Courses - Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations

This class will offer a historical and theoretical overview of the nonprofit sector. Designed to expand students' understanding of the role of nonprofits in American society, the course will enable students to understand the rich history and diversity of nonprofit organizations, and to be inspired by what collective action can achieve in community life and in the world. The "personal journey" component of the course will offer students various tools, readings and activities to begin to develop a deeper sense of themselves and an understanding of where their natural gifts can best be utilized in the nonprofit sector. This class will be about the nuts and bolts of nonprofit governance and administrative operations, both in theory and in practice. Students will become familiar with organizational lifecycles and best practices in nonprofit governance including the role of the board and what makes for an effective board. In addition, students will be exposed to administrative functions including those related to budgeting, planning and evaluation. The "personal journey" component of the course will continue from Course 1 to offer students various tools, readings and activities to continue to develop a deeper sense of themselves, values clarification and how they relate to others. Individual donations, foundation grants, fees for services, special events, endowments: there are numerous sources of nonprofit revenue. This course will not only answer the question "where's the money?" but focus on how to get it -- a core competency of any nonprofit leader! In addition to an overview of nonprofit fund development, students will understand the importance of planning, the power of relationships and the value of gratitude. We will address the critical role the board and volunteers play in successful fundraising and how technology enhances development efforts, including websites as a front line fundraising/communications/marketing tool. Students will also learn key skills e.g. how to develop and sustain donor relationships and what makes for a successful grant proposal.

The "personal journey" component of the course will focus on skills, values and personal mission so that students can explore in further detail where they might fit in the sector and begin to move into career planning mode. This course will use stories and case studies to learn how nonprofits have been change agents in American society and beyond, including lessons learned from those who have started their own organizations. The class will learn from both successes and failures, and how some strategies e.g. collaboration, partnerships, advocacy and public policy can be integrated to achieve sustainable change, or not. In addition, the course will address assessment and evaluation to explore how results/outcomes are measured and to answer the critical question, "How do we know we are achieving, or have achieved; what we set out to accomplish?" This course will look at the people in nonprofits -- the staff members, the board members, the volunteers who do the work, the roles they play and the skills they need to be effective. The course will also address such issues as recruitment, retention and evaluation of staff, board and volunteers, the importance of diversity in the nonprofit workforce and how to create a nurturing and professional environment to support organizational mission and sustainability. During this time you'll network with your peers and begin implementing steps toward your new future in the nonprofit community (a 10% cost reimbursement is provided by the program to cover travel and lodging expenses, or to offset tuition should you choose not to travel to San Francisco.)