About
Management
The management concentration responds to the management
education needs of public and community service professionals.
The concentration provides education for nonprofit community-based,
progressive organizations that promote the principles of
“active democracy” by involving constituents directly in
governance and in shaping their communities. The concentration
differs from traditional management education in that the
mission, accountability and performance measures are not
related to profit. Instead, the mission focuses on societal
transformation; accountability and performance are measured
by organizational effectiveness in advancing the goals of
social and economic justice. To advance the goals of social
and economic justice, managers must be able to create sustainable
organizations through the efficient and effective management
of people, information, and money. Nonprofit organizations
must be innovative, adaptive, and resourceful to meet the
challenges of the Twentieth-First Century.
People management includes the selection and development
of staff and volunteers, decision-making and leadership
skills, and the development of strategic alliances with
other organizations having similar goals. People management
skills also include good communication and critical thinking
skills. In an environment of fiscal constraints and retrenchment,
it is essential that managers have sound fiscal management
and fundraising skills. Managers must be able to manage
the day-to-day fiscal affairs of the agency, and must be
able to develop comprehensive strategic fundraising plans
to ensure the solvency of the agency. Information management
is critical to the day-to-day operations of the organization.
Information technology provides support for financial management,
human resources management, performance monitoring, fund
raising, networking with other organizations, community
outreach, communications and assessment of agency performance.
The underlying theme throughout the concentration is “community
participation in governance and in shaping their communities.”
For example community members (constituents and consumers)
should participate in agency decision making by serving
as members of programming committees, personnel selection
committees, fundraising committees, and budget committees.
Effective partnerships with the community are essential
in an active democracy. Therefore, community participation
must include real decision making authority rather than
advisory participation.
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