
Overview
The MPA Public & Nonprofit Management Academy is a professional development certificate program (not for undergraduate or graduate degree credit) intended for supervisors and high-potential staff working in the government and nonprofit sectors.
The program focus is on key skills needed for management success in the unique environment of government and/or nonprofit and integrates concepts provided by MPA faculty from UNC Charlotte with practical knowledge and experience from local community leaders.
Module 1 - Strategic Planning - Mission, Vision, SWOT, Goals
Overview of the key elements and tools of the classic strategic planning process: identifying purpose and vision of success, assessing internal strengths/weaknesses and external opportunities/threats, and establishing goals based on strategic priorities.
Module 2 - Measuring Success - Performance Management
Understanding the relationship between inputs, outputs and outcomes and difference between measures of efficiency, effectiveness, equity and productivity.
Module 3 - Project Management
Explores the discipline of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria.
Module 4 - Community Practitioner Roundtable
Module 1 - Budget/Resource Strategies
Best practices on how to advocate for and secure resources in a competitive environment, whether that be in a government bureaucracy or the nonprofit arena of fundraising and grantsmanship.
Module 2 - Program Evaluation
Presents an overview of the different types of program evaluation, describes the potential challenges and issues associated with conducting program evaluation, and identifies strategies for building evaluation capacity within your organization.
Module 3 - Visualizing and Presenting Data
Basics of effective data presentation, using a variety of concepts and tools to demonstrate how to make data meaningful to different audiences.
Module 4 - Community Practitioner Roundtable
Module 1 - Supervising in a Public Service Environment: Ethical and Leadership Challenges
Understanding unique context of leading people in an environment of shared power, multiple sources of responsibility/accountability, limited resources and regulations that exist in the government and nonprofit sectors.
Module 2 - Working with Elected Officials and Boards
Unique challenges and strategies for building effective professional working relationships with elected city council or county commissioners in the case of government or boards of directors in the nonprofit world.
Module 3 - Collaborating Across Sectors and Engaging Stakeholders
Collaboration and networks, including why networks form, the benefits of collaboration, challenges of working with diverse organizations and individuals, and how to manage in network settings. Second this module will discuss stakeholders, including why stakeholders matter, how good stakeholder relations can be fostered, and how to conduct a stakeholder analysis.
Module 4 - Community Practitioner Roundtable
Additional Details
Attendance Requirements
To receive your record of attendance, full participation is expected. Participants must be present at the beginning of each course and be in attendance through the duration of each course in order to receive the record of attendance. Credit hours will only be adjusted under extenuating circumstances.
Certificate Requirements
All 3 sessions are required in order to earn the certificate.