“Far and away the best prize that life offers
is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
PA 605 Foundations of Nonprofit Administration
University of Southern Indiana, Department of Political Science and Public Administration
COURSE SYLLABUS
Fall 2014
Class Time: T 6:00-8:45 PM
Office: 3rd Floor Liberal Arts Building
Instructor: Trent Engbers, Ph.D.
Mailbox: LA 3062
E-mail: taengbers@usi.edu
Classroom: LA 2029
Phone: 477-1432 (Home)
Phone: 465-1130 (Office)
Office Hours: T/Th 12:00-1:30
I am of the tradition that office hours are an antiquated concept. My preference would be to be more widely
available to you. Please feel free to reach out at any time to schedule a meeting. My goal is to be very flexible
in making myself available to you.
Course Description:
An introductory examination of the theories and strategies used to manage organizations in the nonprofit sector.
Topics include governing and leading nonprofit organizations, strategic planning, capacity building, marketing,
developing financial resources, and financial management. Prereq: Admission to the MPA program or consent
of instructor.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, you will understand how the nonprofit sector has emerged in the United States and its
current role in the implementation of government policy. Specifically, you will be able to:
 Understand the history and composition of the nonprofit sector in America
 Develop an organizational framework for a nonprofit with special emphasis on governance, planning,
 Practice the professional norms of fundraising and financial management
 Develop sub-specialty in the nonprofit sector.
Required Texts/ Materials:
1. Renz, D. O. (Eds). (2010). The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
2. Additional readings as assigned
Blackboard:
I encourage you to use blackboard to share and collaborate with your classmates. I will use it to post required
readings not found in the textbook. I will also use the grade book function to communicate with you some but
not all of your grades. Class announcements will also be distributed through blackboard. All assignments should
be submitted to me in hardcopy and questions should be directed to me through phone (preferred) or e-mail.
Classmates:
1
I encourage you to take time during the first class to gather the names and phone numbers of at least two of you
classmates and write them below. If you miss class, this should be your first step in catching up. Though I am
happy to sit down with you and reteach the information AFTER you have received notes from a classmate.
Class Policies:
1. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. These infractions found in the Statement of Student
Rights and Responsibilities. If I determine that you have violated the universities standards of academic
honesty. Your name will be forwarded on to the Provosts Office and you will receive a 0 on the
assignment with no opportunity to redo it. Copying without citation any portion of your work from other
students work, the internet, or textbooks and the use of electronic devices for storing information to be
used in a dishonest way are particularly serious offenses. This does not preclude you from working with
others to discuss your projects and course material. Two common problems include:
*Working together (which is encouraged) and submitting answers with identical or near identical
answers (which is cheating) & Coping from the internet without citation.
2. Laptops and Electronic Devices: In Spring 2010, The Department of Political Science and Public
Administration passed a classroom ban on laptops, cell phones, and other electronic devices. All
electronic devices must be turned off and stowed in your backpack or briefcase at the start of class,
unless approved for a scheduled class activity. In exceptional circumstances, you may leave your cell
phone set to “vibrate” during class. However, you must clear this with your instructor prior to the
beginning of class. There are few things that I found more rude than ringing cell phones. If you cell
phone rings during class, you will be asked to leave for the remainder of class, you risk the loss of
participation points and you will insight my ire.
3. Late assignments will be penalized one letter grade per business day (10%) unless given PRIOR
approval by the instructor for extenuating circumstances.
4. Attendance is not required but it is difficult to do well without attending.
5. There will be no incomplete grades except under extraordinary circumstances with the appropriate
documentation, in accordance with the University of Southern Indiana Academic Handbook.
6. Final Grades: In accordance with graduate school policy, you must earn a C or better to pass this course.
7. Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance: If you have a disability, you are encouraged to register for
disability support services in the Counseling Center. If you require an accommodation, please advise the
instructor by the end of the first week of class. You may be required to provide written documentation to
support these accommodations. The instructor will work with you to provide reasonable
accommodations to ensure that you have a fair opportunity to perform and participate in class.
8. Course Evaluations: Course evaluations are an integral part of the teaching and learning process. At the
University of Southern Indiana, course evaluations are used for many purposes. These purposes include
curriculum and assignment review, course structure changes, changes in instructional delivery as well as
the university’s evaluation of, and continuous improvement efforts for, faculty and faculty development
initiatives. Please complete the course evaluations for this course with care, thought and attention
toward the improvement of the class, the faculty and the university community overall.
9. Grades posted on blackboard are not the official records of your grades, but can be used to confirm that
the grade that I hand back to you matches the grade in my personal grade book. Please save all
assignments in case there is a discrepancy.
10. This syllabus is our contract and will only be changed with explicit consent of the majority of students.
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Assignments/ Grading:
Course grades will be assigned based upon the following distribution:
Assignment
Reading Memo (2x100)
Reading Memo Response
Participation
Agency Profile Paper
Imaginary Organization
Sub-specialty group paper and
presentation
TOTAL
Points
200
100
100
200
200
200
1000
Agency Profile Paper
(Estimated length 3-5 single spaced pages)
Nonprofit organizations are often best understood through observation. While some have extensive experience
in nonprofit organizations, others have less experience. The goal of this assignment is for you to get inside of a
nonprofit organizations. You should identify a nonprofit organization that interests you and gain permission to
write a paper about that nonprofit. If you have previous nonprofit experience, you should choose a nonprofit
that differs from your previous experience in order to give you a more well-rounded experience. If you are
comparatively new to nonprofit work, you are encouraged to choose a nonprofit where you might want to work.
To gather data for this assignment, you should interview the executive director and/or a reasonable substitute.
You are also strongly encouraged to volunteer a short period of time in the organization or observe the nonprofit
in action. Additionally, data collection will include analysis of annual reports, webpages, and other relevant
materials. The paper will have two major portions. The first is descriptive and should describe the
organizations mission and vision, staffing and board composition, programs, financial mix and strategies and
any other relevant details that you feel are necessary to understand the organization and to use it as a case study
for this class. The second portion of the paper is analytical. While your exposure to this agency is much more
limited than that traditionally found in an organizational evaluation, I do want you to have sufficient depth of
understanding so as to critically evaluate the organizations strengths and weaknesses. In other words, what does
the organization do really well and where might they improve. This will be important data for analysis in our
discussions of management in nonprofit organizations.
Reading Memos
(Estimated length 1 ½ -2 single space pages)
Twice during the semester, you will be assigned a class to write a memo and lead the course discussion. Your
memo should highlight the main points of that week’s reading, but more important should integrate the readings
for that week into an original argument. What do you agree with? With what do you disagree? What are the
implications of the assigned readings for that week? The purpose of this memo is to prompt discussion and
debate among your classmates, so the more thought provoking the better. You need to post your memo to
blackboard by 5:00 PM on the Saturday before the assigned class. You will then be responsible for leading the
class discussion for a portion of the class period. For whatever reason, if you must miss class on the day you
are assigned to do a presentation, you must contact me 12 hours before the scheduled presentation. Failure to do
so will result in a zero for the entire assignment.
3
Reading Memo Responses
(Estimated length 1 paragraph)
One or two of your classmates will e-mail you a reflection on the readings on the Saturday before class. You
should read these reflection memos and respond on blackboard with a 1 paragraph response by Monday at noon.
This response is an opportunity for you to agree/disagree/offer an alternative opinion. It is also an opportunity
to demonstrate that you have read the readings. These responses will help guide our class discussion so should
be given some thought.
Participation
This class has a seminar style format and as such relies on your participation. While I will not generally take
attendance, participation requires you to be here. It also requires you to read the material and most importantly
talk regularly in class. Please ask for a mid-semester evaluation of your participation.
Imaginary Organization
(Estimated length 10+ single space pages)
Imagination organization is your semester long project. While the assignment is due toward the end of the
semester, it is more useful to think of this as 5-7 short papers rather than 1 longer paper. Consequently, you are
strongly encouraged to work on this project as we cover the topics rather than waiting until the paper is due. I
am happy to look at incremental drafts throughout the semester. Your vantage point for this assignment is as the
founding Executive Director of a new nonprofit. As such, you will have to make decisions about the agency
and how it will operate. Write the paper as a business plan that explains how you will structure and manage the
organization. An extensive rubric can be found on blackboard, but you should use the readings, our class
discussions and any additional research that you wish to undertake to determine the legal structure, board
composition, staffing, strategies for leadership, mission, vision, programs, SWAT analysis as part of a strategic
plan, strategies for financial management including funding mix and fundraising plan and potentially the
agencies involvement in advocacy.
Subspecialty project (to be completed individually or in pairs depending on enrollment)
(Estimated lengths 8-10 singles spaced pages)
This assignment will hopefully be completed in pairs, but in some instances may be completed as individuals
depending on enrollment. During the last two weeks of the semester, we will move from general management
of nonprofit organizations to looking at subsectors of the nonprofit sector. These include social services, health,
education, religion, community and international development, and arts and culture. Each group will prepare a
paper that minimally outlines the size, composition, funding strategy, staffing, legal issues and strengths and
weaknesses of the subsector. Additionally, you will be responsible for teaching 30-45 minute session on this
topic. Your research should start with Giving USA (on reserve in the library), but will include a wide range of
research from scholarly, government and sector reports. One approach to this topic is to think of your subsector
in comparison to the nonprofit sector as a whole. What are its strengths, weaknesses, similarities and
differences?
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Course Schedule
Day
Date
Topic
Reading Due
Wednesday
27-Aug
Introduction and theories
of the nonprofit sector
Economic theories
• Steinberg, “Economic Theories of Nonprofit
Organizations,” Ch. 5 in Powell & Steinberg
Assignment Due
Political theories
• Ostrom, Nobel Prize Lecture (28 min presentation,
available at
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/
2009/ostrom-lecture.html, also on Oncourse together
with slides).
• Young, "Government Failure Theory," in Ott The
Nature of the Nonprofit Sector
Civil society and mediating structures
• Smith & Grønbjerg, “Scope & Theory of GovernmentNonprofit Relations” (part: pp. 229-33, Model II) Ch. 10
in Powell & Steinberg.
• Schlozman, Verba & Brady: "Civic Participation and
the Equality Problem," pp, 427-59 in Skocpol & Fiorina
. E-book: https://login.libproxy.usi.edu/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/usiric
elib/Doc?id=10063863
Wednesday
3-Sep
History of the nonprofit
sector
Renz 1
Madison, James 1787. Federalist 10.
http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm
Tocqueville, “Of the Use Which Americans Make of
Public Associations in Civic Life” available at
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/ch2_05.ht
m.
Berman, S. 1997. “Civil Society & the Collapse of the
Weimar Republic.” World Politics.
Wednesday
10-Sep
Composition of the
nonprofit sector
Berry, J. 1999. “The Rise of Citizen Groups.” Civic
Engagement and American Democracy. in Skocpol &
Fiorina (, skim). E-book: https://login.libproxy.usi.edu/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/usiric
elib/Doc?id=10063863
Smith, “The Rest of the Nonprofit Sector” Nonprofit &
Voluntary Sector Quarterly 26 (1997), 114-131.
National Center for Charitable Statistics:
http://nccs.urban.org/statistics/index.cfm - follow links
to “Quick facts & figures” and “501(c) subsections:
definitions & overview.”
Blackwood, Roeger & Pettijohn, “The Nonprofit Sector
in Brief: Public Charities, Giving, and Volunteering,
2012,” see www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412674-The-
5
Nonprofit-Sector-in-Brief.pdf.
Wednesday
17-Sep
Ethics and the legal
structure of the sector
Renz 2, 7
Independent Sector Principles for Good Governance and
Ethical Practice at
http://www.independentsector.org/uploads/Accountabili
ty_Documents/Principles_for_Good_Governance_and_
Ethical_Practice.pdf
Panel on the Nonprofit Sector. (2005). Strengthening
Transparency Governance Accountability of Charitable
Organizations : A Final Report to Congress.
Washington, D.C.: Independent Sector. “Government
Regulation of Charitable Organizations”, pp. 12-13.
“Ethical Concerns about the Nonprofit Sector”, pp. 1315.
Wednesday
24-Sep
Boards, governance and
leading nonprofit
organizations
Renz 5, 6
Stid, D. & Bradach,J. (2008). Strongly Led, UnderManaged: How can visionary nonprofits make the
critical transition to stronger management?
http://www.bridgespan.org/Publications-andTools/Organizational-Effectiveness/Strongly-LedUnder-Managed.aspx#.Up5CfcSxfQg
Holland, T. P., & Jackson, D. K. (1998). Strengthening
board performance : Findings and lessons from
demonstration projects. Nonprofit Management &
Leadership, 9(2), 121-134.
Also browse the BoardSource website, including
https://www.boardsource.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?
webcode=Serve-On-A-Board
Wednesday
1-Oct
Mission and strategic
planning
Renz 8, 9
Agency Profile
Paper
Migliore, R. et al. (1995). Defining Organizational
Purpose, in Allison, M. and J. Kaye (Eds.), Strategic
Planning for Nonprofit Organizations (Wiley).
O’Donovan, D. and Flower, N.R. (2013). The strategic
plan is dead. Long live strategy. Stanford Social
Innovation Review.
http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/the_strategic_plan_
is_dead._long_live_strategy
M. Allison and J. Kaye. (1997). Chapters One and Two
in Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations.
(Wiley)
Wednesday
8-Oct
Personnel management:
paid and unpaid
Renz 24, 25, 26
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits “Human Resources
6
Basics” at
http://www.mncn.org/info/basic_hr.htm#Personnel%20
Policies (Skim and be aware as an important resource)
Chen, P. (2013). Et al. Unlocking the mystery of
volunteer retention. Stanford Social Innovation Review.
http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/unlocking_the_my
stery_of_volunteer_retention
Eisner, D. (2009). The new volunteer workforce.
Stanford Social Innovation Review.
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_new_volunt
eer_workforce
Wednesday
15-Oct
Marketing
Renz 11, 12
Ch. 3: Marketing and Ch. 8: Public Relations (55-79,
169-204) in Smith, Bucklin, The Complete Guide to
Nonprofit Management – pdf in OnCourse
Wednesday
Wednesday
22-Oct
29-Oct
Fundraising
Earned income and
government funding
Renz 19
Hager, M., Rooney, P., & Pollak, T. (2002). How
fundraising is carried out in US nonprofit organisations.
International Journal of Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector
Marketing, 7(4), 311.
Renz 21
Carroll, D. A., & Stater, K. J. (2009). Revenue
Diversification in nonprofit organizations: does it lead
to financial stability?. Journal of Public Administration
Research and Theory, 19(4), 947-966.
Foster, W. L., Kim, P., & Christiansen, B. (2009). Ten
nonprofit funding models.Stanford Social Innovation
Review, 7(2), 32-39.
Wednesday
5-Nov
Financial management
Wednesday
12-Nov
Oversight, watchdogs,
and evaluation
Weisbrod, B. A. (1998). Guest Editor's Introduction:
The Nonprofit Mission and Its Financing. Journal of
Policy Analysis and Management, 17(2), 165-174.
Renz 17, 18, 22
Imaginary
Organization
(review Chapter 20
for help)
Renz 4, 15, 16
Skim Rating the Raters:
http://www.donorsforum.org/s_donorsforum/bin.asp?CI
D=14194&DID=30362&DOC=FILE.PDF
Jeremy Kendall and Martin Knapp, “Measuring the
performance of voluntary organizations” Public
Management (London) 2(1) (2000): 105-132.
7
Robert S. Kaplan, “Strategic performance measurement
and management in nonprofit organizations” Nonprofit
Management and Leadership 11(3) (Spring 2001): 353370.
Wednesday
19-Nov
Advocacy, lobbying and
social change
Renz 13
Independent Sector:
www.independentsector.org/lobbying_guidelines_publi
c_charities
Law in the public Interest: http://www.clpi.org/thelaw/faq
Wednesday
26-Nov
Thanksgiving
Wednesday
3-Dec
Social services, health
and education
Wednesday
10-Dec
Day
Date
Religion, Community
and International
Development, and Arts
and Culture
Topic
No Class
Half of the
Presentations and
Sector Paper
Half of the
Presentations and
Sector Paper
Reading Due
Assignment Due
8