Syllabus for LDR-419
NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP
This course provides students with comprehensive knowledge and approach to nonprofit leadership and management. The course covers areas essential to effective leadership in today's nonprofit organization including governance, director and board responsibilities, social responsibility, strategic planning, fund development, financial accountability, human resources, and volunteer management. Woven through the course are the three key themes of social responsibility and leadership, multi-sector collaboration, and service and careers in the nonprofit sector. Coupled with traditional areas of nonprofit leadership and management, these themes create the innovative educational aspects of this course.
By successfully completing the learning activities of the course, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the University's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
ISBN-13: 978-0470392508
Note: You will also be required to read articles that can be accessed through the myEdison portal. For articles that are available through the New Jersey State Library, you will need a library card. Sign up for your free card at the link below. Be sure to sign up early in the semester as it can take a little time to receive your card. https://www.njstatelib.org/research_library/get_a_library_card/state_employee_and_tesu_students/
Nonprofit Leadership is a three-credit online course, consisting of four modules. Modules include an overview, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles and sub-topics are listed below.
Nature, Function and Scope of The Nonprofit Sector
Nonprofit Environment
Values, Ethics and Nonprofits
Social Sector Challenges and Leadership
Governance and Leadership
Leadership: Values, Mission, Ethics
Fund Raising and Philanthropy
Society and Social Responsibility – Does Leadership Make a Difference?
Strategic Alliances and Collaborations
The course requires you to complete eight written assignments which includes an organizational analysis, an organizational financial analysis, and a PowerPoint presentation. You are also required to participate in seven graded online discussion forums and an ungraded "Introductions" forum in Module 1 of the course. For your final paper, you are required to write a case study based research paper.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this document.
In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum in Module 1, Nonprofit Leadership requires you to participate in seven graded discussion forums based on information from the textbook and journal articles.
Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.
You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, concepts, and practices as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.
Discussion Forum Evaluation Rubric
Nonprofit Leadership requires eight written assignments which include an organizational analysis, an organizational financial analysis, and a PowerPoint presentation. Some assignments consist of essay questions based on associated chapters in the textbook and your personal reflection. Familiarize yourself with the written assignment questions before you begin each written assignment. Conversely, be sure to complete all relevant readings before answering the questions.
When you have completed all of the assigned readings for a written assignment, prepare your answers to the written assignment questions. These questions require critical thinking. Take the time to determine what you need to include to present a thoughtful, complete response that conveys your understanding of the course materials.
Formulate responses in your own words (do not merely copy answers from your reading materials); however, support the points you make with information from your course materials and from outside sources. Cite and document all sources of information with an appropriate reference.
Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.
Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.
You are required to write a final research paper based on the nonprofit selected for your initial Organizational Analysis. The objective of this case study based paper is to synthesize and integrate what you have learned so that you can readily draw upon it in your professional life. You are encouraged to check the Final Paper area for more information about the final research paper and start to work on the paper as early as possible during the course.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | C+ | = | 78–79 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–77 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | C– | = | 70–72 | |
B | = | 83–87 | D | = | 60–69 | |
B– | = | 80–82 | F | = | Below 60 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
Thomas Edison State University is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The University expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.
Students at Thomas Edison State University are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.
All members of the University community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog and online at www.tesu.edu.
Thomas Edison State University expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the University insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:
Thomas Edison State University is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.
If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, or without identifying it as a direct quote, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > “Citing Sources.”)
Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.
Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.
Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.
For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance, click the links provided below.
Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism
When to Quote and When to Paraphrase
Writing Assistance at Smarthinking
Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.
If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.
If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.
Possible sanctions include:
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