Harvard Business School program helps build nonprofit management skills
Friday, July 26, 2013
One group described a venture capital model that helped allocate resources. Another examined the benefits of mergers and acquisitions. The role of board members came up often.
These subjects have all been discussed for generations at Harvard Business School, wrapped in case studies that help prepare students to become future captains of industry and finance.
A very different audience took up those topics on the business school campus this week. More than 150 chief executives running nonprofit organizations spent the week analyzing business-world concepts that could help them make a difference.
In its 18th year, the Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program at Harvard attracts presidents and executive directors from around the world. A third of participants come from other countries, including Great Britain, Singapore, and Australia.
One of this year’s international participants, Thulani Madondo, founded Kliptown Youth Program in Kliptown, South Africa, about half an hour from Johannesburg. He has been recognized around the world for his work and earned $50,000 for the group when he was named a CNN Hero in December.
“I’m interested in taking my organization to the next level,” Madondo said about his interest in the Harvard program. “Most of my senior leadership does not have formal management training.”
