CURRICULUM

Strategic Frameworks for Nonprofit Organizations was designed as an online program to allow senior executives in nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations in the developing world take advantage of materials and teaching that would normally not be available to them.

The program will include the following modules:

• Mission Statements
• Learn components of an effective organizational mission statement.
• Create, critique, and revise organizational mission statement.
  
• Strategy Frameworks
• Learn the basic concepts related to nonprofit strategy.
• Apply Moore’s “Strategic Triangle” analysis to your organization.
• Understand how “value,” “capacity,” and “support” are inter-related in forming strategy.
  
• Program Portfolio Management
• Map your organization’s programs by their contributions to financial performance and mission-advancement.
• Understand how to assess costs and benefits of programs.
• Identify appropriate mix of programs for your organization.
  
• Marketing
• Learn and apply the 5 P’s (products, publics, promotions, price, and place) of nonprofit marketing to your own organization.
• Understand the term “publics”.
• Learn how mission and marketing are inter-related in practice.
  
• Strategic Positioning
• Describe your organization’s value in comparison to other organizations doing similar work.
• Identify major challenges facing your organization.
• Identify solutions for overcoming these challenges.

For each module, participants will be introduced to a set of frameworks in a case and/or reading. Participants will then have the opportunity to consider the framework’s relevance for their organizations by taking part in online discussions with their colleagues and using electronic workbooks designed specifically for the program. During each module, Professor Letts will hold a live online session with program participants.

Program participants will be broken into groups and will take part in a substantial amount of collaborative, online, work. This group work will provide a valuable opportunity to form a network of partnerships among colleagues and gain insights from fellow senior executives.

A typical schedule of each two week module follows:

Week 1:
Read a case and supporting materials
Post responses to the discussion questions to your group’s discussion board
A nominee from your discussion group will post the consensus to the entire program’s discussion board

Week 2:
Complete the exercises in the course workbook. You will share your workbook in a dyad or triad.
Participate in the live discussion session with Professor Letts who will be responding to the discussion board.

View the technology required for the program here.