Projects

V521 – The Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector

Spring 2008

Kirsten A. Grønbjerg

Section 11048, MW 4:00-5:15 pm, PV 272

Projects

You have two options in terms of class projects. Option A consists of a single project completed in three phases. Option B consists of three smaller projects selected from eleven possible ones. In each case, the written reports count a combined 45 percent towards the course grade. A required class presentation on Option A or active participation in class discussion of each of the three Option B projects counts for an additional 5 percent.

I strongly encourage you to complete the projects in collaboration with a team of other students. If you do, you must provide me with a confidential assessment of the contributions made by each of your team mates. See instructions on team work included in the detailed description of each project option under the Assignment tab on Oncourse.

Option A

This option is designed to help you develop a better understanding of the size, complexity, and role of the nonprofit sector in local communities by asking you to develop recommendations for which of two communities (of your choice) a philanthropic funder active in a particular nonprofit field (of your choice) should target for expanding its funding activities over the next five years. The project will help you prepare for challenges that nonprofit managers encounter when they seek information about the nonprofit sector, their own communities, and their field of activity. You should also come to recognize the value of this type of analysis for local community leaders in general who need to understand the scope and structure of nonprofits in their communities in order to manage effectively and develop appropriate policies within their own particular arenas. When combined with demographic, economic, social, political, cultural and/or environmental information about the communities, this type of effort will be of particular interest to funders and to the leadership of regional, state-wide, or national nonprofits contemplating new efforts in those communities.

To complete this project, you must select two communities (counties, cities, or metropolitan areas) that are of interest to you (perhaps because you would like to find employment in the community) and that allow for interesting or useful comparisons for a particular nonprofit field of your choice. Assume that you have been asked to develop a strategic planning memo for a foundation with giving programs directly related to your nonprofit field of activity and targeting the two communities in which you have an interest. The foundation has asked you to make recommendations on which of the two communities it should target for the expansion of its grant programs.

Your assignment consists of submitting three related products focusing on the foundation’s identified field of activity in the two communities: (1) A preliminary report assessing the extent to which the two communities differ in their need for additional funding in the field (10 percent) due on February 20; (2) an interim report assessing the extent to which the two communities differ in their existing nonprofit capacity to address the needs (15 percent) due on March 26; and (3) a strategic planning memo addressed to the foundation summarizing your findings and presenting your recommendation as to which of the two communities the foundation should target for its funding priorities in the field (20 percent) due on April 25. Each of these three products is described in greater detail under the Assignment tab in Oncourse.

The three project reports count 45 percent towards the course grade. A final in-class presentation (on April 23) counts for an additional 5 percent towards the course grade – or 50 percent overall for Project A.

[top]

Option B - Three Smaller Projects

To help you develop a better understanding of how the nonprofit sector fits into the social, political and economic fabric of American society, I have designed eleven projects. Each is worth 15 points and is scheduled for discussion on specific dates throughout the semester and due as a written report at 5 p.m. 48 hours after the class discussion. You must submit written reports on at least three projects (see special instructions for project #4) for a total of 45 points – or 45 percent of the overall course grade. If you complete more than three projects, I will count the three that will give you the highest grade. You must actively participate in discussing the procedures used (methodology), observations (findings), conclusions (analysis), and relevance to the course readings of all three projects that you complete on the day indicated in the class schedule, for a total of 5 points. The three projects are therefore worth 50 percent of the course grade. Each of the eleven projects summarized below are described in greater detail under the Assignment tab on Oncourse.

B.1: Nonprofits in the News (Discussion: Jan 14; report: Jan 16). Select the same day edition of two different daily newspapers and compare how they differ in (1) the prevalence of nonprofits in the news and (2) the type of nonprofit presence in the news, e.g., as a primarily focus, a source of information or commentary on a story, or as a name or site of activities only.

B.2: What Nonprofit Tax Returns Reveal (Discussion: Jan. 16, report: Jan. 18). Select three nonprofits for which you have access to Form 990 financial information (submitted to the IRS) and analyze how the three compare in size, financial health, sources of revenues, expenditures, top executive salary levels, and anything else that strike you as interesting.

B.3 Touched by the Nonprofit Sector (Discussion: Jan 16, report: Jan. 18). Interview at least four people about their involvement with nonprofit organizations of all types during the past year (include yourself as a fifth person). Probe for different forms of involvement and for different nonprofit fields and then present and analyze your findings.

B4. Getting to Know a Nonprofit Field. (Discussions and reports – see syllabus): Select one of the major nonprofit fields and two related "decile level" sub-fields. Also select two states of your choice and obtain information on the number of charitable, tax-filing organizations and key financial indicators of total revenues, total assets, and total public support for two different years at least 5 years apart, both overall and for your major field and related "decile-level" sub-fields. Use the same two decile-level sub-fields from your nonprofit field to review organizations identified through a Guidestar search.

B.5. Dividing Up the Turf Discussion: Feb. 20; report: Feb. 22). The triangle model highlights how activities may be distributed across the four sectors (including households or informal groups). Select a major U.S. disaster of your choice and, using available media and other reports, analyze how activities are carried out by each of the four.

B.6. Who is in My Corner? Discussion: Feb. 27; report: Feb. 29. Select a controversial, “hot” issue and identify two or more organizations that advocate for one position on that issue and two or more organizations that advocate for a contradictory position on that issue. Obtain as much information as you can about the organizations and undertake a critical analysis of how the organizations present themselves.

B.7. Inside the Congregation. Discussion: March 24 report: March 28. Select a church, temple, synagogue, mosque or other religious congregation with which you are familiar and outline how it views charity, philanthropy, benevolence, and/or responsibility towards others. Then interview at least two lay members and the spiritual leader of the congregation about the same topics.

B.8. Where Did They Go Wrong, or Did They? Discussion: Apr. 2 report: Apr. 4. Identify an ethical issue faced by nonprofits and obtain as much information about the issue as possible. Then discuss which underlying ethical principles these activities have served to highlight. Also consider why and how this particular issue is problematic for nonprofits and why it has been particular visible during this period.

B.9. Doing the Work. Discussion: Apr. 7 report: Apr. 9. Using a published listing of volunteer opportunities, complete sustained volunteer opportunities for at least three different organizations and keep a diary of these experiences. Then analyze your experiences in terms of time frame, recruitment/selection process, type of work, extent of training, role and authority, relationship to paid staff and others, types of rewards and costs, and role of networks.

B.10. Why Do They Do It? Discussion: Apr. 9 report: Apr. 11. Interview at least four people about their experiences volunteering for various organizations. You should focus on what types of volunteer work they do and for which organizations, how long they have done it, how they got involved, what role networks played in getting them involved and in whether they stayed involved. Also explore both positive and negative aspects of volunteering.

B.11. Getting the Money. Discussion: Apr. 14 report: Apr. 16. Collect samples of mail solicitations directed at an individual or a family from at least 5 different nonprofit organizations requesting financial support in the form of donations, membership fees/dues, or participation in special events. Then analyze the appeals for content and form.

[top]