Who gets this degree and what do they go on to do?
Prior experience
Most graduate schools in nonprofit management strongly recommend, and some require, at least two years of management, professional work, or significant volunteer experience in nonprofits before applying to their graduate program. “A graduate program will be more meaningful with work experience, particularly if cases or projects involving actual management situations are used in coursework,” according to Michael Bisesi, Seattle University’s Director of the Center for Nonprofit and Social Enterprise Management.
If you have not worked professionally in nonprofits, some ways to gain significant experience and insight into issues unique to nonprofits include:
Participating in a national service program such as AmeriCorps*VISTA or Public Allies, or taking a Peace Corps assignment in a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in a developing country. Full-time service is a good way to develop professional skills while gaining experience in nonprofits.
Sitting on the board of a nonprofit is an opportunity for professionals from the private or public sector to share their expertise with an organization and gain management skills in a nonprofit organization.
Volunteering your skills for special projects is another way to explore nonprofit work, e.g., helping to write a grant if you are a good writer or maintaining a website and its content for a nonprofit.
Most students of nonprofit management intend to stay within the nonprofit sector, using their degree to prepare for and transition into leadership positions at organizations of all sizes as staff or board members, and perhaps even founding their own nonprofits. Some typical job titles that graduates may qualify for include:
Executive Director
Assistant Director of Programs
Chief Executive Officer
Director, Marketing and Communications
Vice President Finance and Administration
Senior Business Development Officer
Development Director
Others find that their education qualifies them for philanthropic work in the private sector or as consultants to nonprofits. The diversity of career opportunities is limited only by your own goals and interests.
Most executive nonprofit positions indicate a preference, if not a requirement, for a “masters in a related field” and/or equivalent experience. Here are a few sample job postings for management positions at nonprofits found at Idealist.org. A nonprofit management graduate degree would help prepare you for the following responsibilities and duties [italics added for emphasis]:
Executive Director
For a leading child welfare agency
Bachelors degree and preferably a Masters degree from a major college or university and will most likely have at least 15 years of increasingly responsible experience in an applicable setting
Overseeing the organization, staffing, and operation and management of programs
Developing and administering programs to achieve its missions and responsibilities
Serving as the chief spokesperson for the organization
Hiring and supervising all staff, and fostering and offering opportunities for career growth, as well as for the training and development of staff
Developing and/or recommending detailed financial operating plans on a program-by-program basis and on an overall organizational basis for ultimate approval by the Board of Directors
Director of Organizational Development, Administration, and Support
For a national legal agency for low-income and at-risk immigrants
Graduate degree in a management or business field preferred, undergraduate degree and related experience acceptable
Provide overall administrative management of the organization
Direct the finance, planning, administrative support, and communication/marketing functions
At least eight years of experience managing the functions inherent to the position, including proven ability and experience to strategically plan; systems knowledge of office technologies; familiarity with human resource practices; and familiarity with effective approaches to promoting organizations
Excellent leadership, interpersonal, problem solving, communication, and organizational skills.
Managing Director
For a national nonprofit organization creating new education leaders
Graduate degree required with five or more years of relevant professional experience; may include program management and implementation, development, marketing, launching of new initiatives, direct management of teams
Provide strategic leadership to ensure local site vitality for the Los Angeles area team
Create and lead a targeted development strategy and effectively pursue local funding opportunities to ensure that the Los Angeles area has adequate financial resources
Manage and develop an exceptional local team including the Program Director, and Program Associate, and ensure the team’s growth and success in meeting local goals.
Develop and leverage a local advisory board to support fundraising initiatives, guide strategic planning, enhance local networks of supporters, and contribute to overall public relations for the site
Seek out and create opportunities to engage with the local education community to share the organization’s national and local vision and serve as the primary spokesperson for the organization within the local community in formal and informal settings including networking opportunities, conferences, panels, individual meetings with education stakeholders, etc.
Lead efforts to identify and build a portfolio of local Partner organizations, maintain strong relationships with current Partners and develop new relationships with local education organizations
Effectively utilize and manage the local site budget to implement the Program and sustain the local site-based team
DEGREE OVERVIEW: NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT May 2009