Nonprofit Administration

Courses are offered in 7-week terms throughout the year.

A typical plan of study takes about two years to complete, with students taking one 7-week course at a time. Some opt for a slower pace, completing the program in four years.

Grant Writing and Fundraising

This course will prepare students to pursue funding opportunities for nonprofit organizations. Event planning, social media campaigns and other activities of fundraising will be covered as well as an introduction into grant writing. Students will apply their learning with projects from their real-life work.

Nonprofit Law

This course provides and overview of the law as it relates to the nonprofit sector, specifically focusing on issues in tax, business entity, contract, and employment law. Emphasis will be placed on topics such as applying for and maintaining nonprofit status, structuring operations and joint ventures, and fiduciary duties.

Students will choose additional courses from:

• Public Relations
  This course will introduce the field of public relations and equip students with the tools they need to make wise, timely, and tactically sound decisions when in leadership roles, particularly in the public and nonprofit sector. Students will learn to identify their target audience and its characteristics while tailoring effective messaging which makes strategic use of varied media, including print, broadcast, electronic, trade, and social media. Emphasis will be placed on ethical practice and how values can shape an organizations relationship with its publics through case studies and other course assignments.
• Project Management
  This course provides students with the principles and techniques of project management. Focus will be given to event and planning implementation as well as an exploration of technological tools available to assist in project management. Students will also learn about and apply theories of organizational change in the context of project management.
• Crisis Intervention
  This course will introduce students to a new and growing field of literature on crisis intervention. Special attention will be paid to mental health issues, emergency preparedness and other crises that require coordinated responses and intervention. Students will learn about and apply best practices in crisis intervention in an organizational setting. Students will think critically about the role of the nonprofit and public sector in the community in times of crisis.
• Government and Bureaucracy
  This course will study the development of public policy through political process. This involves a study of the theories behind public policy as well as a study of the various actors in the formation process. Special emphasis will be focused on the challenges of democratic governance as policy works from proposal to legislation, implementation, regulation, and evaluation.
• Nonprofit Administration and Organizational Theory
  This course will focus on administrative matters that are often unique to the nonprofit sector. Students will explore the nonprofit sector as a reflection of civil society creation and development. Topics such as volunteer management, commitment to mission and other management areas will be addressed.