What Nonprofits Can Learn from Disney

By Chris Trout

I love roller coasters — the anticipation as you start, the exhilarating first drop, and the twists and turns. They bring joy and a bit of fright. Nonprofit leadership is a lot like that. One moment, you’re chasing a powerful vision, securing funding and delivering programs that thrive, while the next, a grant falls through, volunteer numbers drop or an urgent community need arises.

I’ve been there as a nonprofit board member — leading in this space is exhilarating, but unlike a roller coaster, you can’t always see what’s coming. However, with some focus on specific actions, you can prepare for the twists and turns so you can enjoy the highs even more.

I led learning and development at Disney, working on everything from groundbreaking programs for frontline employees to extensive leadership programs for executives spanning theme parks, media, retail, consumer products and technology. Throughout these experiences, unexpected challenges always emerged. Leaders would question, “How will this help me?” or “Is this worth my time?” Yet, time and again, they realized that despite coming from vastly different parts of the business, they shared common values, goals and challenges — and that by learning together, they could grow together.

While nonprofits may seem vastly different from the corporate world, the need to develop resilient, adaptable and people-first leadership is universal. Just like at Disney, building a strong workforce — whether it’s staff, volunteers or community stakeholders — is the key to long-term success.

Riding the Twists and Turns: Nonprofit Leadership Challenges

Today, both nonprofits and corporations operate in an environment of constant change, making leadership more complex than ever. For nonprofits in particular, the challenges can be especially daunting:

Financial uncertainty. Sources can be unpredictable, requiring leaders to balance long-term sustainability with immediate needs.
Volunteer and workforce retention. Cultivating mission-driven cultures that engage and retain talent without the benefit of competitive salaries.
Emotional labor. The work is often deeply personal, requiring leaders to manage both their own well-being and that of their teams to prevent burnout.
Silos. Teams can often work separately, making it harder to align on big-picture goals and maximize impact.

These challenges require more than strategic thinking — they demand empathetic, adaptable leadership and a commitment to developing a workforce that prioritizes both people and purpose.

Lessons from Disney: What Nonprofits Can Apply

From scaling frontline employee development to onboarding executives during large-scale acquisitions, a few key leadership practices stand out as especially relevant for nonprofit leaders.

1. Invest in People, Not Positions

Great organizations recognize everyone has potential inside them and work to help unlock that potential. One of the best examples of this was Disney Aspire — a groundbreaking educational and career development program available to all hourly employees. It was ambitious, complex and unprecedented inside Disney. Many large corporate initiatives fail due to their complexity, but we believed in the power of making it deeply personal.

Instead of launching Aspire with only broad messaging, we started with stories —including one I had called "I know she's out there" — to paint a vivid picture of an employee’s journey and what participation in Aspire could mean for them and their dreams. We personalized at every level, equipping leaders with specific resources for their teams, providing executives with tailored insights, and ensuring every employee could see themselves in the program.

For nonprofits, it’s important to develop people across your organization. Empower volunteers, mid-level managers and frontline staff with learning so they can help carry the mission forward. And when rolling out initiatives, remember that even the biggest programs must feel personal to be effective.

2. Break Down Silos

At Disney, we frequently brought together leaders from completely different business units. Without fail, at the start, people would ask, “What do I have in common with this person?” And by the end, through shared experience, they would declare, “We have so much in common and can help one another.” We worked intentionally to make a large and complex organization feel smaller, so it could operate bigger.

Nonprofits can encourage cross-functional collaboration, too. Lean into questions and uncertainty. When teams work together, they create stronger, more integrated solutions that amplify impact.

3. Create Learning and Growth Pathways

Through programs like Disney Aspire, we helped employees gain access not just to education but to career advancement. The result? Larger scale movement of people to new roles, promotions, more engaged employees and a culture of continuous learning.

Nonprofit ls must invest in training and mentorship opportunities for their teams. When people feel they are growing within an organization, they are more likely to stay and contribute at a higher level.

4. Design for the Human Experience

Whenever we designed programs, we didn’t just focus on content — we thought about the emotional journey participants were on. We designed experiences that combined meaningful content with emotional connection, ensuring people felt seen, valued, and inspired to take action.

There is energy to harness, even in the midst of challenges at nonprofits. Leadership isn’t just about strategy — it’s about fostering deep human connections among your leaders, staff and mission. When people feel emotionally invested, they bring their best selves to the work.

Nonprofit leaders may not have the same resources as corporations, but they have something even more powerful — a mission that fuels passion and purpose. Igniting what is inside another human being is one of the most powerful gifts we can give the world. Great leadership isn’t about avoiding the twists and turns — it’s about developing others to ride them with confidence.

Enjoy the ride!

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.