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UAP 4244: Nonprofit Organization and Management Virginia Tech Spring 2007 Instructor: Dr. Angela Eikenberry Class Time: Tuesday, 5:00pm – 8:00pm Location: Architecture Annex, Room 114 Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:30am – 12:00pm or by appointment1 Office Address: First Floor in Thomas-Conner House Annex, 104 Draper Road Phone: 540-231-6946 FAX: 540-231-7067 E-mail: aeik@vt.edu
OVERVIEW Nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations (and civil society more generally) have been the target of renewed interest in the past three decades with many scholars suggesting that the very existence of a vibrant democracy depends importantly on the vitality of a nonprofit and/or voluntary sector. From this framework, together we will explore such questions as: How do we conceive of the role of nonprofit organizations and voluntary action in democratic society? How do nonprofit organizations relate to government and the market? How do we regard nonprofit institutions as organizations and how should we manage them? What exactly are the management systems and functions of these institutions?
Much of the learning experience for this course will depend upon student participation. Therefore, class members are expected to attend all classes and take an active part in the dialogue. The professor's role in the course is to provide a conceptual framework and facilitate learning, not just deliver factual material to passive learners. The professor will highlight areas of importance, provide linkages to other areas of knowledge, and offer detailed assistance with scholarly writing and research. For a statement about my teaching philosophy see my letter to students at: http://filebox.vt.edu/users/aeik/TeachingLetter.doc.
LEARNING GOALS I intend for this course to create significant learning experiences for participants. I believe that both gaining foundational knowledge in the area of nonprofit/NGO organizations and management and having opportunities to apply critical thinking skills are important for your future work in nonprofit/NGO or academic settings. A year (or more) after this course is over, I hope that you will be able to: Foundational Knowledge: 1. Describe various aspects of the nonprofit/NGO sector and suggest why it is significant in social, political and economic terms;
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You can contact me most easily via email but feel free to call as well. I am pleased to meet with you as necessary and to assist you in any way that I can. 1
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2. Understand the nature of the links between nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations and
governments and markets in the United States and abroad and suggest the implications of these relationships for effective management; 3. Identify the major management challenges confronting leaders of nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations of varying types and suggest strategies to address them; 4. Articulate an individual orientation to management of a nonprofit or nongovernmental organization. Critical Thinking: 1. Analyze2 key issues and ideas discussed in the literature in the field of nonprofit/NGO management and governance. 2. Exhibit sound reasoning3 in verbal and written analyses. 3. Demonstrate the ability to research, synthesize information, and draw conclusions based on empirical evidence.
ASSIGNMENTS/EVALUATION
NOTE: All assignments should be emailed to the instructor before class with course number and name of assignment in the subject line. The document itself should be labeled: Last namename of assignment-date. You should receive a reply from the instructor within 24 hours that the assignment has been received (if not, please call to ensure that the assignment arrived). Assignments will NOT be accepted after the due date except by prior consent of the instructor and then only with an extraordinary rationale.
1. Weekly Reading Analysis (all students). For each week during the semester that has assigned
reading (indicated in the class schedule below by underlining of topics), you will write a reading analysis that briefly 1) describes a key theme or area that you find interesting from the assigned reading(s); 2) interprets and applies the meanings of this description (such as discussing strengths and weaknesses of various authors’ arguments) in the context of real world examples, theoretical frameworks, or course concepts/readings; and 3) makes an argument and/or raises questions about the implications of these interpretations and applications. It is very important throughout that you use evidence from the readings or elsewhere to support your assertions. You might consider these questions while reading: What is the main thesis of the reading(s)? What are the main arguments in the reading(s)? What are its strengths/weaknesses? What are your reasons for accepting or rejecting the main argument? What are the implications for nonprofit organizations and management and society more generally? As you prepare your analyses, you should assume that I have chosen your readings carefully and that there are common themes and concerns that may be at play across them. NOTE: See Blackboard (under ―course documents‖ for Reading Analyses that I found to be particularly well done by students in previous classes (with my commentary included at the end of each example).
The analysis should be approximately one single-spaced page in length and typewritten. A reference list need not be included, but in-text parenthetic citation and page numbers (Box, 2000, p. 4) must be
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Analyze: To examine critically, so as to bring out the essential elements or give the essence of (Dictionary.com). Reasoning: The process of forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises (Dictionary.com) 2
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given with quotations and use of ideas from the readings. Excessive quotation should be avoided— concepts should usually be summarized in your own words. Analyses will be graded using the following rubric. Grades will also take into consideration your improvement over the semester. Thus, it will be important for you to review and implement comments I make on earlier assignments.
Excellent/Good (A) 3 points Concise and thorough description of key theme; synthesizes across readings where necessary. Logical interpretation or application of theme in context of real world examples or theoretical frameworks/course concepts and readings. Makes an argument supported by appropriate evidence. Clear and accurate writing; error free. Satisfactory/Developing (B) 2 points Adequate description of key theme; misses opportunities for synthesis across readings where applicable. Logical interpretation or application of theme but not discussed in context of real world examples or theoretical frameworks/course concepts and readings. Does not make a clear argument or does not support adequately with evidence. Some problems with writing; some errors. Unsatisfactory (C-F) 0-1 point No or insufficient description of key theme; no synthesis where applicable. No or insufficient interpretation or application of theme; not discussed in context of examples or theoretical frameworks/ concepts and readings. No argument made; does not support assertions with evidence. Several problems with writing; several errors.
Description
Interpretation/ Application
Argumentation
Style
2. Issue Memorandum (all students). Based on a case study assigned below and which we will discuss
in class, this 2-3 page single-spaced assignment requires that you frame a major management issue or concern for a nonprofit organization’s chief executive. She needs a concise summary of what the issue is, why she should be concerned about it, what the principal options are to address the issue, and your recommendation and rationale for how she should proceed. Conceptual clarity, analytical rigor and clear prose will be considered for grading in this exercise. A grading rubric will be available on Blackboard.
3. Organization Profile/Analysis (all students). This 5-7 page single-spaced research assignment
requires that you select a nonprofit or nongovernmental organization of interest to you and familiarize yourself with its operations. You should plan to explore its mission, organizational structure, budget and organizational/management imperatives from the point of view of its leadership. Please plan to use concepts and ideas from your readings (and beyond) to help you make sense of what you are examining. This assignment requires that you choose an organization of your choice early in the semester, meet with or otherwise contact its leaders (interview, shadow, participant observation) and obtain materials regarding its operations for review (including its annual report, if any). Please obtain approval from the instructor before making contact with someone at the organization. In some cases— i.e. the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, Conservation International or Care, United Way—you will find a scholarly literature already available while for other organizations you may not have that advantage. My real interest is in your seeking to familiarize yourself with a nonprofit/nongovernmental organization and its operating environment sufficiently that you feel comfortable in assaying its major management challenges. This assignment will be graded using the rubric available on Blackboard.
4. Class Preparation and Participation (all students). As professionals and graduate or upper division
undergraduate students, I expect that you will seek to understand how these materials relate to your experience—for good and ill—and to share your perceptions and insights with me and with your
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colleagues. I also hope that you will be willing to be thoughtfully critical of the ideas we examine. This is a seminar format course, so your active, thoughtful and informed participation are essential to the success of the class. Please keep in mind that reading loads vary; for some sessions you may read 50 pages while for others 100 or more. When preparing for class, try to read for central questions, themes and ideas and connect these with other materials you have reviewed for the course. It is often helpful to take notes of key issues/ideas in the reading. Please be sure to look ahead to see what the reading load looks like as you plan your schedule.
5. Oral Presentation (honors, masters and PhD students only). You will lead about 15 minutes of
discussion about ideas and themes that you perceive to be critical to the topic for the day you select. What are these? Why are they important? How do they relate to nonprofit organizations and management? How do the concepts or themes that you choose to highlight link to broader course themes and governance issues? Your presentation should not summarize the readings or be based solely on your reading analysis (above), but instead extend our knowledge beyond the assigned readings. These should be thoughtfully prepared and crisply shared so that the seminar may use them as springboards for further discussion. Please let me know your first and second preferences for your presentation date by January 23. We will begin presentations with the January 30 class meeting.
6. Book Review (PhD students only). This assignment requires that you complete a 3-5 page or so
single-spaced review of two books on nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations or management of your choosing. Your reviews should situate the book and its intentions as its author perceives them and compare or contrast its arguments and themes with readings from our seminar. You should be sure to share your judgment of the work you review. Some helpful links for writing book reviews are posted on Blackboard. You should also look at Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly or other academic journals for sample book reviews. You may submit these efforts up to the last day of class. If taken seriously, this may be an opportunity for you to write a review adequate for publication in an academic journal. Please share your selection with me (and your reasons for selecting it) before you complete the assignment. Book reviews will be graded using the rubric available on Blackboard.
GRADING Assignments will be graded A-F letter grades (including +'s and -'s). Evaluation will be based on the instructor’s best judgment of quality of thinking and the care and development of the exposition of that thinking as well as improvement over the semester. Undergraduate Students (total 100 pts): 1. Reading Analyses: (10 x 3pts) 30 pts 2. Issue Memo: 21 pts 3. Organization Profile/Analysis: 34 pts 4. Participation/Preparation: 15 pts Honors/Masters Students (total 115 pts): 1. Reading Analyses: (10 x 3pts) 30 pts 2. Issue Memo: 21 pts 3. Organization Profile/Analysis: 34 pts 4. Participation/Preparation: 15 pts 5. Oral Presentations: 15 pts
Doctoral Students (total 135 pts): 1. Reading Analyses: (10 x 3pts) 30 pts 2. Issue Memo: 21 pts 3. Organization Profile/Analysis: 34 pts 4. Participation/Preparation: 15 pts 5. Oral Presentations: 15 pts 6. Book Review: 20 pts
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COURSE POLICIES Because of the strong emphasis on discussion and mutual learning in this class, you will be dropped from the course if you miss three course meetings. Matters such as the content of assignments, scheduling, and the conceptual context of course materials are often discussed at the beginning of class and are not repeated. If you are absent or late, you should arrange with your colleagues in the class to get notes or comments. Please ensure that I have your current e-mail address and that you check frequently for messages (please be sure your correct email address is listed in Blackboard). It is also your responsibility to ensure you are able to send and receive text attachments in Microsoft Word, correctly reading my editing marks in colored font. The standard for writing in this course is that of the professional workplace. Visit the Virginia Tech Writing Center for writing help and resources (http://athena.english.vt.edu/~owl/owl.html). When writing about, paraphrasing, or quoting the work of others, students must give proper attribution in the form of parenthetic citations and quotation marks around directly quoted phrases or sentences, using the parenthetic reference style of the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. A good online summary of the APA Manual is at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html; however, there is no complete substitute for the APA Manual. The tenets of the Virginia Tech Graduate Honor Code will be strictly enforced in this course, and all assignments shall be subject to the stipulations of the Graduate Honor Code. Please refer to the GHS Constitution, located online at http://fbox.vt.edu/studentinfo/gradhonor/. For help understanding plagiarism and how to avoid it see the plagiarism tutorial at: http://ec.hku.hk/plagiarism/introduction.htm. Using work in this class that you completed for another class is plagiarism. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for plagiarism. This course also adheres to the Virginia Tech Principles of Community. The principles are listed at: http://www.vt.edu/principles.php. Please contact me as soon as possible if you need adaptations or accommodations because of a disability (learning disability, attention deficit disorder, psychological, physical, etc.), have emergency medical information to share, or need special arrangements in case the building may be evacuated. The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus and assignments at any time, but will provide adequate notice in class and on Blackboard of any changes.
COURSE READINGS Required (All books available in the University bookstore) Anheier, H. (2005). Nonprofit organizations: Theory, management, policy. New York: Routledge Publishers. Herman, R. (2005). The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership & management (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Edwards, M., & Fowler, A. (2004). The Earthscan reader on NGO management. London: Earthscan.
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Optional/Recommended Warburton, N. (2006). The basics of essay writing. London: Routledge.
COURSE SCHEDULE Week 1—January 16. Introduction to the nonprofit sector. Read before class (no analysis due): Anheier, pp. 1-19 & pp. 37-110 Week 2—January 23. Creating the nonprofit sector in the U.S. Read: Anheier, pp. 20-36; Hall (in Herman), pp. 3-38; Silk (in Herman), pp. 63-80 Choose presentation topics. Week 3—February 6. The internationalization of the nonprofit sector. Read: Anheier, pp. 328-358; Edwards & Fowler, pp. 1-12; Edwards (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 27-37 Week 4—February 13. Theoretical approaches and concepts related to nonprofit organizations. Read: Anheier, pp. 111-170 & 281-300 Week 5—February 20. Nonprofit management in context. Read: Van Til (in Herman), pp. 39-62; Salamon (in Herman), pp. 81-101; Anheier, 173-189; 242-255; 359-379; Goetz (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 389-405 Week 6—February 27. Leadership and governance in nonprofit organizations/NGOs. Read: Anheier, pp. 225-241; Axelrod (in Herman), pp. 131-152; Herman & Heimovics (in Herman), pp. 153-170; Tandon (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 214-222. Guest speaker: TBA Week 7—March 6. Spring Break! Week 8—March 13. Planning for change in nonprofit organizations/NGOs Read: Bryson (in Herman), pp. 171-203; Fowler (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 74-85; Avina (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 123-145; Oster, Chapter 3 (on Blackboard) No analysis due this or next week. Week 9—March 20. Evaluating effectiveness Read: Anheier, pp. 190-202; Murray (in Herman), pp. 345-370; Thomas (in Herman), pp. 391416; Zadek & Raynard (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 319-328; Edwards (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 331-346; Taylor (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 347-352.
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Assignment due: Issue memo (case study available on Blackboard—― Npower - Putting Technology Know-How in the Hands of Nonprofits‖ A & B); no analysis due this week. Week 10—March 27. Ethics and accountability in nonprofit management. Read: Jeavons (in Herman), pp. 204-229; Edwards & Hulme (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 187213 Guest speaker: David Bieri Week 11—April 3. External relations. Read: Smucker (in Herman), pp. 230-253; Gainer & Moyer (in Herman), pp. 277-309; Jordan & Van Tuijl (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 100-120; Jordan & Van Tuijl (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 100-120; Case study: ―Oxfam and Debt Relief Advocacy‖ (on Blackboard) Week 12—April 10. Resource development. Read: Anheier, pp. 203-224 & 301-327; Fogal (in Herman), pp. 419-435; Masarsky (in Herman), pp. 436-465; Edwards (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 13-26; Fowler (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 366-385; Case Study: ―The Theatre Budget‖ (on Blackboard) Week 13—April 17. Developing human resources. Read: McCurley (in Herman), pp. 587-622; Watson & Abzug (in Herman), pp. 623-659; Fowler (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 441-455; Macduff, pp. 49-61 (on Blackboard) Guest speaker: David Moore, Research Associate, School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech Week 14—April 24. Nonprofits/NGOs and democratic governance. Read: Edwards & Sen (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 38-49; Cleaver (in Edwards & Fowler), pp. 225-240; Eikenberry (on Blackboard); Case Study: ―Seattle Day Nursery‖ A, B & C (on Blackboard). Week 15—May 1. Discuss organizational analyses. Assignment Due: Organizational analysis Complete teaching evaluations. Week 16--May 8. Finals week--no class meeting. Last day to turn in book reviews.
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