Course Syllabus

Course Description

This course provides an overview of the human resource management areas necessary for the productive functioning of nonprofit organizations. Theories of motivation applicable to the management of staff and volunteers and personnel topics of recruitment, selection, board-staff relations, compensation, training, and development are covered.

Nonprofit organizations are different. They are unlike both private companies and government in fundamental ways, while similar in other respects. Nonprofit organizations, like business and government, must rely on effective human resource management for their long-term success. Unlike the other sectors, however, those who are attracted to nonprofit organizations are often motivated in different ways from their counterparts in the private and public domains. Human resource managers in nonprofit organizations must be concerned with unique issues of balancing organizational, board, staff, and volunteer concerns, while also maintaining a committed, motivated, and productive workforce.

Learning Outcomes

Human resources—that is, paid staff and volunteers—make the organization what it is. This course is based on the premise that the distinctive nature of nonprofits affects the human resource management of such an organization. The purpose of the course is to provide students working in nonprofit organizations with a basic understanding of the human resource management issues facing nonprofits today.

The course objectives are as follows:

• To provide an overview of the human resource management areas necessary for the productive functioning of nonprofit organizations.
• To master selected theories and concepts of motivation, particularly applicable to the management of staff and volunteers in nonprofit organizations.
• To examine some of the major human resource issues and concerns confronting nonprofit managers today.
• To understand the general manager’s role as a human resource manager.
• To develop analytical skills in assessing the impact that an organization’s human resource practices have on its performance and effectiveness.

Required Texts

The required books for the course are:

• Ellis, S. J. (2010)  From the Top Down:  The Executive Role in Volunteer Program Success.  3^rd edition. Philadelphia:  Energize. Available as an e-book from the publisher https://www.energizeinc.com/store/top_down as well as in print.
• Pynes, J.E. (2013). Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, Fourth Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. . Available as an e-book from the IU library https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/iub-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1272168
• Additional course readings are available in Canvas.
• Two nonprofit sector newspapers, the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Times, may also interest you. Selected portions of them are available at:
  • Nonprofit Times http://www.nptimes.com 
  • Chronicle of Philanthropy http://www.philanthropy.com

Course Policies

Although this course is offered in a distance learning format, it does not alter our basic responsibilities to one another.

It is your responsibility to do the following:

• Be prepared to contribute each week to the online discussions  
• Complete assignments on time  
• Inform me of any problem or situation that may be interfering with your learning or performance in the course in a timely manner
• Provide feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the course in a professional manner

It is my responsibility to do the following:

• Provide activities designed to accomplish course objectives  
• Assist in providing an atmosphere conducive to learning  
• Grade and return assignments in a timely fashion and appraise students of their progress on a regular basis  
• Respond to student concerns

Course Withdrawals

Students who stop attending class without properly withdrawing from the class (by the Auto W date mandated by the registrar) will receive a grade of F. It is important to withdraw from a course within specified timeframes (refer to the Office of the Registrar website at http://registrar.indiana.edu/policies/index.shtml).

Incompletes and Late Withdrawals

To be eligible for the incomplete in a course, the student’s work must be of passing quality, and the student must have completed 75% of the course requirements. Poor performance in a course is not grounds for an incomplete.  O’Neill follows the campus guidelines in awarding incompletes which may be accessed at the Office of the Registrar’s website at: https://registrar.indiana.edu/grades/grade-values/grade-of-incomplete.shtml