CAS Fundamentals of Nonprofit Management I University of Oklahoma Spring 2015 TR 9:00AM - 10:15AM Adams 104

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1 Office Hours: DAHT 304L, T 10:30AM 11:30AM & W 9:30AM 11:30AM, or by appointment Course Objectives: This course aims to achieve two primary purposes. First, it introduces the basic concepts of what the nonprofit sector is and does. Discussions will include the nature, scope, functions, main activities, legal and tax frameworks, and governing structures of nonprofit organizations. Second, it exposes students to a wide range of management issues today s nonprofits face in pursuing their missions and daily operations. Issues can include: securing funds, managing staff and volunteers, improving performance, and ensuring internal and external accountabilities. Whenever relevant, contemporary issues, debates, and news reports concerning nonprofits managerial practices or pending policy proposals that affect nonprofits will be discussed so that students can acquire better understanding and analytical skills regarding nonprofit management and the related policy implications. Required Texts: 1. Grobman, Gary M. An Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector, 3 rd edition. ISBN: Other required readings will be posted under the content section of Desire2Learn (D2L) at ( Check the syllabus for readings noted as D2L. Instructional Methods and Communication: A website has been set up specifically for this course at the OU Desire2Learn (D2L) website ( All course information, activities, and announcements will be posted on this site. All official correspondence from the instructor will be sent only to address. Assignments and Grading: 5% Participation: Participation will be evaluated based on class attendance and participation in discussions and in-class exercises. 15% Homework: Throughout the semester, students will be responsible for several assignments to be completed outside of class individually. These assignments include an analysis of the National Center for Charitable Statistics data, a resume exercise, and a website critique. NTEE Assignment: Students will be assigned a section of the NCCS ( database to familiarize themselves with the scope of the nonprofit sector and the NTEE coding scheme. Using the provided template, identify the characteristics (sector, location, income, etc.) of each organization using the NCCS summary, Form 990, and organization s website. Due January 24 th by 5PM to dropbox. Resume: A resume is one of the most important documents you will prepare as a jobseeker. Create (or update) your resume targeting the nonprofit sector. Resumes should be limited to 1 page using 12 point Times New Roman or similar font with your contact information at the top. In the body, include: education and your anticipated graduation date (do not include high school, you may include courses highlighting skills), and professional experience with short descriptions and dates (this may include volunteer or internship experience). You may also include technical skills such as languages, computer skills, etc., major accomplishments, hobbies, talents, travel, and other relevant information. Due February 26 th in class (hardcopy).

2 Website Critique: The internet is an important tool for gaining support for an issue, fundraising, and providing information to beneficiaries. Each student will choose a nonprofit that is of interest to them. After examining the nonprofit s website, students will write a word doublespaced paper that discusses the design, content, and ease of use of the website. In addition, students will make two recommendations about how to improve the website and provide an explanation for these recommendations. Due April 9 th by 5PM to dropbox. 25% Group Project: Students will form small groups at the start of the semester and work with their group throughout the semester to form a nonprofit, a multi-stage project. Several in-class sessions will be given to plan and develop ideas, but groups should also meet outside of class. Students will be evaluated based on group products and a peer evaluation. Due March 10 th and April 28 th. 20% Midterm: The midterm exam will be based on readings, lectures, and in-class discussions. The exam is scheduled for March 5 th. 10% Twitter: Each group will become experts in a competency area. Your group is required to manage a twitter profile for a topic and tweet about that topic 2-3 times per week (hint: assign a different member each week to be responsible for tweeting). Each group will follow people who tweet on its competency area and use a hashtag associated with that topic. You should use the experts and resources your group curates to contribute to in-class discussions and apply themes covered. Your group will be evaluated on the tweeting frequency, the quality of the tweets, and your discussion in class. An anonymous peer assessment at the end of the semester will be used assess individual group member twitter contributions. 25% Final Exam:.001 May 8 th, 8:00AM 10:00AM, Adams 104 /.002 May 3 rd, 1:30PM 3:30PM, Physical Sciences Center 416 All written assignments will be turned in electronically to D2L in.doc or.docx format ONLY (i.e., Microsoft Word). Late assignments will be reduced by 1/3 of a letter grade for each day they are late. All papers in class will be scanned using plagiarism detection software. Please see the information below regarding academic misconduct and plagiarism. Plagiarism is not tolerated at the University of Oklahoma and will not be tolerated in this course. Academic Honesty Academic honesty is expected from students in this course. Students should be familiar with the s policy on academic integrity, updated August 2011 ( Using the work of others without properly crediting them either verbatim or paraphrasing is considered plagiarism. Any act of plagiarism or academic misconduct will result in an automatic F for the semester and official charges of misconduct with the university. Students accused of academic misconduct have the right to a hearing if desired and the right to appeal. The penalties for academic misconduct are severe and include suspension, loss of academic credit, required community service, and permanent record of misconduct on transcripts. Accommodation Policy Any student with a disability that may prevent him or her from demonstrating his or her abilities should

3 contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities. Students with disabilities are required to register with the Office of Disability Services (Goddard, Suite 166/tel. (405) , TDD (405) ) before receiving accommodations in this course. It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required assignments that may fall on religious holidays. Students who plan to observe a holiday should notify me immediately in order to make appropriate arrangements. Class Cancellations If class must be canceled for any reason (instructor illness, severe weather, etc.) continue reading the course material, as it is currently scheduled in the syllabus. Changes to Syllabus I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus during the semester. Any changes will be announced in class, via , or via D2L. Course Schedule January 13 th & 15 th : Introduction to Nonprofits Grobman. Ch2: History of the Nonprofit Sector, pp Review Syllabus Group Project Instruction NTEE Code Assignment Instruction January 15 th : NO CLASS Instructor Travel January 20 th & 22 nd : Classification and Scope of the Nonprofit Sector Urban Institute Nonprofit Almanac in Brief (D2L), pp. 1-8 LeMay. Getting to Know the Nonprofit World in The Generosity Plan, pp (D2L) Group Meetings: discuss nonprofit organization, mission statement, 3 programs January 24 th : NTEE Assignment due January 27 th & 29 th : Incorporating a Nonprofit and Governance Grobman. Ch4: Legal and Regulatory Issues, pp Grobman. Ch5: Bylaws and Governance, pp Implications of Sarbanes-Oxley (D2L), pp Grobman. Ch6: Mission Statements, pp IRS Form 1023 (D2L) IRS Guide on Governance (D2L)

4 February 3 rd & 5 th : Strategic Planning and Program Development Grobman. Ch15: Strategic Planning and Change Management, pp Group Meeting: mission statement, programs, legal documents February 10 th & 12 th : Financial Management Grobman. Ch10: Financial Management, pp American Diabetes Association Consolidated Financial Report 2013 (D2L) In-Class: Group Budgeting Exercise Group Meeting: if time allows February 17 th & 19 th : Fundraising and Grant Management Grobman. Ch8: Fundraising, pp ; Ch9: Grant Management, pp Wymer and Dollinger. Charity appeals using celebrity endorsers: Celebrity attributes most predictive of audience donation intentions, pp (D2L) Group Meeting: budgets and financing (if time allows) February 24 th & 26 th : Managing Human Resources Grobman. Ch11: Personnel, pp Rotolo and Wilson. State-Level Differences in Volunteerism in the United States (D2L), pp Visit Virtual Volunteering Page and read through the guide (links on left): February 26 th : Resume due (bring hardcopy to class) In-class: Hiring Exercise Group Meeting: human resources/volunteer management (if time allows) March 3 rd & 5 th : Midterm March 3 rdth : Midterm Q&A / catch-up day March 5 th : Midterm in-class March 10 th & 12 th : Group Presentations March 10 th : Part I of Group Projects due Turn-in: mission statement, program plans, advertising, and legal documents Present: nonprofit, mission statement, program plans, and advertising with powerpoint March 16 th March 20 th : SPRING BREAK

5 March 24 th & 26 th : Political Participation, Communication and Public Relations Grobman. Ch13: Lobbying, pp IRS Fact Sheet on Political Participation for 501(c)(3) (D2L) Grobman. Ch12: Communications and Public Relations, pp In Class: Advocacy Exercise Grobman. Ch7: Ethics, pp A Simple Guide to Program Evaluation (D2L) March 31 st & April 2 nd : Ethics and Program Evaluation In Class: Logic Model Exercise April 7 th & 9 th : The Internet and Social Media / Risk Management Young. How Nonprofits Manage Risk (D2L), pp Guo and Saxton. Tweeting Social Change (D2L), pp April 9 th : Website critique due April 14 th & 16 th : Collaboration AL-Tabaa et al. Collaboration Between Nonprofit and Business Sectors (D2L) Guo and Acar. Understanding Collaboration Among Nonprofit Organizations, pp (D2L) Group Meeting / Catch-up April 21 st & 23 rd : International Organizations Worth. Governing and Managing International and Global Organizations (D2L), pp Gryzbowski, C. We NGOs: A Controversial Way of Being and Acting (D2L), pp April 28 th & 30 th : Group Presentations April 28 th : Part II of group projects due o Turn-in: completed Part II and Part I edits if applicable o Present: budget, fundraising plan, human resources, volunteer management plans, and program evaluation with powerpoint April 30 th : Final Q&A Final Exams.001 May 8 th, 8:00AM 10:00AM, Adams 104