Training a new generation of nonprofit leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area

June 29, 9:32 AMSF Nonprofit Business ExaminerMaureen Futtner

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SF State's new Nonprofit Management program

Disillusioned with your corporate lifestyle and ache to follow the Obamas' call to serve your community? Maybe you've been downsized and are ready to utilize your top-notch business skills to improve society. Or perhaps you're one of the boomers, loath to retire, but prepared to serve.

Nonprofit organizations need you. But where do you learn the skills necessary to prepare you for effective leadership in the nonprofit world?

Enter San Francisco State University. The school's College of Extended Learning (CEL) has a new certificate program in Nonprofit Management. Unlike other workshop-centered programs offering nonprofit instruction, the CEL's Nonprofit Management program provides the flexibility of evening and weekend courses, and retains a focus on teaching the pragmatic skills demanded of all nonprofit leaders.

The CEL nonprofit program launches this fall, just on the heels of the University of San Francisco's Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management's closing after 26 years. As some of you might have read in my story on the state of San Francisco nonprofits, the Institute closed this past April in response to a decimated budget. The CEL's program is eager to help fill the void left by the USF Institute's closure. While not a degree-granting program, CEL's Nonprofit Management training utilizes professional faculty and a range of other benefits associated with the University's Department of Public Administration.

FOR BOOMERS, YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AND EMERGING NONPROFIT LEADERS

Jennifer Shea, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the University and heads up the CEL's new program. With an extensive background in nonprofit leadership and public policy, Dr. Shea is optimistic about the program's potential to respond effectively to the renewed interest in community service. She foresees the program appealing to a variety of students, from boomers to young professionals to nonprofit service providers.

"Those with expertise in nonprofit program management might be missing other essential skills required for leadership of an organization as a whole," said Shea. The CEL's program provides instruction in practical skills, such as grant writing, financial management and board development. Shea stresses that the Nonprofit Management program is focused on offering experiential training that is not laden with theory.

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE

When I asked how CEL differentiates itself from one of the Bay Area's leading nonprofit training organizations, CompassPoint Services, Shea was quick to point to CEL's evening and weekend schedule. With most courses taking place 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday and all day Saturday, the CEL program is a flexible alternative for those transitioning out of a different sector or whose employers do not offer the flexibility of spending weekday work hours pursuing professional development. The CEL courses, which begin in September, take place several times throughout the semester. The courses can be taken altogether in one semester as part of the certificate program, spread out over more than one semester or taken a la carte.

Shea said the timing of the new program also coincides well with the relocation of SF State's MBA and MPA departments to the downtown campus in the Westfield Centre. With this centralized location, the program is accessible for a variety of prospective students.

NEXT INFO SESSION JULY 17

Care to learn more? SF State is offering a series of information sessions about the program throughout the summer. Learn more about CEL's Nonprofit Management training here or come to the next session on Friday, July 17, 6-7pm at the SF State Downtown Campus, 835 Market Street, room 516.

For the latest stories on SF nonprofit business, add me to your list of Favorite Examiners. Or follow Maureen Futtner & Associates on Twitter for regular tweets about this column. Visit my website to learn about P.R. for the People and the services I offer nonprofits and small businesses.