Ah, summer. For many nonprofits, things are a little quieter around the office with folks in and out on vacation, or perhaps your programming or fiscal year just wrapped up. As a busy nonprofit professional, you know this calm period doesn’t come around often, so make the most of it by mastering a new skill or brushing up on an existing one. These self-schooling suggestions can up your nonprofit communications skills and be valuable for your organization and your career.

To create public relations or marketing plans that get noticed, it is important for nonprofits to be able to convey their messages and build their brands using the latest communication techniques. From content to coding, there are many areas of communications and marketing to learn about, and in this digital age, technology and best practices always seem to be changing. You should also think about any knowledge or skills gaps that exist within your organization that you might be able to fill by mastering something new. Always wished you could knew more about HTML coding? Now is the perfect time to learn!

Here are some topics to consider learning more about: content marketing, SEO, social media, analytics, Google AdWords, marketing, coding, graphic design

Now armed with an idea of what you want to learn about, below are some great resources to start your training.

1. HubSpot, the originator of the inbound marketing movement, offers great online courses via HubSpot Academy, a worldwide training platform of online courses, webinars, guides, and certifications. Check out their Inbound Marketing Certification: a free, 5-part course that will take you through HubSpot’s Inbound Marketing Methodology, from attracting customers to converting leads, to providing great service. Other available courses include Facebook advertising, content marketing, SEO, and email and social media marketing trainings.
2. General Assembly began as a co-working space and evolved into a global education platform. They have locations across the U.S. and offer in-person and online classes, events, and workshops in digital marketing, UX Design, coding, JavaScript Development, and more. Classes are offered both part-time and full-time. If your whole communications team wants to join, General Assembly also offers packages for employers to fill skills gaps in the areas mentioned above.
3. Facebook also offers a training program and certification called Facebook Blueprint that will walk you through everything you need to know about Facebook and Instagram, from basics like creating a Facebook or Instagram page for your nonprofit organization, to more complex skills like creating ads and targeting the appropriate audience. Facebook also offers a number of certifications upon completion of the courses for users who pass an exam that can be taken online or in person.
4. Google’s Analytics Academy will help you become more data savvy. If analytics and crunching numbers seem intimidating, Google offers training for beginners without any knowledge of the platform. The beginner course provides an overview of the platform and teaches you how to set up your account, navigate the platform, pull and share reports. You will also learn how to build custom URLs that can be used in digital advertising campaigns or email marketing to track clicks and conversions.

You’ll now be freshly equipped with knowledge and tools to supercharge your next marketing, public relations and development campaigns. All the learning you did in your communications summer school will set you up for success and help you promote your organization’s message in clear, effective, and best of all—new—ways.

See you in the classroom!