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Select a Nonprofit Management Online Course:
Certificate in Nonprofit Management
This online certificate program introduces learners to key current management issues for nonprofit organizations. Fundraising, board and volunteer development, budgeting, reading financial statements, leadership, marketing, and setting strategic direction are all addressed, and video commentary on these crucial topics will give you insight into how nonprofit professionals apply key concepts in their own organizations.
Each 3 to 5 hour, self-paced course offers an assortment of interactive exercises, videos, selected readings, case studies, and self-assessments that will engage you and help you practice effective decision making in a nonprofit setting.
Our Ask the Expert feature connects you to a network of experts ready to answer any content-related questions you have. You can expect to receive a response within 24 to 48 hours, though some questions are answered the same day they are sent.
Upon successful completion, you can download a printable certificate of completion for this online course suite. The course has no textbooks or prerequisites.
Courses include:
- Budgeting in a Nonprofit Organization
- Capital Campaigns
- Fundraising for Nonprofit Organizations
- How to Read a Nonprofit Financial Statement
- Leadership in a Nonprofit Organization
- Nonprofit Board and Volunteer Development
- Principles of Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations
- Strategy for Nonprofit Organizations
These courses are self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 240 days.
CFRE Credits: 27 | CEUs: 4
Level: Introductory
Estimated time to complete: 3-5 hours
Cost: $699
Budgeting in a Nonprofit Organization
This course covers budgets and how they are used in Nonprofit organizational settings. You will gain an understanding of the uses and functions of budgets and the relationship between strategic budgeting and tactical budgeting. You will also learn about the organization-wide budget and different budget systems. The course will continue on to slightly more advanced budgeting topics such as capital budgets, cash flow budgets, and opportunity budgets. You will also learn how Nonprofit organizations are using different budgeting techniques to handle operating challenges.
After completing this course, you'll be able to:
- Explain the uses and functions of Nonprofit budgeting
- Describe the different types of budgets used by a Nonprofit organization
- Recognize the use of the organization-wide operating budget and program operating budgets
- Analyze a Nonprofit Operating Budget
- Explain how an operating budget is created
- Describe how a capital budget is used and created
- Explain the importance of a cash flow budget and describe how it is created
- Describe how an opportunity budget may be used by a nonprofit organization
- Recognize how the budget process can be managed for optimal results
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 30 days.
CFRE Credits: 3 | CEUs: .5
Level: Introductory
Estimated time to complete: 3-5 hours
Cost: $79
Capital Campaigns
This course covers the key terminology and practices surrounding running a successful capital campaign within a nonprofit organization. You will learn about the phases of conducting a capital campaign—evaluation, feasibility study, organization, solicitation, and post-campaign activities—as well as how to avoid common pitfalls in capital campaigns. Expert video commentary, a case study, and vocabulary game will ensure you have a solid grasp of the content for execution in your nonprofit organization.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the five phases of a capital campaign
- Define what a feasibility study is and why one should be conducted prior to a capital campaign
- Discuss what role consultants can play in conducting a feasibility study
- Describe important factors for evaluating consultants
- Explain how tools like a gift range chart can help to organize campaign solicitations
- Describe the different types of leadership teams and committees that may be formed to support a capital campaign
- Discuss different techniques that can be used to troubleshoot a stalled capital campaign
- Understand what is required for a successful solicitation meeting
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 30 days.
CFRE Credits: 3 | CEUs: .5
Level: Introductory
Estimated time to complete: 3-5 hours
Cost: $79
Fundraising in a Nonprofit Organization
Fundraising is one of the central activities of a nonprofit organization. To help finance operating budgets, nonprofits must raise money every year. In addition, special projects and improvements to facilities may be needed. In these situations, fundraisers will often launch large capital campaigns or apply for foundation grants. Nonprofit fundraising has many aspects and yet, it is focused heavily on relationship building.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the key concepts related to nonprofit fundraising, such as annual campaigns, capital campaigns, and planned giving
- Discuss how nonprofit funds can be raised through direct mail and telemarketing
- Explain how the Internet may be used to generate donations
- Compare and contrast fundraising through corporate donations versus foundation grants
- Explain the different sections of a grant application
- Describe methods for evaluating annual campaign performance
- Discuss how ethics applies to nonprofit fundraising
- Explain the importance of donor relations
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 30 days
CFRE Credits: 4 | CEUs: .5
Level: Introductory
Estimated Time to Complete: 4-6 hours
Cost: $150
How to Read a Nonprofit Financial Statement
This course will develop your ability to appropriately interpret the major financial accounting statements that are used by Nonprofit organizations. Ideally, you will gain an understanding of the types of financial statements that are used by Nonprofit organizations, and how they differ from for-profit financial reporting. Also, you should gain an appreciation of both the power and limitations of accounting information in assessing financial performance and decision-making. You will also learn the uses of financial statement analysis, or ratio analysis for Nonprofit organizations.
After completing this course, you'll be able to:
- Identify and describe the documents and financial statements included in a Nonprofit organization's financial report
- Analyze the information found in Nonprofit statements of financial positions
- Analyze the information found in the statement of activities
- Analyze the information found in the statement of cash flows
- Describe the nature of business enterprises and Nonprofit organizations, as reflected by the statement of financial position
- Define financial (ratio) analysis and explain its objectives and limitations
- Identify the various categories of financial ratios used in Nonprofit analyses
- Define and calculate the ratios within each category
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 30 days
Level: Introductory
Estimated time to complete: 3-5 hours
Cost: $79
CFRE Credits: 3 | CEUs: .5
Leadership in a Nonprofit Organization
This course addresses the key issues surrounding leadership. What is leadership? Why is it important? What does it require to be a leader? How does leadership in a Nonprofit environment differ from the private sector? What is visionary leadership? What role should ethics play? This course considers the foundations of leadership and examines how to be a successful and effective leader. The actual work of leadership requires specific qualities and skills. Some of these skills are unique to the Nonprofit sector.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Define leadership and explain its importance
- Distinguish between some of the better-known leadership theories (Fieldler's contingency theory; Path-goal theory; Vroom-Yetton-Jago theory)
- Distinguish leadership from management and administration
- Explain the role of ethics in leadership
- Identify the positives and negatives surrounding the charismatic leadership
- Recognize the importance of training, learning and role-playing in leadership
- Describe the impending leadership shortage in the Nonprofit sector and discuss possible solutions to the problem
- Discuss the seven bases for leadership
- Explain why forma authority alone does not guarantee leadership
- Explain leadership issues that are especially important in the nonprofit environment
- Discuss the nine key qualities for leadership
- Describe the leadership qualities that Nonprofit leaders feel are important for success
- Identify the five central skills needed for effective leadership and explain ways to strengthen or develop those skills in a leader
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 30 days
CFRE Credits: 3 | CEUs: .5
Level: Introductory
Estimated Time to Complete: 3-5 hours
Cost: $99
Nonprofit Board and Volunteer Development
Volunteers are the lifeblood of most Nonprofit organizations. Board members are a special type of volunteer. They help to guide the direction of a Nonprofit, to promote the organization in the community, and ensure that the Nonprofit's mission is fulfilled.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the reasons why people volunteer and how Nonprofits can make volunteer programs more successful
- Describe the responsibilities of the Nonprofit board
- Discuss different models for organizing a Nonprofit board
- Describe the differences between a Nonprofit board and a for-profit board
- Explain different approaches for recruiting and filling a Nonprofit board
- Discuss the pros and cons of large vs. small boards
- Describe why board evaluations are useful
- Explain why Nonprofit boards form committees
- Discuss typical Nonprofit board and staff interactions
- Describe how Nonprofits can develop and maintain a strong volunteer base
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 30 days
CFRE Credits: 5 | CEUs: .5
Level: Introductory
Estimated Time to Complete: 5 hours
Cost: $150
Principles of Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations
When we think of marketing, we typically think of the activities that a for-profit company engages in. However, marketing is an important function for Nonprofit organizations as well. Marketing is the way that Nonprofits determine the needs of their clients and their donors. As in the for-profit world, nonprofit marketing includes advertising, promotion, public relations, and customer relationship management. This course examines how Nonprofits use marketing to publicize their mission and to gather contributions of time and money. The course also discusses marketing planning in the Nonprofit organization.
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 30 days
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Define what marketing is within the nonprofit environment
- Understand the service-intensive nature of nonprofit program activities
- Explain how the marketing mix is expanded for service products (the 3Ps of Services Marketing)
- Understand the importance of customer satisfaction and how expectations play a role in satisfaction with service products
- Discuss the role of ethics in nonprofit marketing
- Describe the importance of and explain the process of Nonprofit marketing plan
- Describe how target markets can be identified for donors
- Understand how new service products are developed by nonprofits
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 30 days
CFRE Credits: 3 | CEUs: .5
Level: Introductory
Estimated time to complete: 3-5 hours
Cost: $79
Strategy for Nonprofit Organizations
We hear a lot about for-profit companies, such as Apple Computer or Wal-Mart, and the successful strategies they have developed. Even though nonprofit organizations are not concerned with profit maximization, they too can benefit from following a strategy.
A nonprofit's strategy constitutes its decisions about what it will do and how it will do it. Managers are critical to successfully implementing strategy since they are responsible for carrying out the actions that will support it. By understanding a nonprofit's strategy and how it helps the organization fulfill its mission, a manager can do a better job implementing the strategy.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Define strategy
- Explain the basics of strategy in a nonprofit context
- Describe the strategic planning process and how different approaches may be taken by different organizations
- Discuss how mission statements are constructed
- Explain how budgets and capital budgets interrelate with nonprofit strategic planning
- Describe the success factors for strategic planning
- Recognize the need for contingency planning
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 30 days
CFRE Credits: 3 | CEUs: .5
Level: Introductory
Estimated Time to Complete: 3-5 hours
Cost: $79
Leading the Courtney Museum
Leading the Courtney Museum is a simulation designed to challenge and engage participants while exploring key real-world leadership issues confronted by Nonprofit managers.
The learner assumes the role of executive director of the troubled Courtney Museum, and deals with a series of personnel, marketing, financial, and board/community relations issues.
As the learner makes tough decisions, an adaptive scoreboard reflects the impact of those choices on the Museum's prospects. Commentary from experienced Nonprofit leaders provides qualitative context and explores the consequences of choosing different paths for reviving the Museum.
This course is self-paced and online. You will have access to this course for 60 days.
CFRE Credits: 10 | CEUs: 1
Target Audience: This course is designed for Nonprofit managers interested in enhancing their leadership skills.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Prerequisites: Learners should have experience in Nonprofit management.
Estimated time to complete: 10 hours of online course work
Duration: 180 days
Cost: $399
