NGO Education Survey

NOP PS5100 Nonprofit Development, Fundraising, and Financial Sustainability

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the design, implementation and management of the components of a philanthropic program and its relationship to the financial sustainability of the nonprofit organization. It introduces the philosophical, ethical and historical underpinnings of fundraising practice, also providing the nomenclature, characteristics, and methods of gift generation and their sources, and the management and stewardship of those sources. Additionally, it examines the relationship of the organization’s mission to its strategic vision and the planning, management and impact of fundraising to the organization’s advancement and sustainability.

NOPM PS5280 The Nonprofit Sector: Scope and Impact

This course presents the role that the nonprofit sector plays in civil society for addressing human and societal needs and for advancing the public good. The distinctions, similarities and relationship of the nonprofit, government and private sectors will be explored. Additionally, the meaning and place of ethics in the sector and its application for charity, philanthropy and nonprofit organizations along with the provision for beneficiaries, clients and nonprofit support will be considered. Finally, the course will examine the parameters and nature of the United States’ nonprofit sector and its place within the global civil society sector.

NOPM PS5320 Nonprofit Financial Management

NOPM PS5300 Social Impact and Performance Measurement

Nonprofit organizations compete for scarce philanthropic and government funding and are expected to account for how these resources are utilized for the greater good. However, understanding how well nonprofit programs and services produce their desired outcomes can be a challenge. This course is designed to provide a broad – yet rigorous – overview of the knowledge and tools available to evaluate the effects of nonprofit and social impact programs and policies.

NOPM PS5390  Nonprofit Management Capstone Project

Capstone projects afford a group of students the opportunity to undertake complex, real-world, client-based projects for nonprofit organizations, supervised by a Nonprofit Management program faculty member. Through the semester-long capstone project, students will experience the process of organizational assimilation and integration as they tackle a discrete management project of long or short-term benefit to the client organization. The larger theoretical issues that affect nonprofit managers and their relationships with other stakeholders, both internal and external, will also be discussed within the context of this project-based course.

Advocacy in Social Work Practice

This course builds on the knowledge, values, and skills provided in Decolonizing Social Work. Coursework focuses on better understanding and applying a justice-based framework to mezzo- and macro- social work practice within organizational, community and political systems. The intersections of white supremacy, institutionalized power, anti-Black racism, oppression, and privilege will be discussed. Participants will learn to critically analyze and assess organizations, communities, social policies and political systems; develop interventions, advocate for, and work collaboratively to achieve change and build capacity in organizations and communities and to influence social policies and political processes; extend their understanding of distributive justice, human and civil rights and the dynamics of oppression, and the role of advocacy and social change action in pursuing social and economic justice.

Direct Practice with Individuals, Families & Groups

This course builds upon the knowledge and skills acquired in T7100 Foundations of Social Work Practice. Students learn to critically examine, select, apply, and evaluate major theoretical models of direct social work practice with individuals, families, and groups in a culturally competent manner. Particular emphasis is placed on the linkage between assessment and intervention, the critical evaluation of self in one’s own practice, and the use of empirical knowledge to guide practice decisions.

Disaster and Community: Philanthropic and Nonprofit Engagement

This course analyzes the ways in which philanthropists and nonprofit organizations plan for and respond to disasters. Disasters create immense need quickly. People have responded generously to many natural and human-created disasters that have led to thousands of victims either domestically or globally. The nonprofit sector has often played a leading role, functioning both on the front-lines with first responders and creating a second response that bridges the period of relief and rebuilding. New technologies have often been deployed to improve fundraising as well as disaster relief. Disasters create both a sense of community born of the common experience of suffering and exacerbate differences within communities as those of lowest means struggle the most to recover. Disaster relief and recovery is ripe with questions about who to help and how to best help, presenting ethical dilemmas for the best intentioned of nonprofit leaders. The course will focus on the United States but both readings and assignments include some international comparisons.

Foundations of Social Work Practice: Decolonizing Social Work

In this foundations course, participants will learn generalist and justice-based frameworks and skills for social work intervention. Emphasis is placed on an analysis of power, race, oppression and privilege; the impact systems of oppression have at the micro-, mezzo-, and macro-levels; and how these systems may influence social work practice. Coursework focuses on anti-Black racism and covers the intersectionality of anti-Black racism and issues concerning LBGTQ+ rights, genderism, Indigenous People/First Nations People & land rights, Latin-x representation, xenophobia, Islamophobia, undocumented immigrants, Japanese internment camps, indigent White communities (Appalachia), and anti-Semitism. All coursework aims to foster self-awareness and develop mindfulness practices; increase capacity to mitigate oppressive systems in social work agencies and organizations; provide skills for community building within and outside the classroom. Social work skills for anti-oppressive practice are developed through the use of experiential exercises and feedback. Field practice is integrated into classroom content and discussion.

Human Behavior and the Social Environment I & II

Students are required to complete six credits in the Human Behavior and Social Environment content area. The first semester course adopts a developmental life-course and social systems framework in an examination of how environmental and historical influences, current social movements, societal belief systems, social structures, and political processes affect bio-psychosocial aspects of human development. The course focuses on the application of these theories in tandem with a scholarly examination of social forces that shape human agency, opportunity, health, and behavior. The second semester course requires students to select two “mini” courses on a range of topics, all of which have a pronounced focus on issues of power, privilege, oppression, identity, and social justice. Mini course topics have included Mass Incarceration and Re-entry, Immigrants and Families, Stigma and Mental Health, Global Health, and Gender and Sexuality, to name a few.

International Nonprofit: Management and Perspectives

An effective international nonprofit delivers its global mission with leaders and directors strategically managing the organization in its local and global context. This course is designed to equip students with a practical framework for international nonprofit management. Students will consider various cultural and ethical perspectives; analyze local, national and global stakeholders in the public and private sector; distinguish among various nonprofit models used for legal and geographic purposes; determine how to leverage sophisticated funding sources, such as multi-lateral organizations; and model financial and programmatic management for on-the-ground mission delivery.

Leadership and Management of Nonprofits

The Leadership & Management of Nonprofits course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how the various functional areas of a nonprofit interconnect to achieve its mission and vision, as well as the skills and knowledge necessary to lead and work effectively with governing boards and other stakeholders. Throughout the course, students will explore management techniques and strategies applicable in nonprofit settings, including strategic planning, strategic management, building a strong and inclusive organizational culture, and managing organizational change. Additionally, the course will cover various aspects of governance, such as legal, ethical, and fiduciary oversight, strategic thinking and planning, and ensuring resources. The course will also examine the shared responsibility of governance and the importance of innovation in the nonprofit sector. Topics covered include board composition and structure, shared leadership with other staff and management, executive leadership and interaction with the board and the whole organization, board culture and development, board dynamics, meetings, and engagement, planning, systems, metrics, finance, and fulfilling the mission. Lectures, class discussions, case studies, and group presentations will provide students with a platform for exploring key issues raised during the course. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with a deep understanding of nonprofit management, governance, and leadership, enabling them to make progress towards achieving their organization's mission and vision in the rapidly changing environment of the nonprofit sector.

Nonprofit Financial Management

This course provides a comprehensive set of financial management tools for nonprofit professionals, including managers and staff, whether they oversee financial statements and reporting or need to translate financial statements and reporting across stakeholders. This course emphasizes the requirements for nonprofits in recording and budgeting the financials to support the organization’s mission. Additionally, the course will provide students with the ability to analyze financial statements and answer financial questions typically asked by stakeholders such as the governing board, donors, the public, beneficiaries, media, and regulators. Finally, the course will identify the risks and opportunities found in an organization's financial information to increase the public's confidence in and understanding of the organization's mission and operations.

Nonprofit Management Capstone Project

Capstone projects afford a group of students the opportunity to undertake complex, real-world, client-based projects for nonprofit organizations, supervised by a Nonprofit Management program faculty member. Through the semester-long capstone project, students will experience the process of organizational assimilation and integration as they tackle a discrete management project of long or short-term benefit to the client organization. The larger theoretical issues that affect nonprofit managers and their relationships with other stakeholders, both internal and external, will also be discussed within the context of this project-based course.

Social Impact and Performance Measurement

Nonprofit organizations compete for scarce philanthropic and government funding and are expected to account for how these resources are utilized for the greater good. However, understanding how well nonprofit programs and services produce their desired outcomes can be a challenge. This course is designed to provide a broad – yet rigorous – overview of the knowledge and tools available to evaluate the effects of nonprofit and social impact programs and policies.

Social Welfare Policy

This course can be waived by examination. If waived, the student is required to complete three additional credits in policy-related graduate-level coursework. This course provides students with an overview and assessment of current domestic social welfare policies and programs, and the factors that influence their development. Special attention is given to income maintenance, personal social services, and in-kind benefits.

Social Work Research

This course can be waived by examination. If waived, a student will be able to take three additional elective credits in graduate-level coursework. In this course, students will learn how to understand and appreciate a scientific, analytic approach to building knowledge for practice and for evaluating service delivery in all areas of practice. Different theoretical bases and methodological procedures for social work research are addressed, as are basic statistical procedures and technological advances in quantitative and qualitative designs. Ethical standards of scientific inquiry are emphasized with attention to protecting and promoting the well-being of vulnerable and oppressed populations. Ultimately, students are expected to be able to access, critically evaluate, and appropriately use empirical research to inform and evaluate their practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

The Business of Nonprofits

This Business of Nonprofits course is designed to prepare students to identify, understand, consider, and manage common business and related legal issues arising in the operation of a nonprofit organization. Operational legal issues are pervasive in every aspect of nonprofit management and governance, including: (1) decisions on organizational structures, (2) the design of collaborative relationships, (3) entering into contracts, (4) human resource issues, (5) the creation and use of intellectual property, and (6) the assessment and management of risks. Because of the increasingly complex legal environment nonprofits face, managers knowledgeable about the topics covered in this course will be better equipped to contribute to the structuring of external business arrangements and relationships, as well as to manage internal operational matters. This elective course is intended to provide a solid foundation of practical business and business law basics to managers, board members, and consultants working for nonprofit organizations.