La Salle University
Why Study Nonprofit Leadership at La Salle?
La Salle University’s Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership program pulls from the disciplines of finance, marketing, planning, evaluation, and more, in order to develop the understanding needed to be a successful nonprofit leader. Graduates of this program will not only have gained the interdisciplinary framework and knowledge needed to lead, but also have had an opportunity to apply that knowledge and learn the challenges of aligning theory and practice.
Our program has the following three broad goals:
- to give students a theoretically based, practice-oriented framework for leading in the nonprofit sector of the 21st century
- to emphasize the practical and real time application of knowledge gained an experienced professional; and
- to ensure that both the knowledge and experience gained are solidly rooted in ethical practice.
Highlighted Courses
NPL 605 – Nonprofit Management
This introductory course provides an examination of the management, operations and governance principles and practices of nonprofits in the United States.
NPL 610 – Governance and Leadership
This course is designed to provide students with a full understanding of the roles and responsibilities of American nonprofit boards, individual board members and executive leadership.
NPL 615 – Nonprofit Finance
This course is designed to provide the skills and knowledge to plan an organizational budget, to implement best practices in financial policies and procedures, to evaluate financial statements, to make financial decisions, and to comply with the legal reporting requirements.
Meet the Faculty
Jennifer Shropshire’s career began in the Development Office of the Walnut Street Theatre where she honed her ability to craft compelling case messages and winning grant requests as well as to orchestrate successful special events and build a community of loyal supporters. After more than three decades in the nonprofit sector, Jennifer’s consulting practice has evolved to focus primarily on high-impact areas – fundraising, strategic planning, and board development. She has a wealth of experience serving on nonprofit boards. This not only informs her teaching as she shares lessons learned with her students while inspiring them to consider innovative approaches.
Stuart Smith is the founder and President of Targeted Performance Solutions, LLC (TPS), a management consulting firm of senior level practitioners dedicated to helping organizations enhance performance and bottom-line results and create and sustain their desired culture at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Stu brings over forty years of experience as a management consultant, senior human resources professional and executive coach.
