Before I launched my successful training business for nonprofit communicators at Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com, I had a lot to learn. I was a writer and communications consultant who also did training workshops. I knew lots about my topics, but zip about how to turn that knowledge and in-person training experience into an online training business.

Luckily for me, at about the same time I was setting up Nonprofit Marketing Guide, Brian Clark of Copyblogger fame was launching Teaching Sells. I was in one of the first groups of students, and I learned an incredible amount from Brian and the other instructors. The program became so popular that Brian eventually closed registration so he could revamp the program to accommodate all the new interest.

Well, starting today, Teaching Sells is now taking on new students again. If you are interested in teaching online, take the course. If you are interested in selling your own content online, take the course. Even though the materials are focused on small businesses, I think nonprofits who want earn revenue through selling reports and training (especially associations) could also learn a great deal from the course. I’ve certainly made back what I spent on the tuition fees many times over, simply because Teaching Sells prevented me from making so many rookie mistakes and saved me hours of time trying to figure out how to do this on my own. Even though I’ve been at this for almost two years now, I still login to Teaching Sells every now and then to get some pointers.

I don’t recommend a lot of products, but Teaching Sells is one that I’m behind all the way.

I get a lot of inquiries from freelance writers who are interested in working with me. I often do have enough work to subcontract some of it out, but I need more than just a good writer or editor who understands the nonprofit landscape. What I really need is a good writer or editor who gets nonprofits and who can also work in Dreamweaver, PageMaker and/or InDesign.

While I still do a lot of writing and editing in Word, many of my clients ask me to move the document along in the process and get it ready for online or print publication. If a good editor or proofreader has the design program that the document is in (or will be shortly), it is that much easier for me to work with them. I’d much prefer that the proofreader go ahead and correct any problems she catches on a webpage within the HTML file, rather than point them out to me on a hard copy, leaving me to type in the corrections.

Expand your skills and your software options and you will likely expand your writing/editing clientele.

I’ve found that teaching writing workshops is a great way to accomplish several goals:

1. Getting out of the house — a big goal if you work at home!
2. Meeting new people

3. Diversifying my income

4. And best of all, keeping in touch with the challenges writers in the nonprofit sector face and learning what questions they have.

Teaching may not be something you enjoy. After all, many freelancers write for a living because it means they don’t have to do much talking. But if you do enjoy teaching, I highly recommend developing a workshop or two. I have learned as much about the nonprofit sector’s communications needs by teaching workshops as I have by actually working with clients.

Many community colleges are thrilled to add new courses to their continuing education programs, and many larger universities offer certificate programs that need instructors. Also check with associations in your state that address the issues or clientele you are focusing on to see if they will co-sponsor your workshop with you.