COURSE NUMBER: MBA 292B.11

This course is cross-listed with the EWMBA Program

 

COURSE TITLE: Nonprofit Boards

 

UNITS OF CREDIT: 1 unit

 

INSTRUCTOR: Lynne Heinrich

 

E-MAIL ADDRESS: lynnelh@comcast.net

 

MEETING DAY/TIME: Saturdays, 9:00AM – 5:00PM

 

Please note the non-standard format of this course which meets all day on two Saturdays: October 6 and November 17.

 

PREREQUISITE(S):

 

CLASS FORMAT: The class will consist of lectures, cases, speakers, exercises, and a project. The course is recommended for students wishing to learn about the nonprofit sector and who will likely be called upon to serve on a board during their successful business careers.

 

REQUIRED READINGS: There will be a course reader with articles and cases.

 

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Class attendance and participation, and class project.

 

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
This one-unit course is designed to provide students with a working knowledge of the role of boards of directors in the nonprofit sector. Specifically, the course will explore the following aspects of boards in the nonprofit sector:

 

  • Why they exist, their legal and fiduciary responsibilities, and the differences between for-profit and nonprofit boards
  • How they should be structured, highlighting the traditional and Carver models of governance and various committee structures
  • Effective board assessment tools and structures
  • What they can achieve for a nonprofit organization and how they are most effectively staffed
  • How they should interact with chief executives, staff and community
  • The impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on the nonprofit sector and boards in particular

 

Students will have the opportunity to meet members of the Bay Area nonprofit sector, including current board members, chief executives, and development directors, to discuss their roles and learn firsthand the challenges facing these different groups in an increasingly competitive nonprofit marketplace. The course is recommended for students wishing to learn about the nonprofit sector and who will likely be called upon to serve in a board capacity during their successful business careers.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
Lynne LaMarca Heinrich has served the nonprofit sector for more than 22 years. She has served museums, educational institutions, performing arts organizations, foundations, environmental organizations, and health and human service agencies in staff positions and currently as a Senior Consultant with Marts & Lundy, Inc.

 

Ms. Heinrich's recent consulting clients include the University of California, San Francisco, Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, University of California, Los Angeles, Benetech, University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, Audubon, Yosemite National Institutes, INNW Foundation, HFT Foundation, Hawaii Opera Theater, Strybing Arboretum, and the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked closely with faculty, boards, staff, and donors to provide strategic planning and philanthropy consulting, board leadership training, and counsel for organizational change.

 

As a staff member, Ms. Heinrich served as the Executive Director of the Stern Grove Festival Association, Director of Development at the Exploratorium, and held various executive advancement positions with San Francisco Opera, The Culinary Institute of America, Vassar College, and The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. She has provided services or counsel for more than twenty major capital campaigns during her career.

 

Ms. Heinrich is a Lecturer at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, where she teaches in the Non-Profit Management Program. She is a frequent public speaker and serves in numerous volunteer positions throughout the Bay Area.