LMS, Nonprofit

How an LMS Helped a Nonprofit Grow Its Educational Program to Over 1,300 Schools

by Debbie Williams

It’s not always easy for nonprofits to grow educational programs for kids. Many associations have budgetary constraints that limit growth and some kids have trouble accessing learning materials, especially during a global health crisis. This can be disheartening for nonprofit leaders as they know how greatly their services and programs would benefit others. With a nonprofit LMS, associations can effectively grow their educational programs for any age group, children specifically.  

Check out our comprehensive list of helpful COVID-19 eLearning resources

Cheerful kids learning in school classroom

A flat-fee LMS helped a nonprofit
reach over 28,000 learners

Lemonade Day is a non-profit educational program with the goal of promoting entrepreneurial skills in elementary-school-age children. The program requires participants to complete an online skill-building program. Afterward, participants transfer what they learned to a real-world environment. By applying these practical skills, they are enabled to create and operate a lemonade stand in their community and get an inside look at what entrepreneurship is all about. 

Read the Non-Profit eLearning Success Story

Not surprisingly, the Lemonade Day program is popular with learners. As the program grew, nonprofit leaders found they needed a flexible, cost-effective, scalable online learning option for participants. They also wanted to find an eLearning solution that was customizable enough to engage kids, as most LMS users are adults. They found their solution with TOPYX LMS

Lemonade Day used TOPYX LMS to create a personalized learning path, Lemonopolis, for each participant. This guided learning path allows kids to gather the basic entrepreneurial skills they’ll need to build a lemonade stand. 

With TOPYX LMS, Lemonade Day found an economical eLearning system option that allowed them to grow their educational program exponentially. At least 28,000 learners registered for the program in 2019. Among learners who participated in the Lemonade Day program, 88 percent experienced an improvement in financial vocabulary and 88 percent saw an improved ability to correlate math with the real world. Learn more about the amazing results Lemonade Day participants are experiencing by downloading the Lemonade Day case study.

Tips for nonprofits that want to grow
their educational programs

Would you like to grow the educational programs your nonprofit offers? Here are a few foolproof ways to grow your educational programs for kids: 

1. Pinpoint what is hindering program growth

Growing educational programs for kids often takes creativity. This is especially true for nonprofits navigating a pandemic. Before you start taking steps to grow your educational programs, it will be helpful to determine what is currently hindering their growth. Do you need a kid-friendly online learning platform to deliver your training materials? Do you need a team of individuals who are dedicated to the growth, not just the development, of the programs? Do your programs need more engaging content? Once you can name your largest obstacle to growth, you are on the right path. 

Related Reading: 4 Quick Tips for Improving Nonprofit Training

2. Include skills that transfer to the real world within your programs

An effective nonprofit educational program for kids imparts real-world skills. It helps kids build practical skills that they can immediately put to use in their daily lives. This is the key to driving knowledge retention and helping kids get the most from your nonprofit’s educational programs. Take a look at your programs. How many practical skills do they pass on to course participants? If the programs are mostly theoretical, it will be a challenge to grow them and get children to adopt them. To determine what skills kids need and would appreciate most, start by interviewing parents and school administrators.  

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3. Launch a flat-fee eLearning platform

To deliver educational programs, your nonprofit will need an eLearning platform such as a nonprofit LMS. However, not just any LMS will do. Many nonprofits are on a tight budget and may opt not to invest in an LMS because of how costly some systems are. They may have experienced firsthand what happens when you use an eLearning system that charges per user. By choosing a flat-fee LMS that is easy for both adults as well as kids to use, a nonprofit can set itself up for success by delivering different types of educational programs while maintaining a healthy bottom line. 

Related Reading: LMSs Lower Costs for Nonprofits


Learn more about how TOPYX LMS helped Lemonade Day scale its educational program. Download the Lemonade Day Case Study or request an LMS demo of the TOPYX platform to learn more about how it can transform your organization.

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Debbie Williams

Debbie Williams

Director, Marketing