Social Sector Strategy and Structure

Undergraduate / Graduate

The social sector, which encompasses nonprofit & for-profit firms that are primarily pursuing a solution to social or environmental issues, is an increasingly important sector. This course provides an overview of the structures, strategy frameworks, and management tools employed by social sector organizations to ensure that they deliver on the impact they seek. In particular, the course examines those approaches that differ from managing a non-impact seeking venture. The same fundamental approaches to marketing, competitive analysis, etc. can be translated across contexts. Where there are differences, however, they are important. We will review & analyze the distinctive challenges of managing for social or environmental impact, as opposed to profit maximization. We will use cases & exercises to examine and unpack social sector management and strategy. This includes how organizations are structured from a tax-status perspective; common business models; management tools such as the construct of theory of change/intended impact, impact measurement, marketing to donors & beneficiaries; managing paid & unpaid labor; funding sources such as philanthropy & impact investing; governance; and scale and growth. This is a "survey course" of the management tools, strategy frameworks, and structural approaches used in the social sector. It is not deep dive into any of these topics, and is designed to provide any student with a working knowledge of managing social sector organizations.