Nonprofit Leadership

This course introduces students to the purposes of and strategies for program planning in nonprofit organizations. The primary focus of the class is building the knowledge and skills required of program professionals. Students explore and examine theories, concepts, approaches, and processes fundamental to program planning and evaluation. Using research, reflection and practical application, students will explore the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs that aim to effect change and build capacity of individuals, families, and communities.

Among the many types of organizations that exist, what is a nonprofit? Are they an aberration in a capitalist economy or an intentional counterpoint? What impels people to establish them and support them? Is it to fulfill a need in society, or in themselves? And are they worth the effort and resources people put into them?

This course will explore all these questions as it surveys the development of the nonprofit sector and examines some of the theories that attempt to explain its existence and purpose. Moving from past to future, it will also discuss some of the trends currently reshaping the sector and the impact they may have upon it.

Development (also often referred to as “advancement”) is what empowers and supports nonprofits in doing the work of fulfilling their stated missions. If you think of a nonprofit organization’s programs as the essence of what it does for its cause or community, the work of development is that of garnering the resources necessary to make that good work possible. For many (though not all) nonprofits, the key component to resource development is fundraising. This course, therefore, focuses primarily on the fundamentals of fundraising, from preparing a fundraising plan through acknowledging and recognizing donors appropriately for their support.

The Keystone Project course is the culminating experience of the program study. The Keystone Project will consist of an independent research study and/or a professional action project.  A suitable project involves both secondary (library) and primary (field) research on a topic pertinent to the field of management, leadership and human services. Students engage in the process of planning, collecting, analyzing and presenting data. As a result, students move from consumer to creator of new knowledge. The culminating product is a written report of the investigation and a presentation to the course professor and peers.