Syllabus for Introduction to Nonprofits

The Syllabus for Introduction to Nonprofits has not been officially approved yet, but I don't expect any major changes. I tried to accommodate most of the very helpful comments.

This will be a class offering a broad fairly comprehensive overview, with time unfortunately not permitting a lot of depth.

From the Syllabus:

Students will gain a general understanding of the roles and functions of nonprofit organizations in the US and in New Mexico. In the first half of the semester, the course will cover the legal, regulatory, policy and ethical aspects of the nonprofit sector, as well as the major nonprofit theories. The second half will cover issues of organizational development and management, including resource development, financial management, HR, strategic planning, collaborations, program development and volunteer management.

We will suggest additional resources and literature on each of the topics. And we will take a lot of notes that will inform the development of the future WNMU Nonprofit Management Certificate and degree programs.

Charlie Alfero and I will co-teach the class, with the help of some wonderful guest speakers.

No quizzes, no exams, but a bunch of empirical research and writing assignments are expected. As is attendance and participation in the class/group work: To cut down on sleep inducing lecture time, Charlie has thought up a group exercise that will be continued throughout the semester, at each session: we will create a mock nonprofit - based on a community priority setting exercise, go through the start-up stages, put together a board, a strategic plan, work on developing a program, an organizational budget, and discuss most of the class topics (see below) as they apply to our class-created nonprofit organization.

We are hoping for a diverse group of students that will allow for peer learning. Some new to the nonprofit world, some with practical experience in a few areas, and some bringing expertise from the business and government sectors.

The course will be beneficial to people already in the NPO workforce who feel they never got the big picture, and educational for Social and Political Science students trying to understand the role of nonprofits in our society, as well as informative for anyone aiming at a career in the sector.

Here's the schedule (starting January 12, each Tuesday 5:30-815 pm)

Session	Date	Theme
1	Jan 12	Introduction
2	Jan 19	Ethics
3	Jan 26	Governance
4	Feb 2	Nonprofit Theories
5	Feb9	Policy and Regulatory Issues
6	Feb16	Social Innovation and other functions
7	Feb 23	Strategic Planning
8	Mar 2	Organizational Stages
	Mar 9	Spring Recess
9	Mar 16	Management
10	Mar 23	Revenues and Resources I
11	Mar 30	Revenues and Resources II
12	Apr 06	Financial Management I
13	Apr 13	Financial Management II
14	Apr 27	Volunteerism and Volunteer Management
15	May 4	Program Development
16	May 11	Program Management
17	May 18	Collaboration

More input on our class "Introduction to Nonprofits"

Thanks to all of you who have left comments here. All this is very helpful, and we will try to cover all of your items. Stay tuned for the class outline, I will post it here shortly.

Following are some more ideas and suggestions I received via email, and i wanted to share them here:

DC:
Sounds fabulous and just what I am looking for. I would like to see covered in this class: successful grant language, non-profit sustainability, the nuts and bolts of a non-profit organization's infrastructure, successful staffing and daily function of the n-p, dos and dont's, and basic accounting issues -- i.e. what to watch out for. I will sign up!

FM:
I would suggest some focus on the following regarding nonprofit finances:

1) Planning to make a profit on events rather than planning to break even
(The event was fun and we made some money too!)
2) Planning out and creating a reserve fund for the organization
(The crisis is being handled through our reserve fund!)
3) Having a system in place for handling cash
(There is no money missing or unaccounted for!)
4) Having a checks and balances system for handling the nonprofit's funds
(The opportunity for embezzlement is not an option!)

NP:
Two areas I suggest some discussion around:
1) Ethics in nonprofit organizations
2) Nonprofit organizations modeling after successful for-profits in these areas: accounting, board development, marketing and human resources.
I also wonder if you will discuss the term “social profit” replacing the term “non-profit”.

EB:
I recently wrote a response to a sociological piece that highlighted the success of a collaborative effort between university, for-profit and non-profit sectors....essentially, my critique was this---non- profits must be in the business of putting themselves out of business. This would be what a piece of what I'd like to see in the course....not letting bureaucracy (and the money from those who have helped to created the problems non-profits are addressing) get the best of us.

AJ:
Having been through all the struggles of setting up a new non-profit, I do have a couple of ideas for you. First of all, walking people through the process of incorporation in NM and getting federal non-profit status would be helpful. I found it extremely daunting! Most of all, once that was done, I wish the state and the feds would send out a list of what is expected of non-profits once they’re created: reporting obligations, obtaining CRS numbers, and rules re: issuing non-taxable transaction certificates. I have had to stumble my way through all of these things and wish I had had access to a course such as the one you are planning! Good luck with it.

NC:
I have three major issues. I'm sure you know all of them! But I'll put them out there anyway...
1. Make sure the nonprofit organization is needed. Identify the constituency and determine what it's lacking. This is a chicken and egg question: which comes first? And there's no doubt that the need/target group may shift over the life of the organization. But I still think needs assessment is a vital first step.
2. Be realistic about funding. Develop a business plan and stick to it. Do not guess about revenues (amount and source).
3. Create the ideal Board of Directors. The mix of skills and temperaments both to recruit the Exec. Director, oversee the operation, solicit funds, and represent the mission.

EZ:
Given the usual requirements, i.e., knowledge of IRS requirements, audits, etc....I think I might recommend the "philosophical" piece. Maybe not so much a philosophical view, but, the visionary aspect and other reasons that someone would consider entering the nonprofit management sector.

Introduction to Nonprofits

This spring semester, Western New Mexico University will offer, for the first time, a class on the nonprofit sector. It will be provided at the Junior (300) level through the Sociology and Political Science Departments. It's open to anyone from the community who wants to attend and beef up their understanding of the sector.

The class is the first step in a process to develop a nonprofit management certificate program, and ultimately a master's level degree program.

It is also an example of a community education institution responding to a community need.... in this case, the difficulty nonprofit employers are experiencing in hiring competent staff, paired with the realization that the sector employs 10% or more of the local workforce, and there is no relevant training available locally. Look around and add to that the average age of nonprofit leadership in our area, and it will become obvious that we'll need to prepare the next generation for the sector.

Fortunately, there are hundreds of nonprofit management degree programs all over the country, and we don't have to reinvent the wheel. As I am putting together the curriculum, however, I would like to hear from NM nonprofit workers, employers, volunteers, and board members which specific skills and knowledge areas they'd like to see covered. Please submit comments to this post. I will post more details on the curriculum shortly.

PS: The class will meet on Tuesdays from 5:30-8:15 p.m. , Silver City campus, starting January 12th, 2010.