SYLLABUS—Spring 2012
BUCO 485
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT for NONPROFITS
Instructor:
Office:
Telephone:
Email:
Office hours:
Dr. Lucy V. Lee, Associate Professor of Clinical Management Communication
ACC400
(213) 740-6755
lucy.lee@marshall.usc.edu
12 noon -1:30 pm Wednesdays – and by appointment
COURSE OVERVIEW
Nonprofit organizations – in areas such as health and social services, education, the arts, and philanthropy
– are an increasingly significant part of the business landscape. While some nonprofits seek to better our
world on a global scale, many others provide essential services that nurture the vitality of our
communities. You may one day choose to start a new nonprofit, or may lead an existing one. But even
those USC graduates who remain squarely in the for-profit world will likely be working in partnership
with nonprofits at some point in their careers.
In BUCO 485, you’ll explore the strategic communication issues and challenges that nonprofit managers
face. What communication tools are used in conducting fundraising and visibility campaigns, working
with a board of directors, attracting and retaining volunteers, writing grants and reporting on program
outcomes, and demonstrating accountability to a variety of public constituencies? How do these different
communication strategies contribute to a nonprofit organization’s success?
Your professional communication skills will be put to work in researching, analyzing, writing, and
speaking about issues important to the nonprofit business sector and the missions of individual
organizations. You’ll also hear from guest speakers with expertise in grant writing, government and
media relations, and other aspects of strategic communication. A collaborative team project will focus on
developing a comprehensive report for an existing or prospective nonprofit organization.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This course will require you to consider the roles and responsibilities of leaders in the nonprofit sector as
you prepare business presentations and written deliverables for special constituencies. You will learn
what is needed to:
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Assess the political, social, and economic factors that influence the communication environment
for nonprofits.
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Apply fundamental management communication principles in analyzing organizational
communication tools and tactics used by nonprofit organizations.
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Develop strategies for communicating with a range of internal and external constituents: funders,
board members, volunteers, staff, media, lawmakers, and those served by nonprofit and public
organizations.
•
Evaluate the intersection of for-profit and not-for-profit businesses, considering the potential for
communicating complementary strategic goals and forging partnerships.
•
Collaborate productively as part of a team in conducting research and analysis, writing and
editing documents, and preparing oral presentations focused on advancing communication
strategies.
TEXTS
Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits by Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather
McLeod Grant, 2008. (Available from Amazon.com.)
You will also be asked to read supplementary materials distributed in class, via Blackboard, or held on
reserve at Crocker Business Library. Two chapters will be distributed from The Jossey-Bass Handbook
of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, 2010.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Professional behavior is a must and includes turning in assignments on time, coming to class fully
prepared even if you were unable to attend a previous session, and initiating timely communication with
me about any troubles you are having with any aspect of the course.
ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY
You are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions or team meetings, arriving on time and prepared.
If you need to miss a class, you are welcome to notify me by phone or email – but keep in mind that
notification in advance does not “excuse” your absence – it simply shows me that you are taking
responsibility for the decision not to come to class.
Absences from class and/or a pattern of lateness – particularly on days we have scheduled visits from
guest speakers or other important activities – will adversely affect your grade (in the same way that such
behavior would adversely affect your performance evaluations in a professional setting).
CONDUCTING RESEARCH, USING EMAIL AND BLACKBOARD
I’ll expect that your research for various projects in this class will be thorough and thoughtful. It should
be appropriately documented using APA formatting guidelines.
Please make productive use of the Marshall electronic library. Go to the Marshall homepage at
http://www.marshall.usc.edu/ then click "Library" and under Crocker Library "Resources" to access
electronic databases.
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We will be using Blackboard web-based course management in this class for communication, electronic
submission of some small assignments and peer evaluations, participation in discussion boards and group
pages, and access to important materials (https://blackboard.usc.edu/). Check out our course on
Blackboard regularly. In case of emergency when travel to campus may be difficult, USC executive
leadership will announce an electronic way for instructors to teach students in their residence halls or
homes using a combination of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technologies.
MY RESPONSIBILITIES
Classes will start and end on time. I will make course objectives and my expectations for each
assignment clear, and return graded assignments as promptly as possible. When appropriate, I will assess
your relative performance in the class.
My goal is to help you become more polished and persuasive communicators as you consider the special
challenges facing business leaders working in or with the nonprofit sector. If you prepare for and attend
all classes, participate actively in exercises, discussions, and special projects, and complete all readings
and assignments conscientiously, you will improve your skill level and gain a greater understanding of
how to communicate effectively as a leader in this growing and influential business arena.
OVERVIEW OF COMPONENTS OF FINAL COURSE GRADE
Individual assignments – written deliverables:
Diagnostic Writing Assignment (business letter – 1-2 pages)
Press Release/Media Alert + Analytical Memo – announcing a hypothetical
bequest to a particular nonprofit organization (2-3 pages)
Analysis of Direct Mail Materials – comparison among “competing”
nonprofits/charities (memo – 1-2 pages)
Profile – a short article based on an in-person interview with a volunteer,
client, board member, administrator, staff member, or funder associated with
a local nonprofit or corporate philanthropy (3-4 pages)
Team assignments – written deliverables:
Proposal Memo – suggesting a local nonprofit organization for in-depth
analysis, or an plan for a new nonprofits (1 page)
Preliminary Communication Audit of the organization (2-3 pages)
Final Project Report (up to ten pages)
25 points
75 points
50 points
150 points
25 points
75 points
250 points
Individual assignments – presentations/deliverables:
"Call to Action" Presentation in ELC on 2/29
Participation in ELC exercise on 2/1
75 points
50 points
Team assignments – presentations
Presentation on Internet Resources
Chapter Presentation – "Forces for Good"
Final Project Presentation in in ELC on 4/25
25 points
50 points
200 points
Final Exam – based on readings, lectures, discussions, self- and peer
assessments
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100 points
Professionalism – Includes, for example: being prepared for in-class
exercises; participating in guest speaker events and discussions; submitting
deliverables on time; conscientiously offering peer evaluations and selfcritiques, both orally and in writing; timely communication with professor
50 points
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE
1200
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A Note on the Final Project – a significant part of the course grade:
The elements of the Final Project include both a written report and final team presentation.
Working in pairs, students will develop a strategic communication plan of up to ten pages and prepare a
short oral presentation (8-10 minutes) addressing a specific challenge or opportunity for a nonprofit
agency (or for a new nonprofit organization the team is proposing). As part of the report and/or
presentation, students will also develop and submit two tactical products to support their plan (draft
brochure text, press release, direct or e-mail solicitations, website design evaluation/description, sample
newsletter, etc.) Each team will present an executive level overview of their plan and showcase their
tactical products in a presentation scheduled on Wednesday, 4/25 in the Bridge ELC. The final report is
due on Friday, 5/4, by 3 pm in my office in ACC 400. TWO hard copies of the final report must be turned
in on that date.
The final exam will take place on the regular final exam day/time assigned to our class.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, January 16
Monday, February 20
March 12 – 16
April 6
April 27
May 11
Martin Luther King Day – Holiday
Presidents’ Day – Holiday
Spring Break
Last day to drop a class with a “W”
Classes end
Commencement
On the following dates our class will meet in the ELC, all Wednesdays: 2/1, 2/29, and 4/25. Please note
that work scheduled on these three dates cannot be made up on other class meeting days.
GRADING POLICIES
You are always evaluated first on the basis of the content of your presentation or written work. Are the
ideas relevant, logically organized, and well supported? Also, the way you structure your ideas and shape
them for a particular audience significantly affects the grade on any assignment, whether written or oral.
If an assignment is returned to you and you believe that some error has occurred in the grading, you can,
within one week of the date the assignment is returned to you, request – using a memo – that I re-evaluate
the assignment. A copy of the original graded assignment or presentation evaluation form should be
attached to your memo, which should fully and carefully explain why you think the assignment should be
re-graded.
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ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
Plagiarism – Plagiarism is the unacknowledged and inappropriate use of the ideas or wording of
another individual and is considered a grave violation of academic integrity; the sanctions against it
are correspondingly severe. (Sanctions recommended by the University range from a grade of “F”
in the course to suspension from the University.) Most simply, plagiarism can be characterized as
‘academic theft.’ As defined in the University Student Conduct Code (published in the current
SCampus), plagiarism includes:
‘The submission of material authored by another person but represented as the student’s own work,
whether that material is paraphrased or copied in verbatim or near verbatim form;
‘The submission of material subjected to editorial revision by another person that results in
substantive changes in content or major alteration of writing style;
‘Improper acknowledgment of sources in essays or papers.’
(Excerpted from 2010-11 SCampus – University Governance, Section 11.00: “Behavior Violating
University Standards and Appropriate Sanctions”)
Please familiarize yourself with the material outlined in Trojan Integrity: Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism
(rev. 2002), published by the USC Office for Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards and
posted to our Blackboard website. You will be held to these standards.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS about how to cite source material and properly paraphrase,
summarize, or quote directly from your sources – PLEASE ask for my help.
Students with Disabilities – Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is
required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. You can obtain a letter of
verification for approved accommodations from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early
in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday through
Friday. The phone number for DSP is 213-740-0776.
Retention of Graded Papers – Evaluations or graded assignments, unclaimed by a student, may be
discarded four weeks after grades are posted by the University and so will not be available should a grade
appeal be pursued by a student following receipt of his or her course grade.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
For help, call
213-740-4321
911
For information, call 213-740-9233
USC Security
Los Angeles Police or Fire Department
USC Emergency Information Line
listen to 91.5FM
KUSC Radio
They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. ~Confucius
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