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20 Free Or Low-Cost Professional Development Opportunities

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Idealist Guest

Writing materials on a desk.

Ah, the back-to-school energy around this time of year makes us eager to roll up our sleeves and learn, too! Consider these opportunities, events, and resources to advance your career this September.

Special events from Idealist

Managing your career

Leadership, management, and entrepreneurship

Fundraising and marketing

Collaboration and community building

Special events from Idealist:

  • Joining the board of directors of a nonprofit can boost your network and career while allowing you to give back to an organization you love. Learn the ins and outs in our free live chat Wednesday, September 4th at 1pm ET.
  • Thinking about graduate school? Stop by a free graduate school fair! At a fair you can meet admission representatives from grad programs in fields such as social work, public policy, international affairs, education, and more. We're visiting 18 cities this fall, starting on Monday September 16th in NYC so click here to find a city near you.
  • Each month the New York City chapter of the Nonprofit Technology Network offers workshops for nonprofits. These workshops take place in our office and are free to attend! Join us Wednesday, September 18th at 5:30pm to learn about how your organization can use text messaging to fulfill your mission.


Managing your career:


Leadership, management, and entrepreneurship

  • If you're planning to start a nonprofit, you should check out this free, self-paced tutorial from the Foundation Center. [Free, on-demand presentation]
  • Learn the best practices for project management with General Assembly. [$25, on-demand e-course]
  • Need a little inspiration on how to become a better leader? Check out this series of Ted Talks on iTunesU. [Free, on-demand podcasts]
  • Each year, the Nonprofit Association of Oregon offers a series of workshops that incorporates the most relevant topics facing the nonprofit sector. The first, on developing peer networks, takes place on September 18 at 1:30PM. [Sliding scale based on organization membership, in-person workshop]
  • In Philadelphia? Learn what you can do to increase your organization's competitiveness and strengthen its financial health in the current economic climate with Regional Foundation Center on September 24th at 10AM.


Fundraising and marketing


Collaboration and community building

Bonus tip: If you're looking for more in person events, check out Idealist.org! Find more events near you by searching our site.

What's on your professional development agenda for this month?

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