Scaling Success: How Nonprofit Consultants Can Leverage Online Technologies to Level Up their Cohort Offers
Dr. Emilie Socash
August 8, 2024
Nonprofit consultants play a critical role in helping organizations grow, adapt, and thrive. One of the most impactful ways to achieve this is through cohort-based learning experiences. Consultants who incorporate cohort-style experiences are able to not only enrich learning but also foster camaraderie, peer support, and ongoing engagement. Plus, those who do so in a means that leverages current technologies around online learning and engagement find that they are able to scale their offerings to expand their reach...and their revenue.
At the Nonprofit Help Center, we understand the unique challenges faced by nonprofit consultants—technology complexities, structuring content, personalizing while reusing content, launching, enrolling, and transacting, to name just a few. That's why we're committed to supporting you every step of the way, whether you leverage our Merit Nonprofit Professional Development or Nonprofit Board Member Basics systems or seek a fully custom solution.
Here are some expert tips to help you create powerful cohort experiences that resonate with your clients, based on what we've seen in our partners and clients.
Pro Tip 1: Foster a Sense of Community
A strong sense of community is vital for enhancing engagement and learning within a cohort., whether the cohort is offered in real time or asynchronously. When participants feel connected, they are more likely to participate actively and support one another. Ultimately, this changes the dynamic from a hub-and-spoke experience (in which the consultant is the hub!) to a matrix-style engagement (in which each participant has direct connection with many other participants).
Actionable Steps
Regular High-Value Virtual Meetups: Schedule consistent virtual meetings and interactive sessions to build relationships. These meetups can be informal or structured discussions on key topics. Before these meetings, ensure that you've communicated what will be included within the session, and during the meeting offer plenty of time for the type of engagement that can't be captured in a follow-up recording. Some ideas include brainstorming time, group problem solving, case study analysis, and pre-submitted questions.
Use Private Tech Spaces: Encourage the use of dedicated social platforms or discussion forums for ongoing communication and support between meetings. This could be a reserved community, like ones we've built for our clients, or even just a private Facebook group. This provides a space for participants to share insights, ask questions, and offer encouragement. Your role will likely be the moderator, but consider assigning a "moderator of the week," or some shared responsibility across the group for participants to prompt with questions.
Collaborative Assignments: While your participants are likely not looking for homework, using a community focus to create connections between group members can help to scale your program. Why? Because you only have so many hours in the day! Creating learning buddies, research groups, or other subsets of your participant pool that can rely on each other's energy can both build community and preserve your limited resource (time!). Teamwork not only fosters relationships but also enhances mutual learning and the application of knowledge.
Pro Tip 2: Design Structured and Interactive Content
Engaging content is the backbone of any successful cohort experience. It keeps participants motivated and ensures that learning objectives are met. In our work with clients, we recommend being aware of how content is delivered, and that a balance is found between video, audio, and written content. While talking head-style videos are the easiest to produce, we encourage the use of shorter-form voiceovers or explainer-style videos, or even the use of podcast-style audio recordings.
When building a cohort experience, we help our clients fine-tune the prep content (which would be similar to that of an online course) and the live interactive aspects.
Actionable Steps
Multimedia Elements: Incorporate videos, quizzes, interactive modules, and other multimedia elements in a means that supports preparation and follow-up. Catering to different learning styles ensures that all participants remain engaged, which means that all videos should be closed-captioned and offer transcripts, and content should meet accessibility standards.
Cohesive Learning Journey: Ensure that each module builds on the previous one, creating a clear and cohesive path. This structured approach helps participants understand how each piece of content fits into the larger picture. Learners appreciate when their experience leader (that's you!) helps them keep all their energy focused on the learning experience rather than on figuring out what they are supposed to be working on.
Real-World Scenarios: Use case studies and scenarios relevant to the nonprofit sector. Practical insights drawn from real-world examples make the learning experience more relatable and actionable. Encourage learners to bring examples from their own nonprofits to dissect and explore.
Pro Tip 3: Provide Continuous Support and Feedback
Continuous support and timely feedback are essential to keep participants on track and make them feel valued. To make this a reality, consider having "assignments" that are submitted for your review, or leverage a peer-review process in which learning buddies analyze the work of each other. Small-group or individual coaching throughout your cohort can also be a means of offering the support and feedback, although use this selectively as coaching simply does not scale.
Actionable Steps
Regular Check-Ins: Establish a system for regular check-ins, whether through one-on-one sessions or group updates. Discussion board posts can serve this purpose. Address individual needs and challenges promptly, and privately as appropriate.
Data & Analytics: Use data and analytics to monitor progress. Identify areas where participants might need additional support and adjust your approach accordingly. Be sure to let your cohort members know that you're able to see their engagement activity through the technology that you're using, so there are no surprises.
Peer Feedback: Encourage peer feedback and discussions. This collaborative environment fosters shared learning and diverse perspectives. As mentioned above, the hub-and-spoke model is limiting; a matrix engagement model can be critical to the scaling success of your cohort!
Conclusion
Creating a powerful cohort experience requires careful planning, dynamic content, and unwavering support. You're likely already doing these things! But transitioning into a technologically powered approach can unlock scalability beyond your current offerings. By fostering a sense of community, designing engaging content, and providing continuous feedback, all through technological tools and with a partner like the Nonprofit Help Center, you can significantly enhance the learning outcomes and satisfaction of your participants, as well as the success of your cohort model in your business.
At the Nonprofit Help Center, we're here to partner with you in this transformative process. Whether you're looking to build on our existing solutions or create a custom stand-alone experience, we're ready to support your next steps.
Ready to create impactful online cohorts? Contact us today to get started!
We'd love to hear from you and explore how we can help you transition from in-person to online or hybrid cohort offerings. Let's transform nonprofit professional development—one cohort at a time.
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