I’ve walked in your shoes—and I’ve used that experience to build learning solutions that make a difference.
From leading organizations to designing training used across the country, I help nonprofits turn learning into a powerful tool for action, growth, and change.
More about me
I’m an educator, instructional designer, and strategist with over 25 years of experience working in and alongside nonprofits. I’ve worn nearly every hat—executive director, program founder, board chair, strategic planner, volunteer, and consultant—so I understand the real challenges nonprofit leaders face every day.
Along the way, I’ve learned from extraordinary teachers:
- Rural farmers in the Philippines, who showed me how learning grows from shared responsibility. I spent two years teaching at the International School Manila.
- Urban activists in Salvador, Brazil, who were navigating how to formalize their organizing into nonprofit structures. I spent ten years supporting the work of these activists through fundraising and organizational development.
- Women on a factory floor in southern Germany, who helped me understand the dignity and grit of frontline work. I lived for two years in Germany, spending summers working at a plastic factory and then Daimler-Benz.
These experiences still guide me. They remind me that effective learning isn’t just about content—it’s about empathy, clarity, and connection.
I’ve created and led award-winning adult learning programs. I’ve helped networks, funders, and public agencies design training that actually gets used. In 2020, I launched Nancy Bacon Consulting to focus on building learning strategies, events, and tools that move people to action. In 2025, I collaborated with Innovia Foundation and Whitworth University (in Spokane, Washington) to design and deliver a new Nonprofit Management Certificate Course focused on the needs and realities of rural nonprofit leaders.
I also co-host the Nonprofit Radio Show and co-lead the Nonprofit Learning Center—projects that reflect my belief that learning should be accessible, inclusive, and designed for the people doing the work.
LinkedIn profile for information about my work history.