Building Capacity for Members Organizations of a National Association

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) supports 200+ community radio stations across the country. These are small operations, typically one paid employee working with a $100K budget and relying heavily on volunteers to keep broadcasting.

In early 2025, NFCB’s member stations faced unprecedented challenges: political pressure, budget rescissions, and the potential closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Station leaders desperately needed help building trust with staff and volunteers, making clear decisions, and communicating through crises.

But NFCB is a lean three-person team. They couldn’t afford ongoing consulting to train their members. They needed something sustainable—a leadership development program they could own and deliver themselves, indefinitely.

Brevity & Wit designed a comprehensive train-the-trainer program that would equip NFCB staff to become confident facilitators of leadership development for their members.

Discovery: Understanding the Reality

We started by understanding what makes community broadcasters unique. Through interviews with NFCB staff and member representatives, we learned these aren’t typical nonprofits—they’re passion projects run by people who believe deeply in community media. Station leaders needed practical frameworks, not academic theory. And sessions had to fit packed schedules: 90-120 minutes maximum.

Content Design: Four Standalone Sessions

We designed four sessions that could stand alone or build on each other:

1. Building Trust – Based on the Anatomy of Trust Inventory
2. Clarifying Values – Navigating the tension between personal and organizational values
3. Making Clear and Inclusive Decisions – Packed with frameworks for decision-making and prioritization
4. Communicating Effectively Amid Uncertainty – Mnemonics for good communications, plus tools to map a member organization’s channels and audiences

Each session followed the experiential learning cycle: Motivation, Information, Practice, and Application. We included real scenarios from community broadcasting to ground abstract concepts in their daily reality.

For each session, we created three interlocking pieces:

• Presentation Deck – Visually engaging slides with clear talking points
• Facilitator Guide – Detailed roadmap for confident delivery, including timing, discussion prompts, and transition language
• Participant Workbook – Interactive exercises and take-home tools

Preparing the Facilitators

We conducted live training sessions with three NFCB staff members, walking them through the materials and practicing facilitation techniques. These weren’t professional facilitators—they were smart association professionals who needed some tools and coaching to become effective facilitators.

When they expressed nervousness about leading discussions and managing group dynamics, we created an additional resource: a comprehensive “Facilitator Tips” guide covering self-management (“How do I avoid lecturing instead of facilitating?”), time management (“How do I keep from running out of time?”), participation equity (“How do I create space for quieter voices?”), and conflict resolution (“How do I respond when someone says something offensive?”).

NFCB staff then delivered the complete four-session series to their members, with Brevity & Wit checking in after each one for feedback and to answer any questions.

NFCB staff successfully delivered the first training cycle, and the feedback was exceptional.

High Participation and Satisfaction

• 80% of participants attended all four sessions (exceptional for a voluntary professional development series)
• 70% rated content as “very relevant” to their work
• 70% rated the NFCB facilitators as “very effective”
• 100% said the session schedule worked for them

Measurable Skill Development

Participants reported significant confidence gains across all learning objectives:

• 90% said they now know how to build trusting relationships on their team
• 90% said they now know how to use values to navigate uncertainty
• 90% said they now know how to make inclusive decisions
• 90% said they can prioritize more effectively
• 90% said they can communicate more effectively in uncertain situations

Frameworks That Stuck

When asked what they remembered most, participants cited specific tools and concepts:

• “The 7 elements of trust”
• “Spheres of influence”
• “Engage with curiosity, listen deeply, practice humility”
• “Take space / Make space”
• “Do what you say you will do, or explain why you can’t”

Real-World Application

Multiple participants reported already using the tools in their daily work: “I learned a lot and I am using a number of the tools in my work life as well as the rest of my life.”

In addition, the content was valuable enough that participants wanted to spread it within their organizations: “I would like to see our Board participate in this training.”

Sustainable Capacity Built

NFCB now owns a complete leadership development program they can deliver annually, adapt as needed, and scale across their 300+ member stations—all without ongoing consulting costs.

As one participant noted: “Thank you for this opportunity – much of the content was new to several folks in the workshop, which signals there is a need for more leadership development opportunities for community radio stations.”

NFCB can now meet that need themselves, indefinitely.