Introduction to Nonprofit Management (PUAD 505) Thursdays 4:30-7:10
Founders Hall 311 Fall 2013 3 credits
Professor Lehn M. Benjamin
3434 North Washington Blvd (SRA Building), Room 5038 Office Hours: Thursdays 2-4p.m.
e-mail: [email protected] phone: 703-993-8240
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.
COURSE MATERIAL
Text. Herman, Robert and Associates. 2010. 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: http://www.case.hks.harvard.edu/search.asp. To access cases from the Harvard Business School go to: http://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/cases.
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, 2011. Light, Paul C. “Nonprofit-like” Tongue Twister or Aspiration? The Nonprofit Quarterly, V. 8,
N. 2: 5-10.
In class we will view: http://www.ted.com/ (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 Required Reading:
Frumkin, Peter. 2002. On Being Nonprofit: A Conceptual and Policy Primer. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Chapter 1
Anheier, Helmut K. 2005. 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 Required Reading:
Tschirhart, Mary and Wolfgang Bieifleld. 2012. Managing Nonprofit Organizations. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Chapter 3 and 5
The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 2 and 17 Check out the IRS website
http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable-Organizations/Life-Cycle-of-a-Public-Charity
Phills, James A. 2004. The Sound of No Music. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2(2): 44-53.
Rangan, Kasturi V. 2004. Lofty Mission; Down to Earth Plans. Harvard Business Review. March: 12-119.
September 26th. Accountability, Ethics and Trust Required Reading:
The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 4&7 Kearns, Kevin P. 1996. Managing for Accountability: Preserving the Public Trust in Public
and Nonprofit Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Chapter 4 McCambridge, Ruth. 2005. 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:
http://www.independentsector.org/uploads/Accountability_Documents/Principles_Workbo ok.pdf
CASE: East Coast Orchestra’s Board of Trustees (Case Available on Blackboard) October 10th. Evaluation and Performance
Required Reading:
The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 15 & 16 Brest, Paul. 2003. What the Nonprofit Sector Can Learn from Home Improvements. The
Nonprofit Quarterly, Winter: 40-43.
CASE: Harlem Children’s Zone: HBS 9-303-109
October 17th: Papers Due and Management Problem Presentations
October 24th. Raising Philanthropic Donations and Grants Required Reading:
Wolf, Thomas. 1999. Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-First Century. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Inc. Chapter 8.
Dixon, Julie and Denise Keyes. 2013. The Permanent Disruption of Social Media. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Winter: 24-29.
Read: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/13/us/worst-charities/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
October 31st. Securing Government Support Required Reading:
The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 21 Sanfort, Jodi R. 2004. Trying to Dance to Syncopated Rhythm: The Dynamics of
Government Funding for Nonprofits. The Nonprofit Quarterly, Fall: 13-17.
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 Required Reading:
The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Chapter 20
Phills, James A and Victoria Chang. 2005. The Price of Commercial Success. Stanford Social Innovation Review; Spring: 3, 1: 64-73
Foster, William and Jeffrey Bradach. 2005. Should Nonprofit Seek Profits? Harvard Business Review, February: 1-9.
Oster, Sharon M., Charles M. Gray and Charles Weinberg. 2004. To Fee or Not to Fee? (And Related Questions). The Nonprofit Quarterly, Summer: 31-35.
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. 2007. Learning to Love Lobbying. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Spring. 56-63.
Analysis 4: 1-2 page Analysis of Kony 2012.
The Campaign. Invisible Children, the nonprofit that produced the video: Kony 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
Tracking the Impact. NYT article. Available on blackboard A critique http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/03/
201231284336601364.html. Also watch the embedded video.
After the fall out. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/03/jason-russell-kony-2012-interview
November 21st. Managing Staff, Volunteers, Members & Constituents Required Reading:
La Piana, David. 2010. 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 email 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 17th or December 5th.
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 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 8-12. 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: E-mail is the best way to communicate. If you do send an e-mail, 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:
90-92% A- 73-76% C
87-89% B+ 70-72% C-
83-86% 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 703.993.2474. 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 27th
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 (e-mail the paper)
Five 9/26 Accountability Ethics and Trust Analysis 3:
Accountability/ethics case
Current Event
Six 10/3 Board and Executive Governance
Current Event Seven 10/10 Performance and Evaluation Current Event Eight 10/17 PRESENTATIONS Paper 2 due by 4:30
(e-mail 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 (e-mail the paper)
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
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
