Where To Find New York City Nonprofit MBAs
Seemingly overnight, terms like “social entrepreneurship” and “ethical responsibility” have become buzzwords within corporate America. It’s hard to say if the suits have suddenly sprouted hearts or if they’re just convenient terms to push product. Green or Pinkwashing aside, the fact that social action has become a topic of conversation is proof that consumption has become a more informed pastime in America.
With a groundswell of interest in the ethics of companies, particularly large ones and scores of more informed consumers come opportunities for crossover between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Many business schools have begun to address this need with specialized programs that play to both sides—social enterprise training for entrepreneurs and management training for nonprofit professionals.
As a financial monolith teeming with a mostly underserved population, the New York City metro seems especially well-suited to this type of cross-over. Let’s take a closer look at four schools that over specialized nonprofit-focused training or certification.
Columbia Business School
One of Columbia Business School’s Executive Programs in Social Enterprise, the 21-day Senior Leaders Program combines “intensive exercises, faculty interaction and collaboration with diverse peers to equip senior nonprofit professionals with strategic management and leadership skills to focus their organization’s direction, policies and programs. In addition to two hours of executive coaching, the SLP unfolds as four one-week modules spread out over the course of four months, which “allows for real-time testing of ideas.”
Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business
Developed as a joint venture between the Gabelli School of Business and the Fordham Graduate School of Social Service, the Fordham Center for Nonprofit Leaders offers two trajectories for future nonprofit leaders.
The 3-semester 30-credit Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership integrates “social change and social justice into the teaching of management excellence” within a program that also includes one-on-one mentoring, seminars, and career development.
The 18-hour Executive Education Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership was developed to teach nonprofit leaders “how to meet their organization’s growth goals while still advocating for the greater public good” by helping them “advance [their] careers, explore new opportunities and gain new insights into today’s top social work issues.”
NYU’s Stern School of Business
New York University Stern School of Business’ Board Fellows Program is a unique nine-month fellowship for second-year MBA students. The Office of Student Engagement’s Experiential Learning Programs team matches Board Fellows with nonprofit boards and committees, with whom they complete a strategic governance project.
The Social Innovation and Impact Specialization provides “innovative conceptual frameworks, strategies and implementation skills” within a blend of social, environmental and economic perspectives.
Rutgers Business School
The Rutgers Business School Victoria Emerging Leaders Program (VELP), which meets one Wednesday a month between September 2017 and August 2018, is a fellowship developed to train nonprofit leaders within a structured curriculum that extends to “peer mentoring, one-on-one coaching, Emotional Intelligence assessment and training and Life & Career Planning.”
About the Author
Jonathan Pfeffer
Jonathan Pfeffer joined the Clear Admit and MetroMBA teams in 2015 after spending several years as an arts/culture writer, editor, and radio producer. In addition to his role as contributing writer at MetroMBA and contributing editor at Clear Admit, he is co-founder and lead producer of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. He holds a BA in Film/Video, Ethnomusicology, and Media Studies from Oberlin College.
