Many nonprofit boards expect much more from top executives than fund-raising savvy and managerial skills. They want leaders with a mind for business—people who have excelled in a corporate setting or who have received top-notch training at ivy-walled business schools.
Given this mind-set, many aspiring nonprofit leaders have decided to pursue MBA's.
Are MBA degrees necessary as the nonprofit world adopts more businesslike approaches? Or are other degrees—such as ones focused on nonprofit management or social entrepreneurship—more appropriate?
Join us Tuesday, May 18, at noon U.S. Eastern time for a live online discussion that will answer these and many other questions about the value of the MBA degree for nonprofit workers. Career experts will be available to offer advice on how to choose whether an MBA is the right move for your career.
The Guests:
David E. Edell is president of DRG, an executive search firm in New York that specializes in nonprofit clients.
Liz Livingston Howard is a lecturer in social enterprise at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and associate director of its Center for Nonprofit Management.
Josh Solomon earned an MBA from Yale University and currently serves as associate director of technical assistance at YouthBuild USA, in Somerville, Mass.
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Comments
1. lynnanitagodfrey - May 17, 2010 at 06:05 pm
I cherish the importance and impact of higher education, but must it be only relevant if it is from and Ivy League? I think not. It is if those of us whom attended small schools, or state schools have no understanding, or value to offer not-for-profits. My belief is that non-profit organizations are limiting their talent pool tremendously by just relying on Ivey League cnadidates. I know because I face that very problem, with a wealth of knowledge in not-for-profit past performances, I can not land that coveted role in major organizations, I really believe because it is I do not hold a MBA from the corridors of one of our country's elite institutions. I don't have anything against Ivy League schools, but think there is talent beyond those foliage covered corners,and that non-profits are limiting themselves, and creating another box.
2. ikegel - May 18, 2010 at 12:01 pm
What are the benefits of an employee with an MBA for a non-profit organization? Are there other degrees that provide better training for a non-profit employee? Which positions within a non-profit does an MBA prepare an employee for?