NGO Education Survey

0574 - Nonprofit - Planning and Evaluation

In this course, we will discuss the who, why, when and how of program evaluation. What does it take to incorporate an effective and comprehensive program evaluation? Why does program evaluation have an impact on services and sustainability? This course is designed to be very basic. Those in attendance will learn ways in which program evaluation impacts potential funding and organizational sustainability. Participants will walk away with a basic sample of program evaluation in which they can build on and use within their organization.

0812 - Nonprofit - Fundraising

Fundraising is about more than money; it is about relationship-building and strategizing. This course addresses the most effective and successful methods of raising money. Discover ideas and activities to help you strengthen your fundraising program. Learn current trends and best practices in annual giving, retaining and upgrading current donors, prospecting new donors, engaging volunteers, and managing the fundraising process. You will be guided from "the ask" to "the acknowledgement" and will gain specific ideas to enhance your fundraising results.

0813 - Nonprofit - Human Resource Development

The ability to help people experience success at work creates benefits for employees, volunteers, leadership teams, organizations, and those whom your organization serves. This class addresses skills that can be used at an individual level and to better help staff with obstacles that may affect their job performance and satisfaction. Learn how to strategically respond to issues related to employee communication, motivation, delegation, and coaching; how to actively listen to and give constructive feedback to employees, volunteers, and clients; how to use team members’ individual differences to help them stay fully motivated at work; how to apply an effective step-by-step process for successful and mutually beneficial delegation with shared, defined expectations; and how to prepare for and conduct a solutions-focused coaching session that fully involves your team member to create a strategy for performance improvement.

0816 - Nonprofit - Financial Management

This course provides an understanding of financial management for nonprofits and focuses on topics integral to nonprofit fiscal management. Learn finance terms as they relate to the effective operation of a nonprofit organization. Discuss how to track income and expenses to specific programs to fulfill expectations of funders, donors and the IRS. The role of the board, staff and committees are covered. Become familiar with the standards of excellence for nonprofit organizations and gain an understanding of financial statements, budgeting, and surviving an audit. Participants will gain an understanding of the broader financial realm of nonprofit organizations – where they work or volunteer.

0818 - Nonprofit - Board Development/Governance

In order to be successful, nonprofit organizations require strong leadership from their Board of Directors. The Board's responsibility is to oversee the effectiveness of management policies and decisions, including the execution of its strategies. Learn the key roles and responsibilities of the board and the essential areas of Board oversight. Discuss strategies to increase board members' commitment to the mission and purpose of your organization, and how boards must be active and engaged to fulfill their legal and governance duties.

0370 Sustainable Strategic Planning for Nonprofits

Participants will examine the parts of a strategic plan including the vision and mission statement, values and goals that will guide the organization into the future.  Students will also learn important tools to analyze their respective nonprofit organizxations to help them make decisions for setting a course for the organization's future.  Analysis tools include the SWOT analysis, BCG Matrix, the Sustainability Matrix and the Strategy Canvas.  

0805 Telling Great Stories to Advance Your Cause

People support nonprofits and the causes they champion because of an emotional connection.  Hope, compassion, guilt, fear, and other emotions drive people to tackle the world's problems - or support others who are working on the front lines.  That's where stories come in.  Facts and figures can be mind-numbing, but a story open ears, eyes, minds and  hearts.  In this interactive course, you will; learn now to find compelling stories about people your nonprofit is helping: tell great stories; create a story bank to pull in stories from clients and volunteers; use your stories for maximum effect.  Learn tools to build stories that will not only spearhead your fundraising and advocacy efforts, but also strengthen your organization's culture and reinforce its values.

Communications and Advocacy Strategy

In this course, you will develop two essential skills crucial for public affairs practitioners across all sectors: communications and advocacy. We'll start by introducing you to the fundamental elements of advocacy strategy. You'll learn to establish goals and objectives, analyze advocacy targets using power mapping and other tools, choose tactics, and execute, monitor, and evaluate advocacy campaigns. Next, we'll dive into communications strategy. You'll discover how to craft compelling and persuasive messages, select suitable messengers, choose the right communications channel, and assess the effectiveness of your strategies.

Data Analysis for Decision-makers

This course equips public affairs practitioners to analyze and interpret data as an essential input in their decisions, with an emphasis on being informed consumers rather than original producers of quantitative analysis. Students will solidify their understanding of basic statistical concepts (including probability, sampling, and hypothesis-testing), examine the application of these concepts in common research methods, explore publicly available data sources used commonly in the practice of public affairs, and gain exposure to statistical software applications. They will also strengthen their data visualization and presentation skills through a series of applied assignments.

Decision and Negotiation Strategy

In this course, you will explore how to formulate effective decision and negotiation strategies as a public affairs leader in a complex and unpredictable world. The first half of the course will concentrate on executive decision-making, where we'll delve into the meaning of rationality, the influence of cognitive biases, and the difficulties of decision-making amidst uncertainty and limited resources. The second half of the course will center on negotiation strategy. We'll introduce you to core theories and concepts, and then enhance your practical negotiation skills through case studies, role-playing, and simulations.

Domestic Challenges in Public Affairs

In the last summer of the program, and concluding with a weeklong session in Washington, DC, this course offers you a chance to put into practice the knowledge, skills, and abilities you've gained throughout the program while tackling contemporary challenges confronting public affairs leaders. For this domestic variation of the course, such challenges might include climate change, immigration, and economic inequality.

Economic Analysis for Decision-Makers

This course caters to students seeking to deepen their understanding of economics beyond what they'll learn in other classes. You'll explore the economic models and theories commonly encountered in public affairs practice, focusing on becoming knowledgeable consumers rather than creators of original analysis.

Ethics, Values, and Public Affairs

As a public affairs practitioner, you know that navigating moral and ethical dilemmas is a crucial aspect of your profession. Public service brings with it distinct ethical obligations, and failing to meet them can have widespread repercussions. This course will empower you with the foundational knowledge and practical skills necessary to tackle the moral and ethical challenges inherent in public affairs practice.

Global Challenges in Public Affairs

In the last summer of the program, and concluding with a weeklong session in Washington, DC, this course offers you a chance to put into practice the knowledge, skills, and abilities you've gained throughout the program while tackling contemporary challenges confronting public affairs leaders. For this international variation of the course, such challenges might include climate change, global pandemics, and U.S.-China competition.

Leadership, Management, and Change

What makes leaders effective, ethical, and equitable? How can managers guide their organizations through times of change? This course introduces MPA students to core concepts in leadership theory, public management, and organizational behavior, providing a framework for the leadership experience they have already begun to develop as practitioners. Students will examine different models of executive leadership and develop a set of practical management skills to drive change and innovation within their organizations. They will also develop an individualized leadership plan aligned with their professional goals, informed by a leadership assessment and one-on-one executive coaching sessions.

Navigating the Information Environment

Today's public affairs leaders must navigate a dynamic and disruptive information environment that poses threats as well as opportunities to the organizations they lead. This course will help students understand and navigate contemporary challenges such as the rise of artificial intelligence, mis/disinformation, threats to cybersecurity, and the fractured and volatile media landscape. Students will map and analyze the information ecosystems in which their organizations or communities of practice operate, explore contemporary topics such as privacy and data governance, and examine the evolving legal, regulatory, and political landscape surrounding the news and information environment.

Nonprofit Management and Strategy

This course will help students who work (or aspire to work) in the non-profit sector develop and implement effective strategies for leading their organizations in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape. Informed by case studies, engagement with practitioners, and their own experiences, students will explore topics including non-profit governance and board engagement, fundraising and donor engagement, strategic planning, program delivery and community engagement, impact measurement and evaluation, and non-profit advocacy. As their culminating assignment, students will apply their skills and knowledge to a current challenge facing a non-profit organization of their choosing.

Organizations, People, and Culture

People are the greatest asset in any organization, and effectively leading them is one of the most complex challenges faced by public affairs professionals. This course provides students with a foundational understanding of human resources management and organizational development, with a focus on the unique workforce dynamics within public affairs organizations. Students will analyze their organization’s cultural intelligence and political environment, develop practical skills for managing all stages of the employee lifecycle, and explore contemporary challenges such as fostering inclusive workplaces, leading diverse teams, and managing hybrid and remote workforces.

Policy Analysis for Public Affairs Leaders

This course provides a foundational overview of policy analysis tools and strategies to inform the decisions of public affairs practitioners. Students will learn how to identify and frame policy problems, evaluate potential solutions, and communicate decisions clearly and persuasively. They will examine the strengths and limitations of common analytical frameworks such as market analysis, benefit-cost analysis, behavioral economics, and equity analysis, applying these frameworks to real-world cases in their areas of practice. In addition to developing their skills as policy analysts, the course will strengthen students’ writing and research skills through a series of applied assignments.

Professional Practice of Public Affairs

As their capstone activity in the MPA program, students will apply the knowledge and skills developed across the curriculum to a contemporary challenge facing their organization or community of practice. Under the guidance of the course instructor and a faculty advisor with relevant expertise, students will select a topic of interest from a curated list of options, conduct a landscape analysis of existing knowledge on the topic, produce their own original research and analysis, and recommend a specific course of action. In addition to a written report, students will produce a one-page summary of their project and present their work to an audience of students, faculty, and invited guests.

Public Budgeting and Financial Management

This course provides students with a foundational understanding of fiscal policy, practical knowledge of the public budgeting process at various levels of government, and a set of financial management tools and strategies applicable to public and non-profit organizations. Students will analyze the “players, process, and politics” of public budgeting, participate in simulated budgeting exercises, and develop a set of skills for influencing, planning, executing, and managing their organization’s finances. The course will culminate with a team-based project requiring students to apply the skills and knowledge developed during the semester.