Julia Sass Rubin Bloustein School 544 848-932-2967 jlsrubin@rutgers.edu
Fall Office Hours: Wednesdays 1 to 3, by appointment
Non-Profit Management 10:762:362 and 10:832:362.
Wednesdays 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM
Scott Hall 114
Course Description
This course will apply management concepts and approaches to nonprofit organizations. The course will
emphasize the challenges faced by managers of nonprofit organizations in this period of resource scarcity. It
also will examine the impact that the increasingly blurred boundaries between the nonprofit, public, and forprofit sectors are having on the management of nonprofits. Course materials will integrate both theoretical and
applied research and writing on this topic and a few cases based on the real world experience of managers.
Requirements and Grading
Course participants will be expected to actively participate in class discussions; answer in writing weekly
thought questions; prepare a research presentation; and evaluate presentations made by some of their
classmates.
Class Participation
Because this is a seminar, active and informed participation in class discussions is critical and will count for
35% of the grade. It is difficult to participate if you’re not in class, so participation will include attendance.
Each class participant will be allowed one absence. Any additional absences, with the exception of those
caused by emergencies, will result in a three-point reduction off the total grade. Anyone who knows in
advance that s/he will miss class must let the professor know as soon as possible.
Thought Questions
The thought questions will count for 40 percent of the grade. By one p.m. on the Tuesday prior to each
class, please upload to the course Sakai site written answers to that week’s thought questions. These should
reflect the fact that you have read and thought about all the readings for a given week. They should not be a
summary of the readings. Rather, they are your opportunity to integrate the readings and are meant to be
analytical. For weeks when a case study is assigned, the questions will draw on case study materials as well
as the readings. Please remember to put your name at the top of your submission.
In-Class Presentation
The presentation will be worth 35% of the grade. It is an oral version of a research paper that should last 10
to 15 minutes and can be on any topic related to class content (see the last page of this syllabus). The
presentations will be graded on both the quality of the research and of the presentation itself.
 Midnight, Wed, October 16th:
One page topic proposal uploaded to Sakai
th
 Midnight, Wed, November 13 :
Two to three page presentation outline uploaded to Sakai
 Midnight, Wed, December 11th:
Videotaped presentation uploaded to Sakai
 Midnight, Wed, December 18th:
Feedback on presentations uploaded to Sakai
Readings
With the exception of the Jossey–Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, 3rd Edition,
which can be purchased in the Rutgers bookstore or online, and is on reserve at Alexander Library, all the
readings are available on Sakai (https://sakai.rutgers.edu/portal). They are in a folder titled Nonprofit
Management Fall 2013, under the modules tab. The first few weeks of the Jossey-Bass Handbook readings
also are available in the Sakai folder, to give you time to purchase the book. Use of the cases may involve a
small fee.
The Rutgers University policy on academic integrity and plagiarism is available at:
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml#I
Week 1: September 4
Introduction
Week 2: September 11
NO CLASS MEETING
UPLOAD ASSIGNMENT TO SAKAI BY NOON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Understanding the Nonprofit Environment
 Peter Dobkin-Hall, “Historical Perspectives on Nonprofit Organizations in the United States,” The
Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd edition, Chapter 1.
 Lester Salamon, The Changing Context of Nonprofit Leadership and Management,” The Jossey-Bass
Handbook, 3rd edition, Chapter 3.
 Rick Cohen, Elephant (Still) in the Room: States’ Budget Crises Loom over Nonprofits, Social Services,
The Nonprofit Quarterly, March 15, 2012
____________________________________________
Week 3: September 18
The Role of Nonprofits and the Importance of Mission
 Sharon M. Oster, “The Mission of the Nonprofit Organization,” Strategic Management for Nonprofit
Organizations, 1995, pp. 17-28.
 Joan Roelofs, “The Third Sector as a Protective Layer for Capitalism,” The Nonprofit Quarterly, Fall
2006, pp. 18-21.
 Peter Buffet, The Charitable-Industrial Complex, The New York Times, July 26, 2013.
 Anthony Cody, “Prisons, Post Offices and Public Schools: Some Things Should Not Be For Profit,”
Education Week, August 18, 2013.
 Michael Edwards, Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World, 2010. Introduction.
____________________________________________
Week 4: September 25
Board of Directors and Organizational Governance
 David O. Renz, “Leadership, Governance, and the Work of the Board,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd
Edition, Chapter 5.
 Richard P. Chait and Barbara E. Taylor, “Charting the Territory of Nonprofit Boards, Harvard Business
Review, No 89101.
 Judith Milleson, “Who Owns Your Nonprofit?” The Nonprofit Quarterly, September 21, 2002.
Case: Dissolution or Survival: The University of Bridgeport and the Unification Church
____________________________________________
Week 5: October 2
Executive Leadership
 Robert D. Herman, “Executive Leadership,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd edition, Chapter 6.
 Tim Wolfred, “Stepping Up: A Board’s Challenge in Leadership Transition,” The Nonprofit Quarterly,
Summer 2005, supplement, pp. 1-5.
 Karen Gaskins Jones, Preparing an Organization to Sustain Capable Leadership, The Nonprofit
Quarterly, Spring 2007, pp. 69-71.
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Week 6: October 9
Managing, Motivating and Keeping Employees and Volunteers
 Sharon M. Oster, “Human Resource Management,” Strategic Management for Nonprofit Organizations,
1995, pp. 65-74.
 Mary R. Watson and Rikki Abzug, “Effective Human Resources Practices,” The Jossey-Bass
Handbook, 3rd edition, Chapter 24, Read pp. 669-675 and 699-702 only.
 Jeffrey L. Brudney, “Designing and Managing Volunteer Programs,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd
edition, Chapter 26.
 Susan Kinzie, “Number of Volunteers has Grown Despite Recession, Study Says,” The Washington
Post, June 15, 2010.
___________________________________________
Week 7: October 16
The Challenge of Government Contracts
 Steven Rathgeb Smith, “Managing the Challenges of Government Contracts,” The Jossey-Bass
Handbook, 3rd edition, Chapter 21.
 William P. Ryan, The New Landscape for Nonprofits, Harvard Business Review, pp. 127-136.
 Chao Guo, “Government Funding and Community Representation on Nonprofit Boards: The Bargain
We Strike,” The Nonprofit Quarterly, February 20, 2008.
UPLOAD PRESENTATION TOPIC PROPOSAL TO SAKAI BY MIDNIGHT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16th
____________________________________________
Week 8: October 23
Fundraising
 Dennis R. Young, Nonprofit Finance: Developing Nonprofit Resources,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook,
3rd edition, Chapter 18.
 Robert E. Fogal, “Designing and Managing the Fundraising Program,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd
edition, Chapter 19.
 Editors, “The Enduring Connection: Individual Donors and Nonprofit Organizations,” The Nonprofit
Quarterly, Summer 2005.
____________________________________________
Week 9: October 30
Creative Revenue Generation and Social Enterprise
 Scott T. Helm, “Social Enterprise and Nonprofit Ventures,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd edition,
Chapter 20.
 Greg Dees, “Enterprising Nonprofits,” Harvard Business Review, January 1998, 55-67.
 William Foster and Jeffrey Bradach, Should Nonprofits Seek Profits? Harvard Business Review,
February 2005, Volume 83, Issue 2.
 Sharon M. Oster, Charles M. Gray and Charles Weinberg, “To Fee or Not to Fee,” (And Related
Questions), The Nonprofit Quarterly, Summer 2004, pp. 31-35.
____________________________________________
Week 10: November 6
Marketing and Public Relations
 Brenda Gainer, “Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd edition,
Chapter 11.
 Kathy Bonk, “Strategic Communications,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd edition, Chapter 12.
 Carlo M. Cuesta and Padraic Lillis, “Your Promise is Your Brand: How to Work It,” The Nonprofit
Quarterly, September 21, 2005.
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Week 11: November 13
Partnerships, Mergers and Collaborations
 John A. Yankey and Carol K. Willen, “Collaboration and Strategic Alliances,” The Jossey-Bass
Handbook, 3rd edition, Chapter 14.
 Francie Ostrower, The Reality Underneath the Buzz of Partnerships: The Potentials and Pitfalls of
Partnering. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2005, pp. 34-41
 Stephanie Strom, Charities Trying Mergers to Improve Bottom Line,” The New York Times, November
11, 2007
UPLOAD PRESENTATION OUTLINE TO SAKAI BY MIDNIGHT, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13th
____________________________________________
Week 12: November 20
Managing the External Environment
 Marcia Avner, “Advocacy, Lobbying, and Social Change,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd edition,
Chapter 13.
 Tim Delaney, Substantial Activity: Building Nonprofit Political Heft, The Nonprofit Quarterly, Winter
2008, pp.50-53
 Susie Brown, “Squeamish Nonprofit Boards: How to Move Them to the Big Policy Questions,” The
Nonprofit Quarterly, March 6, 2012.
____________________________________________
Week 13: December 4
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Nonprofit Organizations
 John Clayton Thomas, “Outcome Assessment and Program Evaluation,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook,
3rd edition, Chapter 15.
 Vic Murray, “Evaluating the Effectiveness of Nonprofit Organizations,” The Jossey-Bass Handbook, 3rd
edition, Chapter 16.
____________________________________________
Week 14: December 11
NO CLASS MEETING - UPLOAD PRESENTATION TO SAKAI BY MIDNIGHT, WED, DECEMBER 11th
____________________________________________
Week 15: December 18
NO CLASS MEETING - UPLOAD PRESENTATION EVALUATIONS TO SAKAI BY MIDNIGHT,
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18th
____________________________________________
Guest Speakers, Bloustein School, Room 112 (Please email me if you are planning to attend either one)
Tuesday, October 22, 11:30 to 12:30
Topic: Fundraising
 Barbara Reisman, Executive Director, The Schumann Fund for New Jersey
Tuesday, November 19, 11:30 to 12:30
Topic: Partnerships, Mergers and Collaborations
 Gregory Stankiewicz – Chief Operating Officer, New Jersey Community Capital
 Jeff Crum – Director of Real Estate, Community Asset Preservation Corporation
 Sharon Krengel – Policy and Outreach Coordinator, Education Law Center
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