The Talent Development Platform: Putting People First in Social Change Organizations

Putting People First in Social Change Organizations

The Talent Development Platform is about results driventalent development for social change. Written by seasoned nonprofitexperts, this book provides a holistic process for creating anin-house training and talent development program. The TalentDevelopment Platform offers organizations the tools forensuring their professional development systems are successfulthrough regular feedback loops, tailored for learning styles, andspecific to their organization. Detailed case studies provideinsight into the strategies used by organizations that haveimplemented the Talent Development Platform, and interviews withexperts in the field give readers a handle on the most currentthinking. Robust resource guides facilitate the talent developmentprocess, and online access to the Talent Development Platform andassessments help streamline the workflow.

Social change organizations make the most of limited resources, but often overlook developing the talent they already have. Thisbook gives readers a plan for finding and nurturing their internaltalent to reduce turnover and improve organizational efficiency.More specifically the book helps organizations:

• Develop organizational, department, and position specificcompetencies.
• Create and revise job descriptions.
• Assess staff and volunteer proficiency levels with createdcompetencies.
• Determine staff and volunteer learning styles.
• Establish professional development goals and objectives tied tostrategic goals.
• Implement professional development with on the job learning, mentoring, and training.
• Calculate a return on talent investment.
• Evaluate talent development implementation and proficiencylevel changes.

Implementing the Talent Development Platform provides organizationswith tangible benefits in the form of lower turnover and greateroutput (without the burnout) from employees and volunteers, as wellas intangible benefits that make organizations more attractive totop talent.