Department of Public Administration
PPA 748: Nonprofit Management and
Governance
Professor:
Meets: Mondays, 2:15-6pm, Maxwell 111
SYLLABUS
I. Course Description
The
nonprofit sector is a large, growing, and increasingly-entrepreneurial part of
the economy of the U.S., as well as that of many other countries. Nonprofit
administration and social entrepreneurship requires knowledge of subjects
unique to this sector: the structure of the industry, the practical effects of
nonprofit tax status, fundraising, volunteer and Board management, and the
relationship with government, to name a few. This class will provide a basis of
knowledge on these issues from the standpoint of both practitioners and
nonprofit researchers. Topics will be covered through lectures, guest speakers,
and student discussion and presentations.
II. Materials
·
Class reader. This is available at the
·
Brooks, Arthur (2008). Social Entrepreneurship:
A Modern Approach to Social Value Creation. Prentice-Hall.
III. Class details
Basis for grading
1.
Case studies: 45%
2.
Presentation: 15%
3.
Article summaries: 35%
4.
Class participation: 5%
The case studies are assigned for each
unit of the class; the instructions for each are in the textbook. There are
five possibilities, of which you are required to do at least two. You can do
more than two if you want; I will consider your two highest grades. Turn in the
cases when designated in the schedule.
The presentation is an
10-15 minute briefing of one of your cases or summaries, followed by questions.
It should be prepared using Powerpoint; you can do
the briefing using either the overhead projector or computer. Briefing
instructions and a template you might want to use are posted to the class
website.
The article summaries are based on the 20
journal articles in the class reader. Of the articles you are required to read
for class, you will select two and summarize them critically for a nonprofit
Executive Director. Alternatively, you may select articles of your own to
analyze, but they must be from refereed academic journals, correspond to the
topics we are covering at that time in the class, and you should get my OK
first. Specific instructions for these summaries are posted to the class
website. They are due the class after the week they are assigned for reading.
Class participation is important in a
seminar course, and a number of our activities revolve around your
collaboration. Therefore, participation figures into your grade.
IV. Contacts
Office Hours: MW 11:30-12:30, or by
appointment
My Office: Eggers Hall 314 (inside the
Campbell Institute)
Phone: 315-443-3719
E-mail:
acbrooks@maxwell.syr.edu
Course homepage: http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/acbrooks/Pages/Courses.htm
V. Schedule
1. August 25
Topic: Introduction to the nonprofit
sector and the basics of social entrepreneurship
Text:
Chapters 1, 2
Reader: Young & Steinberg [1], Salamon et al. [2],
Salamon [3]
Activity:
Cases: DonorsChoose.org (chapter 1), Co-Abode (chapter 2)
September 1. Labor Day—NO CLASS
2. September 8
Topic: Philanthropy and volunteerism
Text:
Chapter 7
Reader: Hodgkinson,
et al. [4], Lenkowsky [5]
Guest speaker: Thomas Walsh, Senior VP for
Institutional
Advancement, SU
September 15—NO CLASS
3.
September 22
Topic: Fundraising and marketing
Text:
Chapter 8
Reader: Fogal [6],
Van Slyke & Brooks [7]
Guest speaker: Michael Crinnin,
Executive Director, AIDS Community Resources
Case due: Social Venture Partners (chapter
7)
4. September 29
Topic:
Earned revenues, government funding, and public policy
Text:
Chapter 6
Reader: Van Slyke [8], Brooks [9], Steinberg [10]
Guest speaker: Ginny Donohue, Founder and Executive
Director, On Point for College
Case due: Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
(chapter 8)
5. October 6
Topic: Nonprofit human resources and
leadership
Reader: Oster [11],
Liao-Troth [12], Goleman [13], Herman and Heimovics
[14]
Activity: TBA
Case due: Artists for Humanity (chapter 6)
6. October 13
Topic: Measuring nonprofit effectiveness
Text:
Chapter 5
Reader: Keating and Frumkin [15]
Activity or guest speaker: TBA
7.
October 20
Topic: Political and economic theories of
nonprofits and social capital
Reader: Putnam [16], Fukuyama [17], Brown & Slivinski [18],
Steinberg [19]
Guest speaker: Dale Johnson, Executive
Director, Hospice CNY
Case due: InsightArgentina
(chapter 5)
8. October 27
Topic: Social enterprise business
planning
Text:
Chapters 3-4
Activity or guest speaker: TBA
9. November 3
Lecture clean-up
Student presentations (appx.
10)
Case due: Children for Children (chapter
3)
10. November 10
Student presentations (appx.
20)