Social Entrepreneur blog for the world changers
heathercarpenter
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Posts by heathercarpenter
Are you a part of the next generation of nonprofit leaders? How will you move from “next” to “now”?
Sep 10th
From the Independent Sector:
Explore these questions with other under-age 40 nonprofit leaders during the NGen program at the Independent Sector Annual Conference this October 19-20. NGen: Moving Nonprofit Leaders from Next to Now provides you and your peers an exceptional opportunity to enhance your professional networks, develop new approaches to leadership, and contribute to generating a more promising future for the nonprofit community.
Each year, the IS conference is the premier gathering for leaders of America’s charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs. At the 2010 conference, which takes place October 20-22 in Atlanta, NGen will again bring together talented nonprofit professionals under the age of 40 for a series of targeted pre-conference workshops and networking opportunities designed specifically for people like you.
- Visit the IS website to view the NGen schedule and learn more about the benefits of participation for you and your organization.
- Register for one and a half days of pre-conference NGen programming for only $100, or add NGen to your full IS conference registration for only $50 more. Act now and save — the “summer special” discount for the full conference expires today (September 10th)!
- Follow us on twitter @ISNGen or become a “fan” of NGen: Moving Nonprofit Leaders from Next to Now on Facebook to join the conversation now.
We need rising stars like you to be part of the nearly 800 leaders coming together in Atlanta this fall, so register today!
I’ll be blogging Nonprofit Day 2010
Aug 26th
On Tuesday, August 31st I’ll be live blogging CompassPoint’s Nonprofit Day 2010 in San Francisco. I am super excited to attend this conference and spend time with my nonprofit peeps in the San Francisco Bay Area!!
I’ll be blogging and tweeting (@Heather Carpente) the conference alongside some of my long-time friends and colleagues in the sector including:
- Gene Takagi of the Nonprofit Law Blog (@GTak)
- Curtis Chang of Consulting Within Reach
- Jara Dean-Coffey of To What End (@jdeancoffey)
- John Kenyon, Nonprofit Technology Educator and Strategist (@jakenyon)
- Peggy Duvette of WiserEarth (@wiserearth)
- & Nelson Layag of CompassPoint (@nonprofitsrule)
If you cannot attend the event or want to read about all the sessions, check out the Nonprofit Day 2010 Live page. This page includes a Nonprofit Day blog roll and a compilation of tweets from the event (#npd10).
Setting the Record Straight about Nonprofit-Focused Graduate Degrees
Aug 18th
I believe there is a lot of confusion about nonprofit-focused master’s degree programs and I hope that this blog post will set the record straight. There are many different types of master’s degree programs that can be considered “nonprofit-focused” or “nonprofit education”. These types include:
- Master’s of Nonprofit Administration
- Master’s of Public Administration
- Master’s of Social Work
- Master’s of Business Administration
- Master’s of Public Policy
- Master’s of Human Services
- Master’s of Arts in Philanthropic Studies
If you are interested in becoming an Executive Director of a nonprofit, then you should consider pursuing a stand-alone Master’s of Nonprofit Administration (aka MNO/MNS/MNM/MS in NP). These master’s degree programs offer core and elective courses in managing a nonprofit organization. These courses include: Nonprofit Management, Board Governance, Fundraising, Nonprofit Finance and Accounting, Capital Campaign and Development, Strategic Planning, Human Resources, etc.
If you are interested in studying the intersection between government and nonprofits, then you should consider pursuing a Master’s of Public Administration (a.k.a MPSA, MPIA) with a Specialization in Nonprofit Management. These master’s degree programs offer core courses in managing a governmental organization and offer elective courses in managing a nonprofit organization. Also some of these programs focus on NGO’s (international nonprofit organizations).
If you are interested in becoming a nonprofit board member (or nonprofit manager) and studying earned revenue within nonprofits, then you should consider pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration with a Specialization in Nonprofit Management. These master’s degree programs offer core courses in managing a business and offer elective courses in managing a nonprofit organization.
If you are interested in directly working with clients and constituents on a daily basis and managing the programmatic side a nonprofit organizations, then you should consider pursuing a Master’s of Social Work with a Specialization in Nonprofit Management. These master’s degree programs offer core courses in social welfare and social change and offer elective courses in managing a nonprofit organization.
If you are interested in changing social policy related to nonprofit organizations, then you should consider pursuing a Master’s of Public Policy (a.k.a. MA in PP, MPPA) with a Specialization in Nonprofit Management. These master’s degree programs offer core courses in creating and changing public policy and offer elective courses in managing a nonprofit organization.
If you are interested in directly running human service organizations, then you should consider pursuing a Master’s of Science in Human Services. These master’s degree program offer core and elective courses in managing human and social services organizations.
Finally, if you are interested in studying philanthropic giving within nonprofit organizations, then you should consider pursuing a Masters of Arts in Philanthropic Studies.This master’s degree program offers core and elective courses in philanthropic giving within nonprofit organizations and the sector.
Please note, these descriptions above are generalizations. You should ALWAYS visit a master’s degree program website to see the specific courses offered within the program.
If you want to attend the BEST nonprofit-focused master’s degree in the country you may not find it listed on the U.S. News and World Report website. They rank graduate schools — not master’s degree programs. They do rank top public affairs schools with nonprofit specializations and top business schools with nonprofit specializations but these rankings completely ignore stand-alone nonprofit master’s degree programs or the other types of master’s degrees I listed above.
Additionally, there are some nonprofit-focused master’s degree programs that span 2-3 three different colleges/schools within a university.
Since I am studying master’s degree programs associated with the Nonprofit Academic Center’s Council (NACC) for my dissertation, I created a table of these 50+ master’s degree programs.
|
University |
Location |
NACC Member Center |
Master’s degree associated with NACC Center |
|
Arizona State University |
Phoenix, AZ |
ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation |
Masters of Nonprofit Studies |
|
Baruch College, City University of New York |
New York, NY |
Center for Nonprofit Strategy and Management |
Masters Public Administration (MPA) Specialization in Nonprofit Administration |
|
Bay Path College |
Longmeadow, MA |
The Graduate School and Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy Program |
MS in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy |
|
Boston College |
Boston, MA |
Center on Wealth and Philanthropy |
Masters of Social Work |
|
Case Western Reserve University |
Cleveland, OH |
Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations |
Masters of Nonprofit Organizations & Executive Option |
|
City University London |
London, UK |
Centre for Charity Effectiveness – Cass School of Business |
PgDip/MSc in Voluntary Sector Management (post graduate diploma) |
|
Cleveland State University |
Cleveland, OH |
Center for Nonprofit Policy & Practice |
Master of Nonprofit Administration and Leadership |
|
DePaul University |
Chicago, IL |
School of Public Service |
Master of Nonprofit Management |
|
George Mason University |
Fairfax, VA |
Nonprofit Management Studies |
Masters of Public Administration (MPA) Concentration in Nonprofit Management |
|
Georgetown University |
Washington, D.C. |
Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership – Georgetown Public Policy Institute |
Masters in Public Policy/Policy Management (Nonprofit Policy and Leadership Track) |
|
Georgia State University |
Atlanta, GA |
Nonprofit Studies Program – Andrew Young School of Public Policy Studies |
Masters of Public Administration (MPA)-Nonprofit Administration/MPP-Nonprofit Policy |
|
Grand Valley State University |
Allendale, MI |
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership |
Masters of Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Nonprofit Management and Leadership |
|
Harvard University |
Boston, MA |
Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations |
|
|
Indiana University |
Indianapolis, IN & Bloomington, IN |
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University |
MA in Philanthropic Studies/MPA Nonprofit Management |
|
Johns Hopkins University |
Baltimore. MD |
Center for Civil Society Studies |
Masters of Arts in Public Policy |
|
Louisiana State University – Shreveport |
Shreveport, LA |
Institute for Human Services and Public Policy – College of Liberal Arts |
Masters of Science in Human Services Administration |
|
Mount Royal College |
Calgary, AB Canada |
Institute for Nonprofit Studies |
No Masters Degree- Bachelors in Applied Nonprofit Studies |
|
North Carolina State University |
Raleigh, NC |
Masters of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management |
|
|
New York University |
New York, NY |
Public and Nonprofit Management & Policy Program – Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service |
Masters in Public Administration (MPA) in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy |
|
New York University School of Law |
New York, NY |
National Center on Philanthropy and the Law |
Three different nonprofit law related courses – does not offer Masters Degree |
|
North Park University |
Chicago, IL |
Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management |
Master of Nonprofit Administration |
|
Northwestern University |
Evanston, IL |
Center for Nonprofit Management – Kellogg School of Management |
MBA |
|
Notre Dame |
Notre Dame, IN |
Master of Nonprofit Administration Program – Mendoza College of Business |
Master of Nonprofit Administration |
|
Portland State University |
Portland, OR |
Institute for Nonprofit Management, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government |
Master of Public Administration Specialization in Nonprofit Management |
|
Queensland University of Technology |
Brisbane, AU |
Master of Business (Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies) |
|
|
Regis University |
Denver, Co |
Global Nonprofit Leadership Development |
Master of Nonprofit Management |
|
Seattle University |
Seattle, WA |
Center for Nonprofit and Social Enterprise Management |
Executive Master of Nonprofit Leadership |
|
Seton Hall University |
New Orange, NJ |
Center for Public Service |
Masters in Public Administration Concentration in Nonprofit Organization Management |
|
Texas A&M University |
College Station, TX |
Program in Nonprofit Management – Bush School of Government and Public Service |
Master of Public Service and Administration with Elective Concentration in Nonprofit Management |
|
The New School |
New York, NY |
Graduate Management Programs – Nonprofit Management Program |
Master of Science Degree in Nonprofit Management |
|
The University of New South Wales |
Sydney, AU |
Centre for Social Impact |
Graduate Certificate in Social Impact (No master’s degree) |
|
University at Albany-SUNY |
Albany, NY |
Center for Women in Government & Civil Society – Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy |
Master of Public Administration Concentration in Nonprofit Management |
|
University of California-Berkeley |
Berkeley, CA |
Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership |
MBA (Nonprofit Specialty) |
|
University of California-Los Angeles |
Los Angeles, CA |
Center for Civil Society |
Masters in Public Policy |
|
University of Delaware |
Newark, DE |
Center for Community Research & Service |
M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy concentration in Community Development and Nonprofit Leadership |
|
University of Michigan |
Ann Arbor, MI |
Nonprofit and Public Management Center, School of Social Work |
MPP with focus in Public and Nonprofit Management, MPA (same as MPP but accelerated program), MSW with practice method in management of human service organizations, MBA with electives in social enterprise |
|
University of Minnesota |
Minneapolis, MN |
The Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs |
Master of Public Policy (MPP) with a concentration in public nonprofit leadership and management. Masters of Public Affairs with nonprofit courses |
|
University of Missouri-Kansas City |
Kansas City, MO |
Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership – Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration |
Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree with a concentration in nonprofit management |
|
University of Missouri-St. Louis |
St. Louis, MO |
Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program |
The Master of Public Policy Administration (MPPA) |
|
University of Pennsylvania |
Philadelphia, PA |
Center for Community Partnerships – Penn Program for Public Service |
Leadership for Social Change Masters Program |
|
University of San Diego |
San Diego, CA |
Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research |
MA in Nonprofit Leadership and Management |
|
University of San Francisco |
San Francisco, CA |
Nonprofit Management Program |
Master of Nonprofit Administration |
|
University of Southern California |
Los Angeles, CA |
Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy |
Master of Public Administration/Master of Public Policy Specialization in Philanthropy and Nonprofits |
|
University of St. Thomas |
Minneapolis, MN |
Center for Nonprofit Management |
MBA with Elective Track (Specialization) in Nonprofit |
|
University of Technology- Sydney |
Sydney, AU |
Centre for Australian Community Organisations and Management – School of Management |
Master of Business |
|
University of Texas at Austin |
Austin, TX |
RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service |
Master of Public Affairs Specialization in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies |
|
University of Washington |
Seattle, WA |
Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy |
Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy |
|
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
Milwaukee, WI |
Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management |
Master of Science in Nonprofit Management and Leadership |
|
Virginia Tech |
Blacksburg, VA |
Institute for Policy and Governance |
Master’s of Public and International Affairs (MPIA) with a public and nonprofit management concentration (govt. and capacity building)/Masters of Public Administration (MPA)/Masters of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) |
|
York University |
Toronto, ON |
Nonprofit Management & Leadership Program – Schulich School of Business |
MBA in Nonprofit Management and Leadership |
Please note, this list is just a sample of the 160+ nonprofit-focused master’s degree programs offered across the US and the world. For a complete listing, please visit Roseanne Mirabella’s website.
On the professor job market
Aug 11th
THE TIME HAS COME! I have begun applying for nonprofit faculty jobs. I am super excited about this process and anxiously awaiting what is to come.
My faculty advisors and mentors have been very helpful to me during this process. They have provided me with feedback, encouragement, and awesome reference letters to include in my job application packets.
If you know of a nonprofit faculty job opening or if you work for a nonprofit master’s or undergraduate degree program that is hiring, please let me know!! Any referral during this process would be much appreciated. This process has also helped me to look deeper into myself and truly articulate why I do what I do. Here’s a section of my job application packet: My personal statement.
Personal Statement
“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
-Confucius
Many people are passionate about the mission of their organizations, or their nonprofit’s cause, but I am different. I am passionate about helping people run more effective nonprofit organizations, and helping people pursue nonprofit careers. I feel lucky that I found my passion at such a young age.
As a child I was in girl scouting for eleven years and I earned my gold award (the highest award in girl scouting) through 300 hours of community service within nonprofit organizations. This experience instilled in me a commitment to community service and a dedication to nonprofit organizations. As an undergraduate student I earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management through American Humanics and then went on to work in a variety of nonprofit settings. I worked for two different nonprofit organizations while I earned a Master’s of Management in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University in Chicago, Illinois. My education gave me the practical skills to succeed in the nonprofit management jobs that I held. Through my work as a nonprofit manager, I developed a Nonprofit Operations Toolkit, and I was interviewed by the national women’s Blogging website Blogher, that touted me as being a “Nonprofit Operations Guru.”
My nonprofit management education also provided the theoretical tools to understand the nonprofit sector as a whole. Because of this understanding and my enjoyment of networking, I have participated on a variety of national nonprofit committees including the Nonprofit Workforce Coalition, the Nonprofit Congress, and the Independent Sector’s NGen Initiative.
I chose to enroll in an interdisciplinary PhD program at the University of San Diego to become a nonprofit professor and learn how to effectively teach nonprofit managers. During my PhD program, which included substantial theoretical training, I developed my teaching skills and the ability to do methodologically sound research. My PhD program, as well as my experiences as a nonprofit manager, prepared me to continue helping people run more effective nonprofit organizations and pursue nonprofit careers.
Interested in learning more, check out my Vita
Two things critical to the vitality of the nonprofit sector
Aug 4th
Last weekend I spoke to members of the Education Industry Association (EIA) at their annual conference in Chicago. The majority of EIA members are for-profit companies. Many of these for-profit companies wanted to start nonprofit arms in order to access additional funding only available to nonprofits. This brought up a lot of interesting conflict of interest issues that we discussed during my two conference sessions.
In one of the sessions I presented a workshop titled: Partnering or Forming a Nonprofit and shared about different types of social enterprises including (B Corporations, L3Cs, and nonprofit organizations). I also presented my signature workshop: Starting a Nonprofit Organization.
I enjoyed presenting to this enthusiastic group of tutoring companies, education software companies and charter schools. It was also interesting to hear their comments and perceptions about the nonprofit organizations that they partner with. For example, they were frustrated that the nonprofits they work with have a scarcity mentality. They were also surprised by the legal and financial risks involved with being a nonprofit board member or starting their own nonprofit organization. Hearing these comments reminded me of two things that I think are critical to the vitality of our nonprofit sector:
1) We (nonprofit organizations) need to continue to educate the general public (including for-profit companies) about what a nonprofit organization is and how it operates differently than a for-profit company.
2) We must educate our board members about the legal and financial duties as well as risks of being a board member of a nonprofit organization. (Most importantly the Duty of Care and the Duty of Loyalty) Eide Bailly sums up these board duties nicely.
These pieces of education are especially pertinent after today’s article in Blue Avacado about the demise of the Vanguard Foundation. The Vanguard foundation would have benefited from some key legal and financial trainings for its board members.
Aren’t we all working to solve social challenges?
Jul 22nd
I was awed and amazed by the philanthropists and nonprofit managers came together for the social innovation fund. The corporation for national and community service’s website states,
“The Social Innovation Fund is an illustration of the Corporation’s “all hands on deck” approach to solving social challenges by bringing the public, nonprofit, philanthropic and private sectors together to support community solutions”
Unfortunately this group of people and organizations appear to be a minority in our sector.
Many people who designate themselves as philanthropists and many people who designate themselves as nonprofit managers maintain separate platforms and separate issues and do not collaborate. Yet, aren’t we all working to solve social challenges? Don’t we all want to create a better society whether it be by investing in social causes monetarily or by creating social change through improved nonprofit operations?
I would like to see us all operate like the organizations and individuals that came together for the social innovation fund. We (myself included) need to work together (philanthropists and nonprofit managers) to create social change. For example, more philanthropists can invest in organizational capacity (like Social Venture Partners) in addition to supporting specific social issues. Also, nonprofit managers can learn a lot from philanthropists in how to invest in, and solve social issues.
Nonprofit Master’s Degree Programs are Here to Stay!
Jul 13th
On the Chronicle of Philanthropy chat today Nancy Lublin CEO of Do Something told an MPA grad student to transfer to a MBA program. She said and I quote,
“If we (as NGOs) want to be respected and want things to change, instead of creating more programs of our own, we should attend b-school, sit in the front row, and be the curve breakers we know we are actually think this separate degree programs and courses just allows those business people to continue to think that we’re “that other thing” or “that other sector“
REALLY NANCY? PLEASE CHECK YOUR SOURCES. As much as NANCY wants nonprofits and businesses to be the same — they can’t be. Nonprofits run differently than businesses. Nonprofit finance and accounting, fundraising, and board management are different than for-profits. Do B-schools teach these topics? NO, the majority of them don’t.
There are over 260 colleges and universities that offer SPECIFIC courses for running a nonprofit organization. In the last ten years these programs have nearly quadrupled in size. This year alone, the Nonprofit Leadership and Management program at USD had to turn away over 70% of its applicants due to demand for this SPECIFIC type of training.
I do want to emphasize there are some b-schools that offer nonprofit specializations. I personally attended North Park University and my graduate degree in was in a School of Business and Nonprofit management. I took some of the same courses as MBA students, however I also took other courses like Nonprofit Accounting, Nonprofit Fundraising, Capital Campaign Development and Planning, Board Leadership and Management, and the list continues.
I agree with Nancy in the fact that nonprofits can teach businesses about how to run more effectively, however I think Nancy seriously needs to check her sources before she recommends people to transfer from a nonprofit focused graduate degree program into an MBA program. Last time I checked, the news media was slamming MBA programs saying how unprepared MBA grads are. Where many MBA students are analyzing cases, nonprofit master’s degree students are working in real nonprofit organizations and doing real projects for these organizations. See my research, where alumni of nonprofit programs said they were better prepared because they receive hands on experiential learning in their program.
Nonprofit degree programs are here to stay!!
***
Yes, I can truly say I am biased because I work in a nonprofit master’s degree program and I am doing my dissertation on experiential education in nonprofit master’s degree programs. I can also speak all day long about how my Masters degree in Nonprofit Administration prepared me to be more effective in my nonprofit job and the nonprofit workplace.
Take 10 Minutes a Day for Nonprofit Operations – technology inventory
Jul 12th
It is important that nonprofits keep an inventory of technology products and a log of
what goes wrong with each product as well as what is done to fix the problem. This inventory is helpful for the technology consultants or volunteers who come in a fix your computers and this inventory is important for insurance purposes if your equipment was ever stolen or lost in fire, flood or other disaster.
The technology inventory should include: Vendor/manufacture name, Model Name, Type of Operating system, Processor, RAM, Hard disk, Monitor, Network type, User Name, Date of purchase, and Item function. Tech Atlas provides a free technology inventory worksheet.
This and other helpful tips available in my Free Toolkit — Setting up a Nonprofit Office
Qualities of a Great Boss – Part 2
Jul 11th
Often people are thrown into supervisory roles without realizing how much work and interpersonal skills are really needed to manage people!
Most employees want a boss who will be responsive, understand different working styles, and provide feedback on a regular basis (e.g. tell employees how they are doing and how they should improve). Employees also want a positive working environment and a place where they can feel safe.
I think everyone has the potential to become a great boss. It just takes a shift from focusing on the work itself to focusing on the employees who are doing the work. Being a great boss also requires the knowledge and understanding that each person within an organization is at a different developmental, emotional, and expertise stage. A great boss needs to be able to meet each employee where they are at. This is not easy.
The same is true for employees. In order to recognize a great boss, employees need to be able to receive feedback and be willing to take the next step in their job or go to the next developmental, emotional, or expertise stage.
My boss is busy, she runs a research center, she meets with funders, and she supervises six doctoral students. She could just focus on the work, but instead she takes the time to meet with us individually and also meet with us as a group.
Last week she sat down with me to go over my work plan for the coming school year. This meeting meant a lot to me because she told me about her plan for me in my new role. Now that I am Research Associate she wants me to supervise other doctoral students in certain research projects. She also wants me to improve my flexibility skills in the workplace (e.g. be willing to work on other projects at a moments notice). This meeting and feedback where very meaningful to me. My boss took the time to encourage me to go to the next stage of my research and my supervision skills.
Hopefully this post will inspire you to become a great boss, because the everyday encounters and meetings that you have with your employees can improve the overall morale and productivity of your organization.
Notes from the Nonprofit Human Resources Management Symposium in San Diego
Jun 25th
I am pleased to report that the Nonprofit Human Resources Management Symposium in San Diego was a success!! This was the first event that I planned from beginning to end and it was such a rewarding experience. I am thankful for the amazing human resource management experts who took the time to come and present at our event. I feel lucky to know such talented people in the nonprofit sector — Lisa Morton, Laura Gassner Otting, Emily Davis, Joe Brown, Sherri Petro, Christopher Olmsted, Ann Shanklin, and Karen Horning — you all rock!!!
I also want to thank my wonderful co-workers for helping with the event and most of all I want to thank my boss Laura Deitrick (director of the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research) who let me run with this idea. Laura, thanks for always believing in me and my ideas!!
I am happy to report that many of the speakers allowed us to post their presentations on slideshare for your viewing pleasure. We also had volunteer note takers capture key points from the breakout seminars. These notes are posted on the Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research’s blog.
Please take a moment to refresh your HR skills by viewing the blog posts and presentations from the event.
If you are interested in more professional development opportunities in nonprofit human resources management, please register for the Nonprofit Human Resources Management Conference (October 3-5 in Washington D.C.), organized by Nonprofit HR Solutions.
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