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1 Course Syllabus Page 1 (Draft- subject to change) The 21st Century Nonprofit Leader: Building a Sustainable Resource Engine Management 353 (4 units) Summer 2012 Instructor Information Name: Sarah Smith-Orr Faculty Support: Kathy Holden Phone: Phone: [email protected] [email protected] Office Location: Kravis Center 454, CMC Location: Burkle upper level, east end Office Hours: By appointment Course Schedule Semester: Summer 2012 Meeting day, time: Saturdays, 9:00 am 4:00 pm, May 19- June 30 Course Location: Burkle Building, Room (TBD) Course Summary As the nonprofit/social sector has evolved, the task of developing and managing resources has grown more complex, into a demanding and highly sophisticated endeavor. Leaders of nonprofit/social sector organizations, the professional staff in conjunction with the board of directors who have governance responsibilities, must devote significant levels of time, energy and resources to not just survive but thrive in a dynamic, competitive environment. Nonprofit/social sector organizations are distinctive from business enterprise organizations. They exist to make a difference in society, in the life of the individual, for the sake of their mission. This commitment to serving a social mission guides their decision-making and defines their success. Yet, like all enterprises, they must make strategic decisions about governance, people, processes/procedures and key relationships; about developing and allocating financial resources and marketing their programs and services. These decisions must be made with a goal of economic viability. Organizations must also sell their mission and approach, not only to consumers, but also to potential donors, investors, volunteers, third party payers, and potential business partners/collaborators. Selling the mission inherently includes the capacity to measure organizational/program outcomes as to their effectiveness and funding potential. This course will delve into leadership theory, effective governance practices and the development of resources, exploring and testing methods designed to create a sustainable nonprofit/social sector organization.

2 Course Syllabus Page 2 Teaching Goals and Approach The objective of this course is to lay a leadership and management foundation in the defined subject areas for those who are, or will be, executives from the nonprofit/social or public sectors and/or business or community leaders serving on nonprofit boards. The course not only covers key areas within nonprofit leadership, governance, and resource development, but will also provide an understanding of the overlapping, integrative nature of these areas. Resource development will include various means and methods of raising funds utilizing proven customer and marketing strategies. A case statement and funding proposal will be completed, through a team project, for an actual organization identified by the instructor. As an exception it may be possible for a student to request to develop a proposal for a nonprofit organization of their choice, but the request must have the instructor s approval in advance. An element of the course is the involvement of student interactions with nonprofit leaders in problem-solving activities through guest presentations and limited case projects. The case projects are designed to provide real-life experience that contributes to the selected organizations while providing a contextual laboratory for study. Students will serve on teams, each working with an assigned organization and its leadership using a proven organizational assessment model as a means to produce a collaborative strategic recommendation. The recommendation will suggest strategic activities and, depending upon the real-life situations provided, define governance opportunities, assess donor possibilities and strategies, generate appropriate grant proposals and define evaluation appropriate processes/systems. The result will be coordinated in its packaging and presentation, during the final class session, to the leadership of the nonprofit involved with each team. Philosophical bases, applicable historical contexts, leadership and management theory, as well as best practices will be provided, primarily through mini-lectures, readings, case studies, and the involvement of guest experts. Case studies will be utilized to expand students application of management models and their understanding of issues faced by nonprofit leaders through the use of study questions and team problem solving activities. Required Texts Aaker, Jennifer and Smith, Andy with Adler, Carlye (2010).The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways to Use Social Media to Drive Social Change. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint). Andresen, Katya (2006). Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint).

3 Course Syllabus Page 3 Chait, Richard, Ryan William, and Taylor, Barbara (2005). Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards. (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) Drucker, Peter and Leader to Leader Institute (2008). The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass). Klein, Kim (2009). Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable Times: What Good Causes Need to Know to Survive and Thrive. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass). Vandeventer, Paul and Mandell Myrna (2007). Networks that Work. (Los Angeles: Community Partners). Optional Note: In some cases, selected chapters of the books listed below will be included in session readings. BoardSource (2007). The Nonprofit Board Answer Book: A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives. (Washington: BoardSource). Bowen, William G., When a Business Leader Joins a Nonprofit Board, HBR, (September- October 1994). Connolly, Paul (2006). Navigating the Organizational Lifecycle: A Capacity-Building Guide for Nonprofit Leaders. (Washington: BoardSource). Crutchfield, Leslie R. & Grant, Heather McLeod (2008). Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits. Drucker, Peter (2001). Managing the Nonprofit Organization. (New York: HarperCollins Publishers). Herman, Robert D. & Associates (2005). The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass). Hesselbein, Frances, Marchall Goldsmith and Iain Somerville, Eds. (1999). Leading Beyond the Walls. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.), McFarlan, F. Warren, Working on Nonprofit Boards: Don t Assume the Shoe Fits, HBR (November-December, 1999).

4 Course Syllabus Page 4 Orr, Sarah Smith, and Ronald Riggio, Eds., (2003) Improving Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations, (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.). Panas, Jerold (2002). Asking: A 59-Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Volunteers, and Staff Must Know to Secure the Gift, Paperback. (Medfield: Emerson & Church, Publishers). Porter, Michael E., and Mark R. Kramer, Philanthropy s New Agenda: Creating Value, HBR (November-December 1999). Seltzer, Michael (2001). Securing Your Organization s Future: A Complete Guide to Fundraising Strategies, Revised and Expanded Edition. (New York: The Foundation Center) Strauss, David (2002). How to Make Collaboration Work: Powerful Ways to Build Consensus, Solve Problems, and Make Decisions. (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.) Course Learning Outcomes At the completion of the course, students will Understand basic nonprofit/social leadership and governance principles and practices. Expand their understanding of the various roles the nonprofit leader is responsible and held accountable for leader, follower, collaborator, strategist, communicator/marketer, developer and manager of resources and an evaluator of programs. Be familiar with the basic principles of motivating/leading people in the nonprofit sector i.e., motivation of volunteers, working with boards/trustees, and development of effective and ethical staff/board relationships. Explore and utilize fund development tools for building and sustaining a financial base. Understand the interconnectedness/overlapping nature of governance and fund development. Be familiar with the basic literature in the field and with the resources for obtaining further information. Have experienced a variety of approaches to group learning and problem solving including the use of The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About your Organization (Peter F. Drucker and Leader to Leader Institute) for the team work in real-life problem solving situations. Develop team skills in project development and presentation. Be acquainted with leadership and management issues within the nonprofit/social organization.

5 Course Syllabus Page 5 Course Requirements & Assignments Pre-course Work an electronically transmitted memorandum will be sent to each registered student requesting a one-page response with the student s name as a header, to the instructor containing the following information: the student s experience in or with a nonprofit organization one they know best; their role with/in the organization; a brief profile of the organization and, from the student s perspective, a list of the nonprofit s organizational challenges internal and external with particular focus on the board and/or fund raising. Or if the student doesn't have an experience of that nature, select an issue related to nonprofit governance or fundraising that has appeared in the news within the past year and present your perspective on that issue. This is due prior to the first class session, at the latest by May 15, 2012; submit electronically to [email protected]. Please put the words "Pre-Course Work" in the subject line. Class Day Assignments each student will be expected to complete the reading assignments before class. You should be prepared to discuss in class, a set of study questions, related to the assigned readings and posted on Sakai. Note: There are readings for the first session. Action Memo As the executive director of a nonprofit organization, write a memo to your board chair alerting her or him to an issue that you feel needs your collective attention. It may relate to governance, policy, financial, funding or program issue or to an external issue you feel will impact your organization. Guidelines for writing an action memo will be provided. The memo is to be transmitted, electronically, to the professor (TBD). Project Each student will serve on a project team, with each team working with an assigned organization and its leadership using a proven organizational assessment model as a means to produce a collaborative strategic recommendation. The recommendation will suggest strategic activities and as appropriate, governance opportunities, identify customer markets and tactics, assess donor possibilities and approaches, generate appropriate grant proposals and define evaluation processes/systems. Each team s work will be coordinated in its packaging and presentation, during the last class session. A copy of the final presentation is to be submitted by the team for final credit within one week following the final session. Attendance Students are encouraged to attend all classes. As a matter of courtesy, if you are unable to attend class, you must or phone the Professor before class. If you miss more than one class in a 7-week course or two classes in a 14-week course, you will be marked as absent for the entire course (no exceptions) and will need to retake the course.

6 Course Syllabus Page 6 Scientific and Professional Ethics The work you do in this course must be your own. Feel free to build on, react to, criticize, and analyze the ideas of others but, when you do, make it known by referencing your sources. You must explicitly acknowledge when your work builds on someone else's ideas, including ideas of classmates, professors, and authors you read. If you ever have questions about drawing the line between others' work and your own, ask the course professor who will give you guidance. While we encourage students to form study groups, any piece of individual assessment must be completed independently. Recycling assignments submitted by students in your class, students in other classes, or students who have previously taken the class or recycling assignments you find in external sources such as the Internet will not be tolerated and will automatically receive a grade of zero. You will also face possible expulsion from the program. Students with Disabilities Claremont Graduate University is committed to offering auxiliary aids and services to students with verifiable disabilities, in compliance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of To ensure that individual needs are addressed, students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students. Grading Course Requirements and Performance Evaluation: All members of the class are expected to study each of the assigned readings and be prepared to participate in class dialogue focused around the study questions posed for each class session. Preparation for and attendance in class are critically important. In addition, each student will be asked to complete the assignments listed above either individually or as a member of a team. Performance will be evaluated based on the following composite criteria: Grading Weight Pre-course Assignment 5% Class Participation, Case Study, and Study Question Dialogue 35% Action Memo to Board Chair 15% Team Project 45% Grading/scoring rubrics for class participation and the action memo, as well as the team projects, are presented as an addendum to this syllabus.

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