School of Public Policy 376 - Catalyzing Change

This course is for students who want to build and work within nonprofit organizations to make a positive impact on the world. The students in this course will organize, fund, operate, and govern an imaginary nonprofit over the course of the semester. They will learn about missions, tax exemption, setting realistic goals, measuring an organization?s impact, fund raising, budgets, managing employees and volunteers, and the extent to which they can be involved in the political process. They will write mission statements, develop budgets, create a strategic plan, and make a proposal to a funder, among other things. Classes will feature case discussions based on the reading, but often adapted to the fictional nonprofits students have created. Students will also meet with leaders from the local nonprofit community.

30 seats reserved for public policy majors and iCons students until May 1. Those in iCons should email Faith Nussbaum (fnussbaum@umass.edu) their SPIRE number and note that they are in iCons to ask to be admitted to the class.