Who We Are

Our Mission

Our mission is to improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people and protect fragile environments by increasing the impact of nonprofit & NGO projects and programs by empowering front-line staff with the knowledge and skills to work more effectively.

Our Students

CSDi students are a community of global learners united in a shared goal of improving the lives of vulnerable people and protecting fragile environments. We have had the pleasure of working with 5,000+ nonprofit professionals who have enrolled in our training programs. These pros have come from over 1,000 NGOs and nonprofits working in 154 different countries. They have used CSDi courses, workshops, and mentored training programs to develop real projects using 270 different kinds of activities that have positively impacted over 500,000 people.

Our Story

The Center for Sustainable Development was launched in 2008 by Tim Magee when he realized that he could exponentially increase the number of students that could receive solid training online versus in a classroom or workshop setting. Our slogan is “What Works in Development?” Because of that, we have specialized in providing sound, evidence-based information, tools, and training for nonprofit and NGO professionals worldwide.

Our Work

Climate Change

Prepare your community to be climate-ready: Work with your community’s families and community leaders to design a climate action plan. Learn to identify climate solutions with success stories: proven track records for solving the climate challenges faced by your community. We offer two programs. 1) For nonprofits working in northern nations: Writing Your Local Climate Action Plan. 2) For NGOs working in southern nations: Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change.

Nonprofit Training

We provide training for nonprofit staff in northern countries. Our programs range from fundraising and project design and management, to the environment, nutrition, and community gardens. This is on-the-job, hands-on training where you actually develop projects and programs in real situations with real people.

International Development Training for NGOs

We also have training programs for international development staff working in countries in the developing world. These training programs range from designing sustainable development projects to adaptation to climate change, DRR, water conservation and management, and climate-smart agriculture.

Mentored Training

CSDi will pair you up with a mentor for a six-month intensive training program where you work with the mentor as a consultant to develop projects and programs. These range from online fundraising to nonprofit project design to international sustainable development project design.

Course Catalogue

Our three dozen courses are divided between programs for nonprofit members working in northern nations and programs for NGO members working in southern nations. You can also choose between teacher-led online courses, six-month, mentored masterclasses, and live workshops. You can also audit any of the courses. Each weekly assignment is one sequential step towards developing a project or program. Students are encouraged to save their completed assignments as templates for future project development.

Newsletter

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What Participants Say:

“Tim and his online team are only an email away and based on my own experiences never failed to respond to my challenges, concerns, successes, and queries. I know that my community members and I have benefited tremendously from our interaction with Tim and participation in the program. I do wish you continued success with your commitment and drive in providing excellent service, and valuable and practical knowledge.” Gillian Primus

“Thank you so much, Tim – till the next course. It will be a pleasure to go out and demonstrate the elegant simplicity and effectiveness of your system. I thank you for a wonderful learning experience together. Looking forward to another time as classmates or colleagues.” Carol Wallace.