How to build a personal learning plan for your NGO career

Career growth in the NGO sector rewards people who keep learning. A short written plan turns good intentions into steady progress.

Choose your target

Decide the role you want in two or three years. Read several adverts for that role and list the skills that appear again and again.

Compare that list with what you can already do. Mark the two or three gaps that would make the biggest difference.

Mix structured courses, practice at work, a mentor and reading. Courses give structure; work gives practice.

Set a small, regular block, for example three hours a week, and protect it in your calendar.

Check what you have learned, apply it in a real task and adjust the plan. Keep a record you can use in your CV.

Explore the 25 online courses at the NGO Leadership Academy and learn at your own pace.