Non-Profit & Social Sector Management (NPM)

In this course, the non-profit and social sector of the Canadian economy in terms of the breadth and diversity of types of activities, organizational structures and operational models.  Non-profit organizations will be compared and contrasted with traditional for-profit business.  Issues that pose unique challenges to managers in the non-profit sector such as dealing with government regulations, fund sourcing and measuring economic and social impact are discussed.  The role of social entrepreneurship and social innovation in addressing these challenges will be examined.

This subject will provide a comprehensive overview of modern day human resources management in the social sector, with a focus on volunteer administration. This course will introduce the diverse components of human resources management and its role with the current social sector.

Topics to be covered include: the strategic role of human resources management, employment legislation, job analysis, human resources planning, recruitment and selection, orientation and training, performance management, strategic pay plans, occupational health and safety, and employee and labour relations.

This subject will expose students to the leadership skills required to be effective in the non-profit and social sector. Entry and mid-level practitioners need to understand their own leadership style and the foundations of good leadership in order to develop the skills needed to lead and influence from below and above. The first half of the course focuses on soft skills and personal development, including: self awareness, emotional intelligence, and communication styles. The second half focuses on the application of soft skills in key areas such as: change, crisis and conflict management, building and sustaining strong organizational cultures, fostering innovation, non-profit governance, and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

This course explores theory, leadership, and management of non-profit and social enterprises. Students are introduced to strategic and program planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation to identify how decisions are made to support an organizations vision and mission. Students will identify stakeholders to determine what information, roles, and resources are necessary for the strategic and program planning process. By the end of the course, students will be able to interpret a strategic plan and identify action steps and resources needed to achieve each goal.

This course examines how to establish relationships with organizational stakeholders and create linkages with other organizations. In particular, the creation and maintenance of alliances with other non-profit organizations, partnerships with business, and alliances involving governments are discussed. Case studies of such linkages will provide examples. Networking as a tool for leveraging volunteer commitment will be examined.

This course is designed to discover how to determine an organization's markets, how to create goodwill, target 'brand' awareness in a crowded marketplace, and how best to meet customer/client needs and wants.  How to leverage social media for increasing memberships, recruiting volunteers and fundraising are examined.  Methods for developing and evaluating marketing plans that apply revenue stream generation models and target the consumers/clients of the organization's products and services are taught.

Program and service delivery is at the heart of most non-profit organizations. In this course, we examine the methods used to create, manage and evaluate programs that are aligned with the organizations mission and effectively serve intended beneficiaries are examined. How to navigate the tensions between fulfilling the organizations mission and demonstrating measurable program outcomes is discussed. Students apply the latest methods of measuring social impact and proving effectiveness to all stakeholders, including donors. Skills taught include non-profit program development, delivery and evaluation, selecting funding models and demonstrating accountability to stakeholders.

This is the second capstone integrated project course where students will develop a comprehensive business plan for a nonprofit organization. Students will explore the unique set of needs and requirements for marketing and communications, human resources (HR), leadership and partnerships specific to nonprofit organizations. The business plan will articulate what the organization does and how it will be managed through a mechanism for monitoring and evaluating progress. By the end of the course, students will explain how to manage a nonprofit organization to achieve its mission.