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Online Nonprofit Management Certificate

Fast facts

Fact 1

Credit Hours

12

Fact 2

Per Credit

$730

Fact 3

Semesters

2

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Program Benefits

  • Apply Credits to Select Graduate Programs
  • Undergrad Coursework in Nonprofit Management Not Required
  • Courses Cover Project Planning, Quality Control, Risk Management and More
  • No Letters of Recommendation Required
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HomeOnline ProgramsNonprofit Management Certificate

Meet Your Goals with a Career that Helps Others

Make a positive impact with the 100% online Nonprofit Management graduate certificate from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. This program delivers focused training in the knowledge and skills nonprofit employers are looking for. This certificate is a part of Saint Mary’s Accelerators carefully crafted series of master's-level graduate certificates. Designed to advance your career to help you meet personal and professional goals, this program can be taken alone or you can apply your credits as a pathway toward a master's degree.

Enhance Your Skills in One Year

The online graduate certificate in nonprofit management is designed for students with an unrelated bachelor’s degree or professionals already in the field who are ready to enhance their skills. It is delivered in a flexible format, allowing you to maintain current work commitments while earning a valuable credential in just two semesters.

You can also apply your credits toward one of our master's programs:

By completing coursework grounded in fundraising, finance, strategy, and collaboration, you will learn to work effectively with stakeholders, volunteers, and community members to achieve your organization's mission. Prepare for success with our graduate certificate in nonprofit management.

Saint Mary's Accelerators

Saint Mary's offers a selection of graduate certificate programs designed to accelerate your degree and help you achieve your goals faster. Each of Saint Mary's Accelerators requires the completion of 12–15 credits and adds only six additional credits to your degree program, allowing you to complete an extra credential while saving time and money.

With Saint Mary's Accelerators, you'll get a glimpse at graduate coursework and the opportunity to customize your learning experience. Additionally, several certificate programs also offer Credly badging for each course.

These badges serve as a graphic representation of the skills you gained by completing a specific course or graduate certificate program. They can be displayed on social media platforms like LinkedIn and your CV and resume to visually showcase your specific leadership knowledge and skills to current and potential employers, credentialing programs, and admissions offices.

One of the hallmarks of our “accelerators” is that they are stackable into or onto full degree programs. Students can pursue a graduate certificate and then decide to continue into a full degree program in the same or a different discipline.

-Michelle Wieser, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Business and Technology

To learn more about Saint Mary's graduate certificates check out this interview with Michelle Wieser.

Curriculum

The online Nonprofit Management graduate certificate from Saint Mary's provides a well-rounded introduction to the nonprofit sector including management theory and practice, community engagement and collaboration, grant writing, financial management, and human resource management. You will learn from expert faculty and gain the specific skill sets you need to begin your career in a rewarding field.

This program includes 12 credit hours of foundational coursework, preparing you to apply strategic management principles and improve organizational outcomes in nonprofit settings.

Certificate Courses

MAPA 601 Strategic Nonprofit Management (3 credits)

This course provides an overview of the management principles used in nonprofit organizations. The course examines the historical and current context for work in the nonprofit sector; strategic leadership, including board governance and executive leadership; concepts of strategic planning, benchmarking and evaluation; and an overview of operations planning. Strategic linkages between an organization’s mission and values, strategic direction, and programming are examined.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Analyze the types and characteristics of nonprofit operating principles and structures.
  2. Apply concepts of nonprofit accountability and ownership.
  3. Explain the operations and characteristics of a board governance model.
  4. Create measurable benchmarks for monitoring progress against strategy.
  5. Evaluate operating goals, objectives, tactics, and implementation tools.
  6. Analyze the role of strategic planning within organizational life, explaining the relationship among organizational mission, strategy, vision, and values.

MAPA 615 Community Engagement and Partnerships (3 credits)

This course examines various strategies for collaboration and engagement in the community. It focuses on diverse collaboration solution strategies, facilitation skills, and transparent decision-making processes. This course addresses problem-solving techniques that encourage community involvement, along with the facilitation of critical conversations. Media relations, crisis communications, and the use of social media are also discussed.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Evaluate collaboration strategies for community engagement.
  2. Analyze and apply appropriate conflict management approaches.
  3. Evaluate supportive communication techniques.
  4. Develop effective strategies to mediate and resolve differences in the community.
  5. Analyze the effective use and limitations of various media and social media formats.
  6. Use narrative and storytelling as a community engagement strategy.
  7. Examine the aspects and implications of public and private partnerships.

MAPA 625 Nonprofit Fund Development and Financial Management (3 credits)

This course overviews the components related to raising and managing nonprofit financial resources, including fund development through grants and alternative funding sources. Cash management, debt management, audit principles, and nonprofit accounting are addressed. This course also examines creating and using budgets for planning and decision-making, along with transparent processes for internal and external review of budgets.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Connect potential grant sources to projects.
  2. Identify alternative funding sources.
  3. Create a basic funding proposal, including a budget.
  4. Apply fundamentals of nonprofit finance.
  5. Apply fund allocations and accounting processes to multiyear grants.
  6. Analyze financial data for decision-making and planning.
  7. Integrate source materials and forecasting tools to create and manage nonprofit budgets.

MAPA 635 Nonprofit Human Resource Management (3 credits)

This course focuses on human resource management in the nonprofit sector, including working with volunteers, boards of directors, contractors, clients/constituents, and external stakeholders. Staffing and hiring processes within an organization, compensation, performance evaluation, and compliance with federal law are covered.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Analyze the role of human resources in the nonprofit sector.
  2. Articulate legal definitions of and distinctions in the employer-employee relationship, including issues related to both paid and voluntary roles, consultants, clients, internal/external stakeholders, and board members.
  3. Appraise employment practices related to recruitment, selection, compensation, and performance management, including volunteer management.
  4. Describe the collective bargaining process, good faith bargaining, and the inclusion of mandatory and non-mandatory issues.

Current Certificate Requirements

For current certificate requirements, visit the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota course catalog.

Program Outcomes

When you complete this program, you will be able to:

  • Analyze strategic management principles used in the nonprofit sector.
  • Evaluate and apply community collaboration and conflict management strategies.
  • Create fund development and financial plans that inform decision making.
  • Analyze approaches to working with and manage stakeholders unique to the nonprofit sector, including volunteers, staff, and boards of directors.

Career Outlook

With the online Nonprofit Management graduate certificate, you can prepare for a variety of careers in the nonprofit sector, including those in community outreach and social services. When you complete the program, you will have the specialized knowledge you need to meet your professional goals.

Social and community services managers earn a median annual salary of $67,1501 and fundraising managers earn an average of $116,180 per year.2 Job outlook for both of these roles is expected to grow faster than the national average through 2028: 13% and 8% respectively.

A graduate certificate in nonprofit management can help you accelerate your career while making difference in your community and beyond.

Certificate Completion

The online Nonprofit Management graduate certificate is designed to be completed in one year and is financial aid eligible. No prerequisite coursework is required, and you don't need GRE/GMAT scores to apply.

For admission to the program, you'll need:

  • An undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution
  • A minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale
  • A written statement: Your personal background and future goals all impact your success with Saint Mary's and inform your education. As you prepare your written statement, think about including previous experiences, education, and your personal strengths and interests. Share your motivations for entering the online Nonprofit Management Certificate program and how it will contribute to your career.
  • The names of two people (including title, organization, email, phone number) who can serve as professional references, if needed, during the application review process. The best references are those who know you in a professional capacity, such as current or former supervisors.
  • An updated resume: Include both your educational and professional experience.

If your overall GPA is below 2.75, you may receive conditional status in the program at the discretion of the program director.

For more information about the online Nonprofit Management graduate certificate, contact us or call 877-308-9954 to speak to an enrollment counselor.

Resources:

1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social and Community Service Managers. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/social-and-community-service-managers.htm.

2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Public Relations and Fundraising Managers. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/OOH/management/public-relations-managers.htm.