Overview
Governance 380: Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Governance is a senior-level, three-credit course that provides an overview of the non-profit and voluntary sector. The goal of the course is to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of governance, leadership, and management in the non-profit sector in an increasingly complex environment. The course provides students with knowledge of the major conceptual and theoretical perspectives on the voluntary sector, and encourages them to apply their learning to understanding and dealing with challenges currently faced by voluntary sector leaders and managers.
The non-profit or "third" sector is undergoing considerable change and is facing an array of new challenges, including the following:
- off-loading of services from governments that has created new demands for service delivery, which often involve more complex programs and users with special needs.
- a more competitive funding environment that has led voluntary organizations to experiment with more innovative types of fundraising and to get involved in commercial activities.
- pressures for greater accountability and evaluation of effectiveness that requires new skills and approaches.
- redesigned relationships that require new ways for voluntary organizations to be involved in policy development.
- international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are becoming increasingly powerful actors in a globalized world in which information technologies facilitate instant communication.
Although the primary focus of this course is the non-profit and voluntary sector in Canada (national, provincial and local levels), outcomes related to globalization and examples and experience from the international context will be incorporated as appropriate.
Although GOVN 380 is aimed at students in the BPA Law and Governance major, it may also be of interest to students seeking a social science or general interest course.
Outline
The course consists of the eight units:
- Unit 1: Overview of the Voluntary Sector: Frameworks and Concepts
- Unit 2: The Non-profit and Voluntary Sector in an International Context
- Unit 3: Social Capital and Volunteerism
- Unit 4: Service Delivery in a Restructured Welfare State
- Unit 5: Engagement in Policy Development
- Unit 6: Governance, Leadership, and Accountability
- Unit 7: Financing, Fundraising, and Philanthropy
- Unit 8: Managing in a Complex Environment: The Road Ahead
Evaluation
To receive credit for GOVN 380, you must complete all of the assignments, achieve a minimum mark of D (50 percent) on the final examination, and obtain a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent). The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| At-home Midterm Assignment | 25% |
| Research Essay Outline | 10% |
| Research Essay | 25% |
| Final Exam | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Peter Frumkin. On Being Nonprofit: A Conceptual and Policy Primer. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002.
Other Materials
The remaining course materials, including readings, can be accessed online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the GOVN 380 challenge registration, you must complete all required components, and achieve an overall grade of at least D (50 percent).
| Activity | Weight |
| Written Assignment 1 | 25% |
| Exam | 75% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form