It’s Budget Time! How to Make Sure Professional Development Makes the Cut

Running a nonprofit can feel a lot like making up a recipe as you’re baking. You’re moving so fast, you’re just flinging ingredients in the bowl and hoping you didn’t miss anything. 

This is largely because there’s one ingredient almost every nonprofit doesn’t include: professional development. But professional development is like the yeast in a nice bread, nothing will rise if you’re not getting some extra help with the lift. 

One thing I always tell my kiddo when she gets frustrated learning a new math or reading concept: you don’t have to know things you haven’t learned yet. And when she gets frustrated with my instruction, I ask her how she plans to figure it out if she doesn’t have someone experienced to explain it to her.

I see this all the time with nonprofits. Executive Directors with no experience in management feel they should “just know” how to manage people. New founders copycat the visible actions of other organizations without understanding the context and back-end work involved in fundraising efforts. We try to re-create viral campaign strategies without considering that a lot of those viral campaigns were crafted by professionals who have decades of experience and A/B tested the life out of the content, and we think we can…what…hack our way to it?

No! If you want to have a professional operation, you have to treat your people like the professionals they are. You have to invest in their growth and development. 

But of course some of us already know that and want that professional development. Here are five tips to help you whip up excitement around including professional development support with your leadership to get the support you need in 2025.

1. Start with ROI: Show the return on investment! A well-trained leader brings back knowledge that can improve systems, increase donations, and streamline processes. It’s like adding yeast to dough—it is tiny and not very noticeable, but it makes everything expand. What are you seeking PD budget dollars for? What will you learn? What is not happening because you don’t have this knowledge (what’s the loss or money left on the table)? What could happen with this knowledge? You can put this in terms of real dollars, impact, or hypotheticals. But help the people who decide on your budget see what you are currently losing and what you stand to gain. 

2. Tie it to Mission: Connect professional development neets to the organization’s goals. By investing in training, you're ensuring that the nonprofit can continue to serve its community effectively. It’s like preheating the oven—if you skip this step, nothing bakes right! What are your organization’s top goals for the coming year. Once again, what are you losing by not investing in professional development and/or what can be gained? Can you even reach the goal without this investment?

3. Break Down the Costs: Sometimes, it’s just the unknown of the costs. If you have your eye on specific trainings, conferences, or workshops, spell it out! Transparency helps stakeholders see the value of each ingredient, whether it’s a conference fee or a membership in a professional network. Especially when you can point to results that could make up the difference between the cost and what is gained (see item #1 around ROI). Allocating $3,000 for a conference would give a lot of board members sticker shock, but if you’re confident it can help you raise an additional $50,000 this year…then it feels like a no-brainer!

4. Start Small: If professional development hasn’t been a big line item historically for your nonprofit, jumping straight into a $5,000 budget might be a little more than people can handle. What could you do this year with $500 in training budget? Ask for funding for one course or a small local conference as a trial. Heck, just ask if they’ll cover your membership in the local AFP chapter (it’s usually around $75-$150). This “taste test” approach can help decision-makers see the benefits without committing to a huge budget slice right away.

5. Look For Budget Friendly Options: Not everyone needs to got to the AFP Bridge Conference (my first time going it was wildly inappropriate for me…I didn’t know half of what the panels and presenters were talking about). Professional development is not a “go big or go home” proposition. And while I think there’s a limit to what you can learn attending free options (“free” usually means presenters are holding back the best content for paying customers), there are plenty of people providing amazing training for not too much money. But there are great, low-cost options out there. Shameless plug, but check out our Sustain & Thrive program. With our “Pay as You Grow” model, even the smallest nonprofit can afford to sprinkle a little extra dough on learning. It's like finding the perfect recipe that doesn’t break the bank but still tastes great!

Professional development isn’t a luxury—it’s a key ingredient for your nonprofit to thrive. With the right tools and programs, like Sustain & Thrive, you’ll have the recipe for success without stretching your budget too thin.

It’s just one more way you can figure out how to raise more dough without burning anything, so you can bake a little happier.