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School of Public Administration

PAD 6208 – Nonprofit Financial Management

 

Professor Contact

  • Professor: Dr. Myser
  • Office: Downtown Campus, Dr. Phillips Academic Commons 448H
  • Office Hours: Mondays and Thursdays 11-3 (by appointment only)
  • Phone: 407-823-5885
  • Preferred methods of communication: Canvas Inbox or Phone/Skype/Conferences
  • E-mail: suzette.myser@ucf.edu

Course Information

  • Course Name: Nonprofit Financial Management
  • Course ID: PAD 6208
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Semester/Year: Spring 2022
  • Location: Webcourses

 

Course Description and Prerequisites

This course covers financial management in nonprofit organizations, including nonprofit funding, budgeting policies and procedures, orientation of department managers to budgeting, estimating income and expenses, and ethical implications of budgeting and finance.

Admission to Master of Nonprofit Management, or Certificate in Nonprofit Management, or Certificate in Fundraising or C.I. 

 

Required Course Texts

  • Dropkin, M., Halpin, J., & La Touche, B. (2007). The budget-building book for nonprofits: A step-by-step guide for managers and boards (2nd ed). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (ISBN: 978-0-7879-9603-1).
  • Zietlow, J., Hankin, J. A., Seidner, A., & O'Brien, T. (2018). Financial management for nonprofit organizations: policies and practices: John Wiley & Sons.
  • American Psychological Association (2019). Concise Rules of APA Style, Seventh Edition.
  • Other readings as assigned via Webcourses. Additional reading materials may be assigned during the semester. Access to Microsoft Excel is necessary to complete assigned financial analyses. UCF provides a free copy to all students that you can download here: https://products.office.com/en-us/student/office-in-education?ms.officeurl=getoffice365.

 

Mission of the Nonprofit Management Program

The Master of Nonprofit Management program prepares students for professional public service leadership in the nonprofit sector through a competency-based curriculum set on a foundation of ethical principles, community engagement, and scholarship that creates usable, relevant knowledge to address complex societal issues in Central Florida and beyond.

Values of the Nonprofit Management Program

The Master of Nonprofit Management program is dedicated to advancing public service values and civic leadership in all programmatic areas. For our faculty, staff, and students, public service values are demonstrated by adhering to ethical principles of behavior and by acting in a professional manner

Ethical Principles

We advocate the following ethical principles of conduct as the foundation of public service:

  • Integrity – to serve in a honest, transparent manner while honoring promises;
  • Benevolence – to promote the public good, avoid doing harm, and respect the worth of each individual;
  • Fairness – to act in way that is just and equitable to all, while avoiding undue burden on the most vulnerable in our society; and
  • Social Justice – to identify and address the unfair burdens experienced by groups of individuals through intentional and unintentional policies, laws, and societal projects and practices.

Professional Principles

We advocate the following professional principles to advance public service as a profession:

  • Commitment – to pursue a passion for the public interest with accountability and transparency;
  • Competence – to utilize the most current knowledge, skills, and abilities to serve the public interest with efficiency and objectivity;
  • Scholarship – to cherish and honor learning that enriches the human experience;
  • Stewardship – to accept responsibility for decisions and actions regarding the protection of public resources;
  • Diversity and Inclusiveness – to respect and value all perspectives and experiences, creating an environment that is open to all; and
  • Leadership – to inspire others to advance the public interest while actively promoting democratic participation and collaboration.

 

Nonprofit Management Core Competencies

This course is designed to respond in part to the Global Standards in Public Affairs Education (NASPAA) common curriculum components:

  • Budgeting and financial processes.
  • Policy and program formulation, implementation, and evaluation.
  • Decision-making and problem solving.
  • Political and legal institutions and processes.
  • Organization and management concepts and ethical behavior.

The required competencies taught so that students at the completion of their nonprofit management program of study will be able to demonstrate the ability to:

  1. lead and manage in a dynamic, mission driven nonprofit sector;
  2. analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions for the purpose of strengthening nonprofit organizations, the nonprofit sector, and society at large;
  3. communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry;
  4. articulate and apply a public service perspective emphasizing the role of civil society in democratic governance; and
  5. articulate and apply the values of honesty, stewardship, service, civic engagement, and social justice while functioning in the nonprofit sector.

 

Student Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives

At the completion of this course students will be able to:

  • describe nonprofit funding, policies and procedures
  • analyze liquidity
  • develop a cash flow
  • present a budget
  • build staff budgeting capacity
  • estimate income and expenses
  • review financial statements
  • conduct financial analyses
  • utilize money-saving techniques
  • avoid ethical dilemmas including use of a conflict-of-interest policy

 

Course Requirements

·       Week 1 Discussion (5 points)

The Week 1 assignment is an introduction discussion to introduce yourself, learn about other students and discuss your objectives. This is a graduate level course and you are expected to produce work that represents the higher level of thinking and skills required for graduate school. You will not receive credit for stating that you "have no questions or concerns." 

All faculty members are required to document students' academic activity at the beginning of each course. Completing your Introduction Assignment will meet this requirement and document that you began this course. This assignment must be completed by January 15th, 5:00 PM EST. Failure to do so will cause a delay in the disbursement of your financial aid.

·       Weekly Exercises 1-10 (10 x 6 pts = 60 total points)

In Exercises 1-10, a mastery assignment will be posted for completion on Webcourses in the Assignments section. These assignments are designed to reinforce fundamental concepts from the module. The assignments may consist of discussions, quizzes, Excel exercises, short answers, case studies, and other items that allow students to demonstrate their mastery of the material. These assignments are due at the close of each module, on Mondays at 6:59PM EDT/EST. In general, the following grading scale will be used for these assignments:

Without error – 6 pts

A significant error, or many minor errors – 5.5 pts

Multiple significant errors – 5 pts

Completed, but many errors – 4.5 pts

Incomplete – 0-4.5 pts

·       Budget Assignment (15 points)

Each student is required to complete a budget assignment that tests the ability to analyze an existing nonprofit budget document, which will be provided by the professor. The specific details of this assignment will be announced to the class at the end of the second week of class. The assignment will be posted in the Major Assignments Module. The budget assignment is due on Monday, April 25th at 6:59PM EDT.

·       Financial Report Assignment (20 points)

The financial report assignment requires a student to collect the “990” financial report forms of a nonprofit of your choosing for the last three consecutive years. Students may gather supplemental information from budget documents and other sources as well to enhance the product. Each student must submit links or scanned copies of the three 990 forms to the professor for approval by March 7th at 6:59PM EDT—failure to do so will result in a penalty on the assignment grade. The final product will be a paper that provides an overview of the organization, a review of the 990 forms, and a financial analysis based on the information. The specific details of this assignment will be announced to the class at the end of the second week of class. The financial report assignment is due on Monday, May 2nd at 6:59PM EST.

 

Late Assignments

The course schedule is proposed. Please notify the professor as soon as possible if you might miss an assignment or have questions or concerns about an assignment. You are welcome to request a late pass from the professor. When making your request, please keep in mind the upcoming assignments and future workloads. The purpose of the late pass is not for you to perpetually turn work in late and the professor may decline to give extensions to students who abuse the policy.

Extra Credit

Extra credit may be awarded throughout the semester for meaningful and productive communication with the professor. You may earn up to 5 extra credit points throughout the semester. Examples of activities that might earn extra credit points (or partial points) include: posting your profile or a discussion question in the Master of Nonprofit Management Homesite; contacting the professor directly with thoughtful, meaningful, and specific questions about the modules and assignments; and contacting the professor about problems with the course materials (modules and assignments - individual or technical issues will not earn points). This list does not cover all possible topics and you have a greater chance of earning extra credit points if you correspond regularly with the professor and on the discussion boards. 

 

Financial Aid Attendance Requirement

All faculty members are required to document students' academic activity at the beginning of each course. Completing your Week 1 Discussion will meet this requirement and document that you began this course.  This assignment must be completed by August 27th by 5:00 PM EST. Failure to do so will cause a delay in the disbursement of your financial aid.

 

Evaluation and Grading

All assignments must be submitted electronically via Webcourses by uploading to the appropriate assignment page. If you have technical difficulties with uploading to Webcourses, visit the online@UCF support website. Technical difficulties are not a legitimate excuse for not uploading the assignments in a timely manner. Assignments emailed or sent through Webcourses Inbox will not be accepted.

Much of the work submitted in this course will be in written, paragraph form. These assignments should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font and double-spaced with 1-inch margins. The School of Public Administration requires the use of APA style for all papers. All written assignments submitted via Webcourses will automatically undergo a plagiarism review by TurnItIn.com.

Proofread all assignments for spelling, grammar, and general content before submission. Assignments are to be submitted by the dates indicated on the course schedule below. Each assignment will provide specific instructions for completion and submission.

100

93         =

A

4.0

92

90         =

A-

3.75

89

87         =

B+

3.25

86

83         =

B

3.0

82

80         =

B-

2.75

79

77         =

C+

2.25

76

73         =

C

2.0

72

70         =

C-

1.75

69

67         =

D+

1.25

66

63         =

D

1.0

62

60         =

D-

0.75

59

0           =

F

0.00

 

Assignment

Percentage of Grade

Week 1 Assignment

5%

Weekly Exercises

60%

Budget Assignment

15%

Final Project

20%

Total

100%

 

Academic Honesty

Students should familiarize themselves with UCF’s Rules of Conduct at http://osc.sdes.ucf.edu/process/roc. According to Section 1, “Academic Misconduct,” students are prohibited from engaging in

1.     Unauthorized assistance: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise unless specifically authorized by the instructor of record. The unauthorized possession of examination or course-related material also constitutes cheating.

2.     Communication to another through written, visual, electronic, or oral means: The presentation of material which has not been studied or learned, but rather was obtained through someone else’s efforts and used as part of an examination, course assignment, or project.

3.     Commercial Use of Academic Material: Selling of course material to another person, student, and/or uploading course material to a third-party vendor without authorization or without the express written permission of the university and the instructor. Course materials include but are not limited to class notes, Instructor’s PowerPoints, course syllabi, tests, quizzes, labs, instruction sheets, homework, study guides, handouts, etc.

4.     Falsifying or misrepresenting the student’s own academic work.

5.     Plagiarism: Using or appropriating another’s work without any indication of the source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work is the student’s own.

6.     Multiple Submissions: Submitting the same academic work for credit more than once without the express written permission of the instructor.

7.     Helping another violate academic behavior standards.

For more information about Academic Integrity, consult the International Center for Academic Integrity

http://academicintegrity.org.

For more information about plagiarism and misuse of sources, see “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices” http://wpacouncil.org/node/9.

 

Responses to Academic Dishonesty, Plagiarism, or Cheating

Students should also familiarize themselves with the procedures for academic misconduct in UCF’s student handbook, The Golden Rule <http://goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/docs/goldenrule.pdf>. UCF faculty members have a responsibility for students’ education and the value of a UCF degree, and so seek to prevent unethical behavior and when necessary respond to academic misconduct. Penalties can include a failing grade in an assignment or in the course, suspension or expulsion from the university, and/or a “Z Designation” on a student’s official transcript indicating academic dishonesty, where the final grade for this course will be preceded by the letter Z. For more information about the Z Designation, see <http://goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/zgrade>.

 

Make-Up Assignments for Authorized University Events or Co-Curricular Activities

Students who represent the university in an authorized event or activity (for example, student-athletes) and who are unable to meet a course deadline due to a conflict with that event must provide the instructor with documentation in advance to arrange a make-up. No penalty will be applied. For more information, see the UCF policy at <http://policies.ucf.edu/documents/4-401.1MakeupAssignmentsForAuthorizedUniversityEventsOrCocurricularActivities.pdf>

 

Accessibility Statement

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing access and inclusion for all persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities who need disability-related access in this course should contact the professor as soon as possible. Students should also connect with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) <http://sas.sdes.ucf.edu/> (Ferrell Commons 185, sas@ucf.edu, phone 407-823-2371). Through Student Accessibility Services, a Course Accessibility Letter may be created and sent to professors, which informs faculty of potential access and accommodations that might be reasonable. Determining reasonable access and accommodations requires consideration of the course design, course learning objectives and the individual academic and course barriers experienced by the student.

 

Diversity and Inclusion

One way to promote a safe and caring classroom community is to encourage each student's unique voice, perspective, and presence. The following diversity statement gives professors language for explaining how students' contributions will be valued:

The University of Central Florida considers the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff to be a strength and critical to its educational mission. UCF expects every member of the university community to contribute to an inclusive and respectful culture for all in its classrooms, work environments, and at campus events. Dimensions of diversity can include sex, race, age, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, intellectual and physical ability, sexual orientation, income, faith and non-faith perspectives, socio-economic class, political ideology, education, primary language, family status, military experience, cognitive style, and communication style. The individual intersection of these experiences and characteristics must be valued in our community.

Title IX prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual misconduct, sexual violence, sexual harassment, and retaliation. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you can find resources available to support the victim, including confidential resources and information concerning reporting options at www.shield.ucf.edu and http://cares.sdes.ucf.edu/.

 

If there are aspects of the design, instruction, and/or experiences within this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or accurate assessment of achievement, please notify the instructor as soon as possible and/or contact Student Accessibility Services.

For more information on diversity and inclusion, Title IX, accessibility, or UCF’s complaint processes contact:

 

Campus Safety Statement

Though most emergency situations are primarily relevant to courses that meet in person, such incidents can also impact online students, either when they are on or near campus to participate in other courses or activities or when their course work is affected by off-campus emergencies. The following policies apply to courses in online modalities.

  • To stay informed about emergency situations, students can sign up to receive UCF text alerts by going to <https://my.ucf.edu> and logging in. Click on “Student Self Service” located on the left side of the screen in the toolbar, scroll down to the blue “Personal Information” heading on the Student Center screen, click on “UCF Alert”, fill out the information, including e-mail address, cell phone number, and cell phone provider, click “Apply” to save the changes, and then click “OK.”
  • Students with special needs related to emergency situations should speak with their instructors outside of class.

The University Writing Center

The University Writing Center (UWC) offers writing support to students from first-year to graduate in every discipline. Tutors provide help at every stage of the writing process, including understanding assignments, researching, drafting, revising, incorporating sources, and learning to proofread and edit. The UWC’s purpose is not merely to fix or edit papers, but to teach writing strategies that can be applied to any writing situation. Consultations are available for individuals and small groups. You may schedule a 45-minute appointment by clicking the Success Resources tab on Webcourses, calling the UWC at 407-823-2197, or through the UWC website.

University Writing Center
Colbourn Hall 105
Satellite Locations: Main Library, Rosen Library, Online
407-823-2197
http://uwc.cah.ucf.edu/

 

Internet Usage and Knights Email

You will be expected to have daily access to the internet and email, since I will be emailing you constantly about assignment updates, additions and changes. All students at UCF are required to obtain a Knight's Email account and check it regularly for official university communications. If you do not own a computer, there are computer accessible to you in all UCF's computer labs, and most computer labs have computers connected to the internet. For further information on computer labs, please see the following website: http://guides.ucf.edu/c.php?g=78577&p=517810.

In this class our official mode of communication is through email located inside Webcourses. All communication between student and instructor and between student and student should be respectful and professional. It is the student's responsibility to check the "coursemail" tool frequently. You may also wish to create a Knight's Email account at www.knightsemail.ucf.edu for separate official communication from the university.

Religious Observances

Students must notify their instructor in advance if they intend to miss class for a religious observance. For more information, see the UCF policy at <http://regulations.ucf.edu/chapter5/documents/5.020ReligiousObservancesFINALOct17.pdf>

 

Deployed Active Duty Military Students

Students who are deployed active duty military and/or National Guard personnel and require accommodation should contact their instructors as soon as possible after the semester begins and/or after they receive notification of deployment to make related arrangements.

Withdrawal Deadline:

Friday, May 25th, 2022

Disclaimer Statement:

Please note this is a tentative syllabus, and the instructor reserves the right to make any changes that may be necessary to meet the objectives of the course.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due