Professional development
Center celebrates 25 years of nonprofit management training
11:28 a.m., Jan. 26, 2015--The Nonprofit Management Certificate Course (NPMCC) at the University of Delaware is celebrating its 25th year of nonprofit professional development.
Since 1990, the Center for Community Research and Service has had made a major contribution to the nonprofit community by supporting its leaders through the 16-week NPMCC course offered during the spring semester.
Campus Stories
From graduates, faculty
Doctoral hooding
The course provided important assistance to one former participant, Patrick Callihan, the executive director of Tech Impact, a technology capacity-building nonprofit organization.
Callihan enrolled in the course in 2010, shortly after accepting the position. Transitioning from over 20 years in the private sector, he sought out an education that would help him navigate the nuances involved in leading a nonprofit organization.
“What I really liked about the NPMCC was that the curriculum covered a variety of topics and I would have the opportunity to learn from experts in a variety of disciplines like development and governance,” Callihan wrote of his experience. “I gained a number of skills in the program that I continue to leverage to this day.”
The course offers a rigorous education in how to handle the key management challenges facing nonprofit organizations: strategic planning, technology, financial management, human resources, fostering leadership, lobbying and advocacy, designing and evaluating programs, marketing and fundraising, and more.
Led by UD faculty and practitioners in the field, the NPMCC explores and addresses current issues and trends in the nonprofit world. From mid-level nonprofit employees, to upper-level nonprofit managers, to administrators transitioning into the nonprofit sector, the course fortifies its students’ nonprofit management skills while bolstering their nonprofit social network.
“One of the most important benefits I gained by taking the course was the opportunity to meet and collaborate with other nonprofit leaders,” Callihan wrote. “Many of them remain my support group this day.”
To date, over 430 graduates of the course have received a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Delaware. These graduates take their education and directly implement change in their careers, in their organizations, and in their communities.
“I have found this course to be such high value,” said Callihan, adding, “I am proud to say that Tech Impact now has three alumni of the NPMCC.”
For seven years now, Callihan has been in the position of executive director for Tech Impact, which has as its mission to ensure that all nonprofits can use technology to better serve the world.
For the third year, Callihan will also return to teach information technology planning in the NPMCC this spring.
“One of the highlight of my year is to spend time discussing technology with the current class,” he said.
“Twenty-five years and counting, the Nonprofit Management Certificate Course, through the Center for Community Research and Service, continues to make a big impact on the nonprofit community by developing strong leadership and management skills in its leaders,” a program representative said.
Registration is open for the spring course and there are still a few seats left. Partial scholarships are available.
For more information, visit the center’s NPMCC website or contact Signe Bell via email at signe@udel.edu or telephone at 302-573-4475
For more information on Tech Impact, visit the website.