PUBPOL-836
NONPROFIT MGMT
Offered Fall 2026
Term
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that the readings, films, or examples carry real weight. Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredFall
Typical enrollment14–14
Semesters of data1
4.3
Hrs / week
11
Responses
14
Enrollment
79%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.6
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.6
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.8
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.0
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 35 comments across 1 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that the readings, films, or examples carry real weight. Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
Student Reports
How hard is the A?
A is doable but not automatic
The signal here is more do-the-work-and-you-should-be-fine than easy-A chatter. Students do not describe the A as automatic, but the evidence also does not paint grading as punishing.
Homework Load
Moderate homework load
Homework load looks moderate. The recurring signal is steady weekly work, but not a course that turns every assignment into a grind.
Lecture Load
Regular lecture load
Lectures matter here, but the evidence points to a fairly standard lecture burden rather than a course dominated by long or exceptionally dense lectures.
Strengths
• Readings, films, or outside materials come up repeatedly as a real strength rather than filler.
Tradeoffs
• There is no single dominant complaint theme, but the feedback is not uniformly glowing either.
Best fit for
Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything.
Watch out for
• Most of the signal comes from a limited sample, so be careful about over-generalizing.
• A large share of the evidence comes from one instructor's version of the course, so this may not generalize cleanly.
Student Responses
1. Despite differences in scale (local, state, or national), non-profits confront very similar challenges. Whether it's governance, board engagement, donor acquisition, or volunteer management - the grass isn't greener just because your nonprofit is larger. 2. The breakdown of various nonprofit budget models was outstanding, and it's important to remember there is more than one way to present your financials. The budget is a reflection of an organization's values and not just a financial statement. 3. Our small group work revealed both a diversity of perspectives and expertise. Having graduate students from outside the executive MPA cohort provided additional depth (and challenges) to our collective work.
Fall 2025 · Stern, Caryl
I learned how non-profits operate practically nowadays, how fundraising works, and many valuable perspectives of the guests.
Fall 2025 · Stern, Caryl
We covered all of the critical pieces of nonprofit management and what it takes to build a nonprofit. I appreciated the wisdom from so many different experts and how each guest speaker conversation was catered to and focused on a specific piece of the building a nonprofit puzzle. I also appreciated that we started the term with an exercise and reflection on leadership styles. That was very grounding and helpful.
Fall 2025 · Stern, Caryl
- Different types of leadership models to emulate - Importance of the mission statement as a tool to keep the organization aligned - The importance of keeping Board/Donors emotionally connected to the organization and tactics to do that
Fall 2025 · Stern, Caryl
Overall, the nonprofit management and strategy class gave me the chance to slow down and think through the critical, weedy details of building, leading, and managing a nonprofit. First, the communications and marketing review felt incredibly helpful having to think through audiences and communications strategy. Second, understanding how board governance supports nonprofits also was a critical lessons. Finally, putting all the components together in the culmination of a 'business plan' gave me the ability to see what it was like to truly build out a nonprofit.
Fall 2025 · Stern, Caryl
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Stern, Caryl 4.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.4Difficulty3.4Would retake100%Based on 13 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.6 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 14 |