Simmons School of Management. Leading and Managing an Effective Nonprofit Organization Syllabus: Summer, 2005 (revised )

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1 Simmons School of Management Leading and Managing an Effective Nonprofit Organization Syllabus: Summer, 2005 (revised ) Thursdays: June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; July 7, 14, 31 9:00 a.m. to noon Saturday: July 16 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Instructor: Patricia H. Deyton Interim Faculty Director, the Center for Gender in Organizations, Simmons School of Management, and Consultant to Nonprofit Leaders Phone: Fax: Meetings with students by appointment Course description and objectives: This course is intended for serious students of the independent sector who want to understand the important role of nonprofit organizations in American society and around the world and to examine the distinctions that differentiate the nonprofit sector from the for profit and government sectors. Topics covered in the course include: History and scope of the nonprofit sector Mission statements Application of ethics External environment for nonprofit organizations Marketing and public relations Competition Fund raising Alternative sources of generating revenue Internal issues for effective management Leadership models and challenges Accountability to Stakeholders

2 The role of government in the nonprofit sector Boards of Directors and governance Volunteers Strategic human resources management Nonprofit financial statements, fiscal and management controls, audits Sustainability, evaluations, and impact measurements Assignments and expectations: The success of the course, for both the students and the instructor, will depend primarily upon out-of-class preparation and in-class participation. The major assignment for the class is the preparation of a final project/paper examining a specific area of management in the nonprofit sector, based in part upon field interviews with a specific nonprofit organization(s) chosen by the student. The project/paper will be presented to the class and handed in to the instructor. The assignment will be discussed in depth at the first session. Two short written assignments relating to the final project/paper are required at specific points in the course. There are two web-based research assignments and two short written assignments as noted in the syllabus. This syllabus presents the main topic(s) for each class session and gives the reading and writing assignments for each class. It is expected that students will read all required assignments prior to the class for which they are assigned and turn in required papers on the due dates. The classes will be greatly enriched by the full participation of students sharing their perspectives and their experiences. Each class will open with a discussion of students observation of current media coverage of nonprofit organizations and issues. These observations and discussions will highlight the main themes of leadership and management of nonprofit organizations. There are four required texts, three required case studies and three required articles for the course. The instructor will provide additional articles and materials for some class sessions. Required Texts, Cases and Articles: Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-first Century. Thomas Wolf. Simon and Schuster, 1999.

3 Harvard Business Review on Nonprofits. Harvard Business School Press High Performance Nonprofit Organizations. Letts, Ryan & Grossman, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Executive Directors Guide, The Guide for Successful Nonprofit Management. Deborah Linnell et al., United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Harvard Business Review Cases: 1. The Case of the NAACP 2. Habitat for Humanity 3. City Year Enterprise Harvard Business Review Articles; 1. The Work of Leadership, by Ronald A. Heifetz and Donald L. Laurie 2. Marketing is Everything, by Regis McKenna 3. The Nonprofit Sector s $100 Billion Opportunity, by William Bradley, et al. Web Resources: FINAL PAPER/PROJECT ASSIGNMENT The final paper/project will provide an opportunity for the student to study one aspect of nonprofit management in depth. Although the instructor reserves the right to approve topics and projects, there are no right or wrong topics or approaches. The final paper/project is expected to be at least 15 pages in length, exclusive of references and bibliographies. Each student will present her final paper/project to the entire class. Final papers/projects will be graded on evidence of independent research, depth of understanding of issues involved, accurate citation of research sources; proper grammar and punctuation. A handout fully describing the expectations of the final paper/project will be given out at the first class during the discussion.

4 June 2. Overview of the course, discussion of syllabus, written assignments and final paper/project. Overview of the nonprofit world; current environment of nonprofits. Mission based organizations and management. The media and its impact on the nonprofit sector. Pre-class readings: HBR on Nonprofits, Chapter 1; Wolf, Chapter 1; Executive Directors Guide, Chapter 2. June 9. Ethics and leadership in the nonprofit sector. Boards of Directors. Pre-class readings: Heifetz and Laurie, The Work of Leadership HBR on Nonprofits, Chapters 2, 3, 4; High Performance, Chapter 7; Executive Directors Guide, Chapter 6; Wolf, Chapter 2. Written assignment on the influence of the media on the nonprofit sector due. June 16. Boards of Directors (continued). Strategic Planning and Evaluation. Pre-class readings: NAACP case study; High Performance, Chapter 5; Executive Directors Guide, Chapters 3, 4, 5; Wolf, Chapter 9. Written assignment on leadership in the nonprofit sector due. June 23. Strategic Planning and Evaluation (continued). Social Marketing and Social Entrepreneurship. Creating Public Value. Introduction to Fund Raising. Pre-class readings: Habitat for Humanity Case; City Year Enterprise Case. Web resources: and June 30. Fund Raising. Marketing. Public Relations. Pre-class readings: McKenna, Marketing is Everything ; HBR on Nonprofits, chapters 5, 6, 7, 8; High Performance, Chapter 9; Executive Directors Guide, Chapter 10; Wolf, Chapter 8. Web and media research on marketing, branding and public relations programs of nonprofits. July 7. Financial statement. Fund Accounting. Fiscal and managerial controls. Audits and relationships with auditors. Technology planning and usage.

5 Pre-class readings: Wolf, Chapters 6,7; Executive Directors Guide, Chapters 11, 12. Web research of nonprofit financial reports. July 14. Managing People/Human Resources management; Paid and Volunteer staff. Pre-class readings: Executive Directors Guide, Chapter 10; Wolf, Chapters 3 (pp ), 4; High Performance, Chapter 6. Web research on volunteer recruitment July 16: The relationship of government and the nonprofit sector; Nonprofit and for profit sector comparisons; Student presentations on final papers/projects. Pre-class reading: The Nonprofit Sector s $100 Billion Opportunity July 21. Student presentations on final papers/projects; the Future of the Nonprofit sector; preparing for careers in the Nonprofit sector. Pre-class readings: Handbook, Conclusion; High Performance, Chapter 10. Grading will be based on the following: Class preparation and participation 30% Written Assignments and web-based research 20% Final project/paper 50%