Forum - November/December 2011

Today’s ambitious association executive faces a highly com- petitive job market. Whether you are looking for a new position or aiming to move up the ladder at your current organization, you have to find a way to stand out from the crowd. Leaner staffs and tighter budgets are challenging nonprofit managers to become more effective and skilled than ever.

What this means for an association professional who hopes to advance in the field is this: Not only must you possess the knowledge base and skills of a program specialist, you also must develop additional distinctive skills as an administrator.

Alternate Education Pathway As association executives climb the organizational ladder, it becomes imperative that they learn new skills as well as hone existing ones. Traditionally, the way to accomplish this is through a combination of on-the-job experience and continuing education — usually a graduate degree, perhaps an MBA or related course of study. But these programs can be expensive and require a substantial time commitment. Consider an alternative to a graduate degree to gain additional academic credentials and skills you need to advance your career: a graduate-level certificate program in nonprofit management. Several Chicago-area universities offer such programs and a range of academic opportunities, enabling you to structure a course of study that will best benefit you and your employer, particularly if the organization is funding your studies.

• They allow association executives to
immediately apply what they have
learned; and
• They can be completed in one year
or less.

This is the path I took a few years ago when I was looking for a way to strengthen my overall administrative skills. After years as a communications professional, I wanted to build my financial, leadership and strategic planning skills. Not only was I working for an association, I also was serving on the board of directors of a local social service agency and I knew this knowledge would benefit both organizations. Earning a certificate gave me a defined academic credential that could be recognized by the leaders in my organization or any other I might serve. Following are three certificate programs I discovered when researching my own continuing education to stay relevant in the association field:

Kellogg Program

The Center for Nonprofit Management
at the Kellogg School of Management at
Northwestern University offers a certifi-
cate program in nonprofit management
that in many ways parallels the school’s
graduate MBA program. This program
in which I participated is part of the
Kellogg Executive Scholars Program. In
addition to the courses offered through
the Nonprofit Center, it also links with
executive education programs at the
James L. Allen Center in Evanston, Ill.
Successful participants receive a Cer-
tificate of Professional Achievement in
Nonprofit Management.

Certificate Program Benefits

Nonprofit-focused certificate programs
offer several benefits over a graduate
business degree program:
• They focus on the needs of execu-
tives in nonprofit organizations;