Students Rank Managing Courses

Alumni of nonprofit-management education programs find courses on fund raising and governance most valuable, according to a new survey released by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, in Battle Creek, Mich.

The study builds upon findings of a Kellogg-sponsored study last year of nonprofit-management students. The new report surveyed 160 respondents to the 2001 survey who have completed or nearly completed their certificate or master’s programs in nonprofit management at six universities. While not all respondents had completed their studies, all were referred to as “alumni” in the report.

The current survey finds respondents assessing their course work’s importance, its relevance to day-to-day nonprofit service, and the overall value of their nonprofit-management education.

The alumni who responded to the survey ranked fund raising and development as the most important topics covered in a nonprofit-management curriculum, with governance ranking second, budgeting and accounting third. Technical courses, such as those concerned with information systems for nonprofit groups, economic and market issues, and quantitative analysis, ranked lowest among the 21 course topics, with the bottom ranking held by courses that focus on international organizations and their issues.

Both the current survey, “Building Bridges Initiative Cluster Evaluation: Nonprofit Management Alumni Survey Report,” and the 2001 “Survey of Nonprofit Management Students” are available at http://www.centerpointinstitute.org/bridges/
Papers&Reports/papers.htm.