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Certificate in Sustainable Nonprofit Management:
Four-Course Curriculum
Continuing Education
School of Public and Nonprofit Administration
Grand Valley State University
Prepared by:
Bruce Nanzer
June 2009
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Continuing Education and the School of Public and Nonprofit Administration at Grand
Valley State University are considering the addition of a certificate program in
Sustainable Nonprofit Management. Previous research surveying public and nonprofit
managers has shown a level of interest in nonprofit sustainability sufficient to warrant
development of a curriculum to meet the requirements for such a certificate, this report
proposes a sequence of courses designed to satisfy these needs.
Interest Survey Findings
The study identified a level of interest high enough to move forward with the next stage
of development. The report also reveled most of the administrators surveyed were aware
of the role sustainability should play in organizational management, recognized the
importance of incorporating sustainability principles in administration, and expressed an
interest in instruction in the subject.
The study raised the following questions:
1. What subjects are most important in a curriculum for Sustainable Nonprofit
Management?
2. What subjects are of the most interest to potential students?
3. Beyond the subject areas identified in the study what additional areas should be
covered in curriculum?
4. Should future research on interest be conducted?
5. How should credit toward a certificate be awarded?
6. What courses should be offered to satisfy the requirements for a certificate in
Sustainable Nonprofit Management.
Following are responses to the above questions and a suggested four-course sequence
including topic areas covered and course objectives. Completion of this sequence will
provide a working knowledge of sustainability and how it can be applied to management
in the nonprofit sector.
What subjects are most important in a curriculum for Sustainable Nonprofit
Management?
Having gained acceptance in the for-profit sector sustainable business principles are
recognized as a process based management approach that ensures practicing
organizations economic viability while identifying and reducing environmental impacts
and promoting the welfare and interests of all stakeholders in the concern. In order to
provide students a working understanding of the principles a curriculum should provide;
a foundation of knowledge pertaining to the environmental, administrative, and
social concepts and/or theories relevant to the study of sustainability;
a grounding in the development of social capital and the potential (positive and
negative) impact of management decisions on communities inside and outside of
the organization;
an introduction to a variety of sustainable tools and programs available for
integration in the administration of modern nonprofit organizations;
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and, an understanding of how sustainability can be meaningfully incorporated into
organizational strategy, planning and decision making practices.
What subjects are of the most interest to potential students?
Survey responses revealed sustainable business practices, applying sustainability to
administration, developing social capital, and ethics as the areas of most interest to
potential students. The suggested course sequence addresses the first three interests
directly. Ethics should be considered a concept central to the understanding and
application of sustainability and would be a integral subject in all four classes.
Beyond the subject areas identified in the study what additional areas should be
covered in curriculum?
The course sequence suggests a number of concepts to be included in the instruction of
sustainability. The course descriptions each offer a number of topics relevant to the
subjects covered. Among them are Systems Theory, Change Management, and a number
of tools or programs available to managers seeking to incorporate sustainability.
Should future research on interest be conducted?
In recent years a sustainable business approach has gained recognition in the for-profit
sector and the recent study demonstrates awareness of the concept among the public and
nonprofit administrators surveyed. Also, a number of business schools are offering
courses, certificates, or degrees in sustainable business management. This report has
found no evidence of any programs offering sustainable management classes from the
nonprofit perspective while the study reported high awareness and interest in the subject.
Offering the certificate would place Grand Valley in the unique position of possibly
being the only university to offer a certificate/advanced study in Sustainable Nonprofit
Management.
As suggested the curriculum proposes a four-course sequence covering the concept of
sustainability applied to the management of nonprofit organizations and would be
appropriate for application in public sector organizations. Additional course offerings
may be required if interest in topics/subjects more specific to one of these sectors are
identified. For example, classes may be developed on sustainability focused financial
and/or accounting practices, environmental economics, sustainable development, or
social entrepreneurism.
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How should credit toward a certificate be awarded?
The Sustainable Nonprofit Management curriculum is presented as a four-course
sequence. Each course would carry a three credit load with approximately 45 in-class
hours. The certificate would require completion of all four classes or a total of 12 credit
hours.
What courses should be offered to satisfy the requirements for a certificate in
Sustainable Nonprofit Management?
Four-course sequence as follows:
Course One:
Introduction to Sustainability for Nonprofit Managers
This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of sustainable management in
nonprofit organizations. Focusing on the complex relationship between society,
organizations, and the natural environment the course will integrate historical and
contemporary thought leading to the development and implementation of the “triplebottom-line” management processes.
This course will provide an introduction/foundation in the concepts and historical
background relevant to the study and implementation of sustainable principles in the
management of nonprofit organizations. The course would be definition/concept driven
and provide the base knowledge for more advanced study of sustainability.
Subject areas
Sustainability concept/theories/issues
ethics
triple-bottom-line
competing goals: environmental, economic, and social
waste-to-energy
cradle to cradle
biomimicry
sustainable development
exploitation: environmental and social; local to global
o Systems Theory
Environmental theories/issues
environmental ethics
environmental justice
environmental management
• equilibrium
• natural systems
environmental economics
• common pool resources
• externalities
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o Environmental history
Aldo Leopold, Sand County Almanac
Rachael Carson, Silent Spring
Garret Hardin, Tragedy of the Commons
Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth
Social Theory and Issues
o Civil Society
o Globalism
o Consumerism
o Urbanization
Course Objectives:
develop a comprehensive foundation in the theory and application of a sustainable
approach to nonprofit management
recognize the roles and historical significance of social, cultural, and
environmental concepts pertinent to the development and application of
sustainable management
understand the ethical connections critical to the practice of sustainability
become fluent in the language of sustainability
Course Two:
Nonprofit Sustainability and Social Capital
This course addresses how nonprofit organizations impact social needs and values of
their employees, clients, and the communities in which they operate. A stakeholder
approach to the core issues impacting social capital and methods available to
organizations to address these issues in a sustainable fashion.
This course will explore the often misunderstood social leg of the triple bottom line
approach to organizational management. The purpose of the course is the development
of a comprehensive understanding of the role organizations play in the development of
social capital within and outside of the organization.
Subject areas
defining social capital within the sustainability framework/principles
o Community, Civil Society, Citizenship,
o demographic elements of social problems
o quality of life
benefit equity
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human rights
standards of living
protection of generational rights
strategies for building social capital
o Corporate Social Responsibility
o Capacity Building
o asset mapping
o workforce development
poverty reduction
promoting education
o building community
communities may be measured by the success of their educational
systems
combating social ills
o creating social equity
What destination does our society want to reach?
social capital: local to global
relationships between social and other forms of capital
o ex: social and ecological systems
social structure and networks
social norms
Course Objectives:
become acquainted with the concept of social capital and the importance of this
element to the successful application of sustainability
develop a working knowledge of the tools and processes available to nonprofit
managers when developing social capital
Course Three:
Applications in Sustainable Nonprofit Management
Employing a case study format this course will review a variety of sustainable
applications available to the management of nonprofit organizations. Emphasis is placed
on the evaluation of alternative choices faced by administrators when making sustainable
decisions in the nonprofit sector.
Through the employment of case studies and review of relevant sustainability practices,
procedures and literature this course will allow the student to apply the knowledge gained
via the Introduction and Social Capital courses.
Subject Areas:
Implementation
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o identifying common assets, common strengths
o analyzing common problems
o asset mapping
o developing leadership
Change Management
Applications/Tools
o Green Buildings, LEED Certification
o Green Purchasing, Marketing
o Natural Step
o Local First
o Small is Beautiful
o Social Entrepreneurship
o Environmental Management
o environmental and sustainable management systems
ISO14001
o Nonprofit Economics and Sustainability
o Social and Environmental Accounting
Benefits
o improved organizational health
o increased employee moral, retention, productivity
o significant competitive edge
o improved client relations
o improved vendor, supplier, funder relations
o lower overhead
o sustainable opportunities for growth
Course Objectives:
review of the sustainable management approaches available to administrators in
the nonprofit sector
develop a working knowledge of how these principles are applied in successful
sustainable organizations
application of selected practices through case study analysis
Course Four:
Sustainability, Strategy, and Nonprofits
In this course students will develop a sustainable decision making framework that will
identify alternative courses of action, evaluate options for sustainable choices, and guide
the implementation of management decisions to provide positive social, environmental
and financial returns.
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This course will examine the strategic use and implementation of sustainability in the
operation of nonprofit organizations. Students will be required to conduct a research
project focused on the analysis of sustainable practices within an organization.
Subject areas
Strategic Nonprofit Practice
Sustainable management philosophy
Systems Theory
decision making
o moving beyond satisficing to decisions base on principles of sustainability
identifying opportunities for sustainability
o economic (bottom line, budgetary consideration)
o environmental
o social
planning
o short and long-term focus on organizational planning
o creating strategies for sustainability
o eco-efficiency
an emphasis on service
a focus on needs and quality of life
consideration for the entire product life cycle
recognizing limits to eco-capacity
process review
communication and leadership in sustainable organizations
o marketing the message, "walking the talk"
within the organizational structure/strategy
outside the organization
• stakeholders
• clients
• suppliers
• funders
assessment/evaluation
o tools to measure impact, determining the pro and cons
C/B analysis
• cost recognition, green accounting
life cycle analysis
Course Objectives:
provide a foundation in decision making theory and practice as it impacts strategy
formulation in nonprofits
develop an understanding of how the principles of sustainability can be
incorporated into strategic decision in modern organizations
through research employ sustainability in the analysis of the operations of a
nonprofit organization