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As a nonprofit professional, you strive to empower the community you serve. You develop programs and outreach in line with their unique needs, push for new policies and collaborate with volunteers to bring these initiatives to fruition. Your organization also recognizes your hard work and dedication and has positioned you for — or already moved you into — a more influential role.
Yet, nonprofit and public organizations operate like any other business. There are employees, budgets and resources to oversee and various growth goals to meet. As you prepare for the next stage, the University of Missouri’s (Mizzou) online graduate certificate in nonprofit management program builds off your experience to guide your professional progress.
This holistic, complementary lens introduces financial and people management skills specific to nonprofits and allows you to connect organizational strategy and objectives with its mission. You, in turn, understand how to drive your nonprofit forward internally and broaden its reach to uplift more individuals.
Quick facts
Official name
Graduate certificate in nonprofit managementCampus
Program type
Graduate certificateAcademic home
College of Arts & Science | Truman School of Government and Public AffairsDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning CommissionCredit hours
12Estimated cost
$6,000.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
As one of the economy’s fastest-growing sectors, the nonprofit and public service field balances mission and outreach with data, finance, politics and economic factors. Added to this, volunteers play an integral role in growing an organization’s footprint.
In response to these trends, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 9% more demand for social and community service managers through 2032. Equipping you to direct volunteers and budgets while championing your community, this graduate certificate program prepares you to excel as a:
- Policy analyst
- Program administrator
- Program director
- Project manager
About the online graduate certificate in nonprofit management
You likely entered the nonprofit or public sector to make a difference — whether locally, nationally or on a global scale. Within this overarching objective, however, funds, resources, volunteers and visibility help your organization fulfill its promise. Without sufficient coordination or a growth strategy, this message often reaches a standstill.
The online graduate certificate in nonprofit management program equips you to step into a higher-level role and become responsible for these assets. Ideal for entry-level professionals or recent managers, this program prepares you to effectively procure and allocate resources and analyze community needs. From here, this foundation allows you to develop and deliver targeted services while staying within your organization’s budget:
- Prepare to direct and achieve goals relative to your organization’s mission
- Learn to propose and deliver services that support the populations you serve
- Delve into the managerial, fiduciary and analytical competencies necessary for creating a budget and understanding community needs
- Explore the leadership and organizational development skills nonprofit managers need to recruit and nurture volunteers, coordinate internal operations and meet board of director expectations
- Uncover the role of data and research in launching more impactful programs and policies
Program structure
Earned as an independent credential or as part of the master of public affairs (MPA) program, the online graduate certificate in nonprofit management requires 12 credit hours of course work.
Delivery of this program is 100% online: no campus visits are required.
Courses are eight weeks in length and may be taken in any order. It is possible to complete the certificate program in one year, but most take 1.5–2 years based on employment obligations and other demands.
Please note that completion of the certificate does not guarantee admission to the MPA program.
Course work covers
As you prepare to advance your career in nonprofit management, this certificate program strengthens your knowledge of:
- Human resource management and development in the public and nonprofit sectors
- Budgeting and financial management skills for nonprofit professionals
- The current nonprofit landscape, from roles, governance and resources to utilizing volunteers
Review all requirements for the online graduate certificate in nonprofit management.
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
8 weeksTypical program length
2 yearsTypical course load
Part timeAccreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
Many of the certificate courses draw from our NASPAA (Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration) accredited MPA curriculum.
Faculty spotlight
Jennifer Mayo's research focuses on issues in public finance, with a particular interest in the nonprofit sector. Dr. Mayo's recent work has examined the impact of charity ratings and the long-run distribution of philanthropy. Her research is published in journals such as the "Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization" and "Fiscal Studies." She earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan.
Angela Hull teaches policy processes and nonprofit management in the master of public administration and public administration undergraduate programs. Dr. Hull has been the University of Missouri's (Mizzou) program director of individualized degrees since 2022. She has a doctorate in policy studies and a master’s of public administration from Mizzou. She was previously executive director of the Association for Education Finance and Policy where she contributed to annual Missouri school finance policy briefs. She worked in education associations, including state government relations for school boards and teacher groups. Her policy and research consultant work included school district grant evaluations and policy research on teacher preparation, certification, compensation and pensions, and early childhood systems development. She has been a CLASS® certified observer of an i3 evaluation with the American Institutes for Research and executive director of Missouri’s Coordinating Board for Early Childhood.