Duke University

Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership

Theme: Leading Self

Opening Session

Following a welcome by program leaders, introductions, and an onboarding activity, we will discuss participants’ expectations for the 2023 Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and identify norms and standards for our learning community. We will conclude with an overview of the curriculum

Effective Leadership in the 21st Century

In this session, we will engage in a lively discussion of what leadership means for each of us. Together, we will examine the special challenges of leadership in the nonprofit sector. Finally, we will share the leadership development goals that each of us brings to the Executive Certificate program.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Engage in an interactive discussion of what leadership means for participants and the special challenges of leadership in mission-driven organizations
• Consider how nonprofit leaders can implement internal and external practices aimed at improving the effectiveness with which the organization achieves its mission

Building a Sustainable High-Impact, High-Performance Nonprofit

Nonprofits occupy a unique position in the organizational landscape of the U.S. To be a successful nonprofit leader, a strong understanding of the origin story behind the social sector and how it is evolving in the 21st century is vital. Although many of the fundamental principles and practices of effective leadership apply across all sectors and forms of organization, nonprofit leaders face a distinctive set of opportunities and challenges in comparison with their counterparts in the business and government sectors. Moreover, recent research reveals a set of promising practices for high-impact, high-performance nonprofits.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Introduce the flywheel effect and learn the strategies that lead to a high-impact, high-performance nonprofit
• Conduct an initial assessment of the nonprofit organization based on the organizational lifecycle – for reflection and collective action
• Learn about the research behind the elements of a sustainable nonprofit organization

Leadership from the Inside Out!

Leadership is perhaps one of the most overused and least understood concepts in nonprofits today. Yet, when a high-performance leader is present, nothing is as motivating or productive. The strength of the leader can become contagious, permeating the entire organization, and everyone feels the positive effects. However high-performance leadership cannot be mandated, and it rarely happens by chance. High-performance leaders are not born; instead, they are developed, and this presentation will show you how.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Learn the core characteristics consistent among all high-performance nonprofit leaders.
• Understand the nonprofit leader’s role in mastering change
• Recognize why nonprofit leaders build high-performance cultures
• Identify the steps needed to lead from the inside out

How Mindfulness Can Make You & Your Organization More Productive

Mindfulness makes you more productive. The secret to productivity lies in learning how to work skillfully with yourself and others to create positive organizational outcomes. The benefits of regular mindfulness practice include feeling calmer, being more open, and learning how to reduce distractions so your mind is more focused and clearer. In addition, regular mindfulness practice develops greater self-awareness and stronger relationships. Learn how powerful pauses throughout your workday help focus your time and energy as a leader and make space for powerful conversations that get results. Discover how intentionally slowing down enables you to go faster.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Understand the neuroscience behind why mindfulness makes you more productive
• Learn how mindfulness can be the “secret sauce” for building a high-performing team
• Create a personal plan for practicing mindfulness to enhance your leadership performance

Wrap Up & Reflections

Theme: Leading Others

Morning Check-In Session

Top 4 Trending Topics in Human Resources

An immersive journey into the forefront of HR trends. In this presentation, we will delve into four critical topics shaping the modern workplace: 1) understanding the signs and solutions for burnout, 2) the rapidly growing role of artificial intelligence in HR practices, 3) learning the latest in compliance, and 4) exploring the power of upskilling and reskilling strategies. Join us to discover how you can embrace technology and development to maximize talent potential and ensure sustainable success.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Burnout and Work-Related Stress: explore strategies to mitigate burnout's impact, promote employee well-being, and understand your role in creating a healthier work environment for your team
• Artificial Intelligence and HR Tech: harness the potential of AI in HR processes to increase your ROI, evaluate ethical considerations, and uncover how HR can strategically integrate technology
• Latest In Compliance: learn the latest about pay transparency regulations, N.L.R.B, the new I-9 form, and more
• Upskilling and Reskilling: embrace continuous learning by upskilling and reskilling employees, understanding their distinctions, and enabling you to drive effective growth initiatives

Cultural Accelerators Toward Higher Employee Engagement

In this presentation, we will discuss key topics, including navigating the complexities of remote work and hybrid models to promote employee well-being; embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion; and uncovering the keys to

elevating employee experience and engagement. You'll gain actionable insights that empower you to navigate these transformative challenges effectively.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Remote Work and Hybrid Models – The Great Compromise: navigate the challenges of remote and hybrid work arrangements, foster collaboration, and adapt your practices to support flexible work models
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Acceptance, and Belonging (DEIAB): embrace diversity and inclusivity as drivers of innovation and learn how you can champion DEIAB initiatives for organizational success
• Employee Experience and Engagement: elevate organizational performance through positive employee experiences and engagement strategies tailored by you to foster a motivated workforce

How to Elevate Your Board Into a Community Ambassador

The overall landscape of nonprofit governance has changed with regulators, stakeholders, and the public demanding increased accountability to ensure that nonprofit organizations achieve results. To be successful, a nonprofit organization requires strong leadership from its board of directors in close partnership with the organization’s senior leaders. In this session, we will consider how to forge effective relationships given the asymmetries in the knowledge, information, and incentives among these groups. We will also discuss how to increase board member commitment to the mission of your organization and how boards must be active and engaged to fulfill their legal and governance duties.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Gain a more effective relationship between the nonprofit’s leadership and its board of directors
• Understand new practices in governance that can take your board to the next level
• Increase levels of board engagement so board members become ambassadors

Panel – Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders

Now that nonprofits have four different generations in the workplace, present leaders must cultivate those who will succeed them. In this session, a panel of emerging leaders will engage the participants in a dialogue on the motivations, ways of working, and aspirations of the rising generation.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be better equipped to develop strategies for fostering a diverse cohort of new leaders in their organizations.
• Participants will be able to converse with next-generation leaders to understand their unique perspectives and how to best bridge the gap in styles

Wrap Up & Reflections

Theme: Leading as a Social Entrepreneur

Morning Check-In Session

Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Nonprofit Culture

Nonprofit organizations are navigating tectonic shifts in the social sector that require new skills and strategies to create long-term impact. The complicated challenges facing contemporary nonprofit organizations demand a dynamic brand of leadership. An entrepreneurial outlook can help to transform the culture of nonprofits by meaningfully engaging the abilities, talents, and passions of the board, staff, and supporters.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Find out what culture you prefer and how it compares to others
• Explore how key entrepreneurial concepts and skills that make for-profit businesses competitive can be applied to nonprofit organizations to help make them more sustainable and successful
• Understand the basic elements of an entrepreneurial mindset that will offer a practical framework for entrepreneurial activities

Mythbusting in Social Innovation: Why Innovation Is About More Than a Good Idea

Universities and media are increasingly using the term “innovation” as a powerful way to disrupt current norms, but to be more than just a fad, true innovation needs to be coupled with discipline.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Explore a research-based approach to sustainable social innovation
• Leverage practices to help you and your organization think in a more innovative way
• Define your unique process for opportunity assessment to separate the good ideas from the truly great ideas

Social Enterprise: Is Earned Income Right for Your Organization?

In the face of increasing competition for limited and volatile philanthropic funding, many nonprofits are turning to earned-income ventures as a potential alternative to traditional nonprofit fundraising strategies. While this can create a sustainable stream of unrestricted revenue, there are inherent risks as well.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Understand what social enterprise is and whether you are ready to pursue it within your organization
• Learn about the characteristics of a successful enterprise
• Find out how to best pursue social enterprise in a nonprofit setting
• Share tools to navigate starting a social enterprise, including an organizational audit and how to translate these strengths into social enterprise opportunities
• Determine how and when to proceed, including using feasibility assessments and business plans

Panel – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Social Enterprise

A panel of nonprofit social entrepreneurs will engage participants in a lively conversation and dialogue on the opportunities and challenges of social enterprise, including the strategy, operations, and culture.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Understand some of the practical challenges of incorporating social enterprise into nonprofit operations
• Identify concrete actions leaders can take to address these challenges and mitigate risks of failure to achieve mission impact and generate significant income

Wrap Up & Reflections

Theme: Leading Your Organization

Morning Check-In Session

Navigating Legal Issues: A Q&A Discussion

Nonprofit leaders must manage the affairs of their nonprofit corporation in an evolving legal landscape. As nonprofits become more entrepreneurial and explore M&A, they need to be mindful of legal and regulatory regimes that were designed for an earlier era. In this session, participants will have an opportunity to discuss these and other burning questions with an expert in nonprofit law.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Develop an awareness of significant legal doctrines that can impede entrepreneurial plans
• Understand key considerations in structuring nonprofit-led entrepreneurial ventures

Building Financial Acumen for a Sustainable Business Model

In today’s dynamic nonprofit landscape, financial acumen – understanding and interpreting financial information and making sound decisions from that information – is critical for long-term success. This course goes beyond mere number-crunching to focus on strategic integration of financial insights.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Financial Jargon Basecamp: understand how income statements and balance sheets work together to reveal the financial health of your organization; understand the differences between accrual and cash accounting
• Predicting the Future: learn the importance of cashflow forecasting
• Visualizing the Present: see how you can bring together key financial and impact indicators together using budgets and dashboards

Nonprofit Advocacy: Influencing Policy and Making an Impact

In today's connected world, we often overlook the importance of focused advocacy. When deployed successfully, an advocacy strategy can help your organization meet its mission, solve problems, and give citizens a voice. Now more than ever, legislators and leaders at the local, state, and federal levels are looking to nonprofit organizations as subject matter experts to inform their decision-making. This session will provide the tools to launch a successful advocacy agenda.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Learn the “rules of the road” used by high-performing organizations that engage with local, state, and federal government officials
• Share how to communicate with government agencies or judicial and executive branch members so your message gets heard
• Hear how to position yourself and/or your organization as a thought leader on specific bills or laws
• Understand the importance of preparing a nonpartisan analysis of a bill or law and distributing it broadly to add credibility to your cause
• Discuss how to testify before a legislative committee or provide one with assistance

Best Practices for Your Nonprofit’s Digital Dimension

Your Digital Persona is one of your nonprofit’s most valuable assets. Your website, social media pages, videos, and digital footprint define you to today’s audience. The power of your digital presence has the potential to drive awareness, increase volunteers, and deliver donations from new and current patrons.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Google Analytics & Visitor Tracking: learn how and why to maximize the value of your traffic and know what your visitors are doing
• Google My Business Page: discover why this is a must-have and likely your biggest source of ‘free’ traffic
• Google Grants: uncover the nonprofits' best source for ‘free’ advertising assistance
• Social Media & Tech Tricks/Hacks: get an inside look at the gateway to the world and how to best position yourself
• Email Marketing: build TOMA (Top of Mind Awareness) consistency to ensure your organization meets its goals
• Technology: discuss how to embrace AI
• Cybersecurity: Identify the key areas requiring your focus to effectively safeguard your nonprofit

Wrap Up & Reflections

Theme: Leading into the Future

Morning Check-In Session

Collaborative Leadership – Discovering Your Superpowers and Building Super Teams

As the social impact landscape becomes more interdependent and complex, collaborations between private and social sectors and among nonprofits will be the key to success. Our people are also demanding a more humanizing approach to leading. This session explores ways of seeing the value

communicating and building trust - through presentations, participant interactions, and experiential exercises.

Key Learning Objective:

• Embrace the skills and mindset of collaborative leadership as an imperative in seeking to achieve increased impact in your community

Panel – Duke Continuing Studies Alums: CEO Confidential

A panel of past alumni of this program will share their lessons learned after they went back to their organizations and began to implement change. It will be a lively discussion geared toward their advice on how to best navigate the change ahead.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Share lessons learned and key advice that helped with the change management efforts
• Help participants identify concrete actions that can be done both in the short and long term within their nonprofit organizations

Scaling Social Impact

Scale is the “holy grail” for nonprofit organizations, but they often start considering how to scale their idea too late or miss some important steps to truly be successful. But what are the various pathways to achieving increased impact, and what strategies should your nonprofit consider? What integral capacities are required to scale impact, and how should your organization go about planning for such an effort? In this session, we will examine these questions in our mutual effort to make a significant and sustainable impact in the communities we serve.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Understand the definition of scale and the varied pathways – beyond bricks and mortar – for promising scaling strategies, including collaboration, social movements, and public policy
• Determine key steps to scale successfully
• Discuss varied strategies – with successful and unsuccessful case studies – on how to truly scale your idea widely as a social entrepreneur

Closing Session

In this session, we will bring closure to the Virtual Duke Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership program by reviewing and discussing the key themes of the week. We will also share the revised leadership development goals that each participant will commit to pursuing in the months ahead.