MA in Nonprofit Management Degree Details and Courses

The goal of this course is to prepare future nonprofit leaders and board members with the international resource development and marketing fundamentals that help every nonprofit thrive. The course focuses on how to create and nurture an organizational culture where everyone on the staff and board understands, embraces, and acts on his or her role in developing strategic relationships with funders, potential funders, and media professionals. You will gain an understanding of the process, the metrics that drive the process, and the milestone markers that lead to success. You will explore how to develop a board and/or cadre of volunteers who give generously, share expertise freely, connect you to the right government officials and media leaders, and invite others to join them. Data-driven decision-making and all aspects of fund development, marketing, and communications will be woven throughout the course. Led by an internationally recognized practitioner, consultant, and master teacher, the course will use scenarios, discussion, social media, audio, and video clips so that you will walk away with the knowledge you need to secure private and government funding and social capital as a CEO, senior staff member, board chair, or member, and the confidence to do it all well. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

In this hands-on course, we’ll help you understand the fundamentals of securing funds from institutional donors. As a staff or board leader of a non-profit, understanding the ins and outs of raising funds for priority projects and capacity building from government agencies, corporations and foundations will add to your toolkit for moving your organization forward. We’ll cover how this aspect of fundraising fits into your overall fundraising strategy and plan. We’ll help you identify the right potential funders for important projects, learn how to land capacity-building funds you can use to grow and sustain your organization, cover the basics of relationship-building with institutional decision-makers, help you use data to build credibility with funders, create pitch-perfect corporate presentations and dive into the process of writing winning proposals and applications. Finally, we’ll cover fulfillment and stewardship. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

The goal of this course is to convey the history, size and impact of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector while providing the fundamentals of nonprofit management and the founding of a nonprofit organization. Successful nonprofits today must have strong management systems in place in order to assure quality programs for service and impact. These systems include management of finances, strategic planning, human resources, information technology, marketing, performance measures and other aspects of operations. The course will help the student understand the current thinking regarding "best practices" in managing and improving nonprofit organizations and appreciate the interplay of environmental and organizational factors that influence managerial decision-making. Throughout the course, there will be a comparative perspective that looks at the scope and status of nongovernmental organizations in other countries and the influences on those organizations by their own governments, foreign aid and international philanthropy. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

This course focuses on organizational leadership strategies and the role of ethics within nonprofit and nongovernmental work specifically. A wide scope of ethical issues relevant to nonprofit and nongovernmental work will be reviewed, analyzed and discussed. NPOs/NGOs operate under specific ethical guidelines in order to ensure accountability to the public and their many stakeholders. This course will focus on ethical behavior within organizations and explore instances of when prominent NGO leaders and organizations have been situated to face ethical dilemmas. The course will cover a wide scope of management models, techniques, and organizational values and goals. It will also review the impact that various leadership styles have had on organizations through the study of case studies and what has amounted to optimal leadership effectiveness. In addition to learning strategies to lead high performance organizations ethically. This course will combine theory, practical applications, and technical skills that will strengthen their ability to be strong leaders. Core course for the MA in NGO Management.

470.774 Nonprofit Governance & Executive Leadership: Students will advance their understanding of self-governing nonprofit organizations by focusing on nonprofit boards' expectations, challenges, and opportunities and their executive leadership. This course covers the primary responsibilities of nonprofit boards according to law, custom, and best practices, and it includes ethical concepts, public attitudes, and contemporary legislative and regulatory issues. The course explores theories of effective governance and executive leadership. It examines how ethical considerations relate to perceptions of excellence and shape how staff and volunteer leaders manage people and money. In the discussions, there will be opportunities to explore the roles of boards in the context of the nonprofit environment. This is a core course for the MA in Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Management and Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

From the perspective of a nonprofit leader, this course provides a solid foundation in understanding key financial tools such as audits, financial statements, budgets and tax documents. Using these tools, students will analyze and assess the financial transparency, accountability, and health of various national and international organizations, determine the financial strengths and weaknesses within those organizations, learn how to use that information in the decision-making process, and finally, practice making informed recommendations to organizational leadership. This course is not designed to make students financial experts or practitioners. Instead, it is designed to enlighten students on key financial management concepts that improve their ability to be informed leaders, participants, and donors in the nonprofit sector. Students will also explore the responsibilities and consequences of international nonprofits engaging in activities in the US, as well as implications for US nonprofits operating abroad. This is an elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

The 470.864 NGO Management Capstone Seminar is the final course required of the MA in NGO Management degree. Students may select one of the following capstone options a) research project/deeper dive on some relevant aspect of non-governmental/nonprofit management; b) a project that will contribute to the sector in some capacity; or c) a volunteership or immersive experience working with a nonprofit/non-governmental organization (remote options as well). Identifying a specific area of interest will require some forethought and preparation in advance of the class. It is critical that the topic or issue is one that is of profound interest to the student, and/or builds on knowledge acquired throughout the degree. The capstone is not only meant to address an empirical question but nest it within the context of a broader conceptual framework or sector-relevant debate. All capstones must be relevant to the sector, build on present-day questions, issues, or challenges, and possess an “experiential” element. This could be in the form of original data collection, interviews, consultancy, or tackling a real-life problem in a nonprofit/non-governmental organization. This is also an opportunity for students to demonstrate the skills obtained throughout the degree, thus far, to professionals in the nonprofit field, and to the academic committee. The capstone must be presentable and culminate in a 30-60-page paper of publishable quality. (Capstone projects are usually 30 pages, while research papers exceed that amount). Students will dedicate the entire semester to the capstone. Students are encouraged to view this as an opportunity to develop substantive and methodological expertise in an area that will propel their careers forward. This is an intensive course and requires discipline by the student. Student success in this course is contingent on their ability to a) narrow down a focus, b) be organized, c) complete readings ahead of the class, d) meet deadlines, and e) write, wri

This course provides an overview on the tools, resources, and training needed to measure the impact of an organization’s programs and projects. M&E plans help nonprofits to determine if they are meeting their intended results, goals and objectives towards their overall mission. Designing a strong M&E system is critical to identifying realistic indicators, tracking an organization’s measurable results; providing programmatic progress; providing accountability to donors; and determining opportunities for growth. The intended results of a strong M&E plan are to enable nonprofits to demonstrate that they are achieving their missions—thus increasing their credibility among beneficiaries and strengthening their appeal to donors. This course will teach students how to develop a strong M&E plan that meets donor, organizational, and/or programmatic needs. Based on M&E results, students will learn how to improve program implementation and achieve greater outcomes. Students will learn to design an M&E plan and the ability to effectively communicate programmatic data to their stakeholders.

This course will assist leaders in identifying their personal approach to leadership; provide tips on motivating staff by building trusting relationships and shoring up their credibility; suggest influence and persuasion strategies that leaders need to employ when working with bosses, colleagues, direct reports, and critical stakeholders, including funding agencies; develop strategies to build effective work teams; and consider approaches to monitor organizational performance in an ongoing fashion.

(Formerly Program Development & Evaluation in Nonprofits.) A major goal of this course is to help students become more proficient in recognizing, evaluating, and encouraging the kinds of benefits or outcomes intended by our society’s variety of nonprofit and public programs. We will examine what needs and opportunities are addressed by four major types of programs: those serving individuals, those serving communities, those serving networks or systems, and those serving other organizations. Evaluating each requires different lenses and different tools; we will explore the role of culture and context in choosing particular approaches to evaluation. A view of programs as interconnected rather than isolated will be encouraged. A second goal is to help students become more proficient in managing an evaluation process: We will explore purposes and uses of evaluation, the essential elements of an evaluation inquiry, and ways to communicate and use evaluation results. We will explore the variety of quantitative and qualitative strategies useful for evaluating progress in an organization’s attainment of its intended outcomes or benefits. Students can expect to become more proficient in discussing issues of nonprofit and public “program effectiveness,” and strategies for improving nonprofit and public program designs. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

This course will provide an overview on project management as it pertains to nonprofit work. The course will teach students how to manage the five aspects of project management: project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation, and closure. Students will learn the full project cycle from start to finish, drawing on actual examples of projects funded by a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations, and foundations. The course will also utilize templates relevant to project management for students to use as a resource in the field. The class will touch on issues relevant to project management such as project scope, objectives, stakeholders, planning, financial tracking, grants compliance, and closing. Elective course towards the Project Management, Evaluation and Leadership track for the Masters in NGO Management.

This course provides an overview of the role of both national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in processes of development, humanitarian response, and the promotion of human rights and active citizenship. The last decade has been one of rapid change in which NGO relationships with government, the private sector, and donors has been in a state of flux, with unprecedented challenges raised about the legitimacy and effectiveness of NGO actors. The course will look at how systemic changes the evolution of transnational advocacy, the aid effectiveness process, the emergence of new development actors from countries (such as India, China and Brazil) to the primacy of the private sector has influenced NGOs. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

What makes some countries grow while others do not? What accounts for successful economic development versus stagnation? As these questions become ever more relevant in an increasingly globalized world, this course offers an introduction to the topic. The class will provide an overview of the main classic and current theories of economic development. It will then go on to explore specific current issues in development, including: development aid, role of international organizations, sustainable development, corruption, institution building and regime type. Specific case studies will be examined including China and India, the East Asian 'tigers', development failures in Africa and mixed outcomes in Latin America.

Since the end of the Cold War the world has seen a scourge of civil conflicts emerging across the globe, such as in Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur, DRC, South Sudan, and now Syria, global conflicts have put enormous pressure on intergovernmental bodies and governments. Whether too slow to respond, afflicted by political restraints or hindered by bureaucracy, the restrictions on international agencies and governments have often placed NGOs at the fore of response. Partnering with both national governments, military, and international agencies, NGOs have gained recognition for their role in diplomacy, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. NGOs have gained a prominent role at helping to defuse, mitigate, and prevent conflicts strengthening their influence and recognition. This course will provide an overview on the role that international organizations and civil society (including community based organizations) can have in conflict or post-conflict torn countries. Students will learn how to build strategic partnerships when working with local organizations and NGOs. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

The goal of this course is a comprehensive examination of social enterprises- organizations that, broadly speaking, “apply commercial strategies to maximize improvements in human and environmental well-being”. Social enterprises are a relatively new, 21st century phenomenon, and are typically referred to as hybrids of nonprofits and for-profits. While they are similar to nonprofits in that their missions and social and/or environmental objectives drive their very existence, social enterprises can have different structures than traditional 501©3s- some much more complex, legally and otherwise. Throughout the course we will learn about the various types of social enterprises that exist, comparing US models to models operating internationally, and analyze their pros and cons, challenges and opportunities. We will also explore how social enterprises challenge traditional business and nonprofit paradigms, what role social enterprises have come to play in international development, and finally, how to go about developing your own social enterprise. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.