March 29, 2024
Updated April 10, 2025
16 minute read
A Career Guide to Non-profit Management
Non-profit management involves guiding organizations dedicated to social causes rather than profit generation. These managers oversee operations, ensuring the organization effectively achieves its mission, whether it's focused on education, healthcare, environmental protection, arts, or social services. It's a field driven by purpose, where success is measured by impact rather than earnings.
Working as a non-profit manager can be deeply fulfilling, offering the chance to make a tangible difference in the community or the world. It involves dynamic challenges, from mobilizing resources and inspiring volunteers to developing innovative programs that address pressing societal needs. The collaborative spirit and commitment to a shared mission often create a unique and rewarding work environment.
What is Non-profit Management?
Defining the Non-profit Sector and Management's Role
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Find a path to becoming a Non-profit Manager. Learn more at:
OpenCourser.com/career/aywr1j/non
Reading list
We've selected some books
that we think will supplement your
learning. Use these to
develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a
deeper understanding of the topics covered in
Non-profit Manager.
This comprehensive textbook provides a clear and accessible overview of the major political ideologies that have shaped the modern world, such as liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and more contemporary ideologies like populism and environmentalism. It is an excellent resource for gaining a broad understanding of the different belief systems that underpin governmental structures and political movements. is commonly used as a textbook in introductory political science courses.
This powerful and influential book examines the U.S. criminal justice system and argues that it functions as a contemporary system of racial control. It is essential for understanding contemporary issues of race, inequality, and the role of government in perpetuating systemic injustice. is widely read and discussed in courses on criminal justice, sociology, and political science.
A collection of essays arguing for the ratification of the United States Constitution, these papers provide invaluable insight into the intentions of the Founding Fathers and the structure of the U.S. government. This must-read for anyone seeking to understand the American political system and core text in U.S. government and constitutional law courses.
This timely book examines how democracies can erode from within, focusing on the subtle ways in which democratic norms and institutions are undermined. It draws on historical and contemporary examples to highlight the warning signs of democratic backsliding. This crucial read for understanding current challenges to democratic governance around the world.
Delves into the concept of core values and offers practical guidance on how to identify, prioritize, and live in alignment with them. It provides valuable insights for personal growth, clarity, and decision-making.
Based on his popular讲座 course, Sandel explores various approaches to justice, including utilitarianism, libertarianism, and his owncommunitarian perspective. is an excellent and accessible introduction to fundamental questions of political philosophy and how they relate to contemporary political debates. It is suitable for a wide audience and can be a great starting point for exploring deeper theoretical texts.
This foundational text of Western political thought examines the nature of the state, different forms of government, and the ideal political community. It is essential for gaining a broad understanding of the historical roots of governmental theory and cornerstone for any deeper study in political science. Often used in introductory and advanced political philosophy courses.
Hobbes's masterpiece argues for a strong, centralized government to avoid the chaos of the state of nature. is fundamental to understanding the concept of the social contract and the philosophical basis for state authority. It key text in political philosophy and is often required reading in introductory courses.
Rousseau's treatise explores the idea of a social contract where individuals give up some freedoms for the general will of the community. is vital for understanding concepts of popular sovereignty and the foundations of republican government. It significant text in political theory and is often included in syllabi.
Michael Lewis explores the transition of power in the U.S. government and highlights the critical, often unseen, work of dedicated civil servants and the potential consequences of their expertise being ignored. provides a compelling look at the practical challenges of governance and the importance of effective administration. It is relevant for understanding contemporary governmental operations and challenges.
Classic text on participatory action research, which type of participatory research that is used to address social and political issues. It provides a step-by-step guide to the process of conducting participatory action research, and includes examples from a variety of settings.
Ostrom's Nobel Prize-winning work challenges conventional wisdom about the management of common pool resources, demonstrating how individuals can collectively manage resources without relying solely on government or the market. provides valuable insights into alternative forms of governance and collective action. It is highly relevant for students of public administration, environmental studies, and political economy.
Fukuyama argues that the end of the Cold War marked the triumph of liberal democracy as the final form of human government. This provocative book explores the evolution of political systems and the challenges facing liberal democracies today. It is highly relevant for understanding contemporary global politics and is often debated in international relations and political theory courses.
Delves into the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) and its role in effective leadership. It provides practical tools and techniques for developing EI competencies, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
Argues that citizen engagement is essential for the health of democracy. It provides a framework for understanding the different dimensions of citizen engagement and offers a set of recommendations for how to promote citizen engagement.
Provides a comprehensive overview of citizen engagement and governance. It covers a wide range of topics, including the different forms of citizen engagement, the benefits and challenges of citizen engagement, and the role of citizen engagement in democratic governance.
Addresses the application of core values in leadership, particularly in the workplace. It highlights the impact of values-driven leadership on team dynamics, employee engagement, and organizational performance.
Emphasizes the significance of turning values into practical actions. It explores various approaches for identifying values, developing strategies for implementation, and overcoming obstacles to living a values-driven life.
Examines the role of core values in organizational change. It presents a framework for understanding the importance of values in creating lasting change, while offering practical guidance for implementing values-based change initiatives.
Offers a practical guide to leveraging core values for business and personal success. It provides tools and frameworks for clarifying values, assessing alignment, and using values as a compass for decision-making.
Explores the role of core values in families. It emphasizes the importance of shared values for building strong family relationships, creating a positive family culture, and guiding family members through challenges.
Guide to participatory research in geography, which type of participatory research that is used to study geographical issues. It provides an overview of the field, as well as specific methods for conducting participatory research in geography.
Delves into the science of habit formation and its implications for leadership. It provides insights into how habits shape our behavior, how to change them, and how leaders can create effective habits within their organizations.
Sourcebook for participatory research in the arts, which type of participatory research that is used to study and promote the arts. It includes a wide range of resources, including case studies, tools, and methods.
Provides a practical guide to citizen participation in urban governance. It covers a wide range of topics, including how to design and implement citizen participation programs, how to build partnerships between citizens and government, and how to evaluate the impact of citizen participation.
This ancient Chinese military treatise offers timeless principles of strategy and leadership. While primarily focused on warfare, its insights can be applied to various leadership contexts, emphasizing the importance of planning, adaptability, and psychological warfare.
Draws on insights from chaos theory and complexity science to explore the nature of leadership in complex adaptive systems. It challenges traditional leadership models and emphasizes the importance of emergence, self-organization, and interconnectedness.
Further explores the concept of adaptive leadership, providing practical tools and techniques for leading in times of change and uncertainty. It emphasizes the importance of creating adaptive cultures, managing conflict, and fostering innovation.
Highlights the power of storytelling in leadership and provides guidance on how leaders can effectively use stories to inspire, motivate, and connect with others. It covers various types of stories, storytelling techniques, and the ethical implications of storytelling in leadership.
For more information about how these books relate to this course, visit:
OpenCourser.com/career/aywr1j/non
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