Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations

 Course Description

This course provides graduate students with a comprehensive foundation in nonprofit financial management. Students will develop the financial literacy and analytical skills necessary to plan, manage, and communicate the financial health of nonprofit organizations. The course examines financial management as an integrated system of controls, planning, asset and liability management, reporting, and communications, with an emphasis on the practical challenges facing nonprofit administrators in today's funding environment.

The course is structured around six modules: Introduction and Foundations, Financial Controls, Financial Planning, Asset and Cash Flow Management, Financial Reporting and Communications, and Financial Planning and Analysis. Each module builds on the previous, culminating in a capstone paper in which students analyze a real nonprofit organization's financial documents and develop evidence-based recommendations.

 Learning Outcomes 

By the end of the course, students will learn how to:

• Explain the core principles of nonprofit financial management, including controls, planning, asset management, reporting, and communications as an integrated system.
• Identify and apply internal financial controls, including separation of duties, authorization, custody, recording, and reconciliation, to real organizational scenarios.
• Construct and nonprofit budgets, including program, departmental, and organizational budgets.
• Interpret nonprofit financial statements, including the Statement of Activities, Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Cash Flow, Form 990, and audited financials.
• Apply financial planning and analysis tools to assess organizational financial health.
• Evaluate the financial sustainability of a nonprofit organization and develop actionable recommendations.

Required Text and Materials

There is no required textbook for this course. All readings will be provided as links or PDFs through Canvas. Students will need access to Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for select exercises.

Students may find the following resources useful throughout the course:

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (projects.propublica.org/nonprofits): free access to nonprofit Form 990s (and great nonprofit journalism!)
• Council of Nonprofits (councilofnonprofits.org): sector resources and policy information
• GuideStar/Candid (candid.org): nonprofit financial data (requires an account

Asynchronous Schedule & Content

This is a asynchronous course designed for working professionals and graduate students pursuing careers in nonprofit administration. 2 Modules will be release each week, starting on June 22, 2026.

Because this is a very short class cycle, a very broad class of students at different levels, and a very broad subject (and my very first time presenting this content structure), I am 100% certain that there will be something that you thought you might learn more about that isn’t in the current module content. If there is something that you are curious about that isn’t included in the course, please feel free to schedule time with me to go over it, or to reach out to me via email. In some cases, I may record additional videos to share with the class.

Course Schedule

Note: The above schedule is subject to limited change in the event of extenuating circumstances. All deadlines will be posted on Canvas with at least one week's notice.

Grading

This is a asynchronous course designed for working professionals and graduate students pursuing careers in nonprofit administration. The assessments in this course are not designed to merely test memorization. Financial management is fundamentally a judgment discipline: the ability to interpret information, weigh tradeoffs, and make sound decisions under uncertainty. Knowledge checks and quizzes are designed to test both your understanding of core concepts and your ability to apply and interpret them in realistic scenarios. 

Additionally, financial management is an open-book career. The video knowledge checks are meant to ensure that you’re watching videos, but the module quizzes are repeatable. Also, the knowledge checks aren't graded.

Assignment Descriptions

Module Quizzes (40%): A quiz of 10 questions is administered at the end of modules 2-6. Module quizzes are auto-graded and may be retaken. The highest score will be recorded. Quizzes draw from all videos within the module and assess cumulative understanding.

Discussion Posts (40%): Each module includes a discussion prompt requiring students to apply course concepts to a real nonprofit organization of their choosing. Posts should be 300–500 words and demonstrate substantive engagement with the module's content. Students are also expected to respond to at least one peer post per module.

Final Reflection (20%): Students will select a nonprofit organization and reflect on its financial position and health using the organization’s 990, audited financials, and any other information available. The reflection (at least 500 words) should assess the organization's financial health across the dimensions covered in this course.

Grading Scale

This course uses the standard IU grading scale as configured in Canvas:

• A: 93–100 | A-: 90–92
• B+: 87–89 | B: 83–86 | B-: 80–82
• C+: 77–79 | C: 73–76 | C-: 70–72
• D+: 67–69 | D: 63–66 | D-: 60–62
• F: Below 60

Course Policies

Attendance and Participation

This is a fully asynchronous course. There are no scheduled meeting times. Students are expected to complete all video modules, knowledge checks, quizzes, and discussion posts within the timeframes posted on Canvas. Regular and timely engagement with course materials is essential to success in this course and is reflected in the discussion post component of the grade.

Late Assignments

Late assignments will see 10% taken of the grade of the assignment. Exceptions may be granted for documented emergencies; please contact me as soon as possible.

Technical Requirements

[Note to Instructors: review and customize these technical requirements as needed.]

You will need the following in order to participate in this course:

• Desktop or laptop computer
• Reliable Internet connection
• Access to Canvas using a supported web browser.

 Technical Support

For additional help with technical issues, consult:

• University Information Technology Services (UITS) (human support)
• IU Knowledge Base (IUKB) (documentation for IU applications and services)
• Canvas Student Guide
• IUware (download free software)