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Nonprofit Management (NPM)

The major in nonprofit management is designed for adults with work experience who are seeking to enter the nonprofit sector or to move into leadership positions in nonprofit organizations.

Relevant history, theories, and purpose of the sector as it relates to for-profit business and government, and gain a greater understanding of current legal, regulatory, funding, and management issues. Ethical, environmental, and organizational challenges facing modern nonprofits, along with best practices in nonprofit leadership and management will be addressed.

Students will learn how nonprofits use marketing, fundraising, social enterprise and lobbying to build public and financial support for their missions.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Communication: Communicate clearly and effectively in both written and oral forms to an intended audience using strategies and methods appropriate to college-level expectations. Students will demonstrate effective communication characterized by written work that is clear, organized, succinct yet exhibits depth of analysis and synthesis, and accurate in mechanics and documentation.
  2. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Students will demonstrate critical thinking characterized by the ability to define nonprofit management problems with the evidence available, discern fact from opinion, determine underlying causes, and formulate and evaluate potential solutions. Students will identify and implement best practices in nonprofit organizations for planning, decision-making, problem-solving, and conflict management within an ethical framework.
  3. Leadership and Team Collaboration: Student’s leadership skills will be evidenced in taking initiative, communicating objectives, building agreement, ability to change and motivating team members to perform. A key ingredient in the student’s development of leadership and teamwork skills is self-assessment; therefore, students will assess their own leadership style, strengths, and areas for improvement. Students will show effective group collaboration by making material contributions to group projects, demonstrating responsiveness and availability as a team member, communicating clearly and effectively, exercising leadership where appropriate, and demonstrating collegial behavior appropriate in professional relationships.
  4. Synthesis and the Foundational Knowledge of Nonprofit Management Disciplines: Students will demonstrate a solid understanding of core nonprofit management principles in the primary areas of nonprofit leadership and management, nonprofit governance and volunteer management, nonprofit financial management and marketing and support for nonprofits. Students will be assessed in the form of strategic plans and tests that employ strategic thinking, visioning and the development of strategies intended for improvement and growth in the church and/or nonprofit.
  5. Ethics: Students will recognize ethical and moral issues, identify needed actions, and demonstrate the moral courage to implement them. They will embody integrity in their work and actions, honor confidentiality, articulate the integration of their faith and understand and follow generally accepted codes of conduct in nonprofits and ministries.