SYLLABUS for SPEA-V 221 Non-Profit and Voluntary 

 

Semester and Year: Summer 1 2026 (May 18-June 29)

Number/Title:           SPEA-V 221 Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector

Class Number:         6615

Day and Time:          Online

 

INSTRUCTOR

 

Instructor:                Michael Ault

Office Hours:           by appointment

Telephone:               (317) 966-4850

E-mail Address:       mjault@iu.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

Official course description

This course provides a broad overview of the United States nonprofit sector. Topics include the sector’s size and scope and its religious, historical, and theoretical underpinnings. It also examines perspectives on why people organize, donate to, and volunteer for nonprofit organizations and looks at current challenges that the sector faces.

 

Instructor description

This is a six-week intensive online class and will cover all material presented in a normal semester. Modules will identify your assignments for each week along with your participation questions, exams and PowerPoints. Modules will open on Saturdays and all work is due at noon the next Friday.

We will discuss relevant employment opportunities in the nonprofit world and create a case study of one local nonprofit organization. 

This course will also discuss fund raising and why people give to an organization or donate time as a volunteer, as well as the history of volunteerism in America.  Reading material may be posted in addition to the course book.  Students will be expected to read the assignments in preparation for class, exams, papers and class presentations.

An individual project will be expected (final) at the end of the course.

 

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

• Nonprofit Nation:  A New Look at the Third America (2002) Revised Edition, ISBN:  978-0-7879-5414-7

 

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, a student should be able to:

• Comprehend the importance of the nonprofit sector in the US
• Comprehend the importance of the volunteer sector in the US
• Practical knowledge about the operation and structure of a nonprofit business in preparation to lead a nonprofit organization
• Data analysis and skills to examine the state, current trends, and issues surrounding the nonprofit sector, philanthropy, and volunteerism.
• Creative thinking by discussing current events, local nonprofits, and philanthropy in the US.

 

PROFILES OF LEARNING FOR UNDERGRADUATE SUCCESS

IU Indianapolis prepares all students to communicate, innovate, and engage local and global communities to solve the problems of the 21st century. The skills needed to do this work are grouped into the four learning profiles set out below. IU Indianapolis students have multiple opportunities to learn and enhance their abilities in each profile.

This course emphasizes the Communicator and Community Contributor profiles. Course assignments will require students to engage in nonprofit communication experiences in identifying key areas of opportunities and challenges a nonprofit might face. This class will also introduce students to nonprofits and community opportunities for volunteers, donors and board members.

Communicator

An IU Indianapolis communicator can evaluate information, listen actively, build relationships and convey ideas effectively. IU Indianapolis students learn to convey ideas effectively and ethically in oral, written, and visual forms across public, private, interpersonal, and team settings, using face-to-face and mediated channels. Communicators are mindful of themselves and others, listen, observe, and read thoughtfully, ask questions, evaluate information critically, create messages that demonstrate awareness of diverse audiences, and collaborate with others and across cultures to build relationships. 

Problem solver 

An IU Indianapolis problem solver thinks critically, collaborates, analyzes, synthesizes and evaluates information and perseveres in the face of challenge. IU Indianapolis students work individually and with others to collect, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information to implement innovative solutions to challenging local and global problems.

Innovator 

An IU Indianapolis innovator investigates, creates and designs, confronts challenges and makes decisions. IU Indianapolis students learn to build on experiences and disciplinary expertise to approach new situations and circumstances in original ways, are willing to take risks with ideas, and pose solutions. They learn to create a plan to achieve their goals and carry out that plan to its completion. Innovators use their knowledge and skills to address complex problems. 

Community contributor 

An IU Indianapolis community contributor builds community, respectfully engages cultures, behaves ethically and anticipates consequences. IU Indianapolis students learn to be responsible, self-aware, civically engaged and to look outward to understand the needs of society and the environment.

 

IU INDIANAPOLIS POLICIES AND CODES

Students are expected to adhere to all campus-wide policies governing the conduct of courses at IU Indianapolis, including maintaining academic and professional honesty and integrity, being responsible for their behavior, respecting the rights and dignity of others both within and outside of the university community, and others. These policies can be found at http://studentcode.iu.edu/about/index.html.

 

INSTRUCTOR’S CLASSROOM POLICIES

All assignments must be typed/word processed, grammatically correct, and completed by the due date for full credit.

 

Due Dates and Late Work

All assignments, papers, exams etc., will be stated in your modules.

If you miss a due date for an assignment, a percentage will be deducted from your final score from the assignment. Late work will be accepted and can seriously impact your final grade in this course.

My wish is for you to be successful in this class and enjoy learning about the many different nonprofit organizations in our community.  I also hope this course will help you meet your professional, academic and or social interests and goals

Do not hesitate to contact me about any concerns that may be interfering with your learning – please keep me informed of any situation that may hinder you from turning your work in on time.

 

Communication

Please use Canvas email to communicate with me. You are welcome to text me, but please state that you are a student and what class you are in. I am available most anytime for face time or Zoom meetings.

This class is delivered solely through Canvas.  All readings, assignments, communication, learning exercises, and course communication will take place through this e-learning environment.  You will also find readings, resources, and announcements on Canvas.  Your enrollment in this course is a signal that you have dependable access to a computer and the internet.

 

ASSESSMENT AND GRADING

Grading Scale

 

Summary of Course Grading

 

Course Components

Participation

The extent and quality of the student’s contribution to questions, discussions and activities will determine the student’s final participation grade.

Participation questions will be included in 8 different modules. You are expected to submit a response to the participation question based on information covered in class. Answers should be relevant and meaningful to the discussion topic. The rubric that will be applied when grading your participation in each discussion is as follows:

The rubric that will be applied when grading your participation questions is as follows:

 

Volunteer Experience Paper

You will be asked to do an in-person volunteer experience at a local nonprofit of your choice and create a one-page paper detailing your experience.

 

Papers

You will be asked to write two papers aside from the written portfolio of your final presentation. A third paper will your report on a film, The Art of the Steal. Each paper will be evaluated on content, creativeness and grammar.

 

Exams

There will be three exams. Each exam will be based on a 100-point scale.  Exams will be given on a timed basis and should be completed in the time allotment.

 

Final Project

Choose from a list of nonprofits and submit a review of this nonprofit. This is a creative exercise project, and students are encouraged to use all types of media, displays, graphics, videos, props etc. Portfolios will be due at the end of the course. Please review Power Point in Files section for final project assignment and expectations. The grade on the final project will be as follows:

• 20% portfolio/look/professionalism
• 20% project design/format
• 30% content
• 30% overall presentation

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

Each week you will have access to new modules.  These modules will explain your expectations for the week.  This will include questions you will respond to in the assignment section of Canvas, your reading assignment, your homework, and quizzes/tests.

Modules will identify your assignments for each week along with your participation questions, exams and PowerPoints. Modules will open on Saturdays, and all work is due at noon the next Friday.

I reserve the right to modify this syllabus as I perceive it necessary.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Administrative Withdrawal

A basic requirement of this course is you will participate in class and conscientiously complete writing and reading assignments. If you miss more than half the class meetings within the first 25% of the semester without contacting me, you may be administratively withdrawn from this course. Administrative withdrawal may have academic, financial, and financial aid implications. Administrative withdrawal will take place after the full refund period, and if you are administratively withdrawn from the course, you will not be eligible for a tuition refund. If you have questions about the administrative withdrawal policy at any point during the semester, please contact me.

 

Copyright

Materials in this course, including lectures, notes, handouts, exams, and similar materials created by the instructor, are protected by U.S. copyright law.  Materials are used in an educational context for personal use and should not be reproduced, distributed, or sold in print or digitally outside the course without permission.  Students who are involved in unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material may be in violation of the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct.

 

Accessible Educational Services (AES)

AES is the IU Indianapolis office dedicated to working with students with documented disabilities to ensure that these students receive the appropriate accommodations, so they have an equal opportunity to be successful at higher education. The AES Office is located in Joseph T. Taylor Hall, Room 100, and can be contacted by phone at (317) 274-3241 or email at aes@iu.edu. For more information, visit the Accessible Educational Services website.

 

Intellectual Diversity

This course includes assigned readings and other materials that address broadly accepted concepts, theories, principles, and methods central to the topics examined in this course.  These materials provide a foundation of knowledge that is necessary to both understanding and further study of the course topics.  With this foundational knowledge, students will be better prepared to evaluate new, complex, and emerging questions in the field.  As knowledge evolves, new ideas come forward for consideration.   A student who identifies materials that they believe are relevant and will enhance understanding of course topics is invited to email the work to the instructor for consideration of inclusion in the course discussion.

 

No Use of Generative AI

Students in this course are prohibited from using artificial intelligence or any related technology to complete assignments, projects, or exams. This includes using AI to generate answers or solutions, as well as using AI to perform research or gather information. Any use of AI in the completion of coursework will be considered cheating and will result in academic penalties, including but not limited to failing the assignment, failing the course, and being reported to the Dean's office. It is the responsibility of students to ensure they are not using AI in any way that would violate this policy.