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

In this episode of Learning for Good, I break down three practical shifts nonprofit learning designers can make to build credibility and grow their influence.
Many competent learning and development professionals feel like their recommendations don't carry weight. It's frustrating to know you understand a problem and can offer a better solution, only to have that expertise go unheard. That gap usually has less to do with skill and more to do with how much evidence you've given people that you can be trusted.
I explain why credibility isn't something you announce, it's something you build one interaction at a time until people trust your judgment enough to follow where you lead.

▶️ 3 Small Shifts that Increase Your Credibility as a Learning Designer
▶️ Key Points:
00:00:00 How Credibility Works in Nonprofit Leadership
00:03:26 How to Build Trust Within Your Nonprofit
00:05:31 3 Shifts that Increase Credibility as a Learning Designer
00:08:55 How Credibility Changes Stakeholder Buy-In

Resources from this episode:
Join the next Learning for Good Summit in October: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/influence-to-action
Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

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

What do you do when the pressure at work never seems to let up?
In this episode of Learning for Good, I sit down with peak performance coach Jay Abbasi to talk about what it takes to lead under pressure and how nonprofit L&D leaders can build resilience into how they lead themselves and others.
Nonprofit leaders carry a heavy load, with tight resources, shifting priorities, and a mission that never feels like it can wait. That pressure builds and shapes how people think, communicate, and lead, often without them realizing it. This can push even strong leaders into constant reaction mode instead of intentional leadership.

▶️ How Nonprofit Leaders Can Lead Under Pressure with Jay Abbasi
▶️ Key Points:
00:00:00 How Pressure Shapes Nonprofit Leaders
00:03:10 Jay's Path From Personal Loss to Peak Performance Coaching
00:08:51 How L&D Leaders Can Stay Effective Under Pressure
00:13:32 What Pressure Does to the Brain
00:18:51 Building Clarity and Intention as a Learning Leader
00:22:46 Balancing Organizational Urgency With the Patience Behavior Change Requires
00:28:19 One Shift Nonprofit Leaders Can Make to Lead Under Pressure

Resources from this episode:
Join the next Learning for Good Summit in October: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/influence-to-action 

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

Connect with Jay
LinkedIn: Jay Abbasi
Website: jayabbasi.me

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

⭐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.

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 actually know if your training worked, or are you just hoping it did?
In this episode of Learning for Good, I break down the five biggest mistakes nonprofit learning and development professionals make when measuring training impact.
Most of us know we should be measuring our training, and we want to measure it, but somewhere between good intentions and actual practice, we get stuck. We settle for data that is easy to collect instead of data that tells us the truth. Good measurement isn't about checking a box, it's about using what you learn to make real decisions and show that the work actually matters.

▶️ The Biggest Mistakes We Make When Measuring Learning
▶️ Key Points:
00:00:00 Why Measuring Training Matters
00:03:00 The Kirkpatrick Model of Training Evaluation
00:04:23 The 5 Biggest Mistakes L&D Professionals Make When Measuring Learning
00:17:17 Turning Your Learning Dashboard into a Strategic Tool

Resources from this episode:
ATD Research: https://www.td.org/content/press-release/atd-research-measuring-learning-program-effectiveness-is-challenging
Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

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

⭐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.

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

In this episode of Learning for Good, I celebrate 200 episodes and share the five biggest lessons that have shaped my approach to nonprofit learning and development and nonprofit leadership development.
Two hundred episodes in, I have interviewed nearly a hundred guests, built a summit, and grown a community, and along the way, my thinking about staff training and development has shifted in ways I did not expect. This episode is a chance to pause and look back at what has actually changed my career.

▶️ 200 Lessons from 200 Episodes. Just Kidding. Here are the Top 5 Ideas that Changed My Career in Learning and Development.
▶️ Key Points:
00:00:00 200 Episodes of Learning for Good
00:02:33 Thank You to the Nonprofit L&D Community
00:03:44 Top Five Episodes: A Look Back at Nonprofit Learning and Development Highlights
00:05:09 5 Ideas that Changed My Career in Learning and Development

Resources from this episode:
Top 5 Learning for Good Episodes:
 E135: Want to Work in Nonprofit Learning and Development? What You Should Know
 E132: Translating Behavior Science into L&D Strategy: Lessons from Top Experts
E71:   Are Your Nonprofit Leaders The Best They Can Be? Your Leadership Skills Might Be Lagging And THIS Is Why
 E116: Using a Blended, Cohort Training Model to Create Behavior Change
 E129: How to Conduct a Training Needs Analysis for Nonprofit Staff Development

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

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

⭐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.

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

How do you decide which trainings in your library still deserve a spot, and which ones are just taking up space?
In this episode of Learning for Good, I walk through five strategic questions nonprofit leaders can use to decide when to retire a training program. 
Many nonprofits build a training toolbox one request at a time, until the toolbox is packed with tools nobody stops to evaluate. That toolbox turns into an endless menu instead of a strategy, and it gets harder to tell which trainings are still earning their place.
Keeping a training isn't about whether people liked it or whether it's always been offered, it's about whether it's still moving the mission forward.

▶️ Should You Retire Your Training?
▶️ Key Points:
00:00:00 When Should You Retire a Nonprofit Training Program?
00:03:15 How the Nonprofit Training Toolbox Fills Up Over Time
00:05:32 Five Questions to Decide Whether to Retire a Nonprofit Training Program
00:08:19 Building a Curated Nonprofit Training Toolbox

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

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

⭐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.

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