Columbia University
Course Information:
NOPM PS5290: Role and Unique Nature of the Nonprofit Sector
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This introductory course sets the context for the unique and fundamental role the nonprofit sector has played in American society, both historically and in current communities. In particular, the course will address the distinctions among nonprofit, government and private corporate culture and structure, including inherent opportunities and challenges the nonprofit sector by necessity confronts and embraces. Changing perceptions of the nonprofit sector, as well as fundamental changes in how the nonprofit sector represents itself, will be explored. Students will be exposed to current policy issues and the trajectory of the evolution of the field. |
NOPM PS5180: Ethics in the Nonprofit Sector
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
As mission-based organizations, nonprofits have unique considerations when applying ethical considerations to their daily work with staff, volunteers, beneficiaries, donors and the public at large. Ethics in any field incorporate considerations of trust, honesty, equity, transparency and disclosure, but in the nonprofit sector these values are under additional scrutiny due to the public trust on which the sector relies, as well as donor dollars. Beyond mere theory, this course will ground ethics considerations in real-world scenarios and help develop a framework through which new and unique ethical dilemmas may be navigated. |
NOPM PS5150: Nonprofit Governance
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Whatever its size, scope, or funding, every nonprofit organization has a governing body authorized to exercise power on behalf of the community it serves, in furtherance of its nonprofit mission. In today’s environment of rapidly increasing transparency combined with the growth of the nonprofit sector, it is critical for nonprofit managers to understand how to lead and govern effectively. This Nonprofit Governance course is designed to prepare students to develop, manage, and work effectively with governing boards of directors and trustees, all of whom have the shared goal of meeting the mission of an organization. Topics include: (1) the work of the board, including legal, ethical and fiduciary oversight; strategic thinking and planning; ensuring resources; (2) the stakeholders involved in governance of an organization, including the board (composition and structure) and shared leadership with other staff and management; and (3) board culture, including board development, board dynamics, meetings, and board engagement. |
NOPM PS5370: Fundraising Fundamentals for Nonprofits
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course provides a comprehensive overview of fundraising and development in the nonprofit sector and introduces students to basic terminology and concepts in the field. The various fundraising vehicles are surveyed and participants learn to apply fundraising strategies as they balance individual donor and institutional needs. Relationship building, the solicitation process, the psychological dynamics and the realities of asking for money are examined as students refine their skills through analysis of case studies and participation in role playing exercises. A full array of written formats used by fundraising professionals including mission statements, grant proposals, acknowledgment letters, and campaign appeal materials are introduced. While students develop an understanding of the essentials of fundraising operations, they also examine the larger issues confronting today’s fundraising managers as well as explore the relationships between fundraisers and a nonprofit organization’s management structure and other stakeholders. |
NOPM PS5160: Communication and Marketing for Nonprofits
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This introductory course focuses on the unique marketing and communications needs and challenges of today’s mission-focused nonprofit organizations, and explores how new marketing communications technologies are reshaping the way nonprofits must promote their work and share their impact, both online and off. In this class, students will: (1) learn new nonprofit marketing principles, strategies, and tactics uniquely applicable to the needs and priorities of mission-focused organizations and social causes; (2) develop decision-making skills by applying these concepts to in-the-trenches challenges within diverse types of nonprofit organizations; and 3) through a highly interactive mix of lectures, field trips, and in-class exercises, develop a basic marketing/communications plan appropriate to various stages of a their nonprofit organization’s life cycle. One focus will be on new methods of marketing and communications available through new technological platforms, including social media. Another focus will be on how to use basic marketing data to measure and evaluate a marketing campaign and track its progress, using supporter data available to all nonprofits. Students also will be exposed to the variations in marketing and communications when addressing various stakeholders in the nonprofit sector: individual donors, grant makers, beneficiaries, the media and key networks of supporters, participants, and influencers online. |
NOPM5265: Managing the Mission-based Organization
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Agile and innovative managers and leaders make the difference between failed organizations and successful ones; beyond theory, successful management means the difference on the ground between those organizations that have closed their doors and those that have adapted the organizations to new technologies, processes, and models. "Managing the Mission-based Organization," a core course for the Nonprofit Management curriculum, will provide a grounding for basic and intermediate management skills for achieving effective impact in the nonprofit sector. Students will master management tools and skills and learn to apply them across the organization. Through academic literature, practical cases and dynamic interactions among the instructor, students, and guest lecturers, each student should develop a complete and holistic approach to a management framework appropriate to the mission-based organization. |
NOPM PS5250: Data Analytics/Metrics in the Nonprofit Sector
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Data analytics and resultant metrics analysis are skillsets now being utilized and even required in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector at a rate and level of sophistication never before seen. Unlike the for-profit sector, metrics evaluation methodology in a mission-based environment is not always obvious nor agreed upon by stakeholders. In this class, you will discuss the research and practice methodologies related to nonprofit organization and program evaluation. We will explore a model for evaluation that includes both qualitative and quantitative benchmarks of success. Through the development of an intentional approach to data and analytics, students will learn how to assess service needs and determine the effectiveness and efficiency of individual program components or entire service systems. |
NOPM PS5320: Nonprofit Financial Management
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course provides a comprehensive set of financial management tools for nonprofit professionals, including managers and staff, whether they oversee financial statements and reporting or need to translate financial statements and reporting across stakeholders. This course emphasizes the requirements for nonprofits in recording and budgeting the financials to support the organization’s mission. Additionally, the course will provide students with the ability to analyze financial statements and answer financial questions typically asked by stakeholders such as the governing board, donors, the public, beneficiaries, media, and regulators. Finally, the course will identify the risks and opportunities found in an organization's financial information to increase the public's confidence in and understanding of the organization's mission and operations. |
NOPM PS5390: Nonprofit Management Capstone
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Capstone projects afford a group of students the opportunity to undertake complex, real-world, client-based projects for nonprofit organizations, supervised by a Nonprofit Management program faculty member. Through the semester-long capstone project, students will experience the process of organizational assimilation and integration as they tackle a discrete management project of long or short-term benefit to the client organization. The larger theoretical issues that affect nonprofit managers and their relationships with other stakeholders, both internal and external, will also be discussed within the context of this project-based course. |
NOPMK5245: The Business of Nonprofits
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This Business of Nonprofits course is designed to prepare students to identify, understand, consider, and manage common business and related legal issues arising in the operation of a nonprofit organization. Operational legal issues are pervasive in every aspect of nonprofit management and governance, including: (1) decisions on organizational structures, (2) the design of collaborative relationships, (3) entering into contracts, (4) human resource issues, (5) the creation and use of intellectual property, and (6) the assessment and management of risks. Because of the increasingly complex legal environment nonprofits face, managers knowledgeable about the topics covered in this course will be better equipped to contribute to the structuring of external business arrangements and relationships, as well as to manage internal operational matters. This elective course is intended to provide a solid foundation of practical business and business law basics to managers, board members, and consultants working for nonprofit organizations. |
NOPM PS5260: Corporate, Private and Community Foundations: Theories and Practices
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Foundations of all types—family, private, community and corporate- have a long and storied history in the United States, reflecting philanthropic support of both many of the largest undertakings in the public sphere as well as myriad community-based and mission-specific causes. Philanthropic dollars flowing through foundations have given rise to both praise for innovative solutions that can be taken to scale as well as criticisms as mere tax dodges by a perceived “money class” wielding outsized influence on social justice and other major legal and cultural movements. This course will engage students using historic and contemporary policy and practical contexts to expand their understandings of foundations of various types and scopes, how they distinctively approach their missions, grant making, and metrics, and how they influence (or don’t influence) policy. |
NOPMK5255: Crafting the Language in Nonprofit Leadership
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Whether through a speech to key donors, a published op-ed column, an annual report or media interview, leaders of nonprofit organizations must be compelling storytellers. Although other courses in the Nonprofit Management M.S. program helpfully concentrate on the strategy and tactics of communications outreach and social media engagement, the intensive focus of this elective will be on developing students’ capacity for literate writing and speaking across a range of public forums and institutional challenges that face nonprofit organizations. Through a combination of readings, discussion and, most importantly, a diverse range of writing assignments and creative exercises, students will emerge with a new level of editorial proficiency in creating the kind of written and spoken communications that support a nonprofit’s development, promote its public service mission, and manage difficult political, legal and institutional issues that distract organizations from achieving their mission-driven goals. Students will learn best practices for crafting persuasive communications in an increasingly complex and time-sensitive media environment. |
NOPM5335: DEIA at Work: Leading Inclusive Organizations
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Apart from its justice and equity imperative, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) has become a business imperative as organizations become increasingly diverse. In the U.S., the percentage of Asian, Latino, and mixed-race Americans has been steadily rising and by 2045, there will be no majority racial/ethnic group. Moreover, social unrest has intensified the call for greater representation and inclusion in all institutions. In Europe, its single market facilitates the flow of millions of workers across national boundaries. In Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, globalization and migration have contributed to diversity within organizations.
Today’s workforce is more diverse, with employees coming from different demographic, social, and cultural backgrounds. Leaders are expected to attract and retain talent, manage diversity, and promote inclusion. The practice of DEIA has undeniably become integral to the success and sustainability of organizations. Corporations reap the benefits of DEIA as evidenced by motivated employees and robust bottom lines. More and more investors are betting on companies driven by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns and customers purchase products and services with social impact. Nonprofit organizations gain the trust and support of the public by representing constituents and community stakeholders among their leadership and ranks. Government agencies fulfill their mandates through public servants who represent key constituents.
Knowledge and experience in the practice of DEIA has become a key requirement for managers and leaders. This course prepares students to manage and lead the practice of DEIA in core business functions, as directors of DEIA offices/initiatives or as DEIA champions within their organizations. It will equip students with an understanding of the advantages and challenges of leading diverse teams and will provide the knowledge, critical analysis, and practical tools required to lead inclusive organizations. It provides a framework and strategic foundation for driving an organization through the stages of gaining awareness about DEIA, practicing DEIA, and amplifying the work of equity and inclusion beyond the workplace.
This is an elective course open to all Columbia School of Professional Studies M.S. and M.P.S. students with a minimum of five years of work experience and who have completed at least four courses in their program. The class is designed for a maximum of 20 participants, who will be chosen at random. Students will be expected to participate in class discussions and will work on diverse teams to develop a DEIA organizational strategy. |
NOPM PS5210: Disaster and Community: Philanthropic and Nonprofit Engagement
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course analyzes the ways in which philanthropists and nonprofit organizations plan for and respond to disasters. Disasters create immense need quickly. People have responded generously to many natural and human-created disasters that have led to thousands of victims either domestically or globally. The nonprofit sector has often played a leading role, functioning both on the front-lines with first responders and creating a second response that bridges the period of relief and rebuilding. New technologies have often been deployed to improve fundraising as well as disaster relief. Disasters create both a sense of community born of the common experience of suffering and exacerbate differences within communities as those of lowest means struggle the most to recover. Disaster relief and recovery is ripe with questions about who to help and how to best help, presenting ethical dilemmas for the best intentioned of nonprofit leaders. The course will focus on the United States but both readings and assignments include some international comparisons. |
NOPM PS5235: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Nonprofits and Philanthropy
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an increasingly salient practice in the charitable sector. Done well, DEI practice – such as more diverse recruitment policies, more inclusive organizational culture, and greater attention to the equitable distribution of programmatic outcomes – helps nonprofit and foundation managers and leaders attract and retain talent, improve programmatic outcomes, and lend greater credibility to the work of the charitable sector.
The need for such practice is evident: most nonprofits and foundations are not representative of the communities they serve; the accumulation of wealth that enables large private foundations to exist exacerbates the very issues they may seek to combat; and in seeking to help those affected by inequality, nonprofits and foundations may reproduce the same patterns of inequality within their own organizations.
Despite the growing need for effective DEI practice, much of the knowledge of it is diffuse and disconnected. At times, practitioners can’t even agree on the basic terms. Yet in this disagreement lies a clue: pursued deeply, a DEI analysis leads one to conclude that mainstream institutions, and the broader society of which they are a part, are ultimately designed to make DEI difficult to understand, much less enact. This means that DEI practice eventually names and pushes back on the very power relations and institutional dynamics that surround us in the charitable sector and make our work possible. To reckon fully with DEI means to question the very assumptions and relationships on which our sector is based.
This course aims to equip students with critical faculties and practical tools to be informed and ethical practitioners of DEI in the charitable sector while remaining alive to the tensions between DEI and current sector practice. |
NOPM PS5340: Fundraising for Large Institutions: EDs and MEDs
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Institutions of Higher Education and Medicine account for more than 25 percent of all charitable giving in the United States. This course examines the contributions of educational (Eds) and medical (Meds) institutions to the nonprofit world and the fundraising models specific to these types of institutions, both their similarities and distinctions. Through assigned readings, case studies, and course discussions, students will increase their awareness and understanding of best practices in fundraising, financial and political structures, and the role of these Eds and Meds within their communities. The successful student will complete the course with an extensive understanding of fundraising strategy, revenue streams, governance, organizational structure, leadership models, public policy, industry trends, development careers, and fundraising best practices as they relate to medical and educational organizations. |
NOPM PS5310: Global Challenges and the Common Good
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This dual course is part of a partnership between Sciences Po and Columbia University. It brings together students from both institutions into a virtual environment to learn together from multiple perspectives in an English language course. In an era of unprecedented wealth, technological advancement, and global interdependence, we find ourselves confronted with global problems in which the different sectors (government, nonprofit and for profit) cannot adequately address broad societal issues on their own. What is needed is a cross-sectoral approach that recognizes the importance of a shared sense of the common good. Students will analyze how the pursuit of the common good requires addressing public attitudes, policy frameworks and institutional forms that shape the outcomes of critical societal issues.
The sessions will be divided into two main blocks. The first part (five sessions) will provide the students with a solid theoretical and conceptual background to a cross-sectoral and transnational notion of the common good, its actors and their role in the social change landscape. A special focus will be placed on those organizations at the intersection of the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, including hybrid organizations, B Corporations, corporate social responsibility efforts as well as nonprofit organizations and philanthropists. The second part of the course focuses on in-depth analysis of the difficulty of addressing truly global challenges because of different cross-cultural understanding and interests among various institutional actors. This part of the course focuses topically on 1) racial and social justice and 2) climate change and the environment. Each will include a definition of the problem, a simulation, and a discussion of practical steps to advance better outcomes.
Key to this dual course will be the use of cross geographical and cross-cultural examples. Interactive working group activities, simulations and group research work will be programmed through the sessions integrating Sciences Po and Columbia members in teams. Given the nature of the dual course it will be 100% virtual. This course will especially appeal to students interested in social change, global movements, and experience working with teams situated on different continents. This is an elective course with no prerequisites. |
NOPM PS5360: Grant Writing
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the grants process, with specific reference to the research, writing, and managing of a range of grant types. The grants process is considered within the context of an institution’s total fundraising strategy as well as its overall mission-based goals. The course covers the range of possible grant-giving institutions, including government, corporate, and foundation, as well as the various types of grants, such as challenge, and their respective considerations for the fundraiser and nonprofit institution. Emphasis is placed on developing competitive proposals, accurate budgets, and appropriate systems of administration. |
NOPM PS5230: Innovations in Philanthropy
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
The philanthropic model of the twentieth century resulted in remarkable social accomplishments, but now, its inadequacies, restricted vision, and organizational inefficiencies are proving insufficient to allow the nonprofit sector to respond fully to the magnitude of capital needs for large-scale social problems. Significant innovation currently is underway that is expanding the frontiers of traditional philanthropy with approaches that tap social investing and private investment capital to address social problems such as poverty alleviation, homelessness, and the lack of access to healthcare, as well as global environmental challenges, such as climate change and natural resource degradation. This class will focus on this “new frontier” in philanthropy and social investment, and will provide a comprehensive analysis of new actors, new organizational models, and new mechanisms that are helping to expand the traditional philanthropic toolbox. The class also will examine the challenges faced by these actors and what is needed to apply and maximize the impact of these tools. The class will complement the core nonprofit management curriculum and will reflect the up-to-minute dynamism within the nonprofit fundraising sector. It is designed for second-year nonprofit management students with a firm knowledge of traditional fundraising tenets and approaches. A basic knowledge of for-profit financial instruments is recommended but not required. |
NOPM PS5175: International Nonprofit: Management and Perspectives
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
An effective international nonprofit delivers its global mission with leaders and directors strategically managing the organization in its local and global context. This course is designed to equip students with a practical framework for international nonprofit management. Students will consider various cultural and ethical perspectives; analyze local, national and global stakeholders in the public and private sector; distinguish among various nonprofit models used for legal and geographic purposes; determine how to leverage sophisticated funding sources, such as multi-lateral organizations; and model financial and programmatic management for on-the-ground mission delivery. |
SPS PS5995: Internship in Industry
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
The Internship in Industry course offers students the preparation to excel in the marketplace with hands-on experience within an organization. The ideal internship will provide students an opportunity to gain tangible and practical knowledge in their chosen field by taking on a position that is closely aligned with their coursework and professional interests.
This course is structured around the internship experience. In the first assignment, students will author learning objectives to complete in their internship and review these learning objectives with their site supervisor. Students should also expect that after completing this course they will be able to:
Discuss the application of program content and theory in a professional context (LO1)
Define a plan for assessing and building their professional competencies (LO2)
Describe an organization’s culture and assess their cultural “fit” (LO3)
Make recommendations for the types of behaviors, structure, and culture they would want to see in a future workplace setting (LO4)
Before registering for this course, students must secure an appropriate graduate-level internship, complete the Internship Application Form and receive approval from the academic program. It is highly recommended that domestic students complete at least 12 points (credits) prior to completing an internship. International students must have completed at least two terms before completing an internship and apply for & receive CPT approval through the ISSO Office unless they completed their undergraduate degree in the U.S. and enrolled in graduate school immediately after obtaining their undergraduate degree.
To receive approval, the internship must:
Provide an appropriate opportunity for students to apply course concepts
Fit into the planned future program-related career path of the student
Provide a minimum of 210 hours over the semester
Internship dates must coincide with the start and end of the term you are enrolling in the course. You may not complete this course for a previous internship or for an internship you plan to take in the future. The internship and course must be done at the same time. |
NOPM PS5379: Introduction to Planned Giving
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course helps students understand the role of planned giving within an organization’s overall fundraising efforts. Introduces students to the various instruments of planned giving as they learn about the financial and personal considerations driving donor decisions. Through an examination of the legal, financial, and individual personal factors, the course exposes students to the full range of constraints and opportunities involved in planned giving. Students learn to design proposals sensitive to both donor and institutional needs. |
NOPM PS5190: Legal Landscape of Nonprofit Law: Essentials for Non-lawyers
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This seminar will provide students with an overview of the regulatory and enforcement context for charities and foundations in the U.S. from both a theoretical and a practical direction. The course will cover the policy, legal and regulatory underpinnings of the nonprofit sector, focusing on the simultaneously independent and interlocking nature of federal and state oversight. The discussion will review lifecycle issues for a charity, including formation and operation of the entity and the major constraints and opportunities inherent in a charitable legal structure. In particular, the class will address the interaction between the regulatory structure and issues such as fundraising/charitable solicitation (including via social media), related and unrelated business activity, social mission/hybrid organizations, political/lobbying constraints and transparency requirements. |
NOPM PS5240: Major and Leadership Giving
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course provides a rigorous analysis for the design and management of the major and leadership giving program in the majority of nonprofit organizations. This class will examine the strategic skills to incorporate these initiatives into a balanced philanthropic program. From donor acquisition in an Annual Giving Campaign to The Ask for a Leadership Gift in a Capital Campaign, there will be an emphasis on understanding the donor and developing relationships. Students will learn how to identify major gift prospects from a strong annual giving program, build a major gift program, organize fundraising campaigns, establish a timeline, introduce explicit leadership expectations, and develop strategies to maximize the collective resources of volunteer leaders, donors and colleagues. Students will also explore how to position special gift opportunities within the context of a long-range strategic planning process. |
NOPM PS5350: Policy and Advocacy in the Philanthropic Sector
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Now more than ever, philanthropic leaders must navigate a shifting landscape: more demand for programs and services, more attentive governing bodies focused on return on investments, a more competitive national and international marketplace among philanthropic organizations, and more social media outlets to unite or divide diverse stakeholders aiming to influence elected leaders. In the current political environment, there exists ever more scrutiny among policymakers and the general public about the value of the philanthropic sector as a whole and the extent to which public policy should support the sector. Learn the “rules of the road” used by high-performing foundations and nonprofit organizations committed to generating public will and influencing public policy in support of communities worldwide.
With this course offered in the fall of a presidential campaign and dozens of statehouse races, national experts in public policy, coalition building, and strategic communications will share cutting-edge practices proven to yield favorable policy results: How do you define and measure success in advocacy? How do you engage authentically with affected community leaders and other stakeholders with shared interests? How do you develop strategic plans, audience segmentation, messaging, and tactics that break through in a crowded marketplace of ideas? How do you develop a business plan to secure and align your financial and human capital to optimize and sustain impact?
Students will be exposed to cutting-edge policy debates as examples of advocacy campaigns, compare local, state and federal issue campaigns and learn of the network of stakeholders that play roles in public policy and advocacy in the nonprofit sector. |
NOPM PS5270: Practitioner's Guide to Global Innovation
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course is for leaders who want to challenge and transform existing ways of working for a greater positive impact on society. You will build the technical skills needed to bring Human-Centered Design (HCD) and innovation to projects and programs through a combination of lectures and assignments. At a higher level, you will also better understand what is needed to launch and manage innovation strategies and projects at NGOs and INGOs. This course builds a foundational understanding of innovation strategies, tools, and ecosystem in the social impact sector. Together, we will also heavily critique the status quo – including power dynamics, innovation methods and consider the importance of ethics, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) – all with the motivation to build an improved practice of innovation. The course will bring together perspectives and guest speakers from across the globe who are diverse ecosystem actors, including innovators and implementers, funders, consultants, and conveners.
This course has three phases. Phase 1 will provide a foundational understanding of innovation strategy, methodology, and tools, including human-centered design, user personas, journey mapping, etc. In Phase 2, you will be able to better contextualize innovation in the social impact sector, particularly from the perspective of NGOs, INGOs, and U.N. agencies. We will also dive into how DEIA, power, and creative capacities intersect with designing for social impact and learn practical skills for structuring an innovation project. Finally, in Phase 3, the instructor will share perspectives and lessons from practicing innovation for over a decade and help you identify areas of opportunity and entry points for your careers. As future leaders and innovators in the social impact sector, you will be encouraged to think beyond how things currently operate and expected to explore where and how the innovation sector itself needs to evolve. You will complete this course with more clarity on your journey in innovation with coaching from the instructor and engaging conversations with guest speakers. |
NOPM PS5140: Social Purpose Businesses: At the Intersection of Philanthropy and Profit
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
There is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm about social purpose approaches to business: entrepreneurs, investors, charities, foundations, advisors, academics, millennials, employees, consumers, policy makers, media, bloggers, etc. Many see opportunities for investment capital from philanthropy and other investors to converge on addressing social problems and meeting social needs that are otherwise in the gap between philanthropy and business. Some enthusiasts are unbridled in their support; others are pessimistic (or even antagonistic) about the theory and the practice; still others are just making it happen. This course will engage students from the perspective of philanthropy and the charitable sector in helping them understand how the convergence opportunity was identified and is still be defined, what tools/forms, perspectives, and barriers that exist to pursuing those opportunities in practice, and the regulatory perspectives that might enhance or undermine those realities. |
NOPM PS5315: Strategic Philanthropy: Designing for Solutions at Scale
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Philanthropy has been part of human culture for thousands of years. In the first two decades of the 21st century, a distinct philanthropic practice has emerged in the quest to help resolve complex societal problems: “strategic philanthropy.” Born of business-based practices and contrasting with the previous centuries of philanthropic giving—where the “charity” mindset was more pronounced—the basic elements of strategic (or “outcome-oriented”) philanthropy include choosing discrete goals, selecting and articulating strategies for deploying specific resources, working with partners and networks, measuring performance and then recalibrating strategies in light of those metrics. Using case studies and dialogue with guest speakers, participants will examine how the elements of strategic philanthropy have been applied to current and past global and local challenges such as pandemics, racial equity, climate change, educational attainment, human rights advancement, and others. The course will analyze how a new generation of donors have cascaded into philanthropy and created new strategies, and perhaps philosophies. Participants will analyze the strategic philanthropic sector broadly, delve deeply into specific examples, and then apply what they learn to create their own strategic solutions and philanthropic action plans. |
Human Behavior and the Social Environment I & II
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Students are required to complete six credits in the Human Behavior and Social Environment content area. The first semester course adopts a developmental life-course and social systems framework in an examination of how environmental and historical influences, current social movements, societal belief systems, social structures, and political processes affect bio-psychosocial aspects of human development. The course focuses on the application of these theories in tandem with a scholarly examination of social forces that shape human agency, opportunity, health, and behavior. The second semester course requires students to select two “mini” courses on a range of topics, all of which have a pronounced focus on issues of power, privilege, oppression, identity, and social justice. Mini course topics have included Mass Incarceration and Re-entry, Immigrants and Families, Stigma and Mental Health, Global Health, and Gender and Sexuality, to name a few. |
Social Work Research
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course can be waived by examination. If waived, a student will be able to take three additional elective credits in graduate-level coursework. In this course, students will learn how to understand and appreciate a scientific, analytic approach to building knowledge for practice and for evaluating service delivery in all areas of practice. Different theoretical bases and methodological procedures for social work research are addressed, as are basic statistical procedures and technological advances in quantitative and qualitative designs. Ethical standards of scientific inquiry are emphasized with attention to protecting and promoting the well-being of vulnerable and oppressed populations. Ultimately, students are expected to be able to access, critically evaluate, and appropriately use empirical research to inform and evaluate their practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. |
Social Welfare Policy
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course can be waived by examination. If waived, the student is required to complete three additional credits in policy-related graduate-level coursework. This course provides students with an overview and assessment of current domestic social welfare policies and programs, and the factors that influence their development. Special attention is given to income maintenance, personal social services, and in-kind benefits. |
Foundations of Social Work Practice: Decolonizing Social Work
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
In this foundations course, participants will learn generalist and justice-based frameworks and skills for social work intervention. Emphasis is placed on an analysis of power, race, oppression and privilege; the impact systems of oppression have at the micro-, mezzo-, and macro-levels; and how these systems may influence social work practice. Coursework focuses on anti-Black racism and covers the intersectionality of anti-Black racism and issues concerning LBGTQ+ rights, genderism, Indigenous People/First Nations People & land rights, Latin-x representation, xenophobia, Islamophobia, undocumented immigrants, Japanese internment camps, indigent White communities (Appalachia), and anti-Semitism. All coursework aims to foster self-awareness and develop mindfulness practices; increase capacity to mitigate oppressive systems in social work agencies and organizations; provide skills for community building within and outside the classroom. Social work skills for anti-oppressive practice are developed through the use of experiential exercises and feedback. Field practice is integrated into classroom content and discussion. |
Direct Practice with Individuals, Families & Groups
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course builds upon the knowledge and skills acquired in T7100 Foundations of Social Work Practice. Students learn to critically examine, select, apply, and evaluate major theoretical models of direct social work practice with individuals, families, and groups in a culturally competent manner. Particular emphasis is placed on the linkage between assessment and intervention, the critical evaluation of self in one’s own practice, and the use of empirical knowledge to guide practice decisions. |
Advocacy in Social Work Practice
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course builds on the knowledge, values, and skills provided in Decolonizing Social Work. Coursework focuses on better understanding and applying a justice-based framework to mezzo- and macro- social work practice within organizational, community and political systems. The intersections of white supremacy, institutionalized power, anti-Black racism, oppression, and privilege will be discussed.
Participants will learn to critically analyze and assess organizations, communities, social policies and political systems; develop interventions, advocate for, and work collaboratively to achieve change and build capacity in organizations and communities and to influence social policies and political processes; extend their understanding of distributive justice, human and civil rights and the dynamics of oppression, and the role of advocacy and social change action in pursuing social and economic justice. |
T7122 Social Planning and Program Development
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
In this required practice course, students will develop the knowledge base and core competencies necessary to design and acquire resources for social service interventions to meet contemporary needs. Students will utilize case examples and skills presented in class to plan group interventions. They will also have the opportunity to critique a formal program plan and gain skills in grant writing and other forms of fundraising through formal workshops and exercises. Finally, students will learn how to modify programs and program plans to meet various exigencies that an organization might face due to funding reductions or other difficulties. |
T7123 Human Resource Management, Supervision and Staff Development
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course will help students to understand the significant contribution human resources makes to the function of the social agency. Students will explore the options open to administrators in designing human resource strategies that optimize the motivation and creativity of personnel as well as maximize the organization’s outcomes. The legal environment is reviewed as a context in which this aspect of administrative practice takes place. Basic to this course are the theories of leadership, supervision, and creating a learning culture. |
T7124 Macro Community Practice
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course will provide students with theoretical, conceptual, and practice models as they relate to community development. The course explores the role of community organizations in community development. It focuses on assessment of a neighborhood: its human, physical and institutional characteristics.
Although the focus of the course is on cities and rural areas in America, attempts will be made to relate these to international settings. Students will learn to apply professional social work practice skills to assessing and developing communities. Case examples of practice models that have demonstrated effectiveness will be discussed. |
T6910 Health, Mental Health, and Disabilities: Issues, Policies, Research, and Programs
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course takes a problem-identification and problem-solving approach to the delivery of social work services in health, mental health, and disabilities, with content about the social policies and organization structures that characterize our current health-care system. |
T6920 Family, Youth, and Childrens' Services: Issues, Policies, Research, and Programs
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
The focus is upon policies, systems, and programs that support healthy child development and address individual, familial, and community risk factors. The course examines the historical, legislative, and regulatory framework for service delivery and the interplay between state and family decision-making. |
T6020 Specialized Year Field Education
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
Field education is a central component in each student’s professional education, and it requires 21 hours a week, three days a week. Placements provide a range of experiences to integrate with theoretical learning from class work and to develop knowledge, values, and skills for social practice. |
T6416 Program Evaluation in Social Services
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course provides a comprehensive overview of social services evaluation. Students will learn to design an evaluation of a social service program, analyze evaluation data using descriptive and inferential statistics, conduct a simplified cost-benefit analysis and explain the limitations of this type of analysis when dealing with human subjects. They will also identify political, organizational, regulatory, and other contextual factors that affect program evaluations. Finally, they will develop client outcome measures for social service programs and explain the uses and benefits of qualitative research methods in the evaluation of social service programs. |
T7125 Financial Management
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of financial management in nonprofit organizations. Students will develop a beginning working knowledge of the elements, concepts, systems, tools and techniques of financial management. Included are such concepts as accounting, budgeting, resource allocation, problems of fiscal control, fiscal record keeping and reporting, cost analysis, continuation budgeting, and activity-based costing. The course will require use of financial management software, case examples, a required text, lectures, discussions, and journal articles. Students will complete several budget exercises. |
T712A & T712B Special Topics in Social Enterprise Administration
Credit-Bearing
Graduate |
This course is split into two seven-week mini courses. Past topics have included: effective leadership, staff development and coaching, managing NGOs, fundraising, corporate social responsibility, and board development. |
Program Information:
School of Professional Studies
MS in Nonprofit Leadership Program
Services
Internships
Workshops
Conferences
Degree and Certificate InformationDegrees
Degree/
Level | Title/
English Correspondence | Subject | Credit Hours | Working
Language | History |
|---|
MS in Nonprofit Management
Graduate |
Master of Science |
Nonprofit Management |
36 |
English |
Columbia’s Master of Science in Nonprofit Management prepares graduates for leadership roles within mission-driven organizations in a wide variety of contexts, including global and community nonprofits, foundations, higher education, healthcare, the arts, or as in-demand fundraising and development experts. Students complete the full-time option primarily on Columbia’s New York City campus. The program takes one year to complete. Only fall entry is available for full-time on-campus students. |
Master of Social Work
Graduate |
LME students develop the skills they need to manage organizations and create new ventures that address compelling social problems. They prepare to become managers, entrepreneurs, and changemakers. Students learn to evaluate a program in order to answer th |
Leadership Management and Entrepreneurship for Social Justice |
60 |
English |
|
No certificates listed.
Information on Training and Other Services
Additional InformationNone available
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