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Nonprofit Professional Development Goals You Can Achieve in 2025

LinkedIn for Nonprofits Team

LinkedIn for Nonprofits Team

Whatever nonprofit professional development goals you want to achieve in 2025, one of the most important steps you can take is to start setting them right now. The SMART-er (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) you make your goals, the better your chance of accomplishing them in the year to come. 

According to the 2024 Workplace Learning Report from LinkedIn, learners who set career goals engage with learning 4x more than those who don’t. When you have a clear destination in mind, it’s easier to get moving and feel confident that you’re heading the right direction.

Don’t worry if your destination or roadmap still feels a little fuzzy. Whether you’re looking for inspiration to help you define your SMART goals or resources for making them happen, you’ve come to the right place.

Setting goals for nonprofit professional development

As you start firming up your professional development goals for the new year, it can be helpful to consider which skills are most in demand right now. Artificial intelligence skills are on the rise, with 66% of leaders saying they wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills. At the same time, uniquely human skills like communication and emotional intelligence are more important than ever.

What these skills share in common is durability and versatility. These are skills that can help you succeed in a broad range of sectors, roles, and nonprofit focus areas, making them well worth prioritizing in 2025, even if you’re not sure what the next phase of your career will look like just yet. 

Here are three ideas to help you set clear goals around these in-demand skills. You’ll also find some relevant LinkedIn Learning courses, including several that you can access for free throughout 2025.

Incorporate AI into your day-to-day workflow

The 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report from Microsoft and LinkedIn revealed that three out of four global knowledge workers are already using generative AI at work. What’s more, 69% of people say AI can help them get promoted faster — and 79% feel AI skills will broaden their job opportunities. 

For nonprofit professionals, who are often tasked with doing more with less, AI can be especially beneficial. For example, Jannett Handy, Vice President of Talent Management & Employee Experience at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, notes that she uses AI to “bounce ideas off,” helping her think through different approaches to problems. She also finds AI effective for helping to analyze data and surface key themes.

To get the most out of AI, it’s helpful to first develop core skills and competencies, then look for ways to incorporate it into your day-to-day workflow, rather than only using it now and then. Microsoft has found that a time savings of just 11 minutes a day is the magic number where users started to see value from AI. Many actually save a great deal more time than this — as much as 10 hours a month — but reaching the 11-minute saving mark gives users the encouragement they need to build a habit.

Microsoft calls this the 11-by-11 tipping point. And after 11 weeks, most users report improvements in productivity, meeting relief, work enjoyment, and work-life balance. 

To help you take the next step in your AI journey, check out these LinkedIn Learning paths from LinkedIn and Microsoft, available for free throughout 2025:

  • Career Essentials in Generative AI: Just getting started with AI? This six-course learning path can help you learn the core concepts.

  • Productivity with Generative AI: You’ve learned the basics — now what? Begin applying AI skills to your daily work with these courses on productivity hacks, crafting the right prompts for generative AI tools, and more.

  • Microsoft Copilot for Productivity: Does your team use Microsoft 365? Discover how Copilot in Microsoft 365 can help you work smarter, faster, and more efficiently with the tools you use every day.

  • AI for Managers: Managing a team or aspiring to do so? Learn how to enhance the effectiveness of coaching, team collaboration, and more with the help of AI. 

  • AI for Organizational Leaders: Unsure how to approach AI as a nonprofit leader? These six courses can help you make informed decisions about AI adoption and application. 

Strengthen your uniquely human skills like communication

Human skills like teamwork and problem solving have been rising in prominence for a few years now, a trend only accelerated by AI. Data from LinkedIn’s Work Change Snapshot shows that, in 2018, three of the top five skills added by LinkedIn members were soft skills. By 2024, soft skills that are uniquely human entirely dominated the top five skills.

As Aneesh Raman, Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn, explains, “Prioritizing these skills is essential for building a resilient career and a resilient business over the next decade as AI continues to evolve.”

Chart showing top skills added by LinkedIn members, 2018 to 2023. The top 5 skills globally in 2018 were Microsoft Office, Customer Service, Microsoft Excel, Management and Leadership. In 2023, they were Communications, Analytical skills, teamwork, problem solving, and customer service. The chart notes that LinkedIn members are prioritizing human skills.

Strengthening your communication skills is a great starting point. Communication was the most in-demand skill for 2024. LinkedIn data also reveals that individuals with strong communication skills get promoted 11% faster than those without, making communication a valuable component of any nonprofit professional development strategy. 

The LinkedIn Learning course Communication Foundations can help you improve how you communicate in a variety of professional settings, from meetings and presentations to digital communications. This course is part of the Professional Soft Skills Learning Pathway from LinkedIn and Microsoft, which you can watch for free throughout 2025. Aneesh’s LinkedIn Learning course “Investing in Human Skills in the Age of AI,” available to watch for free any time, can also help you leverage human skills to navigate change and prepare for the future of work.

If you have access to the full LinkedIn Learning catalogue through your organization, other courses on this topic include: 

  • Communicating to Drive People to Take Action: If you’re looking to improve how you communicate with donors and stakeholders across your nonprofits, leadership expert Alexia Vernon’s course on high-impact persuasive communication can help you reframe your asks and make people eager to say “yes.” 

Prepare to step into a leadership position

If you aspire to be a leader in the nonprofit sector, it’s never too early to start building your leadership skills. Refining your most human skills like communication will serve you well, but the way you apply them may be a little different in a leadership context. 

Some strategies that you could incorporate into a leadership-focused SMART goal include seeking feedback from managers and peers, practicing active listening in your personal and professional life, and unpacking how you make decisions to see if there’s room for improvement. Building trust is another foundational leadership skill that’s worth investing in, and Rachel Botsman’s course Why Trust Matters — available to watch for free through 2025 — provides a handy primer. 

If you’re a LinkedIn Learning user, consider adding these leadership courses to your queue this year: 

Whatever your 2025 nonprofit professional development goals, developing skills like these can help you achieve them. Start making your plan now and you’ll be on track for a year filled with learning and growth!

Interested in helping your nonprofit team develop new skills in 2025 and beyond? Give them access to over 23,000 expert-led courses with LinkedIn Learning. Learn more and unlock an exclusive nonprofit discount.