COURSE NUMBER: MBA 292F-11
This course is
cross-listed with EWMBA
COURSE TITLE: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF NONPROFITS
UNITS OF CREDIT: One Unit
INSTRUCTOR: Brent Copen
E-MAIL ADDRESS: copen@lapiana.org
MEETING DAYS/TIMES: The
class will meet on two Sundays: February
6 and February 27 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
PREREQUISITS:
A course in finance or finance experience is required. If you have a question, please check with the instructor.
CLASS FORMAT:
This one unit course will employ a seminar format combining lecture, discussion, group and individual exercises, and case studies. Students should be prepared to actively join in class discussion and to bring to class their own issues and experience in nonprofit management. Students should also bring a pocket calculator to class.
REQUIRED READINGS: Course Reader
BASIS FOR FINAL
GRADE:
The final grade will be based on class participation and either a final exam or a final project.
ABSTRACT OF COURSE’S
CONTENT:
In order to be an effective leader in the nonprofit field, one must be able to analyze and act upon financial information as part of an overall approach to strategic decision making. This course will focus on the financial management issues faced by board members and by senior and executive managers in nonprofit organizations.
Students will learn the tools and techniques for effective financial management, including pricing, program analyses, budgeting and overall business model sustainability. The course will address current regulations and issues that impact nonprofit financial management. The use and development of internal and external financial reports will be studied with an emphasis on using financial information in decision-making. Tools and techniques of financial statement analysis, interpretation and presentation will be discussed and practiced.
The course is designed to develop the core financial management skills needed by board members and senior managers in large and small organizations. These include the practice of critical and analytical thinking, the ability to synthesize and plan, the knowledge of how to evaluate and respond quickly, and the skills to communicate effectively. We will address the real challenges, opportunities, and problems of financial management in nonprofit organizations.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
Brent Copen, MPA, brings more than
15 years of nonprofit experience to his role as Senior Manager at La Piana Consulting. Brent is devoted to
strengthening the sector by helping nonprofit organizations develop more robust
financial management practices. He has presented hundreds of workshops
and trainings nationally to executive directors, board members, funders and
future leaders; he has also consulted extensively to a wide variety of
nonprofits across sub-sectors. Brent is a frequent guest lecturer at
colleges and universities, including UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and UC
Davis Graduate School of Management. He served as faculty at Teachers
College, Columbia University, where he taught courses in resource allocation
for nonprofit organizations.
Prior to joining the firm, Brent was the Director of the Western Region at
Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), where he was responsible for business
development, product innovation and management of NFF’s consulting practice in
the Western Region. Before this, Brent was Projects Manager for Youth
Treatment and Education Court, a San Francisco-based juvenile drug treatment
and education program; he was also a Senior Fellow of the Robert F. Kennedy
Memorial.
Brent has served on the executive committee of the board of directors for
American Jewish World Service and Avodah: The Jewish
Service Corps. He is currently a board member of Catalogue Choice, a
Berkeley-based nonprofit that works to reduce the number of repeat and unwanted
catalog mailings, and to promote the adoption of sustainable industry best
practices. He received a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia
University’s School of International and Public Affairs.