Shortly before Thanksgiving, sixteen leaders from non-profits across the St. Louis region gathered with their families to celebrate a unique milestone—the completion of a new professional credit program created through a partnership between WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) and the United Way of Greater St. Louis.
The Fundamentals of Nonprofit Management Professional Certificate program was designed to equip regional non-profit leaders with essential training in three key pillars of organizational success: management, finances, and human resources.
CAPS Director of Business Development & School Initiatives, Jodie Lloyd, explained that the program was born from a longstanding partnership between WashU and the United Way.
“They were very interested in the Master’s of Nonprofit Management program we offer,” Lloyd said. “We realized that not everyone was ready to commit to a full Master’s program, so we designed a pathway for non-profit professionals to gain the same foundational knowledge without making a long-term investment in graduate education.”
Delivered entirely online over nine weeks, the program offers participants professional credit and 3.6 CEUs (continuing education units).
“The idea was to create something flexible and practical for individuals working at small non-profits,” Lloyd added. “The United Way supports 163 non-profits through its programs and wanted to ensure leaders have a strong grasp of core leadership fundamentals. They generously funded 20 participants to complete this certificate course.”
The United Way’s Carla Reid described the inaugural offering as another successful collaboration with WashU.
“WashU has been a strong partner,” she said. “We work very closely with the Olin School of Business around non-profit development, we work very closely with the Summer Institute, and CAPS was a great fit for the non-profit management piece. They were able to pull together this program for us that is tailor-fitted to our agencies and that was amazing. I definitely foresee us doing this again in 2025, it is just about figuring out the strategy or how to present so that people get the most out of the experience. We appreciate the partnership and look forward to making it stronger in the future.”
Participants Praise Program for Practical Value
Participants agreed the program was transformative, offering knowledge they could immediately apply to their roles.
“The program was absolutely incredible,” said Maurice Goree, Senior Coordinator of Workforce Development at Mission St. Louis. “As a new leader in the non-profit sector, I found the fundamentals essential. I thought I knew a lot about non-profits, but there was so much more to learn. I’m already implementing strategies I picked up during the course. If this program is offered again, I’ll absolutely sign up.”
Jeremy Kander, Director of Development at Gene Slay’s Girls & Boys Club of St. Louis, highlighted the program’s flexibility and collaborative learning environment.
“I’ve been in development for 13 years now, so this was an amazing opportunity to learn some of the other areas of behind-the-scenes work at non-profits,” he said. “It was super valuable and the format worked well for flexible life situations. I was able to attend seven of the nine sessions as they were happening and then take the other two the next day, which was really helpful. There was a lot of back and forth in the discussion board and definitely a lot of resources being shared around, which was pretty cool. They did a great job of connecting us.”
A Stepping Stone to Further Education
The program’s focus on real-world applications makes it a unique offering, according to Shannon Smock, Program Coordinator for WashU’s Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management and a former CAPS student.
“This program is special because it brings together professionals already working in the sector,” Smock said. “It meets participants where they are, addressing their specific needs and questions. It’s also a great feeder program into our Graduate Certificate and Master’s Degree programs for those who want to dive deeper.”
Lloyd added that participants can apply their professional credit toward prior learning credit if they choose to pursue a credit-based program in the future.
Looking ahead, CAPS plans to offer the program again in 2025, continuing its partnership with the United Way. Lloyd also encouraged other non-profits without direct ties to the United Way to reach out and explore similar custom programs.