- Nonprofit Job sites list by blogger Pam Ashlund
- Lists of Nonprofit Conferences -- here and here.
- Lists of Nonprofit books -- here and here.
- Nonprofit Management Education programs list by Roseanne Mirabella
- List Nonprofit Capacity building links from Capaciteria
- List of websites where you can post volunteer opportunities.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Nonprofit Lists for the Holidays
Many of you know I love collecting nonprofit resources, so my holiday gift to you is linking to a few of my favorite nonprofit lists.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Nonprofit Management Seminars this Spring
I'm teaching three seminars this spring in the Bay Area at John F. Kennedy University. As you can probably tell from my blog I'm passionate about these subjects and looking forward to sharing resources and strategies I've learned from being a nonprofit manager.
- Saturday, March 15th: JUMPSTART YOUR PASSION: HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY START & RUN YOUR OWN NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
- Saturday, March 29th: NONPROFIT OPERATIONS: STRATEGIES & STEPS FOR SUCCESSFUL MISSION ACHIEVEMENT
- Saturday, May 3rd: ADVANCED TOPICS IN FUNDRAISING (with Sean Stannard-Stockton, CFA, CAP)
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
The next generation of nonprofit professors are coming!
There was an interesting debate at the ARNOVA conference about pursuing a PhD specializing in nonprofit management vs. pursuing a traditional PhD and writing a nonprofit focused dissertation.
Historically professors who teach nonprofit education earned PhD degrees in Sociology, Education, Public Administration, Public Policy, Political Science, and other fields. Some of these professors advocate for the continuation this type of broad education for future nonprofit studies professors.
However, new programs are popping up across the country offering specialized doctoral programs in Nonprofit Management, Leadership and Philanthropy, and enrollment is on the rise. Obviously I am an advocate for specialized PhD programs in nonprofit management because I am in one of those programs. I want to study the nonprofit sector and be a professor of nonprofit management. I believe that my specialized field will help me be more effective at teaching the next generation of nonprofit leaders.
Historically professors who teach nonprofit education earned PhD degrees in Sociology, Education, Public Administration, Public Policy, Political Science, and other fields. Some of these professors advocate for the continuation this type of broad education for future nonprofit studies professors.
However, new programs are popping up across the country offering specialized doctoral programs in Nonprofit Management, Leadership and Philanthropy, and enrollment is on the rise. Obviously I am an advocate for specialized PhD programs in nonprofit management because I am in one of those programs. I want to study the nonprofit sector and be a professor of nonprofit management. I believe that my specialized field will help me be more effective at teaching the next generation of nonprofit leaders.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Read my fellow doctoral student's blog
My fellow doctoral student Lindsey McDougle started her own blog a couple of weeks ago. I encourage you all to read her blog Leadership as a Field of Study.
Research vs. Practice....The Great Debate
A few weeks ago I attended the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) annual conference. ARNOVA is a where place for researchers and practitioners gather to present and discuss research findings about the nonprofit sector.
This conference was especially exciting for me because I presented my first academic paper titled, "Professional Development for Nonprofit Managers, A Different Approach: Collaborative Learning Through a Wiki, Blog, and Hands on Discussion."
Coming from the practitioner world this was an exciting opportunity for me to present among the top researchers in the field. I actually was star struck to be presenting in the same session as Rosanne Mirabella whose work I've been following for years.
I was challenged throughout this conference because of two reasons.
1. There were discussions threaded throughout the conference about practitioners expressing a desire to have researchers translate their research into practice. One of the keynote speakers said that she believes that only 10% of research can be utilized by nonprofit managers--and she is saying this having just come from the research world to becoming CEO of a Nonprofit!! I don't necessarily agree with her, however I do believe nonprofit managers who make an effort to understand research, are better at their jobs and assessing the world around them. I want researchers, specifically those in academia to do research that is impactful to the sector and not do research for the sake of research.
2. There was also another discussion about researchers wanting practitioners to test the validity of their research. Along the lines of that discussion, I want nonprofit associations and practitioners to feel welcome at ARNOVA and be able to share their relevant research to the entire sector. However, as a practitioner I am struggling to learn how to figure out how to test the validity of research reports and sources. I generally read research reports and accept them as truth.
In response to these discussions, my suggestions are:
1. Academic researchers should put in their research budget money for a graphic designer, so the research will look compelling to read. Then they should distribute the research to the entire sector, not just to academic sources.
2. Nonprofit Associations and other practitioner based researchers in the field should be open to presenting research at ARNOVA and in the nonprofit research community--and ARNOVA should invite them to do so.
3. Nonprofit associations and Academic researchers need to work together to produce research that meets the academic rigor, however is also relevant to the field.
We all miss out if we don't work together.
This conference was especially exciting for me because I presented my first academic paper titled, "Professional Development for Nonprofit Managers, A Different Approach: Collaborative Learning Through a Wiki, Blog, and Hands on Discussion."
Coming from the practitioner world this was an exciting opportunity for me to present among the top researchers in the field. I actually was star struck to be presenting in the same session as Rosanne Mirabella whose work I've been following for years.
I was challenged throughout this conference because of two reasons.
1. There were discussions threaded throughout the conference about practitioners expressing a desire to have researchers translate their research into practice. One of the keynote speakers said that she believes that only 10% of research can be utilized by nonprofit managers--and she is saying this having just come from the research world to becoming CEO of a Nonprofit!! I don't necessarily agree with her, however I do believe nonprofit managers who make an effort to understand research, are better at their jobs and assessing the world around them. I want researchers, specifically those in academia to do research that is impactful to the sector and not do research for the sake of research.
2. There was also another discussion about researchers wanting practitioners to test the validity of their research. Along the lines of that discussion, I want nonprofit associations and practitioners to feel welcome at ARNOVA and be able to share their relevant research to the entire sector. However, as a practitioner I am struggling to learn how to figure out how to test the validity of research reports and sources. I generally read research reports and accept them as truth.
In response to these discussions, my suggestions are:
1. Academic researchers should put in their research budget money for a graphic designer, so the research will look compelling to read. Then they should distribute the research to the entire sector, not just to academic sources.
2. Nonprofit Associations and other practitioner based researchers in the field should be open to presenting research at ARNOVA and in the nonprofit research community--and ARNOVA should invite them to do so.
3. Nonprofit associations and Academic researchers need to work together to produce research that meets the academic rigor, however is also relevant to the field.
We all miss out if we don't work together.
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