SYLLABUS

PADM 7331 Section 90: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Spring 2013

Instructor: Andrea Hackney / Phone: (501) 593-1789
Email: / Office Hours (by appointment)
Classroom: Room 110 Arkansas Studies Institute / Located Downtown LR--401 President Clinton Avenue Little Rock, AR 72201

Course Description:

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of funding mechanisms, accounting, and federal reporting requirements for nonprofit organizations.

Objectives:

Throughout the course we will integrate Nonprofit Management and Leadership Competencies and Learning Outcome Rubrics:

Financial Resource Development & Management

Highlights financial resource acquisition, budgeting, financial management, control and transparency in nonprofit organizations

  • Methods and motivation for raising funds from traditional sources
  • Emerging trends and innovations in financial resource development in nonprofit organizations
  • Structure and responsibilities of the development function within nonprofit organizations
  • Mission‐driven resource development and budgeting
  • Components and procedures for various types of nonprofit budgeting
  • Transparency and accountability as critical values in nonprofit organization
  • Fundamental principles and practice of nonprofit accounting and reporting
  • Principles and standards for effective fiscal monitoring, control and compliance

Upon completion of the course, students should:

  • Understandthe key differences in budgeting and finance between the public and nonprofit sectors
  • Be able to understand and prepare IRS reporting forms required for nonprofits
  • Understand specific tax law provisions for nonprofit organizations
  • Understand key differences in financial management for different types of nonprofit organizations

Required Texts:

Bowman, Woods. Finance Fundamentals for Nonprofits. 1st Edition, 2011. ISBN-10: 1118004515.Available in hardcover and Kindle format.

Course Policies:

Attendance. It is to the student’s advantage that he or she attends every class session. The material presented in this course can be especially challenging for individuals who are not familiar with budgeting and finance, or have no prior experience in nonprofit financial management.

Assignments. All assignments must be turned in on paper and are due at the beginning of class time. In the event that you are unable to attend class on the evening that an assignment is due, you are responsible to ensure that the printed assignment is turned in to me by the beginning of class. Assignments may not be dropped off in the departmental office or in my mailbox.

Cheating, plagiarism, and other bad things. Cheating, plagiarism, and any other sort of academic dishonesty absolutely will not be tolerated. A first offense will result in a grade of zero for the assignment or exam in question, and will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A second offense will result in a failing grade for the course, and will also be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs for potential disciplinary action.

Students with Disabilities:
Your success in this class is important to me, and it is the policy and practice of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have a documented disability (or need to have a disability documented), and need an accommodation, please contact me privately as soon as possible, so that we can discuss with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) how to meet your specific needs and the requirements of the course. The DRC offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process among you, your instructor(s) and the DRC. Thus, if you have a disability, please contact me and/or the DRC, at 501-569-3143 (V/TTY) or 501-683-7629 (VP). For more information, please visit the DRC website at

Grading:

Students’ final grades will be calculated out of a total of 1000 possible points, broken down as follows:

Case Studies/Exercises (4 @ 50 points each) / 200
Blackboard Discussions / 200
Course Paper / 300
Paper Presentation / 200
Class Participation/Assessments / 100

Course Paper:

Students will be required to prepare a paper throughout the course of the semester, which should address issues in nonprofit financial management. Papers should be well-founded in the research literature.The will include a written financial analysis of an autonomous 501(c)(3) organization and the student must present and defend the analysis to the class. (This, by definition, excludes government agencies.) More information will be given as we get into the course.

Blackboard Discussion: Three or four classes will be discussions on Blackboard. The discussion period will be open for one week. All are expected to participate fully. The discussions will require access to a computer and to Blackboard.

Course Schedule:

Date / Topic / Reading Material
Jan 17 / Syllabus / Jossey-Bass Chapter 17 Financial Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations
Jan 24 / Nonprofits and the Public-Private Distinction / Bowman Chapter 1
Jossey-Bass Chapter 18 Nonprofit Resources
Jan 31 / Accounting, Audits, and Statements / Bowman Chapter 2
Feb 7 / Accounting, Audits, and Statements continued / Case Study Paper 1 Due
Bowman Chapter 3
IRS Forms TBA
Feb 14 / Budgeting and Investing for Nonprofit Organizations / Bowman Chapter 4
Jossey-Bass Chapter 22 Financial Management
Feb 21 / Budgeting and Investing for Nonprofit Organizations / Jossey-Bass Chapter 20 Social Enterprise and Non-Profit Ventures
Case Study Paper 2 Due
Feb 28 / Midterm Exam
Mar 7 / Case Study Discussions
Mar 14 / Nonprofit Tax Law / Bowman Chapter 5
Jossey-Bass Chapter 21 Managing the Challenges of Government Contracts
Mar 21 / Spring Break
Mar 28 / Nonprofit Revenue Management / Case Study Paper 3 Due
Bowman Chapter 10, 11
Apr 4 / Special Issues for Service and Membership Organizations / Bowman Chapter 6, 7
Apr 11 / Special Issues for Endowments and Grantmaking Organizations / Bowman Chapter 8, 9
Jossey-Bass Chapter 19 Fundraising
Apr 18 / Social Responsibility and Behavioral and Environmental Hazards / Case Study Paper 4 Due
Jossey-Bass Chapter 23 Risk Management
Apr 25 / Case Study Discussions / Final Papers Due
May 9 / Final Exam