All staff require and deserve some form of training particularly if they have never worked in a nonprofit environment before. Training should be offered upon hiring and further training provided, depending on the particular role your volunteers take. Qualified staff and volunteers who are up to date with their training and the knowledge of the industry will only serve to better your organisation.

If you find that you have a high turnover of employees, then perhaps more training is needed. A high turnover of staff is actually a huge problem in nonprofits Australia-wide – even more so than the for-profit sector – and training will go a long way in helping NFPs resolve this issue. Training not only improves staff development but it offers more job satisfaction when volunteers and employees understand that their new skills can be applied to future roles. Training also increases productivity as well as loyalty, and results in higher revenue and improved customer service.

Training needs to be an ongoing priority

Training for NFPs needs to be an ongoing concern. While informal “on the job” training is part and parcel of any role, a set of training programs may need to be determined to ensure that all employees are all on the same page. There is also the need for performance improvement training and ultimately training which will help the employees better steer the NFP and improving its capabilities.

Provide a variety of training opportunities

Whether it is group training or one-on-one training, both have their advantages. It may also be important for follow-up training sessions to ensure that the concepts were understood and everything is running as smoothly as it should. Even the smallest of training opportunities can offer significant rewards.

Training should support your goals

Remember that training should help your overall NFP goals. If a staff member or volunteer brings you information on a conference in your local area, if it is not furthering your not-for-profit goals, then the money may be better spent elsewhere. While training has many benefits, using your budget to spend on unnecessary training courses does not help anyone.

Create a culture of learning

Training may need to be added to job descriptions to formalise the process. Starting the training early in the recruitment process is always recommended as it cements the NFP culture and sets the tone for growth early on.