Financial Analysis and Management (UEP 0253)

Transcription

1 Financial Analysis and Management (UEP 0253) Tuesday 6:30 to 9:00 PM Anderson 210 Instructor: David Orlinoff Cell phone feel free to call with questions, etc. or Course Objective: This course is designed to provide current and prospective nonprofit leaders and other interested students with an understanding of the concepts, issues, and opportunities in financial management for mission-based organizations. The emphasis will be on understanding the interplay between value and values and on how non-financial executives can position themselves to use financial information to enhance the organizational mission. Textbook Streetsmart Financial Basics for Nonprofit Managers, Third Edition, by Thomas A. McLaughlin. Please note that the textbook includes references to web pages that supplement the material in the book itself. of these web pages will be assigned for homework; however, students may find the supplementary material useful in their understanding of the content of the book and the course. Make sure you get the THIRD Edition! The book is available at the bookstore or online. Other materials may be assigned from time to time. Guest speakers may be invited from time to time to discuss appropriate topics. Important class policies and notes on grading, academic conduct, etc., are included following the semester agenda. SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS AGENDAS MAY CHANGE AS THE SEMESTER PROCEEDS. EACH WEEK, PLEASE CHECK YOUR TUFTS ACCOUNT FOR DETAILS. Nonprofit structure and governance, basic accounting and financial terminology, introduction to financial statements Tuesday, January 26 Tuesday, February 2 Chapter 1, plus Preface, plus Chapter 1 Chapters 2 and 3, plus Chapters 2 and 3 Page 1 of 5 Math practice problems (separately distributed) Current event - Bring to class one newspaper or magazine article regarding an accounting or financial issue. This article does not necessarily have to relate to nonprofits.

2 Tuesday, February 9 Chapters 4 and 5 Tuesday, February 16 NO CLASS extra work may be assigned Tuesday, February 23 QUIZ 1 covers all material Financial analysis, budgets, planning, connections between fundraising and finance Tuesday, March 1 Tuesday, March 8 Tuesday, March 15 Chapters 7 and 9, plus Chapter 7 Chapters 8, 12, and 13, plus Chapters 8 and 12, plus Appendix B Chapter 6, plus Appendix A notes for Chapter 6 Tuesday, March 29 QUIZ 2 covers all material Current event - Bring to class one newspaper or magazine article regarding an issue of importance in nonprofit management or finance. Cash flow, borrowing, investing, management control Tuesday, April 5 Chapters 10, 11, and 16, plus Chapters 11 and 16 Page 2 of 5

3 Tuesday, April 12 Chapters 14, 15, and 17, plus Chapter 15 Tuesday, April 19 QUIZ 3 covers all material Tuesday, April 26 Brief quiz can only help, not hurt, your grade Chapters 18, 19, and 20, plus Chapters 18 and 20 Complete final projects all students will present in class The first three quizzes are open-notes, closed-book. The quiz on the last night of class is closed-notes as well as closed-book. All quizzes are cumulative (covering all material to date). Details of the final project will be announced during the fourth or fifth class session. General administrative note: I have been provided with each enrolled student s Tufts address and will use it to communicate with you. Please make sure you check your mailbox regularly even if you have forwarded your mail to another address. Attendance and punctuality: Attendance is important. The administration will be checking with me early in the semester to see who has been attending, so it s very important for me to have good records. Your fellow students and I will greatly appreciate prompt arrival for the beginning of each class session. If you are unavoidably late, please enter the room quietly and take a seat without disrupting any other students, if possible. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to make up the work. Please me (or call or text me at ) in advance if you know you will be out, or afterwards if you missed a class unexpectedly, and I will do what I can to facilitate your keeping up. However, you should know that I usually teach without notes and therefore cannot provide you with an outline of any lectures that you miss. I hope you are, or will become, friendly with other students and can borrow notes when needed. Homework assignments: Homework assignments from the textbook are listed in the syllabus. Other assignments that are not listed in the syllabus may be announced in class from time to time and will be communicated by , usually by 11:00 p.m. on the night after each class session. It is your responsibility to check your frequently between class sessions in case I add to or modify the assignment. Some homework may require you to turn in written material. If you are asked to turn something in, please remember that neatness and spelling count. Page 3 of 5

4 Participation in class: I expect all students to participate actively in class. You should act as though you are speaking to a professional colleague or a board member, so when you speak up, be prepared, be concise, and be interesting. Your contribution to the discussion will help keep the class moving. If you are the kind of person who finds it hard to speak in class, this course will provide an opportunity for you to help overcome that limitation. I will do what I can to encourage everyone to offer his or her ideas and questions, and you should let me know if I am putting barriers in the way of your participation. On the other hand, it will be difficult to balance opportunities for everyone to participate with the need to keep the flow of information going. Accordingly, if you are the kind of person who likes to speak a lot, please be considerate and give others a chance. Quizzes and the final project: Quizzes will generally be given on a closed-book, open-notes basis. Exceptions may apply; for example, the quiz in the last session will be closed-book and closed-notes. Quizzes will cover material in the relevant textbook chapters (even if not discussed in class) plus additional materials presented in class or as homework, including the content of guest lectures, if any. Remember that exams have two purposes: one is for me to assess what you have learned, and the other is for you to identify and fill in the gaps in your knowledge. If you miss a quiz due to absence, I can arrange for you to make it up by during the week following the quiz. Obviously, you should limit absences to illness or other unavoidable situations. There will not be a final exam, but there will be short quiz in the last session. There will also be a final project that will be graded. The final project will be announced in approximately the fifth session of the semester. The project will include a research component, an analytical component, and a presentation component. Grades: In a graduate-level course, B+ is considered the average grade. Average does not mean mediocre ; rather, it means expected of a graduate student. I do give A- and A grades, but to earn one of these grades you must demonstrate more than just memorization of the course material. I will be looking for above-average performance and insights. At the other end of the spectrum, I know that you are aware that any grade below B- will result in your not getting credit for this class. At any time during the semester, if you feel you are in danger of not meeting the minimum standard, please get in touch with me for individual attention. This is your responsibility. Your final grade will be compiled as follows: Quizzes 50% Final project 40% Homework and participation 10% Note that there will be some overlap in these categories. For example, some homework assignments may involve presentations in class. Accordingly, all percentages are approximate and each student s final grade will be a function of his or her demonstrated learning in the course as a whole. Page 4 of 5

5 Learning this material: In past semesters I have found that studying with a partner or in small groups can be helpful in learning unfamiliar material. I encourage you to try to find opportunities to do so. Academic conduct: Even though I am encouraging you to study with other students, whenever you turn in or present any work, whether a homework assignment, a test or quiz, or your final project, you are de facto attesting to me and to the University that you are submitting your own individual work. You are not permitted to turn in another person s work as your own. Similarly, you are not permitted to let another student turn in your work as his or hers. If you work on an assignment with other students, and then turn in the assignment, make sure I know who has done which portion of the work. Plagiarism is not allowed and is a serious violation of University policy. You are permitted and encouraged to carry out research related to course topics, but you are required to integrate the results of your research into your own thought process and associated written materials. You may not copy others writings either word-for-word or via paraphrase, except that you may use excerpts from such writings to illustrate or amplify your own ideas. When you do so, you must provide appropriate citations. A final word: I am here to help you succeed, and my satisfaction will come when you complete the course knowing what you need to know to be an effective leader in your professional career and volunteer activities. When the semester is over, please don t be a stranger. Let me know how you re doing and how this class did or didn t meet this objective. Page 5 of 5