Nonprofit Management: Principles and Practices, Fourth Edition
Michael J. Worth
SUGGESTED SYLLABI
Three sample syllabi are below. Two syllabi are shown for a 14-week course, one meeting once per week and the other meeting twice per week. A third syllabus is suggested for a 6-week course, which assumes a comparable number of class hours but a compressed reading schedule.
The first 14-week syllabus is similar to that used by the author in teaching a 14-week graduate course, meeting once per week. It provides for sessions that may be used for evaluation, discussion of cases, guest speakers, or other activities. It assumes that the instructor might assign reading of the final three chapters of the book selectively, as determined by the composition and interests of the class, for example, depending on whether students have an international perspective or an interest in social entrepreneurship or in advocacy and lobbying.
The second 14-week syllabus is similar to the first except that the reading is assigned for each of the 28 class meetings. Whether to devote one or two sessions to specific topics, as indicated in the syllabus, will depend on the instructor’s judgment and preference.
The 6-week syllabus topics generally follow the sections of the text, with a final session allowing for evaluation, discussion, or other activities. This syllabus assumes a meeting once a week for six weeks, but could easily be divided into two meetings per week.
All three syllabi assume that the first class meeting will include primarily introductions, a course overview, and general opening comments by the instructor, with no reading having been assigned in advance. In a 6-week session, the instructor’s opening session likely will be extended and move into some of the material assigned for reading subsequent to the first class meeting.
Syllabus #1
(14 weeks, one meeting per week)
Session / Topic / Assigned Chapters1 / Introductions, Course Overview, Opening Remarks
2 / Nonprofit Management, The Nonprofit Sector, and Theories / 1-–3
3 / Governing and Leading Nonprofit Organizations / 4-–5
4 / Accountability and Performance / 6
5 / Evaluation/case discussion/guest speaker/other activityCase Discussion/Guest Speaker/Other Activity
6 / Strategy, Capacity, Collaborations, Partnerships, and Mergers / 7-–8
7 / Managing Staff and Service Volunteers / 9
8 / Marketing, Communication, Advocacy, and Lobbying / 10-–11
9 / Financial Management and Philanthropic Fund-Raising / 12-–13
10 / Evaluation/case discussion/guest speaker/other activityCase Discussion/Guest Speaker/Other Activity
11 / Earned Income Strategies / 14
12 / Optional: Government Grants and Contracts/ Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation/International Organizations / 15-–17
13 / Optional: Government Grants and Contracts/ Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation/International Organizations / 15-–17
14 / Evaluation, Closing Discussion, Closing Remarks
Syllabus #2
(14 weeks, two meetings per week)
Session / Topic / Assigned Chapters1 / Introductions, Course Overview, Opening Remarks
2 / Introduction to Nonprofit Management / 1
3 / The Nonprofit Sector / 2
4-–5 / Theories of Nonprofit Organizations / 3
6-–7 / Nonprofit Governing Boards / 4
8-–9 / Executive Leadership / 5
10 / Evaluation/case discussion/guest speaker/other activityCase Discussion/Guest Speaker/Other Activity
11-–12 / Accountability and Performance Measurement / 6
13 / Strategy Development and Building Capacity / 7
14-–15 / Collaborations, Partnerships, and Mergers / 8
16 / Managing Staff and Service Volunteers / 9
17-–18 / Marketing and Communication / 10
19 - –20 / Advocacy and Lobbying / 11
21 / Evaluation/case discussion/guest speaker/other activityCase Discussion/Guest Speaker/Other Activity
22 / Financial Management / 12
23 / Philanthropic Fund-Raising / 13
24-–25 / Earned Income Strategies / 14
26 / Optional: Government Grants and Contracts/ Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation/ International and Global Organizations / 15-–17
27 / Optional: Government Grants and Contracts/ Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation/International and Global Organizations / 15-–17
28 / Evaluation, Closing Discussion, Closing Remarks
Syllabus #3
(6-week)
Session / Topic / Assigned Chapters1 / Introductions, Course Overview, Opening Remarks
2 / Nonprofit Management, The Nonprofit Sector, and Theories of Nonprofit Organizations / 1-–3
3 / Governing and Leading Nonprofit Organizations / 4-–5
4 / Managing the Nonprofit Organizations / 6-–11 (Optional:17)
5 / Obtaining and Managing Resources / 12-–15
6 / a) Optional: Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation
b) Evaluation, Closing Discussion, Closing Remarks / 16