Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector, page 1 SW 300: LEADERSHIP IN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR WINTER TERM 2012 Tuesdays & Thursdays 2:30pm – 4:00pm Room: School of Education Building 2302 Office Hours Tuesdays & Thursdays 4pm-6:00pm/by appt INSTRUCTOR H. Luke Shaefer, Ph.D. Assistant Professor University of Michigan School of Social Work SSWB 2792 734.936.5065 [email protected] Co-Developed by Professor John Tropman COURSE DESCRIPTION This advanced undergraduate course will introduce students to the role of nonprofit organizations in the U.S. The nonprofit sector is a growing part of the U.S. economy. It is heterogeneous, spanning from institutions employing thousands of workers with budgets greater than $1 billion, to small community-based initiatives run with no formal budget by volunteers. The organizing principle that joins these disparate entities together is the social benefit of society: nonprofit organizations are meant to benefit people and society. This course will use an interdisciplinary approach to present material on leadership of nonprofits. Students will learn about the size and scope of the sector and how it has changed over the years. They will learn what existing research says about the attributes of a successful nonprofit leader, and will consider how they can develop their own skills to maximize their leadership potential. Finally, they will engage in hands-on, practical assignments including writing a grant proposal, and a strategic management project that will allow them to collaborate on a project with a high impact organization in the Ann Arbor area. COURSE CONTENT For a full description of the course content, please review closely the course outline and readings at the end of this syllabus. The course begins with an introduction to the nonprofit sector, its size and scope, with consideration given to how the sector differs from its for-profit and publicLeadership in the Nonprofit Sector, page 2 counterparts. Some recommendations for strategic changes to the sector will be considered. Next the course focuses in on the individual leadership styles of students, examining such themes as transformational leadership and social intelligence. The course continues with an introduction to the management components of leadership—how to steer the day-to-day operations of an organization. Consideration is given to the economics of nonprofits. Particular attention is given to whether organizations can learn from their mistakes/inefficiencies, and improve over time. Finally, a special module focuses on an area that demands a great deal of attention from nonprofit leaders: resource development. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PROJECT A main component of SW300 is a strategic management project. For this project, the class will be transformed into the consulting firm, Nonprofit Solutions, providing support to a selection of high-impact nonprofits in the Ann Arbor area. Partner organizations will choose a manageable strategic issue and task student small groups with making a concrete recommendation regarding this issue. The specific project choices will be discussed in the first few weeks of the course. The final products delivered by students will be a 1) 30-minute oral presentation and 2) concisely written report recommending a concrete course of action for the nonprofit partner. This will be a valuable hands-on learning experience for students, while also providing a low-cost benefit to partner organizations. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS Detailed assignment descriptions will be distributed during the first few weeks of class. The key elements upon which students will be evaluated are as follows: 1. Class Participation: 5% • This class will draw heavily on the insights of students. It is critical that students prepare ahead of time by completing the assigned reading. A good grade will only be possible for students who are familiar with course readings and who participate is class. Regular class attendance is required. If you are going to miss class, please let me know ahead of time. Students who miss 6 sessions will be asked to withdraw from the course, except in extenuating circumstances. 2. Short Essays: 30% • Students will submit 2, 2-page double-spaced essays that address topics provided by the instructor. These essays will focus on incorporating literature read for class into either 1) the student’s strategic management project or 2) the student’s own development as a leader. Essays will be graded based on the utilization and understanding of the course literature that the essays convey, and the seriousness with which the literature is applied to the topic at hand. The instructor will provide 4 essay topics from which students should pick 2. Each essay topic will have its own final due date. The four essays carry the following four due dates, to be submitted to your CTools dropbox:Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector, page 3 o Essay Topic 1: January 31, by 11:59pm o Essay Topic 2: February 9, by 11:59pm o Essay Topic 3: February 23, by 11:59pm o Essay Topic 4: March 8, by 11:59pm 3. Mini-grant proposal: 30% • Students will write a mock mini-grant proposal for an agency with which they are familiar. This could be written in the context of their strategic management project partner, or for an entirely different entity. Students need not share this proposal with the agency, although they are welcome to, if they choose. This proposal should be approximately 7 pages, consisting of a cover letter (single spaced), proposal narrative (double spaced), timeline, and evaluation plan. Mini-grant proposals should be submitted to your CTools dropbox by April, 5, by 5:00pm. 4. Strategic Management Project: 35% • See discussion above. This assignment will be discussed throughout the semester. RECOMMENDED TEXTS One text is recommended for purchase, and is available at Ulrich’s Bookstore (549 East University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2586). Coley, Soraya M. & Scheinberg, C.A. (2008). Proposal Writing: Effective Grantsmanship. 3rd Edition. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. All other readings will be available through the course’s CTools site. PREPARING THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT A successful course is only possible with good discussion and an open classroom environment. Students are highly encouraged to participate in class, offer insights, critique course content, and ask questions. Sometimes students do not ask questions