Governing for Nonprofit Excellence: Critical Issues for Board Leadership
- Dates: TBD
- Format: In-Person Learning takes place on the HBS campus or a designated location.
- Location: HBS Campus
- Fee: TBD
The program fee covers tuition, e-books, and online case materials.
This program includes live online classes, self-paced work, discussion groups, and virtual networking. Download brochure for detailed schedule.
Bringing Together the Rising Generation: A Q&A with Faculty Cochairs

"The program gave me the tools to rethink my organization's overall purpose, strategy, performance, and integrity."
Summary
To fulfill their mission, nonprofit organizations depend on their board for strong, innovative leadership. Governing for Nonprofit Excellence prepares you to excel in your role as a board member and to contribute at a higher level. As you gain insight into four essential competencies of nonprofit governance—board leadership, strategic stewardship, performance measurement, and financial oversight—you will learn how to drive the strategic and organizational transformation that enables your nonprofit organization to thrive.
This program is offered in cooperation with the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative.
You may also be interested in the related program: Governing for Nonprofit Excellence—Virtual.
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Summary
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To fulfill their mission, nonprofit organizations depend on their board for strong, innovative leadership. Governing for Nonprofit Excellence prepares you to excel in your role as a board member and to contribute at a higher level. As you gain insight into four essential competencies of nonprofit governance—board leadership, strategic stewardship, performance measurement, and financial oversight—you will learn how to drive the strategic and organizational transformation that enables your nonprofit organization to thrive.
This program is offered in cooperation with the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative.
You may also be interested in the related program: Governing for Nonprofit Excellence—Virtual.
DetailsExpand AllCollapse All
Solidify your organization's leadershipSolidify your organization's leadership
- Create value-adding board leadership processes
- Clarify your organization's mission and who will lead it
- Foster productive board and CEO relationships
Execute your organization's mission more effectivelyExecute your organization's mission more effectively
- Assess your organization's objectives and plan for the future
- Structure and manage important alliances
- Establish systems for gauging organizational performance
- Place your organization on a solid and sustainable financial foundation
Expand your personal and professional networkExpand your personal and professional network
- Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
- Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions
Solidify your organization's leadership
- Create value-adding board leadership processes
- Clarify your organization's mission and who will lead it
- Foster productive board and CEO relationships
Execute your organization's mission more effectively
- Assess your organization's objectives and plan for the future
- Structure and manage important alliances
- Establish systems for gauging organizational performance
- Place your organization on a solid and sustainable financial foundation
Expand your personal and professional network
- Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
- Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions
Who Should Attend
- Chairs and other members of nonprofit boards who have significant leadership responsibilities—but are not full-time employees—for organizations with operating budgets in excess of $1 million in any nonprofit sector
- Not appropriate for: Industry or trade associations, management support organizations, or consulting firms
Attendance by two or three board leaders from the same organization will foster teamwork and amplify the program's impact.
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.
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Who Should Attend
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- Chairs and other members of nonprofit boards who have significant leadership responsibilities—but are not full-time employees—for organizations with operating budgets in excess of $1 million in any nonprofit sector
- Not appropriate for: Industry or trade associations, management support organizations, or consulting firms
Attendance by two or three board leaders from the same organization will foster teamwork and amplify the program's impact.
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.
Dive Deeper into the ExperienceThrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.
Learning and Living at HBS
When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.
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Learning and Living at HBS
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When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.
Admissions Criteria and Process
Answering Your Questions
Application Submission
Application Review
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
Answering Your Questions
Application Submission
Application Review
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
What You Will Learn
This nonprofit leadership program engages you in a rich learning experience that includes dynamic faculty presentations, case studies, and group discussions. Led by HBS faculty with expertise in board leadership and nonprofit management, you will examine how effective boards maintain mission clarity, forge productive relationships with CEOs, structure and manage important alliances, drive organizational performance, and achieve financial sustainability:
Participants should expect to spend at least 9-12 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending the program. Case materials will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.
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What You Will Learn
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This nonprofit leadership program engages you in a rich learning experience that includes dynamic faculty presentations, case studies, and group discussions. Led by HBS faculty with expertise in board leadership and nonprofit management, you will examine how effective boards maintain mission clarity, forge productive relationships with CEOs, structure and manage important alliances, drive organizational performance, and achieve financial sustainability:
Participants should expect to spend at least 9-12 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending the program. Case materials will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.
Key TopicsExpand AllCollapse All
Board leadershipBoard leadership
- Creating innovative leadership models
- Focusing on defining the organization's mission for greatest impact
- Clarifying board roles and responsibilities
- Planning for CEO succession
Strategic stewardshipStrategic stewardship
- Assessment of strategic options such as downsizing, mergers, and new revenue streams
- New types of governance frameworks
- Novel fundraising strategies
Performance measurementPerformance measurement
- Establishment of meaningful metrics to assess organizational performance
- Role of the board in driving measurement activities
- Performance measurement systems
Financial oversightFinancial oversight
- New versus traditional oversight models
- Impact of media attention on nonprofit finances
- Processes for ongoing accountability and regulatory compliance
Board leadership
- Creating innovative leadership models
- Focusing on defining the organization's mission for greatest impact
- Clarifying board roles and responsibilities
- Planning for CEO succession
Strategic stewardship
- Assessment of strategic options such as downsizing, mergers, and new revenue streams
- New types of governance frameworks
- Novel fundraising strategies
Performance measurement
- Establishment of meaningful metrics to assess organizational performance
- Role of the board in driving measurement activities
- Performance measurement systems
Financial oversight
- New versus traditional oversight models
- Impact of media attention on nonprofit finances
- Processes for ongoing accountability and regulatory compliance
The HBS Advantage
Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
Eliot I. Snider and Family Baker Foundation Professor and Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus
George F. Baker, Jr. Professor of Public Management
Baker Foundation Professor and Sarofim-Rock Professor of Business Administration, Emerita
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Baker Foundation Professor, Malcolm P. Mcnair Professor of Marketing
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The HBS Advantage
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Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
Faculty ChairHarvard Business School:Eliot I. Snider and Family Baker Foundation Professor and Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus
Harvard Kennedy School:George F. Baker, Jr. Professor of Public Management
HBS Unit:General ManagementFacultyBaker Foundation Professor and Sarofim-Rock Professor of Business Administration, Emerita
HBS Units:Entrepreneurial ManagementGeneral ManagementAssistant Professor of Business Administration
HBS Unit:Negotiation, Organizations & MarketsBaker Foundation Professor, Malcolm P. Mcnair Professor of Marketing
HBS Unit:Marketing
Your Peers Expand Your Learning
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Your Peers Expand Your Learning
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Global PerspectiveExperience the world in your classroom.Global PerspectiveExperience the world in your classroom.3%Africa10%Asia Pacific5%Europe1%Latin America5%Middle East76%North America3%Africa10%Asia Pacific5%Europe1%Latin America5%Middle East76%North AmericaExperienceExperienceYears workedYears workedExperienceYears workedLess than 10 yearsLess than 10 years10-14 years10-14 years15-19 years15-19 years20-24 years20-24 years25-29 years25-29 years30-34 years30-34 years35-39 years35-39 years40 years or more40 years or moreLess than 10 yearsLess than 10 years10-14 years10-14 years15-19 years15-19 years20-24 years20-24 years25-29 years25-29 years30-34 years30-34 years35-39 years35-39 years40 years or more40 years or moreEducationEducationHighest level attainedHighest level attainedEducationHighest level attainedJD/LawJD/LawPhDPhDMBAMBAMS/MAMS/MABS/BABS/BAForeign DiplomaForeign DiplomaHigh SchoolHigh SchoolJD/LawJD/LawPhDPhDMBAMBAMS/MAMS/MABS/BABS/BAForeign DiplomaForeign DiplomaHigh SchoolHigh School

Bringing Together the Rising Generation: A Q&A with Faculty Cochairs
