For small social sector organisations, people are your biggest asset. But with tight budgets and packed diaries, structured learning and development often slips down the list.
We know that feeling. You want to invest in your team’s growth, but you’re not sure where to begin. The good news is you don’t need a big budget or a full-time learning & development (L&D) lead to create a meaningful development plan. Just a clear, step-by-step approach.
Whether you’re a small charity, CIC, or voluntary sector employer, here’s how to identify training and development needs in your team in a way that’s simple, practical, and aligned with your mission: 
Step 1: Understand Your Organisation’s Goals
Start with your strategic objectives. What are you working towards in the next 12 to 24 months? Are you aiming to expand your services, improve outcomes for service users, or increase operational sustainability? Having clarity here is essential.
Your development efforts should directly support your mission and impact, so ask yourself: what will success look like, and what do we need from our people to get there? In development planning for social sector organisations, aligning learning with these goals ensures training is not only purposeful, but measurable.
Step 2: Turn Strategy into Operational Goals
Once you’ve clarified the big picture, translate it into specific, practical goals at team or departmental level. What are the day-to-day tasks and deliverables that will drive progress?
For example, if you’re expanding a service, do you need more digital skills, better project management, or improved stakeholder communication? Identifying these needs helps link organisational vision to team development. This step is key to meaningful learning and development for small teams.
Step 3: Review Job Descriptions
Next, take the time to revisit your team’s job descriptions. Are they up to date and reflective of what’s really required? Do they clearly outline the skills, behaviours, and competencies needed for success in each role?
Often, especially in smaller organisations, roles evolve but documents stay the same. A thorough review not only supports compliance, but it also lays the foundation for an accurate staff training needs analysis.
Step 4: Assess Current Skills
Before deciding where development is needed, take stock of the skills your team already has. This doesn’t have to involve complex tools. In many small charities and voluntary sector organisations, informal methods such as one-to-one discussions, feedback from managers, or a quick skills audit can give you the insight you need.
Look at both technical skills and softer competencies like leadership, communication, or teamwork.
Step 5: Identify the Gaps
Now compare what’s needed with what’s already in place. Are there areas where capability is low or missing altogether? Are there future skills you’ll need to start building now? This is a vital part of identifying development needs at work, it gives you a clear picture of where to focus your efforts.
Remember to consider not just what’s missing, but also what’s emerging as priorities shift or services grow.
Step 6: Prioritise Training Needs 
Not every gap needs to be filled straight away. Some may carry more weight depending on their link to outcomes, risk, or strategic importance. Focus on areas where development will have the biggest impact on service users, team effectiveness, or compliance. This step helps you make the most of limited time and resources, a common challenge in development planning in social sector organisations.
Keep Development Aligned with Your Mission
Development planning isn’t just a process; it’s a chance to build a culture where learning is valued and aligned with your purpose. When training supports your mission, employees feel more connected, capable, and confident. For learning and development in the voluntary sector, this alignment strengthens both performance and retention, creating a more motivated and resilient team.
Supporting Learning and Development on a Budget
We know many small teams don’t have a training budget. But that doesn’t mean you can’t invest in people development. Consider:
- Job shadowing or mentoring across departments
- Online learning platforms, many of which are free or low cost that gives you access to high-quality content
- Lunch and learns or informal peer learning sessions where staff share their expertise
When budgets are tight, it’s about being resourceful—and the social sector is full of creative, adaptable people. With the right planning, your approach to learning and development for small teams can reflect that spirit, making meaningful progress possible even with limited resources.
How Roots HR Can Help
At Roots HR, we specialise in supporting learning and development in the social sector, helping small charities and not-for-profit organisations to build confident, capable teams. Whether you need help identifying development needs, designing a practical training plan, or delivering workshops for your people managers, our consultants can support you every step of the way.
If you’re still weighing up the value of investing in development, take a look at our previous blog on The Importance of Learning and Development at Work which explores why even small steps can make a big difference.
Or, to explore how we can support your team more directly, visit our Learning and Development services page. We’re here to help you build a strong foundation for growth, even with limited resources.
Start Planning Your Team’s Development with Confidence
At Roots HR, we offer free learning and development resources to help you plan with confidence. You can also use your free one-hour HR consultancy session to:
- Talk through how to align staff development with organisational goals
- Explore tools for reviewing team skills and identifying gaps
- Get tailored advice for low-cost development planning
Claim your free hour here – Charity HR | Free HR Consultation for Charities | Roots HR 
You don’t need a huge HR department to support your people. Just a little structure, a clear focus and the right support.