Developing a Learning Culture in Nonprofit Organizations

How can today′s nonprofits demonstrate effective use of funds?

How can they motivate employees and volunteers and combat burnout and high turnover?

How can they ensure that they are performing in accordance with their mission and purpose?

Author Stephen J. Gill answers these questions and more in Developing a Learning Culture in Nonprofit Organizations. Filled with practical tips and tools, the book shows students and managers of human services, arts, education, civic, and environmental agencies how to implement a learning culture with individuals, teams, the organization as a whole, and the larger community.

Key Features

• Draws on the author′s more than 25 years of consulting experience
• Demonstrates how to create a culture of intentional learning that uses reflection and feedback, focuses on successes and failures, and builds a strong organization that motivates employees and volunteers
• Offers specific, hands-on tools for each level of the organization, from the individual and team to the whole organization and the community
• Discusses not only the need for a learning culture but also the barriers that may stand in the way
• Takes a step-by-step approach that facilitates managers′ and students′ understanding and learning
• Incorporates practical tools that can be used in nonprofit management and in actual field instruction

Developing a Learning Culture in Nonprofit Organizations is appropriate for courses in Social Work Evaluation, Public and Nonprofit Management, and Evaluation.

Stephen J. Gill, Ph.D, is part-owner of Learning to be Great. Steve is also owner and principal of Stephen J. Gill Consulting. Steve′s expertise is in creating learning cultures in organizations and measuring learning and performance improvement interventions, which he has been doing for over 25 years since leaving the faculty of the University of Michigan, School of Education. He has written extensively about these topics. His most recent books are Getting More From Your Investment in Training: The 5As Framework, published by RealTime Performance in 2009, and Developing a Learning Culture in Nonprofit Organizations, published by SAGE Publications in 2010. Steve also posts regularly on The Performance Improvement Blog. He serves his community as an elected trustee of Washtenaw Community College.