Four Steps to Turn Your Nonprofit People Managers into Leaders

Jul 28

Are your nonprofit’s people managers equipped to lead with clarity and confidence, or just left to figure it out on their own?

In this episode of Learning for Good, I take a deep dive into how to develop nonprofit people managers using proven learning and development strategies. With a focus on building leadership through competency models, coaching, enablement, and accountability, you’ll discover how to build confident, capable staff who can lead, not just execute.

▶️ Key Points:

02:58 Identifying competencies with a needs analysis

06:51 Training options

09:05 The role of coaching in nonprofit leadership development

10:59 Enablement & accountability

12:40 Preventing burnout

14:05 Planning for staff transitions

The People Manager Problem

Nonprofit leaders know that great programs don’t run themselves; they’re driven by great people. And often, the people who make or break your mission are the ones leading your teams day in and day out: your people managers.

But too often, these managers are promoted without support, trained without context, and expected to lead without clarity.

In episode 144 of Learning for Good, I break down how to stop that cycle and build people managers who lead with confidence, clarity, and consistency.

Four Steps to Develop Your People Managers

I reviewed past podcast episodes, reflected on my own experiences, and considered client work to identify four steps for developing people managers into leaders. This goes beyond training and into a comprehensive leadership development strategy for your nonprofit.

Identify Skill Gaps and Learning Needs

Often, our solution to performance problems is to send staff to a training, but that doesn’t always work.

Before jumping into training, take time to identify the real skill gaps. Ask questions like:

What knowledge, skills, and behaviors are essential to fulfill our mission?
What does it look like to lead in alignment with our values and strategies?

This is an essential step but one that is often rushed or even skipped.

For resources to support you in this process, check out:

Your Training Needs Analysis Blueprint

Three Ways to Identify Training Audience Needs

One Needs Analysis Method to Improve Your Training

Six Steps to Determine if Your Staff Need Training

Three Questions to Create Better Outcomes from Training

Create Clear Expectations with a Competency Model

A good competency model turns vague expectations into a clear path forward. It outlines the behaviors and skills your managers need—like coaching, accountability, and adaptability—so they can aim for success, not just hope they hit it.

And in remote or multi-site nonprofits, this clarity is essential for consistency.

For resources on creating and using competency models, check out:

How to Determine Which Competencies Are Right for Your Nonprofit

Ask These Two Questions to Identify Your Nonprofit’s Core Competencies

How to Use Your Competency Model to Develop a Comprehensive Training Program

Don’t Just Train; Develop Your People Managers

One obvious way you can develop your people managers is through training. Purchasing and providing off-the-shelf courses is a common approach to training and development. Off-the-shelf training providers like LinkedIn Learning or Udemy have a fully stocked library of courses on pretty much every topic imaginable and many times it's cost-effective.

So it makes sense that organizations are drawn to them.

But one of the limitations of off-the-shelf training is the lack of context. The scenarios and skills are going to be more general because they need to appeal to a larger audience. And my concern is that context is often needed to make the training relevant and meaningful.

But if this is you, I highly encourage you to contextualize it in other ways.

In the episode How to Develop Your People Managers with Off-the-Shelf Courses, Alberto Garcia shared how he combined off-the-shelf courses with emails, virtual workshop-style conversations, and peer-to-peer connections for Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston.

Another option is to create custom training. This is what my team and I do at Skill Masters Market. We partner with you to identify needs and create solutions that will meet those needs. It might be formal training, workshops, job aids, or some combination of solutions, but we will design something specifically for you.

Another training option is to partner with academic institutions. These institutions have degree programs but also certifications and workshops that can build specific skills in your leaders. Again, the challenge here is that it isn't custom to your organization and your leaders' needs.

So you have lots of options for training, but training is just one piece of the puzzle.

In addition to training, we should explore additional strategies that create that comprehensive approach to leadership development:

Coaching: Personalized support that builds self-awareness, confidence, and growth.
Enablement: Removing barriers and giving managers the tools, authority, and clarity they need.
Accountability: Embedding expectations and feedback into your culture—not just performance reviews.

If you want resources for leveraging coaching, enabling people managers, or providing accountability, check out:

5 Keys to Great Nonprofit Leadership

The Surprising Power of Cross-Sector Coaching with Bob Tiede

People Manager Development: How to Transfer Skills Beyond the Classroom with Kamaria Scott

Create Leadership Sustainability

Great leadership development doesn’t just build better managers; it builds healthier, more resilient organizations. Psychological safety, clear expectations, and a sense of belonging reduce burnout and help your staff thrive.

1. We need to create psychological safety because psychological safety supports performance.

Encouraging open communication, feedback, and coaching helps team members feel secure enough to take risks and grow.

2. We need to create a culture of belonging.

Belonging isn't just a DEI initiative; it's part of how you lead.

In the episode How to Create Belonging and Connection at Work, Abigail Finck shares how managers can foster well-being by being present, inclusive, and attentive to how team members experience the workplace.

3. We need to establish clear expectations, which we've already talked about with the competency model.

4. We need to build teams where feedback is safe and consistent because feedback helps people grow. And it helps them feel seen, supported, and set up for success when done right.

5. And we need to develop a plan for staff transitions.

Naomi Hattaway calls succession planning “love in action” in her episode, Not Just an HR Problem: The Role of L&D in Succession Planning. Staff transitions can create panic and overwhelm. But a succession plan can reduce stress, preserve morale, and protect team dynamics.

To learn more about comprehensive leadership development for your people managers, tune into episode 144 of the Learning for Good podcast.

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