The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 1

Transcription

1 Introduction to Nonprofit Management (PUAD 505) Thursdays 4:30-7:10 Founders Hall 311 Fall credits Professor Lehn M. Benjamin 3434 North Washington Blvd (SRA Building), Room 5038 Office Hours: Thursdays 2-4p.m. [email protected] phone: It is impossible to comprehend American society and American public policy without examining the nonprofit sector (America s Nonprofit Sector, Salamon 1999: 8). Nonprofit organizations have played an important, unique and sometimes controversial role in American society. The nonprofit sector includes organizations like: the American Red Cross, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Sierra Club, the NAACP, and the Urban Institute along with a host of local advocacy groups, neighborhood organizations and community associations. Some nonprofits employ highly specialized staff while other nonprofits are staffed primarily by volunteers. Some nonprofits are affiliated with national networks, while others are uniquely local. Yet, these diverse organizations share a defining characteristic: they all use private action for some public good. This defining characteristic underlies some of the most critical debates in the nonprofit sector: What part of the public should nonprofits serve? What constitutes the good? How can we be sure that private action will serve such an end? And how does this all get decided? These debates have direct bearing on the practical questions nonprofit managers face. This course is a survey course and is intended to introduce you to a number of nonprofit management topics. The course uses this defining characteristic private action for the public good as a central organizing concept to: (a) examine the historical and contemporary role of nonprofits in American society and (b) explore central but unique aspects of nonprofit management. By the end of this course, you will: (1) Understand the historical and contemporary role of nonprofits in society. (2) Understand key issues in nonprofit governance, including: (a) the necessity of maintaining public trust and ensuring accountability (b) the role and responsibility of the board of trustees and (c) the leadership role of the executive director. (3) Understand the critical questions nonprofit leaders address as they operationalize their mission, including: (a) what products and services to offer and how to best deliver them (b) to what extent the organization should engage in advocacy and organizing (c) how to best engage volunteers/members/constituents in the organization and (d) how to assess the value of the nonprofit s work. (4) Be familiar with different sources of nonprofit revenue and how these revenue sources can affect the management of a nonprofit organization. The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 1

2 COURSE MATERIAL Text. Herman, Robert and Associates The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Other Readings. Available on Blackboard. Case Material: Some of the cases are available on blackboard. Other cases can be directly downloaded from the relevant websites and paid for with a credit card. To access cases from the Kennedy School of Government go to: To access cases from the Harvard Business School go to: COURSE SCHEDULE August 29th: Course Introduction and Overview Katie L. Roeger, Amy Blackwood, and Sarah T. Pettijohn, The Nonprofit Sector in Brief: Public Charities, Giving, and Volunteering, 2011, Washington: Urban Institute, Light, Paul C. Nonprofit-like Tongue Twister or Aspiration? The Nonprofit Quarterly, V. 8, N. 2: In class we will view: (Search for Dan Pallotta, The way we think about charity is deadwrong, and watch the talk). September 5th. Historical Overview of Nonprofit Sector The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 1 Analysis 1: Historical Event 1-2 page write up and mini-presentation. You will be assigned a historical event. Do some basic research on this event and come prepared to describe the event and its significance in the development of the nonprofit sector in the U.S. September 12th. Rationale and Role of Nonprofits Frumkin, Peter On Being Nonprofit: A Conceptual and Policy Primer. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Chapter 1 Anheier, Helmut K Nonprofit Organizations: Theory, Management and Policy. London: Routledge. Chapter 6 Analysis 2: Mini-analysis of 4 nonprofits 1-2 page write up: Salvation Army, Right to the City, Harlem Children s Zone, Northern Virginia Family Services (or 4 that you choose). Using the organization s website, use the readings to identify why these nonprofits exist and the role they are playing. September 19th. Starting a Nonprofit and Developing a Strategy for Success Tschirhart, Mary and Wolfgang Bieifleld Managing Nonprofit Organizations. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Chapter 3 and 5 The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 2

3 The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 2 and 17 Check out the IRS website Organizations/Life-Cycle-of-a-Public-Charity Phills, James A The Sound of No Music. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2(2): Rangan, Kasturi V Lofty Mission; Down to Earth Plans. Harvard Business Review. March: September 26th. Accountability, Ethics and Trust The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 4&7 Kearns, Kevin P Managing for Accountability: Preserving the Public Trust in Public and Nonprofit Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Chapter 4 McCambridge, Ruth Is Accountability the Same as Regulation? Not Exactly. The Nonprofit Quarterly Special Issue on Accountability. Analysis 3: 1-2 page Mini-analysis of one of the following cases: Three Cups of Tea/Central Asia Institute; Red Cross after 911; Nature Conservancy; United Way and the Aramony Scandal; the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood. Through an analysis of news coverage on your case, use the readings to identify the accountability expectations that seem to have been violated in each case. Come prepared to describe the case. October 3rd. The Board and Executive Leadership The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 5&6 Independent Sector and BoardSource, The Principles Workbook: Steering Your Board Toward Good Governance and Ethical Practice, Available at: ok.pdf CASE: East Coast Orchestra s Board of Trustees (Case Available on Blackboard) October 10th. Evaluation and Performance The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 15 & 16 Brest, Paul What the Nonprofit Sector Can Learn from Home Improvements. The Nonprofit Quarterly, Winter: CASE: Harlem Children s Zone: HBS October 17 th : Papers Due and Management Problem Presentations October 24th. Raising Philanthropic Donations and Grants The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 19 The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 3

4 Wolf, Thomas Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-First Century. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Inc. Chapter 8. Dixon, Julie and Denise Keyes The Permanent Disruption of Social Media. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Winter: Read: October 31st. Securing Government Support The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 21 Sanfort, Jodi R Trying to Dance to Syncopated Rhythm: The Dynamics of Government Funding for Nonprofits. The Nonprofit Quarterly, Fall: CASE: Self-Help Housing on the Texas-Mexico Border: The Complications of Good Fortune for a Small Nonprofit Organization. (Kennedy School of Government: 1478) November 7th. Generating Earned Revenue The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 20 Phills, James A and Victoria Chang The Price of Commercial Success. Stanford Social Innovation Review; Spring: 3, 1: Foster, William and Jeffrey Bradach Should Nonprofit Seek Profits? Harvard Business Review, February: 1-9. Oster, Sharon M., Charles M. Gray and Charles Weinberg To Fee or Not to Fee? (And Related Questions). The Nonprofit Quarterly, Summer: CASE: Good Business Creates Good Business: Southwest Creations Collaborative (A) (Harvard Business School: NA0110-PDF-ENG) November 14th. Advocacy and Lobbying The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 13 Fraser, Nelson et al Learning to Love Lobbying. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Spring Analysis 4: 1-2 page Analysis of Kony The Campaign. Invisible Children, the nonprofit that produced the video: Kony Tracking the Impact. NYT article. Available on blackboard A critique html. Also watch the embedded video. After the fall out. November 21st. Managing Staff, Volunteers, Members & Constituents The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 16 and 26 The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 4

5 La Piana, David The Nonprofit Paradox: Why Organizations are So Plagued by the Ills They are Trying to Cure. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Summer CASE: Engaging Traditionally Disenfranchised Residents in Community Development: Changing the Terms of the Struggle (Available on Blackboard) November 28th: THANKSGIVING BREAK December 5th. Management Problem Presentation and Wrap Up COURSE EXPECTATIONS AND EVALUATION You will be evaluated based on your active participation and the quality of three written assignments. These expectations are described in more detail below. I. Analysis and Presentations (40%) Participation is a critical and an important part of how you will be evaluated. Effective class participation depends on a variety of skills including: active listening, respect and openness to everyone s ideas and contributions, concise questioning, and purposeful discussion. In addition to general participation in class discussions, you will also present several analyses during the course of the semester. 1. Analysis (5% each for a total of 20%). You will be asked to prepare an analysis 4 times during the semester and come prepared to present/discuss your analysis. These assignments will not be graded. If you do a satisfactory job, you will receive credit. 3. Current Event Brief (5%): You will sign up at the beginning of the semester to make a 5 minute presentation NO MORE - about one relevant news article on nonprofit management you have identified. If possible, the article should focus on the topic of the week, although this is not absolutely required. You should the article to your classmates and me before 5 pm on Friday before the class session when you will present. In your presentations, you should summarize your article and also pose 2-3 questions for class discussion. 4. Presentation of Management Problem (15%). You will write two papers analyzing a management problem in a nonprofit of your choosing. For one of these papers, you will present the results of your analysis to the class, either on October 17 th or December 5 th. II. WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS (60%) You will complete 3 papers. Each paper addresses a main topic covered in the course. These papers should be approximately 5-6 pages single-spaced. Each paper is worth 20% of your grade. You are required to follow the APA citation style. The first paper asks you to critically reflect on and apply concepts discussed in the readings and in class during the first three weeks. The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 5

6 The next two papers ask you to select a nonprofit agency with which you are familiar (you work there, volunteer there or have a strong interest in the organization) and apply the course material to a live case. These two papers should have four sections: 1. An introduction; 2. A review of the literature books, journal articles, grey literature--on the management issue (e.g., using social media for fundraising); 3. A description of the nonprofit and the problem it faced or is facing currently; 4. An analysis, where you analyze the problem and suggest possible courses of action based on what you learned in the literature. You are also encouraged, where possible, to interview relevant staff members from your selected nonprofit. The scope of each paper is briefly described below. PAPER ONE: Societal role. Drawing on the readings in the first three weeks of the course, you will write an analytical memo that summarizes the defining characteristics of nonprofit organizations, outlines their distinctive societal role and considers the implications of these characteristics and societal expectations for the management of these organizations. PAPER TWO: Management Challenge I. This paper should focus on ONE issue covered in weeks 4-7. A few questions you might consider: Is the board appropriately engaged? Does the organization have a succession plan? Has the organization ever had a credibility crisis? Is the organization aware of the implicit accountability expectations held by its key stakeholders? How does the organization ensure that it is responsive and accountable to those it serves? What is the state of the nonprofit s evaluation and performance system? PAPER THREE. Management Challenge II. This paper should focus ONE issue covered in weeks A few questions you might consider: How has the nonprofit used social media to galvanize support? With what success? Has the nonprofit attempted to start a business? If so, what were some of the challenges it faced? Is the nonprofit able to successfully manage government grants or contracts? Is the organization effectively advocating? III. OTHER EXPECTATIONS Late Policy: Late assignments are strongly discouraged. I recognize that at times outside circumstances can make it difficult for students to meet a given deadline. If you absolutely must turn in an assignment late, let me know and we will agree to a new deadline. If you turn in your assignment late do not expect a timely turn around or written comments. Attendance: You should let me know if you will miss a class. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to collect handouts, notes, new deadlines, etc. from classmates. Communication with the Instructor: is the best way to communicate. If you do send an , please put the PUAD 505 in the subject header. I will make every attempt to get back to you within 1-2 days. IV. GRADE POLICY Grades earned for major course products, participation, and your final grade will be calculated using the following grading structure: Percentage Grade Percentage Grade % A 77-79% C+ The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 6

7 90-92% A % C 87-89% B % C % B 65-69% D 80-82% B- 0-64% F V. ACADEMIC INTEGRTIY George Mason University Academic Policies George Mason University policies are in effect. All your work must be your own, unless the instructor for this course authorizes collaboration, in which case you must, in writing, acknowledge the help you have received. Presenting as one's own the words, ideas, or expression of another in any form is cheating through plagiarism, and will not be tolerated. The claim of ignorance is no excuse. Honor Code: The Honor Code Policy endorsed by members of the Department of Public and International Affairs relative to the types of academic work indicated below is set out in the appropriate paragraphs. 1. Quizzes, tests, and examinations. No help may be given or received by you during the taking of quizzes, tests, or examinations, whatever the type or wherever taken, unless the instructor specifically permits deviation from this standard. 2. Course Requirements. All work, submitted in fulfillment of course requirements, is to be solely the product of the individual(s) whose name(s) appears on it. Except with permission of the instructor, no recourse is to be had to projects, papers, lab reports or any other written work previously prepared by another student, and except with permission of the instructor. No paper or work of another type submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of another course may be used a second time to satisfy a requirement in the Department of Public and International Affairs. No assistance is to be obtained from commercial organizations that sell or lease research help or written papers. With respect to all written work as appropriate, proper footnotes and attributions are required. 3. Required Reading. A signed pledge that reading required for a course has been completed may be made a condition of receiving credit in this course. Inability to sign the pledge when required on the final exam will result in the assignment of a grade of "I." VI. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office. VII. ADD/DROP and WITHDRAWAL: The deadlines for courses that last the whole semester are given below. These dates differ for courses that meet less than the full semester. See the Schedule of Classes for those dates. Last Day to Drop with no tuition penalty is September 3rd Final Drop Deadline September 27 th The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 7

8 Summary of Class Schedule and Assignment Due Dates Week Date Topic Assignment Due One 8/29 Introduction and Overview Two 9/5 Historical Overview Analysis 1: Historical Event Description Three 9/12 Role of Nonprofits in Society Analysis 2: The rationale and role of 4 nonprofits Four 9/19 Starting a Nonprofit and Developing Strategy for Success Paper 1 due at by 4:30 ( the paper) Five 9/26 Accountability Ethics and Trust Analysis 3: Accountability/ethics case Current Event Six 10/3 Board and Executive Current Event Governance Seven 10/10 Performance and Evaluation Current Event Eight 10/17 PRESENTATIONS Paper 2 due by 4:30 ( the paper) Nine 10/24 Donations and Foundation Grants Ten 10/31 Government Grants and Contracts Current Event Eleven 11/7 Earned Revenue Current Event Twelve 11/14 Advocacy and Lobbying Analysis 4.Kony 2012 Current Event Thirteen 11/21 Managing Staff and Volunteers Fourteen 11/28 NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING Fifteen 12/5 PRESENTATIONS and Wrap up Paper 3 due by 4:30 ( the paper) The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 8

9 Resource Guide for the Nonprofit Sector (Selected Resources) Newspapers/Journals Practitioner-Oriented Chronicle of Philanthropy Nonprofit Quarterly Nonprofit Times Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) Journals Research-Oriented Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ) Nonprofit Management and Leadership (NML) Nonprofit Policy Forum Voluntas E-Newsletters - National Blue Avocado IS Daily Media Digest (Independent Sector) NPQ s Nonprofit Newswire (Nonprofit Quarterly) Philanthropy News Digest (Foundation Center) Philanthropy Today Daily Update from the Chronicle of Philanthropy E-Newsletters Local Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington E-Newsletter WG Daily (Washington Grantmakers) National Organizations Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) BoardSource Council on Foundations Foundation Center Independent Sector International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR) National Council of Nonprofits Nonprofit Finance Fund Local Organizations Center for Nonprofit Advancement (CNA) Foundation Center Library Washington, DC Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation Nonprofit NoVA (affiliate of the Nonprofit Roundtable) Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP) Washington Grantmakers Young Nonprofit Professionals Network DC (YNPNdc) The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 9

10 Statistics on the Nonprofit Sector Foundation Center Giving USA GuideStar Listening Post Project at Johns Hopkins University, Center for Civil Society Studies National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute Nonprofit Almanac Job Openings Chronicle of Philanthropy Idealist.org Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington E-Newsletter WG Daily YNPNdc Indexes to Nonprofit Research Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (Foundation Center): The Nonprofit Sector: A Research Handbook, second edition Philanthropic Studies Index (Indiana University Center on Philanthropy) Blogs Beth s Blog Beth Kanter Cohen Report Rick Cohen A Fine Blog Allison Fine Huffington Post contributions on nonprofits and philanthropy Philanthropy 2173 Lucy Bernholz White Courtesy Telephone Albert Ruesga and others The syllabus is subject to adjustments as the course progresses. 10