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

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 nonprofit leaders today. Jorge shares how his organization is already using AI to enhance staff training and development, streamline workflows, and support leadership growth in real time.

▶️ Custom AI Agents for Learning? A Look at One Nonprofit's Innovative Approach with Jorge Perez

▶️ Key Points:
0:00:00 Jorge’s nonprofit leadership journey insights
0:07:48 AI is changing how nonprofits operate
0:18:52 AI opportunities for learning leaders
0:21:26 AI concerns: ethics, security, and quality
0:25:48 Start experimenting with AI today

Resources from this episode:
Join our  upcoming virtual conference, Leading Learning That Sticks, a week-long virtual experience for nonprofit and association training professionals who are ready to move beyond reactive training delivery and step into strategic learning leadership: https://collective.skillmastersmarket.com/invitation?code=E3DC2B 
Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Connect with Jorge
LinkedIn: Jorge Perez
Website: ymca.org/locations/ymca-greater-cincinnati 

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

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 you practical solutions you can implement right away.

▶️ 5 Practical Post-Training Strategies to Make Learning Stick

▶️ Key Points:
0:00:00 Why systems matter
0:03:24 The limits of training
0:07:06 Post-training behavior change strategies
0:13:40 Creating lasting impact

Resources from this episode:
Join our  upcoming virtual conference, Leading Learning That Sticks, a week-long virtual experience for nonprofit and association training professionals who are ready to move beyond reactive training delivery and step into strategic learning leadership: https://collective.skillmastersmarket.com/invitation?code=E3DC2B 
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’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 Leaders: Your Role is Much Bigger Than Delivering Training

▶️ Key Points:
0:00:00 Owning your identity as a change agent
0:04:58 Communicating with influence to stakeholders
0:07:18 Designing training for impact

Resources from this episode:
Personal branding episodes:
Episode 173: Why Your Personal Brand is the Key to Strategic Learning Leadership
Episode 164: How Learning & Development Professionals Can Use Personal Branding to Gain Influence

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

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 founder and CEO of Rise, a Nebraska nonprofit dedicated to breaking generational cycles of incarceration. Jeremy shares how his team approaches succession planning not just as a document, but as a strategy for organizational development and long-term sustainability. 

▶️ Inside Look: How One Nonprofit is Building Its Leadership Development Pipeline

▶️ Key Points:
0:00:00 Breaking generational incarceration cycles
0:08:07 Creating a nonprofit succession plan
0:17:22 Keeping succession plans active and relevant
0:20:27 Training and preparing future nonprofit leaders
0:25:50 Building a learning culture within nonprofit organizations

Resources from this episode:
Episode 140: Building a Learning Strategy to Support Your Succession Plan
Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Connect with Jeremy
LinkedIn: Jeremy Bouman
Website: seeusrise.org 

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

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 coaching. 
So, in this episode, I've got Chris Wong with me to talk about the powerful tool that is executive coaching. He is an ICF-certified coach with nearly a decade of experience and has worked with leaders across nonprofit, government, and other sectors.

▶️ The Value of Executive Coaching with Chris Wong 

▶️ Key Points:
0:00:00 From burned-out therapist to executive coach
0:08:25 Executive coaching and its great power
0:12:54 What executive coaching looks like
0:17:57 The rippling impacts of executive coaching
0:22:14 When is executive coaching the right fit?

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

Connect with Guest
LinkedIn: Chris Wong
Website: myleadershippotential.com

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