I’m not sure what the actual stats are, all I know is that training budgets are way down. Ironically, in light of a chaotic economy and marketplace, professional development is more critical than ever. So I find it fascinating that most of my training work these days is with nonprofits, rather than for-profit organizations.

Later this week (May 14-15th) I’ll be conducting a Nonprofit Marketing Boot Camp for the Boston AMA Chapter. If you need a better understanding of marketing and how to differentiate your organization mission in a competitive environment, this is the place to be. Registration is still open if you can make it. It’s a great way to step back from the daily grind to focus (or re-focus) on marketing fundamentals and share knowledge and ideas with other nonprofit professionals.

And this summer (July 15-17th), I’m going to present a pre-conference tutorial on internal marketing as part of the AMA’s 2009 Nonprofit Marketing Conference in Chicago. This year’s Thriving in Times of Change theme is designed to help you deal with the changing economy, changing market segments, and changing marketing channels. I’ve attended this conference in the past to network with and learn from top marketers in the field, so I highly recommend it.

It may be that nonprofits have better survival skills than for-profits because they’re used to working with limited resources. Yet in this economy when resources are tight for everyone, nonprofits are still investing in professional development – providing an important lesson for their for-profit colleagues.