Ready to grow your career and strengthen your nonprofit? Each of the following certificates is offered on our signature learning platform, Merit® Nonprofit Professional Development and gives you practical, on-demand training in just 15 minutes at a time, with topics that directly impact your work, your team, and your mission.
Each certificate includes 9 short courses, a downloadable workbook, personal learning plan, and a certificate of completion—plus many are eligible for CFRE credit. Start with the topic that matters most to you, or build a path toward comprehensive capacity with multiple certificates.
Backed by the Impact Capacity Assessment Tool and the Korn Ferry Leadership Architect, Merit® isn’t just training—it’s a system for real-world growth, built specifically for nonprofit professionals.
Build the leadership skills you need to drive change in your community and nonprofit organization. This certificate is designed for nonprofit professionals, board members, and community leaders who want to strengthen their ability to lead, collaborate, and create meaningful impact.
Mission-focused leadership isn’t about titles—it’s about driving impact from wherever you sit in the organization. This certificate helps nonprofit professionals align their leadership approach with the mission, strengthen internal culture, and motivate teams through purpose-driven strategies.
Marketing isn’t just about selling—it’s about storytelling, strategy, and impact. This certificate will equip you with the tools, models, and metrics to create effective, mission-driven marketing that engages supporters and drives results.
Strategic planning isn’t just about creating a document—it’s about making smart, adaptable decisions that move your mission forward. This certificate will equip you with the mindset, methods, and motivation to lead effective, action-driven strategic planning for your nonprofit.
Advocacy isn’t just about lobbying or protest—it’s about influence, strategy, and connection. This certificate gives you the tools to lead and support advocacy efforts that align with your mission, expand your impact, and build stronger relationships with decision-makers and the public.
Fundraising isn’t just about asking—it’s about understanding. This certificate helps you cultivate support that lasts. You'll explore what motivates people to give, how identity and emotion play into donor decisions, and how to move donors from first-time supporters to long-term advocates.
This certificate helps you understand your role in resource generation, build key fundraising skills, and contribute to a culture of philanthropy—regardless of your title! You’ll explore practical ways to activate your team’s strengths, set data-informed goals, and support the financial health of your organization, leading from a position of power and purpose.
When your board understands its fundraising role, everyone wins. After completing this you'll have the tools to support and activate board members in effective fundraising. You’ll explore how to build a culture of philanthropy, clarify board responsibilities, and use models to set goals, inspire engagement, and strengthen this essential partnership.
Financial oversight isn’t just for your CFO—it’s a shared responsibility that supports compliance, sustainability, and fraud prevention. In this certificate, developed with The Charity CFO, you’ll learn the essentials of nonprofit financial health. Whether you're reviewing budgets or managing programs, you’ll gain the skills to confidently connect your work to your organization's financial strength.
Facilities management in the nonprofit sector goes beyond upkeep—it’s about creating spaces that serve your mission and your people. This certificate helps you connect physical environments to strategy, sustainability, and stakeholder experience, whether or not facilities are part of your official role.
Technology isn’t just about the tools—it’s about the systems, people, and mindset behind them. This certificate helps nonprofit professionals explore digital equity, innovation, and sustainability to build long-term technology capacity that supports your mission and your community.
Volunteers are more than helpers—they’re mission-critical. This certificate equips nonprofit professionals to engage, support, and retain volunteers with intention, using tools like value tracking, goal setting, and adaptive leadership to build a volunteer experience that benefits everyone involved.
Organizational capacity is the engine behind every nonprofit’s ability to deliver on its mission. This certificate helps you assess where your people, programs, and processes stand today—and gives you the tools to build a stronger, more sustainable infrastructure for tomorrow.
Deep program impact start with listening. This certificate helps nonprofit professionals assess community needs with clarity, equity, and purpose—using data, input, and lived experience to shape services that truly reflect the population they’re meant to serve.
Program success is about more than reporting numbers—it’s about learning, improving, and increasing impact. This certificate helps nonprofit professionals assess outcomes, identify areas for growth, and create a culture of learning that drives stronger programs and services.
While not part of the Merit® system, this course is a must-have for sharing the Nonprofit Help Center’s engaging, practical learning approach with your board members.
Learning with the Nonprofit Help Center means transforming your entire team, and we're here with you every step of the way. Feel like you'd like a personal tour of all of your options? Want to chat through your unique learning needs? Book a time below to meet with our founder, Dr. Emilie Socash!
© 2024 All Rights Reserved
