In a mission-driven workplace, clear, compassionate feedback isn’t just a management tool — it’s a cornerstone of equity, learning, and belonging. That’s why at Positively Partners, we created The Gift of Feedback, a training that equips nonprofit leaders and teams to give and receive feedback in ways that build trust, strengthen relationships, and drive impact.
Whether you’re navigating team dynamics, developing future leaders, or creating a more inclusive workplace, feedback is one of the most powerful tools you have — and it’s often one of the least supported.
Why We Created The Gift of Feedback
Too often, feedback in the nonprofit sector is inconsistent, unstructured, or avoided altogether. This can lead to miscommunication, missed opportunities for growth, and even harm — especially when feedback isn’t delivered with care or received with clarity.
The Gift of Feedback helps shift that dynamic by reframing feedback as a shared, developmental process. Drawing on best practices in organizational psychology, emotional intelligence, and adult learning, the training equips participants with a practical and values-aligned framework for high-quality, equity-centered feedback.
What the Training Covers
Through a mix of reflection, peer learning, and real-world practice, participants will:
- Understand why feedback is essential to helping us grow, connect and do our best work.
- Practice giving feedback using the IQ/EQ Model — blending clarity (IQ) with empathy (EQ)
- Learn to receive feedback openly and without defensiveness
- Explore bidirectional feedback, and how to give feedback across lines of authority
- Build confidence in the skills of both delivering and receiving feedback by practicing through role plays relevant to their everyday work
Our Core Framework: The IQ/EQ Model
At the heart of the training is our IQ/EQ Model for Feedback:
- IQ (Intentional Quality): How to deliver clear, actionable feedback using the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) method.
- EQ (Empathy + Compassion): How to engage with empathy, build psychological safety, and tailor your delivery to the person and the moment.
This balance ensures feedback is not only effective — but also respectful, human-centered, and growth-oriented.
Designed for Mission-Driven Teams
The Gift of Feedback is ideal for:
- Executive leaders and people managers
- Cross-functional teams
- Staff navigating internal dynamics, performance conversations, or DEI work
- Organizations seeking to build a feedback culture aligned with their mission and values
Why Feedback Matters
In organizations without a feedback culture, we often see:
- Reduced cooperation and rising tension
- Increased bias and unclear expectations
- Decreased trust and motivation
But with consistent, high-quality feedback, teams report:
- Stronger collaboration and morale
- Better decision-making
- A deeper sense of equity and belonging
- Clearer accountability at all levels
Bring The Gift of Feedback to Your Team
We’ve delivered this training to leadership teams, full staff cohorts, and cross-functional groups — with consistently strong engagement and results. Interested in equipping your team with the skills to give and receive feedback that builds connection and performance? Learn more or schedule a conversation with us at positivelypartners.org/contact.
