Welcome to Forefront's Nonprofit Professional Development Guide! The nonprofit sector faces frequent change and challenges; pursuing professional development opportunities allows individuals and their organizations to continue thriving. On this page is a collection of resources meant to benefit new and experienced sector professionals as they explore training and leadership development opportunities.
Some colleges and universities will allow you to take courses or pursue academic certificates as a nondegree seeking student. This is a great way to gain new skills and credentials via academic instruction. The universities listed below offer certificates in Nonprofit Studies or Nonprofit Management and can be obtained through both in-person and online courses.
The Allstate Foundation Nonprofit Leadership Center utilizes curriculum from Northwestern University's Kellog School Center for Nonprofit Management to bring rigorous leadership development tools and networking opportunities to new and experienced nonprofit professionals. Nonprofit professionals can engage in facilitated courses on nonprofit management or executive leadership at no cost to their organization.
The National Council of Nonprofits is the largest network of nonprofits in North America and is focused on improving the health of charitable nonprofits. They support the nonprofit community through being an informed resource on public policy and sector trends, advocating for sector needs, and providing resources for learning and professional development.
Candid Learning is the education arm of Candid, previously known as the Foundation Center. It is geared specifically toward grantseekers. Within Candid Learning you can register for live trainings and webinars (free and paid), find on-demand resources for independent learning, read through an FAQ knowledge base, and access samples of common documents for nonprofits such as letters of intent or budgets. Candid Learning is a great resource for new sector professionals.
NonprofitReady is a signature program of the Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the capacity of nonprofits via innovative technologies and online learning resources. NonprofitReady supports nonprofit professionals and organizations through access to free sector-specific online courses on a variety of topics including fundraising and grant writing.
Nonprofit Hub publishes new, free professional development resources every day. On their website you can access free topic guides, on-demand webinars, podcasts, articles, and a newsletter. While many of Nonprofit Hub's resources are free, one can purchase a membership with them and have access to even more resources including discounted access to premium courses.
BoardSource is an excellent resource for nonprofit management and board training needs. There is a membership fee, but members gain access to discounted workshops and trainings. Many of their guides, templates, infographics, and written resources are still free.
Forefront's YouTube channel has recorded webinar sessions and other videos on a wide array of nonprofit and philanthropy topics. The Library records many of their webinars which focus on a variety of subjects from proposal writing to getting started with prospect research.
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