Best Online Master’s Degrees in: Management Nonprofits

Editor's Picks: Online Schools for Management Nonprofits

Value

Northeastern University wins best online nonprofit management master's degree program for value. PayScale.com ranks Northeastern University 189 for value and reports that Northeastern University provides a 6.5% annual return on investment without financial aid and a 7.8% annual return on investment with financial aid. Northeastern University also provides payment plans, loans, grants, and scholarships for online students.

Career Support

Northeastern University's Office of Career Services offers resume and cover letter guides, job search resources, interviewing, networking and salary offer and negotiation workshops and videos, and tips for obtaining an internship. The Office of Career Services may also provide resources for job shadowing, volunteering, and informational interviews. Northeastern University wins best online nonprofit management master's degree for career support.

Financial Support

Walden University is ranked 26 for financial support by the Online Education Database., with 84% of its students receiving financial aid. Walden University's Office of Financial Aid also helps students explore their options for financial aid, including loans, grants, scholarships, monthly payment plans, and veteran benefits. Walden University wins best online master's degree program in nonprofit management for financial support.

Disability Support

Northeastern University wins best online nonprofit management master's degree program for disability support. Northeastern University's Disability Resource Center provides a checklist and order of events for the student-initiated process of receiving disability accommodations. Online students with disabilities may receive alternative format materials, exam-related, and classroom-related accommodations once the Disability Resource Center has received the required documentation, also included on the DRC website.

Library and Research Support

DePaul University's online library provides several resources for online students, including books, reference tools and citation guides, and instructions for requesting books or other physical materials from the DePaul University library. Students may contact a librarian by phone, email, text message, or online chat. DePaul University wins best online nonprofit management master's degree program for library and research support.

Learning Support

Northeastern University wins best online master's degree program in nonprofit management for learning support. Northeastern University provides online tutoring and writing center resources for all online students. Students also have access to research tutorials, Blackboard tutorials, and campus wiki and blog pages.

Faculty Credentials

Northeastern University wins best online master's degree program in nonprofit management for faculty credentials. According to its website, 99% of Northeastern University's online faculty are certified to teach online. Northeastern University provides 70 full-time faculty members, 50% of which are published authors.

Alumni Engagement

DePaul University wins best online nonprofit management master's degree program for alumni engagement. DePaul University's Alumni Community provides its members with an online profile, Alumni eNews, an alumni directory, an e-mail account, and access to events and reunion weekends. DePaul University alumni members may also interact on online social media, access class notes, received alumni discounts, and utilize the alumni career services.

Prior Learning Options

Regis University wins best online master's degree program in nonprofit management for prior learning options. Regis University offers course credit for professional, military, and previous college course work. Credit may be awarded for College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) exams and military training based on ACE guidelines. Six hours of graduate-level credit are transferable from a regionally accredited institution to a Regis University master's degree program.

New Online Student Orientation

Northeastern University provides several presentations to prepare new online students for online learning. Presentations include a college overview, technical services, learning management system tutorial (NU Online), and a summary of the financial aid process. Northeastern University wins best online nonprofit management master's degree program for new online student orientation.

Explore a Master's Degree in Management Nonprofits

An online master's degree in management non-profits gives students the knowledge, critical thinking, and planning skills they need to successfully manage the operations of non-profit organizations. This degree features instruction in strategic planning, leadership, business principles, and resource development. A typical management non-profits master's degree takes 36 credit hours to complete, although the length of time it takes to finish the program may vary by college or university.

Class Curriculum

An online master's degree in management non-profits includes courses in human resource leadership, financial management, program development and accountability, and governance and organizational leadership. In the program, students will learn how to start a non-profit organization, file for 501(c)(3) non-profit status, recruit and manage volunteers, evaluate non-profit programs, hire and manage non-profit employees, and more. Read on for a closer look at three common Management non-profit courses:

• Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector. The introduction to the non-profit sector course examines the history, foundations, types of non-profit organizations, and the social, economic, and political framework in which they operate. In this course, students study marketing, public relations, communications, ethics, and law as it applies to non-profit organizations.
• Finance and Budgeting for the Nonprofit Sector. This course covers the financial and budget concepts, policies, and practices crucial to running a successful non-profit organization. Students learn about financial theories, reporting, management, technology systems, auditing practices, tax systems, and budgetary reform.
• Board Governance and Volunteer Management. Any non-profit organization needs a dedicated group of volunteers, including its board of directors. In fact, the success of a non-profit organization depends on the effectiveness of the board's management and the management of the volunteers. Therefore, this course covers volunteer recruitment, orientation, supervision, and training.

Students of a management non-profit master's degree program may be required to complete reading assignment from academic textbooks or journals, reaction papers about in-class discussions and course materials, research essays, and exams. Students may also need to complete class exercises that test their decision-making abilities in dealing with hypothetical situations.

Building a Career

Graduates of a master's degree program in non-profit management may find employment as a volunteer manager, director of policy, program director, director of development, program manager, and more at a non-profit organization. A volunteer manager is responsible for hiring, recruiting, training, and scheduling volunteer workers. They are also responsible for assigning staff members to monitor a volunteer's work. According to Salary.com, the median annual salary for a volunteer manager is $41,315.

Meanwhile, a program director is responsible for developing and implementing an organization's programs, including fund raising events and community outreach. They monitor the needs of a program and make sure resources are properly allocated, and they may write grant proposals. The median annual salary for a program director is $68,280, according to Salary.com. However, keep in mind the median annual salary numbers are no guarantee of actual salary, which is determined by location, organization, and condition of the economy.