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Practical Professional Development for Nonprofit Staff and Leadership Teams
Background
NTEN is widely recognized for advancing digital equity and equipping nonprofit leaders with research, resources, and training opportunities. As part of its Digital Equity Certification program, NTEN sought to broaden its curriculum with courses that:
- Reflected the values of justice, inclusion, and systemic change
- Gave nonprofit professionals tools to design programs and communications that honor lived experience
- Balanced theory with hands-on practice for immediate application
To meet this goal, NTEN partnered with Nexus PR to design and deliver two virtual courses:
- The Art of Ethical Storytelling
- Basics of Equitable Program Design
The Challenge
NTEN required more than standard professional development. The new courses needed to:
- Resonate with nonprofit professionals from diverse organizations and sectors
- Encourage critical thinking and real-time application of equity frameworks
- Align with NTEN’s mission to advance digital inclusion and systemic change
- Stay current, with updated materials and facilitation each quarter
Nexus PR was tasked with developing course content, leading live instruction, and ensuring every session was community-informed and responsive to participants’ needs.
Solution: Equity-Centered Virtual Courses
1. The Art of Ethical Storytelling
This course explored how nonprofits can elevate community stories without exploitation or tokenization.
Topics included:
- Power dynamics in nonprofit storytelling
- Consent and narrative ownership
- Building storytelling practices that center dignity and respect
- Moving from savior narratives to partnership-based communication
Participants engaged in reflective activities, ethical decision-making scenarios, and group discussions. The result was a balance of theory and practice, equipping nonprofit leaders with concrete tools for storytelling with integrity.
2. Basics of Equitable Program Design
This course focused on inclusive and community-rooted program development.
Topics included:
- Co-designing programs with impacted communities
- Identifying systemic inequities in service delivery
- Embedding cultural responsiveness and accessibility
- Measuring success through an equity lens
Learners explored how traditional program design can reinforce inequity—and how to shift toward models that honor lived experience and embrace feedback loops.
Execution
Each course was offered four times per year through NTEN’s virtual learning platform. Nexus PR facilitated sessions that featured:
- Interactive breakout discussions
- Case study analysis
- Live Q&A with peer feedback
- Curated take-home toolkits and reflection guides
The courses were designed for accessibility, meeting the needs of:
- Small, volunteer-run nonprofits
- Large, national 501(c)(3)s
- Community-based organizations serving rural, urban, and Indigenous populations
- Professionals at all stages of equity and communications work
Impact
The response to the trainings has been overwhelmingly positive. Participants reported the courses challenged assumptions, reframed approaches, and provided tools they could immediately apply.
Key outcomes included:
- Increased awareness of narrative ethics and systemic bias
- Shifts in how organizations collect, share, and gain consent for stories
- Stronger integration of equity principles in program design and evaluation
- Expanded peer-to-peer learning across NTEN’s diverse member community
To date, Nexus PR has trained hundreds of nonprofit professionals nationwide, helping leaders embed equity and intentional storytelling into their daily work.
