BUS 231 — Leadership and Governance in Nonprofits
Spring
Thursdays
6:30—8:30 pm
Date(s)
Apr 21—May 26
6 weeks
Drop By
May 4
1 Units
Fees
$345
Format
On-campus course
Open
We live in a time of unprecedented innovation,
opportunity, and challenge in the nonprofit sector
that has real implications for how we lead, manage,
and support causes and organizations we care about.
This course will explore the latest research, best practices,
and promising trends in the sector that will help
decision-makers and leaders—including board members,
nonprofit executives, and philanthropists—position
organizations for high performance and greater impact.
With case studies, practical frameworks, and featured guest speakers, we will explore important topics in nonprofit leadership. To begin, we will explore the interaction of leadership and culture. High-performing nonprofits are driven by strong leaders who build cultures of high performance and adaptation. As a class, we will explore how leaders build strong program and business models that are the building blocks of their organizations. We’ll also dive into the role of nonprofit boards. Throughout the course, we will also explore sector-wide trends and opportunities to understand how the nonprofit sector is shifting, taking on many new forms and approaches for leadership. Nonprofit leaders more than ever before need to look beyond their own work to understand how they fit into the ecosystem, how to develop new strategies for impact, and what is their organization’s role in larger-scale change.
With case studies, practical frameworks, and featured guest speakers, we will explore important topics in nonprofit leadership. To begin, we will explore the interaction of leadership and culture. High-performing nonprofits are driven by strong leaders who build cultures of high performance and adaptation. As a class, we will explore how leaders build strong program and business models that are the building blocks of their organizations. We’ll also dive into the role of nonprofit boards. Throughout the course, we will also explore sector-wide trends and opportunities to understand how the nonprofit sector is shifting, taking on many new forms and approaches for leadership. Nonprofit leaders more than ever before need to look beyond their own work to understand how they fit into the ecosystem, how to develop new strategies for impact, and what is their organization’s role in larger-scale change.
Jenny Shilling Stein, Visiting Practitioner, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
Jenny Shilling Stein co-founded the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation in 2002 to identify and support the most talented social entrepreneurs. She received an MBA and an MA in education from Stanford.Alexa Cortes Culwell, Managing Director, Philanthropy Futures
Alexa Cortes Culwell advises philanthropic leaders on how to create greater social impact. She was CEO of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation from 1992 to 2005 and a visiting practitioner at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society from 2011 to 2015.Textbooks for this course:
No required textbooks