually Engage People - September 26
Amelia Kohm | Data Viz for Nonprofits
Here are the problems: 1) You need to get a group of humans interested in an important topic. 2) The topic is complex. 3) There's a lot of data to share. 4) Human brains have limitations. So the challenge is to tell a story in a way that humans can understand and get behind. To do this, we need to first understand human's powers and challenges when it comes to consuming data. Then we can make better charts, maps, and graphs (aka data visualizations) given what we know about the human brain. And finally, we can present charts in a way that humans can absorb.
Austin Hattox | Pixel Lighthouse
Your organization's website can serve as an incredible tool for building relationships, but only when you leverage it in the right way. By following some practical best practices, you can supercharge your organization's site to draw people into your story and get visitors taking action. This session will provide insights on optimizing layout, enhancing content, and integrating interactive elements that engage visitors. We'll explore strategies to make your website not just informative, but a powerful catalyst for community involvement. Join us to learn the key strategies that make a nonprofit website effective and compelling.
Master Public Speaking Like a Pro - September 30
Frances Trelease | Trelease Communications
In this workshop, you'll learn ways to craft a message that resonates with your audience. You'll learn how to use this valuable skill to advocate for your cause in the most engaging way possible. We'll explore the critical role of storytelling when giving a speech; ways to anticipate in advance what your audience is looking for; ideal ways to display visuals to complement your spoken word, and all those "extras" that make a good speaker a great one. We will address: crafting a powerful story; analyzing the audience, creating visual aids and slides, use of effective body language, and ways to boost credibility.