Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations
To improve the effectiveness of a nonprofit organization, especially during difficult economic times, senior executives and board members must first determine current performance. Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations (PMNO)—a joint program presented by the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative and Harvard University's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations—explores the impact of measurement on resource allocation, organizational learning, internal processes, and internal and external accountability.
What You Can Expect
PMNO shows nonprofit leaders how to use organizational performance measurement to enhance the organization's ability to deliver on its mission. To address today's complex challenges, the program examines a range of effective approaches to help guide your organization in any economy.
Your Course of Study
Through classroom exercises, group discussions, and individual coursework, you will examine the rationale behind nonprofit performance management and conceptualize a new performance measurement and management system for your organization.
Who Is Right for the Program
Designed for CEOs, presidents, executive directors, board members, and other senior executives in the nonprofit sector who are committed to implementing effective performance measurement and management systems, this leadership training program is suited to individuals, as well as teams.
The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
The Hauser Center aims to illuminate the vital role that the nonprofit sector and nongovernmental organizations play in aiding societies to discover and accomplish important public purposes.
Social Enterprise Initiative
By integrating social enterprise-related research, teaching, and activities into daily life at HBS, the Social Enterprise Initiative plays a critical role in supporting the School's mission to educate leaders who make a difference in the world.
The Social Enterprise program fees are subsidized by Harvard Business School and its Social Enterprise Initiative. Limited, additional need-based scholarship funding may be available. Visit the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative website for scholarship information.
What You Can Expect
Improving Your Organization's Performance
Performance measurement is essential for determining an organization's effectiveness, but for nonprofits the ideal metrics are not always easy to identify. This program is designed to show nonprofit leaders how to use performance measurement to enhance an organization's ability to deliver on its mission. It explores a multifaceted approach to measurement, which will help you effectively guide your organization amid the challenges of today's business environment.
Taking Your Skills to the Next Level
Designed to help you develop an effective performance measurement system, this program will improve your ability to:
- Align your organization's mission, strategy, and internal performance
- Strategically apply organizational performance management
- Assess and respond to external demands for accountability
- Implement exemplary approaches to measure organizational performance
- Institute and sustain organizational performance measurement systems
"As usual at HBS, the program presented a unique opportunity to put issues in perspective, learn new tools, and find solutions. The relevance of interaction with the other participants and the learning process exceeded my expectations, especially the linkage between cases leading to strategy. PMNO not only helped me put my career focus in perspective, but also confirmed my decision to work in the nonprofit sector."
Alain Baumann [Executive Director], AOSpine, Switzerland
Your Course of Study
The program helps nonprofit executives think conceptually about organizational performance measurement systems. Through a powerful combination of faculty presentations, case studies, and group discussions, participants examine the rationale behind performance measurement and gain valuable insight into its critical aspects. Core curriculum topics include:
Challenges and Obstacles to Managing Organizational Performance – Building a performance-based culture; understanding organizational "accountability flow"; implementing a performance management strategy.
Strategic Uses of Organizational Performance Management – Recognizing value and satisfying expectations; increasing productivity; fostering creativity and innovation; improving individual behavior.
Assessing and Responding to Demands for Accountability – Balancing external and internal accountability; dealing with the forces that shape the nonprofit environment.
Aligning Mission and Organizational Performance Management – Linking mission, performance, and impact; recognizing what is being measured and what is being delivered.
Approaches for Organizational Performance Measurement – Deciding what to measure; choosing the right approach for the job; understanding implementation challenges.
Instituting and Sustaining Organizational Performance Management Systems – Implementing and sustaining a performance management system; building capacity; assessing communication issues.
"I wanted to hear about the trends in performance measurement, benchmarking, and nonprofit business, and also wanted to test our new organization’s performance measurement system against the best minds in the industry. The case study work in the classroom and the networking with fellow students were incredibly useful to me. This course will help me be a more effective leader in my organization over time."
Marc Richardson [Area Director], Boy Scouts of America, U.S.
Who Is Right for the Program
The program is designed for senior executives and board members of nonprofit organizations around the world who are committed to implementing effective performance measurement and management in their organizations. Candidates may apply with one or two other leaders within their organizations, including direct reports and board members, who also have responsibility for the performance measurement process. This program is not targeted to consulting firms or management support organizations.
Typical participant titles include:
- Chief executive officer
- President
- Executive director
- Chief financial officer
- Chief operating officer
- Board chair
- Deputy director
Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations is intended for a global audience; nonprofit leaders have attended from countries such as Australia, Brazil, and the Netherlands. Many former participants have endorsed the program for its diverse mix of high-performing, top-level participants. Typically, attendees represent a range of nonprofit sectors and come from organizations that vary in size and structure. This program is not targeted to professional trade associations.
Past Participants Represented:
| Industries | Nationalities | ||||
| 1% | Communications | 14% | Asia/Pacific | ||
| 1% | Consumer Products | 10% | Europe | ||
| 92% | Nonprofit Services | 6% | Latin America | ||
| 2% | Other Services | 7% | Europe | ||
| 2% | Professional Services | 70% | North America | ||
| 2% | Real Estate/Construction | ||||
Participating Companies Have Included:
AARP |
Lutheran Social Services National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Opportunity International Australia Public Radio International Ronald McDonald House Charities Teach for America World Learning |
"Leading your organization to a higher level requires not only a thorough understanding of exactly where you are aiming, but also the tools for driving performance and realizing your organization’s potential. It is rare to gather together with peers who have similar issues, to grapple with diverse leadership issues, and to work on a theory of change. For that opportunity alone, the value is guaranteed."
Jon D’Almeida [CEO] Outward Bound Trust Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Meet the Program Faculty
Harvard Business School Executive Education programs are developed and taught by a core faculty of HBS professors who are skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Faculty leverage their expertise and field-based research to create new knowledge and enduring concepts that shape the practice of management. The result is a teaching team that exposes participants to multiple perspectives, challenging their thinking on many levels. For more detailed biographies, click on each faculty name.
Faculty for the program will be drawn from the following group:
Nava Ashraf, Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets Unit.
Alnoor Ebrahim, Associate Professor of Business Administration. Faculty chair of "Governing for Nonprofit Excellence."
Allen S. Grossman, MBA Class of 1957 Professor of Management Practice. Member of the General Management Unit; faculty cochair of the "Public Education Leadership Program" and of "Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations."
James P. Honan, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Christine W. Letts, Rita E. Hauser Lecturer in the Practice of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership.
Christopher Stone, Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Professor of the Practice of Criminal Justice. Faculty Director of the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations; faculty chair of the "Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management," Harvard Kennedy School.
Julie B. Wilson, Harry Kahn Senior Lecturer in Social Policy. Director of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy and Secretary of the Harvard Kennedy School; and faculty cochair of "Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations."
"I was amazed at the communication skills of the Harvard staff and the level of engagement by all program attendees, which reflected the relevance of the course materials and how well the information was presented. The case discussions were excellent and enforced the need to link program elements and measurements to outcomes. This was the best executive training I’ve ever had."
Kevin Gay [Chief Financial Officer], Summer Search, U.S.
Admissions
Because a diverse participant mix is an important part of every HBS Executive Education program, we look for candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds to enrich the learning experience.
Fees, Payments, and Cancellations
The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals.
No payment is necessary until you have been accepted into an HBS Executive Education program. After admission notification, we will send you an invoice via email; payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date. If admission is within 30 days prior to the start of the program, payment is due upon receipt of the invoice. Payment is required prior to the program start date. We accept payment by company check, bank wire transfer, or credit card (American Express, MasterCard, Visa). Details are included on the program invoice.
If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Due to program demand and the volume of preprogram preparation, cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.
Requirements
Although there are no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on professional achievement and organizational responsibility. We look for professionals who have demonstrated business talent and leadership potential.
HBS Executive Education programs enrich both participants and their sponsoring organizations, and require full commitment from each party. While participants devote time and intellect to the learning experience, sponsoring organizations agree to relieve individuals of their work responsibilities during the program.
Language Proficiency
We deliberately design our programs to encourage individual growth and to foster productive interaction among participants. For that reason, proficiency in written and spoken English is essential. If English is your second language, or if you have less than one year's experience working in an English-speaking environment, HBS requires a brief statement documenting proficiency in English-language skills, both conversational and written. This may include a list of the English-language certification programs that you have completed; the degrees you have earned at English-speaking colleges and universities; or the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. The Admissions Committee also may request a telephone interview.
Application Process
Program participants must be nominated and sponsored by their current employer. HBS must receive your application and all required documents in order to prepare the application for review by the Admissions Committee.
To apply, you may use our online form or download an application. You also may request a brochure by mail.
If you submit your application online, we will promptly acknowledge receipt of your submission via email. In the unlikely event that an email acknowledgment is not received, please contact the Admissions Committee by email: exed_admissions@hbs.edu, phone: +1-617-495-6226, or fax: +1-617-496-1731.
If you choose to submit a printed application, be sure to type or print legibly and sign your application. Send the application to the address or fax number listed on the form. Mailed or faxed applications are processed and acknowledged promptly upon receipt via email.
Complete Your Application
Please answer all questions thoroughly—the Admissions Committee will only consider completed applications. After reviewing your application and making the necessary edits or corrections, print or copy the application for your records.
Meet the Deadlines
We request applications at least four weeks in advance of the program start date. Early application does not guarantee admission. Programs often fill to capacity, so early application is recommended.
Notification of Acceptance
We acknowledge receipt of all applications and maintain all application information in strict confidentiality.
To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, the Admissions Committee selects a class that balances each participant's experience, the scope of his or her current responsibilities, and the type of organization.
The Admissions Committee begins reviewing applications four months before the start date, and qualified candidates are admitted on a rolling, space-available basis. Once the review process has begun, applicants are notified within three weeks via email regarding Admissions Committee decisions. If your application is received within three weeks of the program's start date, the Admissions Committee will notify you of their decision as soon as possible.
Need help?
For further assistance, contact our client service specialists at: 1-800-427-5577 (outside the U.S., dial +1-617-495-6555).