Learning That Sticks Fall Series

Learning That Sticks Fall Series for Nonprofit Consultants, Facilitators, and Training Leaders

A three-part series for consultants, facilitators, and trainers who want people to put learning into practice — not just leave with more information.

Great training doesn't happen by accident. This series gives the people who build and lead learning experiences — nonprofit consultants, workshop facilitators, and training directors — practical, research-backed tools to design work that sticks.

Now in its seventh year, Learning That Sticks brings together a community of people who care deeply about helping others learn and grow. Each interactive session features an internationally recognized expert in adult learning, translating the latest research into practical strategies you can use in workshops, webinars, and other learning experiences.

"Every fall, this series becomes a small, generous community — people who design learning for a living take time to learn from and lean on each other. That's the kind of professional development our field deserves." — Nancy Bacon, Series Moderator

All sessions take place from 10:00am - 11:30am Pacific | 1:00pm - 2:30pm Eastern

In partnership with: North Carolina Center for Nonprofits, Learning Development Accelerator, Third Sector Company, & Nonprofit Learning Center

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September 29, 2026

The Motivation Blueprint: Designing Work That Fuels Energy, Growth, and Commitment
With Matthew Richter

Most efforts to boost motivation at work lean on carrots, sticks, and slogans — and most of them wear off fast. Grounded in research, Matthew Richter makes the case that motivation isn't something you inspire in people from the outside; it's something you design into the everyday conditions of work itself.

In this session, we will walk through the moments where motivation is won or lost — how goals get set, how feedback lands, how performance conversations go, how expectations get communicated — and shows how each one can either support or undermine the three needs at the core of intrinsic motivation: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Drawing on his new book, The Motivation Blueprint, Matt offers practical frameworks and tools for us to put to use right away, to build workplaces where people don't just comply, but genuinely want to contribute.

PRESENTER

Matthew Richter is co-founder and co-director of The Learning Development Accelerator (LDA), a professional community dedicated to research-inspired, evidence-informed learning and development practices, and serves as President of The Thiagi Group. He is also an adjunct professor, lecturer, and thesis advisor for the executive MBA program at EMLyon Business School in France. An internationally recognized expert in learning science, leadership, motivation, performance technology, and management, Matt has partnered with organizations including Microsoft, Sony, Twilio, VMware, Grant Thornton, Electronic Arts (EA), and CenturyLink. Recognized as an international scholar by the Center for Self-Determination Theory, he is the author of The Motivation Blueprint (2026) and several other influential books, including Interactive Techniques for Learning (with Sivasailam Thiagarajan), The Leadership Story, and LOLA: Live Online Learning Activities.

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October 27, 2026

Tell, Show, Skip: What's Missing from How We Train
With Nidhi Sachdeva, PhD

We tend to assume people need to be convinced first—that if we provide the right information, they'll change what they do. But the evidence points the other way: practice changes first, and belief follows once people see the new way working. If we want people to do their work differently, training has to help them practice differently first, and not just hear about it or watch it demonstrated.

That's where deliberate practice comes in: activities designed specifically to sharpen one part of a skill, with real and timely feedback, working just past what someone can already do comfortably. It's not just "more practice" - it's intentional and effortful, and meant to push us past our comfort zone. It's also largely absent from training, often because we assume there's no time or right setting for it.

This session looks at what deliberate practice is, what it requires, why it's harder to build into training than it sounds, and what it makes possible when you do.

PRESENTER

Nidhi Sachdeva, PhD is a teacher educator, researcher, and learning design expert specializing in the science of learning, teacher expertise, and evidence-informed instructional design. She teaches at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and is Professor at Academica University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam, where she supports projects focused on developing teacher expertise. She is Chair of researchED Canada, Principal Consultant at Microlearning Consulting, and co-author, with Paul A. Kirschner, of the forthcoming Becoming an Expert Teacher: Deliberate Practice for Effective Teaching. Her work focuses on translating cognitive science into practical approaches that help educators and learning professionals design instruction that builds durable learning, skilled performance, and professional expertise.

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November 17, 2026

Every Shift Counts: Strategies to Make Sure Nonprofit Deskless Workers Can Learn and Serve
With JD Dillon

Your mission depends on the people delivering services, supporting communities, and solving problems every day. Yet many employees and volunteers work in fast paced, deskless environments where training alone isn't enough to prepare them for the realities of the job.

Join JD Dillon, author of The Frontline Enablement Playbook, to explore a proven framework for building capability, confidence, and readiness across your deskless workforce. Learn how understanding the work, the environment, and the people doing the job leads to practical solutions that fit naturally into the flow of work. You'll leave with actionable strategies to better support your frontline teams, strengthen everyday performance, and create greater impact for the people and communities you serve.

JD's book includes a contributed section, "Helping the Helpers: How to Design for Nonprofit Frontline Workers," written by series moderator, Nancy Bacon.

PRESENTER

JD Dillon is a keynote speaker, prolific content creator, and author of The Modern Learning Ecosystem and The Frontline Enablement Playbook. He got his start on the frontline himself, leading teams in theme parks, movie theaters, and contact centers, before moving into operations and talent development roles with organizations including Disney, AMC, Kaplan, and Axonify. Over more than two decades, he has become one of the most recognized voices in frontline enablement, advising organizations on frontline performance strategy, learning ecosystem architecture, and AI-enabled solutions that help people do their best work every day. JD lives in Orlando, Florida, and is an avid Philadelphia Flyers fan. Learn more about his work at jddillon.com.
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MODERATOR

The series is moderated by Nancy Bacon, a teacher, instructional designer, and learning strategist with over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She created the award-winning learning program at Seattle's World Affairs Council and the state-wide program at the Nonprofit Association of Washington, and in 2022 co-founded the Nonprofit Learning Center to expand access to high-quality, on-demand nonprofit learning. Nancy co-hosts the Nonprofit Radio Show with Sarah Brooks, bringing free, practical learning to rural and small nonprofits.

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COST

$150 for the full series. Includes pre- and post-session communication designed to extend learning, all tools related to each session, and a 50% discount code for The Trainer Academy.

⭐️New this year: Ten complimentary Gold Memberships with the Learning Development Accelerator (LDA) — including free entrance to LDA's Annual L&D Conference — will be given away to full-series registrants.

$70 for individual sessions

You are encouraged to register for the full series to experience the full collection of knowledge and tools; you may register for just one of the sessions if you prefer.

You are encouraged to register for the full series to experience the full collection of knowledge and tools; you may register for just one of the sessions if you prefer.

All sessions will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recordings and have access for 3 months. If you are unable to attend the session, we encourage you to register anyway so you receive all of the related materials. Because the sessions will be recorded, we are unable to offer refunds.

Closed captioning will be available in all sessions in the series. We will do our best to accommodate any other accessibility needs expressed through the registration system.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH