***Note*** Assignment dates and assessment information (including grading rubrics) are still being determined; anything listed here is subject to adjustment.
Course Description: This class is a brief examination of various financial management concepts relevant to church leaders, non-profit and for-profit managers, and various social and community activist positions. The class will explore important debt, equity, and fundraising issues critical to success in these fields and introduce basic financial terms such as forecasting, budgeting, and cash flow.
Course Objectives:
**Following Thomas Wolf (p.7), the term nonprofit organization [aka, "NPO"] in this course “refers to those legally constituted, nongovernmental entities incorporated under state law as charitable or non-for-profit corporations that have been set up to serve some public purpose and are tax-exempt according to the IRS.” Wolf lists five characteristics of NPOs. In this course, the term congregation refers to such entities whose purpose is of a religious nature.
Wolf, Thomas. Managing a Nonprofit Organization, Updated Twenty-First-Century Edition . New York: Free Press, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4516-0846-5 (paperback); ISBN 978-1-4391-3489-4 (ebook). [We will focus primarily upon Chapters 1, 6, 7, and 8 from this book.]
Christopher, J. Clif. Not Your Parents' Offering Plate : A New Vision for Financial Stewardship . Nashville: Abingdon, 2008. ISBN 978-0-687-64853-5 (paperback).
Lane, Charles R. Ask, Thank, Tell: Improving Stewardship Ministry in Your Congregation . Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006. ISBN 0-8066-5263-2 (paperback).
Other required learning materials will be available on Canvas.
On Reserve, NOT required to buy
Connors, Tracy D. and Christopher T. Callaghan, eds. Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations . New York: American Management Associations, 1982.
Hall, Douglas John. The Steward: A Biblical Symbol Come of Age . Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 1990 (revised edition); publication date 7/21/2004. ISBN 1-59244-766-X (paperback). Previously published by Friendship Press, 1990.
Nouwen, Henri J. M. A Spirituality of Fundraising . Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2010. ISBN 978-0-8358-1044-9 (paperback).
See Taylor Library's list of online book sellers for purchasing options.
At the beginning of the course (or beforehand, if possible), please take the time to read through all of the pages listed below. Doing so may save you time--and headaches!--later on.
This course will proceed along two major tracks: Financial Management (FM) Analysis and Fund-Raising/Stewardship (FRS) Connections. At times, these tracks will be treated separately; at other times, their interconnections will be highlighted.
These tracks are displayed in a one-page Course Schema: 2014.12.17 Winter 2015 FM Course Schema.docx. This compact framework outlines in chart form the following categories for each track: guiding questions, required readings, course project, required papers, and points for completing various assignments. It is intended to serve as a one-page comprehensive "map" of the major components of the course and their interconnections.
The Financial Management (FM) Analysis track is centered on each student's Financial Management (FM) Course Project. This FM Course Project involves the development of a comprehensive FM Project Profile of a specific congregation (or other NPO) selected by the student (with the approval of the Instructor). This Project Profile is primarily based upon a description and analysis of financial documents and interviews of key persons from the "Project Congregation" or "Project NPO." See the Financial Management Course Project Page for information on selecting a Project Congregation/NPO and the FM Project Profile.
Skills in interpreting financial documents and their relation to the mission and purpose of congregations and other NPOs will be enhanced through analyzing such materials from three other congregations and/or NPOs selected by the Instructor. Students will be divided into two FM Analysis Groups of 9-10 students each for this purpose.
Using the student's FM Project Profile as a basis--together with insights gleaned from course readings and other materials, online class discussions, and Instructor input--each student will prepare a final paper (8-10 pages) to demonstrate understanding of the key concepts, principles, and issues studied in this course. See the Financial Management Final Paperpage for more information.
The Fund-Raising/Stewardship (FRS) Connections track draws upon five authors that represent a spectrum of viewpoints concerning the basic relationships between fund-raising and stewardship and their connections with the mission and vision of congregations and other NPOs. Students will be divided into three FRS Reading Groups of 6-7 students each to share their views regarding these writers. Based upon these readings and group discussions, each student will write a FRS Reflections Paper (3-4 pages) that expresses the student's own views about the connection(s) between fund-raising and stewardship and their relation to the mission and vision of congregations and/or other NPOs. See the Fund Raising/Stewardship Connections page for more details.
As the Course Schema emphasizes, examining the role(s) and responsibilities of the pastor or NPO leader with respect to financial management, fund-raising, and stewardship is one of the fundamental ways in which these two tracks are interconnected.
Each student will identify by the second week a congregation or another NPO suitable for personal engagement throughout the quarter in order to help the student ground key concepts, principles, and issues of financial management studied in this course. In the following weeks, each student will obtain and analyze relevant documents and interview key persons from the congregation or other NPO selected, including the pastor or NPO leader. A draft letter/message is available for your optional use in contacting a potentially willing congregation or other NPO: 2014.12.17 Contacting your Course Project Congregation or Other NPO.docx.
Each student is expected to post weekly her or his progress in making contact, securing permission, obtaining basic background information, key documents, holding interviews, etc., until these steps have been completed.
From these documents and interviews, each student will begin to develop a Financial Management (FM) Project Profile of the "Project Congregation" or "Project NPO" selected. This Profile will include basic background information, key documents, procedures, roles and responsibilities, organization dynamics, and other key elements related to the financial management of the Project Congregation/NPO selected by the student. See the Financial Management Project Profile Outline page for a detailed list of the elements of the Profile. IMPORTANT: This Profile Outline page identifies the essential financial management documents required for your Project Congregation or Project NPO to be approved by the Instructor.
The descriptive information in the FM Project Profile is intended to serve as the basis for each student's final paper for the financial management analysis track of this course. Over time, it is expected that the student will begin to analyze and reflect upon the degree of comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the financial management elements, structure, and dynamics of the Project Congregation/NPO in light of (i) its stated mission and vision, and (ii) course readings, studies of other congregations/NPOs, online discussions, and Instructor commentary. These reflections eventually will become part of the student's Financial Management (FM) Final Paper. See the Financial Management Final Paper page for more information, including formatting requirements for this paper.
In order to develop the skill of interpreting financial documents and their relation to the mission and vision of the Project Organization (and any congregation or other NPO as well), we will "practice" by examining similar documents and information from three congregations/NPOs selected by the Instructor. Two Financial Management (FM) Analysis Groups of 9-10 students each will be formed to post comments and questions for online class discussion. If possible, optional online sessions will be scheduled with leaders of these congregations/NPOs.
Collegial Discourse: It is essential for each of us at the graduate-school level to continue to cultivate skills that enable us to communicate with one another with respect and with accuracy, despite differences in points of view. Each of us will practice those skills in every interaction we have in this course. The online environment makes this commitment to skilled engagement even more important because misunderstandings are easier.
Incompletes: Since this course is being taught by Adjunct Faculty, incompletes are not allowed in this course. See the Master's Student Handbook (Links to an external site.) for Policies and Procedures.
Pass/Fail: Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the end of the day on the second Friday of the term.
Participation: Active participation in the online discussions is required. Two or more weeks of non-participation will usually result in the student being dropped from the class.
Academic Integrity and Community Covenant: All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook (Links to an external site.). All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant (Links to an external site.).
Accommodations: Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned adviser to initiate the process of requesting accommodations. The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146.
Writing Lab: Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments; this is particularly true for assignments at the graduate school level. Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft. The writing lab can provide support both on-campus and online.
Inclusive Language: It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community.
My thanks to Iliff colleagues, Tom Barlow and Cathie Kelsey, for sharing this page with us. -- David Carlson, Instructor
How can you be successful in taking an online class? It can be more than a little challenging - after all, in a face-to-face class, you meet once or twice a week, and, in that time, the instructor can make sure you are on-track in terms of course progress and your understanding of the material. Online, though, is different in some key ways, and your success in the course hinges on understanding those differences.
You can't participate if you don't know what's going on! In your Canvas Profile (which you can access using the Profile link at the top right of every page), you can specify how you should be contacted. Make sure that your preferred email address is properly set on that page.
From that page, you also have the ability to change your notifications (that is an option on the left menu on that page). Make sure that your notification settings are set so that you are kept reasonably informed of events related to the class.
As each week progresses, you need to pay attention to class-related activities! Keep an eye on whatever notifications you have chosen to receive. If you choose to ignore them, you can quickly find yourself way behind (and, remember, after two weeks of non-involvement, you may be removed from the class).
Finally, if you have a personal emergency (i.e. family crisis, illness, or even the burdens of life just getting in the way of completing the assignments) please (please please please) contact Tom [in this course, David Carlson] immediately. The final week of the class is not the right time to initiate a conversation with your instructor about incomplete assignments from earlier in the course!
Online classes are, by their very nature, highly collaborative in terms of learning. That means that the majority of your learning will take place as you engage other students regarding the material that everyone is reading.
Collaborative learning is a common approach at Iliff, both in online and face-to-face classes. The discussions and other activities that you participate in here are similar to in-class discussions in the face-to-face session. It is a little harder to "hide" in the online classes than it is in the face-to-face, but, otherwise, the approach is the same. And yes, the readings are the same in the the online and face-to-face classes - the load is no heavier in the online class, although the 3.5 hours of "face time" in the face-to-face class is replaced by reading, thinking about what other students have said and responding online.
As with any class, your commitment to learning will greatly impact your success (both in terms of grades and in terms of actually mastering new information). In this class, we don't all meet online at the same time, so it is up to you to set up a schedule that allows you to engage other students about the material.
There is a significant difference in terms of commitment in an online class, though, and it is this: Since the learning process is highly collaborative (and since different students will be reading material in different ways), your failure to participate will reduce the effectiveness of the class for other students as well. Taking an online class really does require commitment, and a special kind of discipline, in order for everyone to be successful.
My thanks to Iliff colleagues, Tom Barlow and Cathie Kelsey, for sharing this page with us. -- David Carlson, Instructor
How can you be successful in taking an online class? It can be more than a little challenging - after all, in a face-to-face class, you meet once or twice a week, and, in that time, the instructor can make sure you are on-track in terms of course progress and your understanding of the material. Online, though, is different in some key ways, and your success in the course hinges on understanding those differences.
You can't participate if you don't know what's going on! In your Canvas Profile (which you can access using the Profile link at the top right of every page), you can specify how you should be contacted. Make sure that your preferred email address is properly set on that page.
From that page, you also have the ability to change your notifications (that is an option on the left menu on that page). Make sure that your notification settings are set so that you are kept reasonably informed of events related to the class.
As each week progresses, you need to pay attention to class-related activities! Keep an eye on whatever notifications you have chosen to receive. If you choose to ignore them, you can quickly find yourself way behind (and, remember, after two weeks of non-involvement, you may be removed from the class).
Finally, if you have a personal emergency (i.e. family crisis, illness, or even the burdens of life just getting in the way of completing the assignments) please (please please please) contact Tom [in this course, David Carlson] immediately. The final week of the class is not the right time to initiate a conversation with your instructor about incomplete assignments from earlier in the course!
Online classes are, by their very nature, highly collaborative in terms of learning. That means that the majority of your learning will take place as you engage other students regarding the material that everyone is reading.
Collaborative learning is a common approach at Iliff, both in online and face-to-face classes. The discussions and other activities that you participate in here are similar to in-class discussions in the face-to-face session. It is a little harder to "hide" in the online classes than it is in the face-to-face, but, otherwise, the approach is the same. And yes, the readings are the same in the the online and face-to-face classes - the load is no heavier in the online class, although the 3.5 hours of "face time" in the face-to-face class is replaced by reading, thinking about what other students have said and responding online.
As with any class, your commitment to learning will greatly impact your success (both in terms of grades and in terms of actually mastering new information). In this class, we don't all meet online at the same time, so it is up to you to set up a schedule that allows you to engage other students about the material.
There is a significant difference in terms of commitment in an online class, though, and it is this: Since the learning process is highly collaborative (and since different students will be reading material in different ways), your failure to participate will reduce the effectiveness of the class for other students as well. Taking an online class really does require commitment, and a special kind of discipline, in order for everyone to be successful.
Collegial Discourse: It is essential for each of us at the graduate-school level to continue to cultivate skills that enable us to communicate with one another with respect and with accuracy, despite differences in points of view. Each of us will practice those skills in every interaction we have in this course. The online environment makes this commitment to skilled engagement even more important because misunderstandings are easier.
Incompletes: Since this course is being taught by Adjunct Faculty, incompletes are not allowed in this course. See the Master's Student Handbook (Links to an external site.) for Policies and Procedures.
Pass/Fail: Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the end of the day on the second Friday of the term.
Participation: Active participation in the online discussions is required. Two or more weeks of non-participation will usually result in the student being dropped from the class.
Academic Integrity and Community Covenant: All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook (Links to an external site.). All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant (Links to an external site.).
Accommodations: Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned adviser to initiate the process of requesting accommodations. The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146.
Writing Lab: Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments; this is particularly true for assignments at the graduate school level. Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft. The writing lab can provide support both on-campus and online.
Inclusive Language: It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community.
| Date | Day | Details | |
| Jan 06, 2015 | Tue | Before Week 1 -- Technology Requirements | due by 06:59AM |
| Jan 07, 2015 | Wed | Introduce Yourself! | due by 06:59AM |
| Jan 13, 2015 | Tue | FM Update on Course Project: Identification and Commitment | due by 06:59AM |
| Jan 15, 2015 | Thu | FM Reading and Discussion on FM/Mission/Vision Relation | due by 06:59AM |
| Jan 18, 2015 | Sun | FM Reading and Discussion on Balance Sheets and Income Statements: First "Case Study" | due by 06:59AM |
| Jan 20, 2015 | Tue | FM Update on Course Project: Basic Information and Documents | due by 06:59AM |
| Jan 27, 2015 | Tue | FRS Reading and Discussion of Not Your Parents' Offering Plate | due by 06:59AM |
| Feb 05, 2015 | Thu | FRS Reading and Discussion of Ask, Thank, Tell | due by 06:59AM |
| Feb 07, 2015 | Sat | FM Reading and Discussion on Budgeting Overview and Process: Second "Case Study" | due by 06:59AM |
| Feb 12, 2015 | Thu | FRS Reading and Discussion of The Steward: A Biblical Symbol Come of Age | due by 06:59AM |