By Jonathan Morales

July 31, 2024

A new program at Sacramento State soon will begin training workers in the essential skills necessary to power the region’s robust nonprofit industry.

The Nonprofit Administration Certificate program, offered through the College of Continuing Education (CCE), launches this fall, filling a critical need for a fast-growing field.

“There are thousands of nonprofits in the Sacramento region, and so there are a lot of people that work in nonprofits, many of whom have no training and background in nonprofits, per se,” said Dana Kivel, a professor of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration who has taught courses on nonprofits, fundraising and grant writing.

The new program will provide that needed training to aspiring nonprofit founders and employees, in turn allowing the organizations to better serve the community.

Kivel, who has started two nonprofit organizations, wanted to create such a program since they arrived at Sac State in 2003. While their department offers a minor in Non-Profit Management and a certificate in Non-Profit Administration, they felt a program was needed for working adults or other non-traditional students who may not be able to enroll full time or even part time at the University.

The concept was kicked around for years, until Kivel connected with CCE Dean Jenni Murphy; Kim Tucker, the executive director of the Impact Foundry, a resource center for nonprofits; Ryan Fuller, a Sac State assistant professor of Business; and Greg Shaw, at the time the associate dean of the College of Health and Human Services.

“These are skills that would be unique to setting them up and positioning them to find entry-level jobs with nonprofits and/or strengthening their skills in an entry-level position as they consider maybe a different position or something at the next level.”

-- Dana Kivel, Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration professor

Tucker shared her interest in partnering with Sac State, and the idea became a reality. Tucker, along with Fuller, Shaw and Kivel, helped create the program’s curriculum and is one of the instructors.

“It took a really long time, but it’s great that we’re doing this and going to be launching it soon,” they said.

The program begins in late September and consists of four asynchronous online courses, a flexibility designed with working adults in mind. Topics include nonprofit management and governance, fundraising, program development and resource management. The instructors each have more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit industry.

CCE anticipates that about 20-25 students will be in the first cohort, which runs through the end of January, said Tiffany Vrattos, a senior program management specialist with CCE.

Nonprofit organizations have features and challenges that make them unique from the public and private sectors, Kivel said. Those include the need to fundraise, manage volunteers and navigate often complicated tax laws. But many nonprofit founders and employees never received formal training in those areas, they said.

“There are people who have a passion and an idea, and they know how to mobilize other people, but they need to understand the structure and fundamentals of what you need to know about starting a nonprofit,” Kivel said.

The Sacramento region’s nonprofit sector is substantial. More than 14,000 nonprofit organizations are in the area, employing nearly 150,000 people and earning more than $32 billion in annual revenue, data from the Impact Foundry shows.

Sac State’s certificate program is designed for recent graduates looking to get started in the nonprofit sector and for current nonprofit employees who want to bolster their knowledge and advance their careers.

“Sometimes you get thrown into this work, and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, what’s a 501(c)3? And what do I have to think about in terms of structuring my programs? And how do I manage volunteers? How do I recruit volunteers?’ ” Kivel said. “These are skills that would be unique to setting them up and positioning them to find entry-level jobs with nonprofits and/or strengthening their skills in an entry-level position as they consider maybe a different position or something at the next level.”

The program, they said, is directly in line with Sacramento State’s commitment to community engagement.

“Sac State will always be aligned with the community, will always have relationships with the community, and I think that this is just going to be another feather in our cap in terms of the community,” Kivel said.

For more information about the Nonprofit Administration Certificate, including how to apply, visit the College of Continuing Education website.