Nonprofit Courses Research Articles

Nonprofit Management Education in Taiwan

Nonprofit management education has grown exponentially worldwide. In Taiwan, in response to the rapid growth of the nonprofit sector, universities are increasingly offering nonprofit courses and programs that train students interested in this area to gain relevant occupational capabilities. We asked the following questions. 1) Which nonprofit courses and programs are offered in Taiwan?, 2) What are the characteristics of nonprofit management education in Taiwan?, and 3) Where are the identified nonprofit courses and programs situated? To explore the nonprofit courses and programs provided by higher education institutions in Taiwan, we in turn built the first database of nonprofit courses and programs offered in Taiwan. We discovered 681 courses offered at 104 universities and 38 nonprofit management-related programs offered at 26 universities from 2018 to 2019.

Nonprofit Education in Japan: Trace of Expansion and New Directions

In response to the rapid growth of the nonprofit sector, universities in Japan have increasingly recognized nonprofits as an important arena to include in their curricula. This paper reports on the current status of nonprofit education in Japan through analyses of three data sets: institutions, courses and faculty. The paper finds that over 25% of universities in Japan today offer at least one nonprofit course. Economics, management, and global/international studies are the top three departments or majors in which these courses are offered. We identified 411 courses taught by 328 faculty. Over half of these courses provide an overview of the nonprofit sector in comparison to the public and private sectors. We also find that while academics comprise more than half of the faculty, a good number of practitioners and pracademics are also engaged in teaching nonprofit courses.

Using eService-Learning to Practice Technical Writing Skills for Emerging Nonprofit Professionals

Undergraduate students entering the nonprofit sector receive theoretical information on working in nonprofits but may need practical skills. Universities can assist in developing these practical skills through service-learning opportunities. Nonprofit courses and programs are increasingly being offered online and students may lack the opportunity to participate in traditional service-learning classes. Service-learning— linking service to course learning outcomes—as a pedagogy is transforming to meet the needs of these virtual classrooms. One key transformation is the rise of eServicelearning, a method that is mediated by technology and is delivered online. This paper discusses ways that eService-learning was effectively utilized in an online nonprofit course by students to practice technical writing skills. It provides an example of a project in which students developed practical skills and created a professional product for nonprofits. The paper also discusses challenges and successes with the project with recommendations for use by others.

Making the invisible visible in nonprofit courses: A case study of African American-led nonprofits

ABSTRACT Examining minority-led nonprofit organizations provides an opportunity to promote cultural competency education within nonprofit specializations. This case study, which focuses on three African American-led nonprofits, serves as an educational resource to examine 1) leadership and mission, 2) program and service delivery, and 3) impacts and outcomes. Common characteristics across these organizations include strong ties to their respective communities, programs that embed cultural awareness, and positive outcomes among the youth served. This case study provides a resource to make African American-led organizations more visible in nonprofit and public affairs courses.

An Integrated Approach to Nonprofit Management Curriculum: Implications for Accreditation

The expanding prevalence and popularity of nonprofit management programs has created a complex array of public, nonprofit, and even for-profit programs with incredible diversity in focus and quality. While this program growth provides students with significant choice in selecting a nonprofit management program, it has also raised understandable calls for ways to differentiate programs, especially in terms of quality. Accreditation of nonprofit management programs has been offered as one solution. However, accreditation is the wrong solution to any perceived quality problems and could undermine the adaptability and flexibility of many nonprofit management programs. With increasing hybridity of public and nonprofit organizations and “sector-hopping” of many graduates of public administration programs even in nonprofit specializations, integrating nonprofit management education into the core curriculum of public administration programs increases the responsiveness and effectiveness of nonprofit management programs. Accreditation programs tend to focus on a detailed list of dedicated nonprofit courses and may undermine this curricular integration. In addition, the political and resource requirements of accreditation may pit nonprofit management accreditation against other accreditation programs and curricular needs, to the detriment of the success of nonprofit management education. Ultimately, accreditation threatens the curricular integration of nonprofit management education and, as such, risks undermining the continued vibrancy and effectiveness of nonprofit management programs.

Nonprofit Course Offerings in U.S. Integrated Marketing Communications Programs

Nonprofit Course Offerings in U.S. Integrated Marketing Communications Programs

Nonprofit Management Education in MPA Programs: Lessons for Successful Track Building

ABSTRACTAs the American nonprofit sector continues to grow, so does interest in nonprofit management graduate education. MPA programs play a significant role in preparing students for work in the nonprofit field. This article examines nonprofit management as an area of graduate study, paying particular attention to how NASPAA-accredited MPA programs currently approach it from a curricular standpoint. The article provides lessons for successful nonprofit management track building gleaned from experience gained at two universities with accredited MPA programs. Specifically, the article illustrates the importance of stakeholder commitment, quality curricula, and the use of experiential-learning methods in preparing future and current nonprofit leaders. Challenges to building a nonprofit management track or increasing nonprofit course offerings are also discussed. The article concludes with commentary regarding the importance of MPA programs in advancing quality nonprofit management graduate education.

Going by the Book: Preparing Nonprofit Leaders for Volunteer Risk and Liability Through Nonprofit Education Programs

Nonprofit organizations frequently encounter risks that expose them to liability. These risks extend to the management of volunteers. We assume that through their programs of study in nonprofit master’s degree programs or concentrations nonprofit professionals are introduced to volunteer resource management, including the subject of risk and liability with respect to volunteer involvement. This research examines the scope of coverage of volunteer resource management and related risk issues in books likely to be assigned in introductory nonprofit courses and human resources courses in nonprofit degree programs and concentrations. Given the rhetoric about nonprofit organizations and community engagement, we expected to find that textbooks required in formal nonprofit education courses would include coverage on safe and responsible involvement of citizen volunteers. However, our analysis shows that these books devote little attention to volunteer resource management, especially risk management. We discuss the findings and their implications for nonprofit leadership and management.

Seeing Clearly: Measuring Skill Sets That Address the “Blurred Boundaries” of Nonprofit Management Education

This article offers advice to programs that seek to emphasize the nonprofit management skill sets necessary for working across the increasingly blurred boundaries of public service delivery. Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) programs embracing the key role of nonprofits may benefit from adding a competency related to nonprofit skills to their core program competencies. We propose a list of key nonprofit skills that could be integrated into MPA/MPP program curricula, and describe an approach for how these skills could be incorporated into program-level learning and assessment plans. This could be accomplished by adding a new nonprofit competency to the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) core competencies, by incorporating the key nonprofit skills into assessments of student learning in nonprofit courses, or by including such skills in the program’s required core courses for assessment of student learning outcomes.

English

What are the extent, nature, and state of nonprofit education in Chinese universities? We address this question with the aim of providing the first overview and assessment of the university-based education programs in nonprofit management and philanthropic studies in China. Based on a 2012 survey among nonprofit faculty in the top 100 Chinese universities in humanities and social sciences, we found nonprofit courses were offered at about two thirds of top Chinese universities, the curriculum was practice oriented with a heavy emphasis on nonprofit management, and more than 80% of the nonprofit education programs were placed in the professional school of public administration or public policy. Our findings indicate that nonprofit education in China is clearly intended to nurture professionals for the Chinese nonprofit sector, but its coverage, course design, and related research quality still have significant limitations. We further discuss the symptoms and implications of the limitations in China's nonprofit education and attribute some of the limitations to the strict regulation the Chinese government has imposed on the nonprofit sector.