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Request For Proposals: NACC 2025 Member Meeting and Biennial Conference Host Institution

Three Day Conference in 2025

Purpose of RFP: The Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) seeks proposals from among its member institutions to serve as Host for the 1-day member/ board meeting and 2-day biennial conference, to be held in July 2025. Other dates can be considered. The meeting and conference would take place over three days, with the following suggested format: The first day is the member meeting or board retreat and (smaller, more informal) member reception, and the subsequent two days are the conference, with a (larger) reception on the evening of the first day. The dates are flexible, but traditionally, NACC’s Biennial Conference dates are 3 days attached to the weekends in the second week of July 2025, i.e., Monday-Wednesday 7-9 July 2025 or Wednesday-Friday 9-11 July 2025.

Purpose of Biennial Conference: The 2025 conference will be the 15th anniversary of NACC’s conferences, which are traditionally held biennially. Past academic hosts have provided substantial resources in the form of conference venues and catering, funding, and organizational effort. We salute these past host universities: Arizona State University, University of San Diego, DePaul University, Texas A&M University, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, the Bayes School of Business, part of City, University of London, and Auburn University. Conferences do not need to be hosted by one university/program.

The Biennial Conference attracts sponsorships from NACC university members, local host institution philanthropy, and other sources; all of which sustain the operations of the organization. Consequently, the Biennial conference provides a signal to the global academic peer communities of the vitality of NACC and its programs.

Theme for the 2025 Biennial Conference: We encourage interested host institutions to suggest themes for the conference. NACC will assist with having a host/conference committee help develop the theme as needed.

Selected papers may be published in a special issue of our key partner Sagamore Publisher’s Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership.

Eligibility: Respondents to the RFP must be NACC members at the time of the submission materials. Institutions that are in the process of applying for NACC membership may be part of joint applications with current members.

Required Conditions: A dedicated coordinating staff member must be assigned to connect with NACC to plan, arrange, and facilitate conference logistics on site. The host institution(s) may recommend suggested hotels, but accommodations are arranged by the conference participants themselves. Reception space must be provided by the host institution for up to 125 attendees. On-site dining or catering services must also be available. Meeting space must be sufficient for two (non-concurrent) plenary sessions with seating for approximately 80 – 100 attendees, plus five break-out presentation spaces for concurrent topical panels. Presentation hardware, adaptable software programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint, and internet access must be provided, including technical support.

Preferred Conditions: The ideal host institution will be accessible readily by air transport and near a population center of sufficient size to accommodate the group. In addition to in- kind physical services, host institutions are asked to provide sponsorship (for example; covering the costs meals, breaks, or receptions), or to facilitate fundraising from external sources. NACC will also solicit sponsorships from other NACC members, as it has in the past to cover other necessary costs.

Cover Letter and Budget: In a signed cover letter, describe the facilities that will be provided by your institution. Complete a budget indicating the amount of direct and indirect contributions your institution will invest in the Biennial Conference.

Letter of Support from Institutional Executive Officer: Provide a letter confirming support for this proposal signed by the chief executive officer (i.e. president, provost, dean or department head).

Additional information: You are welcome to submit any additional information you think will be useful in helping us in our deliberations.

Due Date: Complete responses to this RFP in PDF format are due no later than Monday, April 5, 2024. The PDF document should include the signed cover letter, budget, and institutional letter of support (plus any additional materials). Email to Nicole Collier, NACC Executive Director: nicole.e.collier@tamu.edu.

By |2024-02-22T16:58:11-05:00February 22nd, 2024|NACC Announcement|

NACC Members

NACC Membership

Nonprofit organizations and voluntary action are critical to the development and strengthening of democracy and civil society throughout the world. Universities are central institutions for understanding and promoting the structures essential for democratic life. University-based programs that perform research, teaching and public service to strengthen nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations, philanthropy, and voluntary action are critical to helping universities and their communities meet this need.

NACC is pleased to acknowledge our Sustaining Members who have made an additional investment in NACC to help ensure the vibrancy of this community of nonprofit academic centers serving for the public good.

NACC Members by University:

Academic Institution College, Department, Center, or Degree Program
Antioch University of Los Angeles MA in Nonprofit Management
Arizona State University ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation
Auburn University Bachelor of Science degree in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies
Auburn University Master of Public Administration Program
Baruch College, CUNY Center for Nonprofit Strategy and Management
Bay Path University MS in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy and MS in Strategic Fundraising and Philanthropy
Carleton University School of Public Policy and Administration
Case Western Reserve University Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
Catholic University of Milan ALTIS Graduate School of Business & Society
Bayes Business School, City University London Centre for Charity Effectiveness
Columbus State University Non-Profit and Civic Engagement Center
DePaul University School of Public Service
George Mason University Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise
Georgia Southern University Department of Public and Nonprofit Studies
Grand Valley State University Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy & School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration
Hamline University Master of Nonprofit Management, School of Business
Indiana University Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Linfield University School of Business
Lindenwood University Plaster School of Business and Entrepreneurship
Louisiana State University in Shreveport Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research
Metropolitan State University College of Community Studies and Public Affairs
Murray State University Nonprofit Leadership Studies Program
National Research University Centre for Studies of Civil Society and the Nonprofit Sector
New York University School of Law National Center on Philanthropy and the Law
North Carolina State University Institute for Nonprofits
North Park University Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management
Northern Illinois University Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies
Queensland University of Technology Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies
Regis University Master of Nonprofit Management
Seattle University Nonprofit Leadership
Seton Hall University Master of Public Administration Program
Slippery Rock University Department of Philanthropy, Nonprofit Leadership and Public Affairs
Texas A&M University Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Bush School of Government & Public Service
The New School MS in Nonprofit Management, Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment
University of Central Florida School of Public Administration
University of Connecticut School of Public Policy
University of Delaware Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, Center for Community Research & Service
University of Denver Master of Nonprofit Leadership
University of Kent (UK) Centre for Philanthropy
University of Maryland Do Good Institute
University of Memphis Public and Nonprofit Administration
University of Missouri-Kansas City Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, Department of Public Affairs, Henry W. Bloch School of Management
University of Missouri-St. Louis Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program
University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business
University of Oregon Master of Nonprofit Management, School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management
University of Richmond Master of Nonprofit Studies
University of San Diego The Nonprofit Institute, School of Leadership & Education Sciences
University of San Francisco Master of Nonprofit Administration, School of Management
University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy, Center on Philanthropy & Public Policy
University of Tampa Nonprofit Management, Sykes College of Business
University of Technology – Sydney Master of Not-for-Profit and Social Enterprise Management, UTS Business School
University of Texas at Arlington Bachelor of Arts in Philanthropy
University of Texas at Austin RGK Center for Philanthropy & Community Service, LBJ School of Public Affairs
University of Texas at Dallas Public and Nonprofit Management | School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics
Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance

NACC Affiliate Members:

Institution
Nonprofit Leadership Alliance

By |2023-11-16T10:08:16-05:00January 18th, 2019|

Membership Criteria and Process

NACC Membership

Nonprofit organizations and voluntary action are critical to the development and strengthening of democracy and civil society throughout the world. Universities are central institutions for understanding and promoting the structures essential for democratic life. University-based programs that perform research, teaching and public service to strengthen nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations, philanthropy, and voluntary action are critical to helping universities and their communities meet this need.

Our Three Core Programmatic Areas of Focus

Three programmatic areas form the foundation for the work of NACC members – education, research, and community engagement. Click on each of these areas below to learn more about our requirements.

A systematic program of academic credit studies is a requirement of the education criterion. The program need not take the form of a full degree, but it should be of an academic credit-bearing nature, including concentrations or specializations within full degrees, or academic credit (as opposed to noncredit) certificate programs.

If a center or program does not offer credit programs itself, its leadership or staff shall participate in teaching these offerings by other academic units affiliated with the center. Other forms of noncredit education, including professional seminars, workshops and continuing education noncredit certificates, can be important dimensions of a center’s educational programming and offer diverse learning opportunities, but a core of academic, credit-bearing offerings is essential.

Some ongoing creation of publications by persons directly affiliated with the program is a requirement for the research criterion. We recognize that research in the field of nonprofit, nongovernmental, and philanthropic studies can take a wide variety of forms including: scholarship that yields books, articles, and papers in academic outlets; applied research of immediate application to practitioners in the field whether done under contract and/or disseminated in professional practice publications; knowledge-building that yields curriculum and instructional materials and publications; or different products from the “scholarship of engagement.” It also consists of disseminating the knowledge created through conferences, symposia, and seminars. All of these research and dissemination activities are valid and encouraged. However, among these activities we consider some on-going activity yielding scholarly and/or professional publications to be essential.

The community engagement or service criterion is understood as academically-based activities that go beyond conventional faculty service assignments. This includes an ongoing and intentional program of engagement that attempts to provide direct impact in its nonprofit community to nonprofit organizations and the community at large. These should be substantial and a formal part of the program or center’s programming, and may include providing consulting, technical advice or assistance to nonprofit organizations, convenings or workshops, or participating in nonprofit public policy and advocacy activities, to name just a few examples.

Membership Types

NACC offers two main categories of membership. Use the links and information below to learn more about the membership types that NACC offers, and the criteria to become part of NACC.

  • General Membership: programs with an academic affiliation that can demonstrate a focus on at least two of the three programmatic areas outlined below (education, research and community).
  • Affiliate Membership: for organizations, entities, etc. that have an interest in affiliation with NACC that do not meet our criteria for full membership as part of accredited colleges or universities.

General Membership

Our general membership is comprised of programs, schools, centers, majors, etc. that are dedicated to nonprofit and philanthropic education within an accredited college or university. Programs with an academic affiliation that can demonstrate a focus on at least two of the three programmatic areas outlined above (education, research and community) are welcome to apply for membership.

Eligibility

To be eligible for general membership, the applying program or center must:

  • Operate within an accredited college or university. If the program or center is located internationally, accreditation will be appropriate to the home institution.

  • Have a primary focus on nonprofit, non-governmental sector management, or philanthropic studies (or related areas such as civil society, social economy, and social innovation).

  • Provide evidence of ongoing activity in at least two of the three core programmatic areas – education, research, and community engagement, defined on this page.

  • Demonstrate a substantial allocation of resources and programming to those same programmatic area(s), including:

    • A designated faculty or staff position which has primary responsibility to direct programmatic activities. We recognize the title and exact scope and type of responsibilities may vary, and some responsibility can be shared among other faculty, staff, or students.
    • Accountability to and association with the academic division of the school, college, or university (which can include continuing or professional education), rather than some other area, such as student affairs.
    • Staff support for its activities. No minimum level of staffing is required.

Application Process

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but application processing time varies based on the time of year. Keep in mind that our board and membership is comprised of faculty, administrators, researchers and more that volunteer their time with NACC so the time to review applications may vary based on their availability.

General Membership Dues

Affiliate Membership

NACC offers Affiliate Membership to organizations and individuals who are not degree-conferring colleges or universities but who have a related interest in education, training, research or service to nonprofit, nongovernmental philanthropic organizations. This can include government agencies, foundations and other nonprofits, private firms, and individual consultants and trainers that provide non-credit bearing education, or support.

Eligibility

To be eligible for general membership, the applying program or center must:

  • Support the mission of NACC as an association of academic degree programs at accredited colleges and universities.

  • Demonstrate that a substantive part of their work contributes to developing any of the knowledge and skills covered by the NACC Curricular Guidelines.

Application Process

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but application processing time varies based on the time of year. Keep in mind that our board and membership is comprised of faculty, administrators, researchers and more that volunteer their time with NACC so the time to review applications may vary based on their availability.

Affiliate Membership Dues

By |2023-06-13T14:46:17-04:00January 18th, 2019|

Membership

NACC Membership

Nonprofit organizations and voluntary action are critical to the development and strengthening of democracy and civil society throughout the world. Universities are central institutions for understanding and promoting the structures essential for democratic life. University-based programs that perform research, teaching and public service to strengthen nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations, philanthropy, and voluntary action are critical to helping universities and their communities meet this need.

The Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) was founded in 1991 by leaders of university-based nonprofit academic programs who wanted to share information and ideas to strengthen their programs and advance the field of philanthropic and nonprofit sector education within their institutions and beyond. Central to building the field is recognition and support by institutions of higher education that philanthropic and nonprofit sector studies are a vital component of the education, research and community engagement that they undertake. NACC member programs are committed to the advancement of nonprofit and philanthropic studies programs that are recognized by their host institutions as a focal point of nonprofit sector activity.

Click here to view a list of NACC Members.

A Revised NACC Membership Model

In 2019 NACC’s members and board discussed membership for organizations interested in NACC membership, who do not meet all the current criteria for membership as members of accredited colleges or universities. At the 2019 membership meeting we voted to create affiliate membership for these types of organizations.

NACC offers two main categories of membership:

  • General Membership: programs with an academic affiliation that can demonstrate a focus on at least two of the three programmatic areas outlined below (education, research and community).
  • Affiliate Membership: for organizations, entities, etc. that have an interest in affiliation with NACC that do not meet our criteria for full membership as part of accredited colleges or universities.

Click here to apply for NACC membership.

Why Join NACC?

Member Benefits Include:

  • Direct access to a network of top leaders from among the most prestigious and innovative programs, centers, and institutions focused on a shared commitment to philanthropic and nonprofit sector studies, research, and service. NACC does not distribute email addresses for NACC members or those subscribing to its monthly email newsletter (NACC News). Members may request information be distributed to NACC News recipients or NACC member representatives.

  • The opportunity to have a voice in shaping nonprofit academic center resources (such as curricular guidelines and indicators of quality).

  • Meetings, forums, and conferences that blend hands-on field-building work and peer information exchange.

  • Visibility of each member program or center within the field and with the larger public.

  • Legitimacy with host academic institutions and local communities through association with a respected international organization.

  • Free advertising for job posting on the NACC website and in the NACC news. At this time, only NACC members may advertise job postings via these outreach mechanisms.

  • Discounted registration fees for NACC conferences.

  • An exclusive international honor society available only to students of NACC member programs.

  • Access to accreditation for stand-alone degree programs.

Member Testimonials:

“NACC is the forum that encourages me to think more deeply about teaching and research in our field. It is an essential reference point for understanding how we can better assist our students and strengthen the organizations they work in.”

John Casey, Ph.D., Baruch College, CUNY

“NACC is the rudder that keeps me mindful of the field we love so dearly. Besides, I truly enjoy the professional people who represent the institutional members.”

J. Patrick Murphy, Ph.D., DePaul University

“NACC provides the space where we can think about collaboration and social capital as solely nonprofit studies concepts.”

Stuart C. Mendel, Ph.D., NCNE

“As we’ve grown our nonprofit programs to include a graduate certificate, an undergraduate minor, and a full master of nonprofit management, NACC has been our source for nonprofit-first curricular and administrative innovation.  The camaraderie among NACC members is both fun and valuable.”

Renee A. Irvin, Ph.D., University of Oregon

“NACC provides an instant network of people with similar concerns and issues; I have learned more from interacting with people in the NACC network than I have from any other source.”

Robert Donmoyer, Ph.D., University of San Diego

“NACC helps me find best practices in the field of nonprofit education. I can see what courses make up a relevant program that will be attractive and helpful to students.”

Theresa Ricke-Kiely, Ed.D., University of Notre Dame

By |2023-03-09T21:02:47-05:00January 18th, 2019|

2017 NACC Biennial Conference and Member Meeting

Hosted by:

Registration for the conference is now closed. If you still need to pay your registration fee, you can do so here: http://bit.ly/2p2j863. Please contact Erin Vokes, Managing Director of NACC, at e.vokes@csuohio.edu if you have any questions.

Registrants: Access the 2017 Conference Materials Here


Dates: Monday, July 31—Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Schedule Overview:
Monday, 7/31: NACC Member Meeting, 12 pm to 5 pm (reception to follow)
Tuesday, 8/1: Biennial Conference Day 1, 8 am to 5 pm (reception to follow)
Wednesday, 8/2: Biennial Conference Day 2, 8 am to 1:30 pm

Location: JW Marriott Indianapolis, 10 S West Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204 and Indiana University, University Hall, Suite 3000, 301 University Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46202

Lodging: JW Marriott Indianapolis, 10 S West Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204. The JW Marriott has offered us a special group rate of $199 USD per night. Book your room here:  Group rate for IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy – NACC at the JW Marriott Indianapolis. The last day to reserve your room at this rate is July 14, 2017.

Registration Fees: Discounted registration rates are available for NACC members and to graduate students of NACC member universities:
$125 for NACC members
$150 for non-NACC-members
$75 for students of NACC member organizations
$100 for students of non-NACC-member organizations

NACC 2017 Biennial Conference Overview

The NACC Biennial conference brings together academics, scholars, practitioners, and administrators from around the world to discuss, learn, and share tactics and methods that support and build university-based educational programs focused on nonprofit and philanthropic studies.  Topics for conversation include instruction, pedagogy, research, and substantive issues in education and administration. NACC invites papers from interested member institutions, their faculty affiliates, graduate students, and other members of the nonprofit community. Proposals will be considered by a review committee, and final manuscripts must be of scholarly quality.

View the Call for Proposals here. Papers on advances in nonprofit pedagogy, research, and service are encouraged. Papers pertaining to the conference theme, “Nonprofit and Philanthropy Parables and Cases: What We Learn from the Stories We Tell,” are also welcomed.

**We are seeking sponsors for the 2017 NACC Conference. View the Call for Sponsors. Interested individuals should contact Erin Vokes at e.vokes@csuohio.edu.**

Thank you very much to those who have already sponsored the conference:

PLATINUM SPONSORS
Host Sponsor & Tuesday Evening Reception Sponsor –
Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy 

Sponsor Cost: $5,000

Monday Evening Reception Sponsor –
University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business

Sponsor Cost: $5,000

GOLD SPONSORS
NACC Member Meeting Sponsor —
Cleveland State University, Levin College of Urban Affairs

Sponsor Cost: $2,500

Technology Sponsor –
University of San Francisco, School of Management 

Sponsor Cost: $2,500

General Support –
Auburn University, Department of Political Science

Sponsor Cost: $2,500

SILVER SPONSORS
General Support —
Texas A&M University, Bush School of Government & Public Service

Sponsor Cost: $1,000

BRONZE SPONSORS
General Support –
Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 

Sponsor Cost: $750

General Support –
Seton Hall University, Center for Public Service

Sponsor Cost: $750

General Support –
University of Oregon, Department of Planning, Public Policy, & Management

Sponsor Cost: $500

General Support –
Arizona State University, Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation 

Sponsor Cost: $500

General Support –
North Park University, Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management

Sponsor Cost: $500

NACC would also like to recognize our Sustaining Members: 

  • Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
  • University of Oregon, Department of Planning, Public Policy, & Management

If you are interested in providing a sponsorship, please contact Erin Vokes at e.vokes@csuohio.edu.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you this summer!

By |2019-01-20T21:10:02-05:00July 31st, 2017|Events|

Accreditation

NACC Accreditation Process

NACC Accreditation fosters third sector academic programs worldwide, including nonprofit and nongovernmental studies and management, social entrepreneurship, social-purpose organizations leadership, and philanthropy studies and management, all with curriculum that places the civil sector at the center of the curricular perspective.

OVERVIEW

The NACC Accreditation Process fosters third sector academic programs world-wide, including nonprofit and NGO studies and management, social entrepreneurship, social-purpose organizations leadership, and philanthropy studies and management, all with curriculum which places the civil sector at the center of the curricular perspective.

The value to both existing and emerging third sector, nongovernmental, and related degree programs is that accreditation serves as a signal to prospective students and prospective faculty that a university has a well-developed program, while providing a brighter line than just guidelines in constructing a curriculum that specifically addresses our distinctive sector.

For a comprehensive understanding of the NACC Accreditation Process, please view the available resources and links found in the sidebar of this webpage.

Please review all of the information below before you apply for Accreditation.


FRAMING CONCEPTS FOR THE NACC ACCREDITATION PROCESS

NACC Accreditation will launch with the idea that a critical mass of dedicated research, instruction, and experience has reached sufficient density to underpin nonprofit and philanthropy centered academic programs and their curriculum. Evidence of this is found in the growing number of stand-alone nonprofit and philanthropy studies credit bearing degree programs offered by NACC member institutions and others.

The legitimacy of nonprofit/philanthropy-first epistemology arises with the processes and outcomes followed in the creation and content of the successive iterations of NACC Curricular Guidelines.

The term “Accreditation” is used as a nod to the current practices of the profession of higher education. It is meant as the process of identifying how a particular academic program aligns with the best thinking of our day, as reflected in the NACC Curricular Guidelines and Indicators of Quality Institutions. It is our goal and hope that this process remains focused on ensuring “truth in advertising” and while also serving as an ongoing forum for innovations in nonprofit/philanthropy learning.

Among the principles contributing to the ethos and spirit of the organizers of the NACC Curricular Guidelines that we are applying to the NACC Accreditation process are as follows:

  • A nonprofit/philanthropy-first philosophy and perspective. A nonprofit/philanthropy-first approach refers to research centered on the unique role and nature of the nonprofit and philanthropy sector institutions in civil society.
  • Affirmation by academic program leaders and participants in this accreditation process that the pedagogical subject matter in the major subject headers of the NACC Curricular Guidelines reflect the distinctive and autonomous character of the nonprofit and philanthropy sector institution forms from those of business and government. Also that the themes of volunteerism governance; mission fulfillment; advocacy, intermediation and facilitation in society; partnership; social enterprise and others are interwoven in the subject areas.
  • A broader-than-management nonprofit studies pedagogy. The criteria for program review and assessment will be full stand-alone degree programs utilizing terminology that synchronizes with the nomenclature and themes found in the NACC Curricular Guidelines.

This project will trend for the simplest and most transparent analytical tools and logics to validate a nonprofit/philanthropy first academic program’s alignment with the NACC Curricular Guidelines. The approach will also use as guiding principles the following perspectives:

  • Take a reactive review standard rather than proscriptive to participating institutions seeking the imprimatur of the NACC;
  • Favor a consensus, non-confrontational process and outcome;
  • Endeavor to offer transparency in methods and in reporting of outcomes;
  • Provide opportunity and weight to participant context and explanation within the limits of brevity and clarity;
  • Validate a “truth in advertising” that academic programs accredited through the NACC process meet the criteria for content and quality framed by the NACC Curricular Guidelines.

NACC ACCREDITED PROGRAMS:


BEFORE YOU APPLY

The Initial NACC Accreditation Application (Section 1: Intent to Undergo Accreditation) is now available. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with the goal of completing the application process six months from the initial application being received.

We are excited to have you and your program move forward toward NACC Accreditation. We have designed the application process and portal so that it is easy and straightforward.

Before you initiate the application process, please review all of the information on this webpage and then we collect some key documents (PDFs) or web links ahead of time. This will save time as you are going through the application process. These documents are:

  • CV/Qualifications of professors who taught in the program over the last 2 years.
  • Curriculum plans, program guides, and/or course catalogues for the program to be accredited.
  • Syllabi and/or course summaries for all nonprofit classes taught in the program over the last 2 years.

In addition, we recommend you review the NACC Curricular Guidelines in advance as you will later be asked to “map” your curriculum according to these guidelines. Additional details about “curriculum mapping” can be found below.

An organization must be a member of NACC in order to undergo accreditation. If you are not yet a member of NACC but would like to become accredited, please visit our NACC Membership page to learn more about becoming a NACC member.


APPLICATION PROCESS OVERVIEW

The Initial NACC Accreditation Application (Section 1: Intent to Undergo Accreditation) is now available. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with the goal of completing the accreditation process six months after the initial application is received.

The application contains three sections:

  • Section 1: Initial Application: Intent to Undergo Accreditation. This is a very brief electronic application that provides us with some basic information and informs us that you wish to undergo accreditation. The application fee is due at this time.
  • Section 2: Phone Interview. Once your initial application and proof of payment is received, the NACC Accreditation Team will contact you to schedule a phone interview to complete the second section of the application. Data based on your responses to our questions will be input by the Accreditation Launch Director and the Accreditation Coordinator. You should plan to spend an hour or so with us at that time. Additional information will be provided in advance of your interview.
  • Section 3: Curricular Guideline Mapping and Program Distinctiveness. In this section, you will “map” how your program’s curriculum aligns with the NACC Curricular Guidelines. It is neither mandatory nor expected that your curriculum meets every guideline. Additional information will be provided before you begin this section, and an overview about both components can be found below.

You can save your work and return to the electronic applications at any time.

If you need to submit electronic files, please email your PDFs to Nicole Collier at nicole.e.collier@tamu.edu.

Upon completion of all three sections of the application, including submission of payment, your application materials will be reviewed by separate External Review Board members trained to confirm the data made by the submitting institutions and to map the curriculum using the framework established in the NACC Curricular Guidelines.

Applications will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis, based on when application fees are submitted and received. Graduate programs will be assessed, followed by undergraduate programs.

See the Accreditation Process Timeline below and in the resources in the sidebar of this webpage for specific details about the step-by-step timeframe, deadlines, and projected decision announcement date.


APPLY FOR ACCREDITATION

The Initial NACC Accreditation Application (Section 1: Intent to Undergo Accreditation) is now available.

Please read all of the information on this webpage before you apply. Then, to begin the application process, please complete Section 1 of the NACC Accreditation Application, Initial Application: Intent to Undergo Accreditation, available below. This is a very brief electronic application that provides us with some basic information and informs us that you wish to undergo accreditation in 2019. The application fee is due at the time you submit your initial application.

Click here to apply: Graduate Program Application | Undergraduate Program Application

An organization must be a member of NACC in order to undergo accreditation. If you are not yet a member of NACC but would like to become accredited, please visit our NACC Membership page to learn more about becoming a NACC member.


MODEL ACCREDITATION PROCESS TIMELINE:

The following dates are tentative projections for illustrative purposes. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

  • January 31: Initial Application and application fee received.*
  • January 31 to February 28: Interviews (Section 2) completed. Section 3 made available to the applicant immediately following completion of the interview.
  • February 29: Deadline to submit Section 3. This concludes the application process.
  • March 15: Accreditation Team to provide Preliminary Reports to ERB for their review and approval.
  • March 30: Preliminary Reports sent to respective Applicants for their review and response.
  • April 15: Deadline for Applicant to submit a response to the Preliminary Report to Accreditation Team.
  • June 1: Accreditation Team announces ERB’s final decisions to respective Applicants.
  • June 30: Hard copy reports sent to participating Institutions
  • August 30: Accreditation Team produces Accreditation Briefing report based on Accreditation findings.

CURRICULUM MAPPING

Part of the NACC Accreditation Process involves an exercise in “Curriculum Mapping,” in which programs are “mapped”* according to the NACC Curricular Guidelines. The Curricular Guidelines list 16 different broad topic areas for Graduate Programs and 13 different broad topic areas for Undergraduate Programs. Each broad topic area includes subtopics.

Kindly examine the respective Curricular Guidelines prior to starting the electronic input process. It is important to recognize that not all programs cover all Curricular Guideline topics.

*The following concept of Curriculum Mapping is applied by NACC when reviewing applications:

“The Glossary of Education Reform (n.d.) is a comprehensive online resource describing ‘widely used school-improvement terms, concepts, and strategies’ (para. 2) that was organized by the Great Schools Partnership. This glossary defines curriculum mapping as:

the process indexing or diagraming a curriculum to identify and address academic gaps, redundancies, and misalignments for purposes of improving the overall coherence of a course of study and, by extension, its effectiveness (a curriculum, in the sense that the term is typically used by educators, encompasses everything that teachers teach to students in a school or course, including the instructional materials and techniques they use). (“Curriculum Mapping,” 2013, para. 1).” (Carpenter, 2017)

There are four specific ways that programs can document that they are meeting the NACC Curricular Guidelines. This exercise will apply the mapping curriculum method in the manner listed below.

Program Meets a Curricular Guideline at the Core or Mission Level

Programs can show they are meeting a specific Curricular Guideline by linking it to their program’s mission statement or its general student learning outcomes. These are the “broadest” level of what it is that the program proposes to teach all students.

Since NACC does not expect that all programs will satisfy all Curricular Guidelines or even address all of them at this level, programs should instead pick the Curricular Guidelines that they believe are at the fundamental core of what all students in your program should be learning.

Program Meets a Curricular Guideline at the Course Level

Programs can show that they meet a specific Curricular Guideline through the general content of a specific course. For example, individual courses will often contain overall course objectives and/or course goals. These course objectives and goals are evidence that the course content addresses a specific Curricular Guideline.

Program Meets a Curricular Guideline at the Specific Course Assignment Level

Programs can also document that they address a specific Curricular Guideline by linking the specific Curricular Guideline to individual course assignments. Please make sure that reviewers know which course the specific assignment is attached to when describing it.

Program Meets a Curricular Guideline “Outside” the Classroom

While the primary mechanism for programs to show that they are meeting a Curricular Guideline is through the curriculum, it is also possible that programs can use extra-curricular activities as evidence they are meeting a specific Curricular Guideline. For example:

  • A program-sponsored fundraising or philanthropic giving contest could be used as evidence that the program is addressing the Fundraising and Resource DevelopmentCurricular Guideline;
  • A program-sponsored Nonprofit Organization Hackathon could be evidence that the program is addressing the Information Technology, Social Media, and Data Management Curricular Guideline;
  • A program-sponsored fundraising or philanthropic giving contest could be used as evidence that the program is addressing the Nonprofit Finance and FundraisingCurricular Guideline.

Carpenter, H. L. (2017). Curriculum Mapping Models and Other Processes that Might Work for Nonprofit and Philanthropy Accreditation. Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 7(SI1), 111-117.


PROGRAM DISTINCTIVENESS

Part of NACC’s mission is to help build the nonprofit/philanthropy field. One way of doing that is by capturing and sharing broadly the distinctiveness and the accomplishments of academic programs and centers.

Since the goal of NACC accreditation is to offer a “mark of quality,” for academic programs, we believe that quality programs should be able to articulate ways that they are innovative, creative, distinct, or special in comparisons to other programs.

All programs have specialties or areas where they are particularly innovative, creative, distinct, and special. For some programs, this is cutting-edge research from faculty. For some programs, this is a strong community service program designed to improve local nonprofit capacity. For some programs, it is creative course structures or course content.

In the final section, we ask program identify and articulate three specific ways they see themselves as innovative, creative, distinct, and special. NACC is agnostic to what those three areas or topics are. All we ask is that programs make a good faith effort to identify, articulate, and report three distinctive characteristics of their program so that other programs can learn from these methods and processes.


DATA USAGE POLICY

Since we are considering this accreditation process as a pathway to learn from one another, we will consider the information we collect and the knowledge we create as the intellectual property of the NACC.

Consequently, we seek your affirmed permission to use the data and assessment outcomes we collect for purposes of further research questions and potentially for publication in report formats to our members; to the larger community of academics through the NACC News; at academic conferences affiliated with the field; and potentially in juried scholarly publications of the field. If you decline this permission, we require a statement from you clearly indicating your desire. We will consider the absence of a statement as consent to proceed as described.


APPEALS PROCESS

While our desire is to reach consensus with the participating organizations, and while checks and balances are in place to strive for fairness and impartiality, we will establish that appeal of the accreditation determination may be necessary and can be made through written articulation of the issue to the project director, and for subsequent review by the Accreditation Advisory Committee Chair.


FEE SCHEDULE & PAYMENT INFORMATION

The application fee is due at the time your Initial Application (Section 1: Intent to Undergo Accreditation) is submitted. Your initial application is not complete until payment is submitted.

Fees and Discounts:

$2,400 – Graduate Degree Program application fee (for one stand-alone nonprofit degree program)
$2,400 – Undergraduate Degree Program application fee (for one stand-alone nonprofit degree program)
$4,000 – Graduate & Undergraduate dual program application fee (with the $800 discount applied)*
$400 – Fee for late submission of Initial Application and/or application fee payment

Payment Instructions:

Checks made payable to Texas A&M University. Mailable to:

Texas A&M University
Attn: Dr. William Brown, NACC Accreditation
The Bush School
Allen Building 1051
4220 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4200

Credit card payments can be processed here. Please retain a copy of the receipt.

By |2023-06-13T14:39:27-04:00January 18th, 2019|

Greetings from the Executive Director: March 2024

Nicole Collier, NACC Executive Director

Nicole Collier, MPSA
Executive Director, NACC
Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy
Bush School of Government and Public Service
Texas A&M University

Well, I have discovered a new form of anxiety…having to follow Angela Logan’s newsletter articles.

I hope you are all having an excellent spring! It’s hard to believe spring classes are almost done here in College Station. My brain still thinks it’s recovering from winter break!

I have been pretty busy the past few months. The Center for Nonprofits & Philanthropy at Texas A&M, where I dedicate the rest of my work time, hosted its first Nonprofit BRIDGE Conference. The conference was dedicated to fostering partnerships between nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions. I saw many familiar faces there, including several NACC members based in Texas. It was a great event and I’m looking forward to future conferences.

Now that I am done with that conference and can take a deep breath, it’s time to return to several NACC projects and initiatives. It’s time to send the updated curricular guidelines to an editor and printer. We need to continue welcoming applicants of Nu Lambda Mu through the rest of the application cycle. Finally, it’s time to start planning our summer 2025 conference! It’s going to be a busy year, but I can’t wait to dig back in.

I’ll keep it short and sweet this month. I look forward to sharing more. Until then, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

All the best,
Nicole

By |2024-03-25T09:04:37-04:00March 25th, 2024|Executive Director's Report|

The Nonprofit Open Data Collective

Dr. Nathan Grasse, Carleton University
Dr. Nathan Grasse

Dr. Nathan Grasse
Associate Professor
School of Public Policy & Administration
Carleton University

The Nonprofit Open Data Collective

The Nonprofit Open Data Collective is an evolving collaboration between academics, think tanks, and industry experts to promote open data in the sector, with members from sector leaders, including Cinthia Schuman of the Aspen Institute, and academic institutions, including Jesse Lecy of Arizona State University.

Members such as the Aspen Institute and Independent Sector have engaged to improve the data environment, including 990 data and the availability of electronically filed records, as well as working with administrators in the Internal Revenue Service and Bureau of Labor Statistics. They have also worked with institutions such as the Johnson Center to gather evidence on the impact of open data and useful data practices (e.g., electronic tax filing).

Globally there are dozens of administrative or research databases to track third-sector organizations. This data is sometimes released in formats that are not always easy to use – ASCII text, Javascript object notation (JSON), and extensible markup language (XML) files. This can be a barrier to those hoping to learn about the sector.

Academic members of the collective created a GitHub organization to make data more accessible to scholars and researchers. The website includes scripts to download, clean, and process data, research-ready datasets, tools for analysis, and links to other resources. These might be helpful to NACC members who wish to integrate sector data into their courses or those looking to utilize data in their research, and the collective would welcome contributions from NACC scholars.

Partner Organizations

NODC Partner Organization logos

Nathan Grasse is an Associate Professor of nonprofit finance and financial management, governance and leadership, and strategic management at Carleton University. His research focuses on the governance of public-serving organizations, including associations between governance and financial management. This includes the study of revenue structures, the potential conditioning effects of organizational and environmental factors, and the implications of strategic choices on financial health and other organizational outcomes.

By |2023-05-25T10:17:54-04:00May 22nd, 2023|NACC Member Research|

2023 Conference Schedule

2023
Conference Schedule

This page will be continually updated as the conference approaches. More specific details about rooms for each session, etc, will be added shortly before the conference.

A PDF version of the printed program is available here.

Wednesday, July 19
Arrival Day

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

NACC Board of Directors Meeting (room to be announced closer to date)

12:00 PM to 1:30 PM

1:30 to 5:00 PM

These groups are open to all, but you can help us prepare for the best sessions possible by completing the RSVP form here.

Group A: Continuing Education in Third Sector Higher Education Programs

Group B: Social Justice and Supporting Historically Marginalized Communities in our Communities and the Classroom

Group C: Recruitment and Marketing for Nonprofit & Philanthropic Education Programs

Group D: Emerging Leadership in Nonprofit & Philanthropic Education Programs

6:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Welcome Reception | Legacy Ballroom II

Hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available

Thursday, July 20
Conference Programming Day One

8:00 AM to 9:00 AM

9:00 AM to 10:30 AM

Welcome and Opening Plenary | Auditorium

10:45 AM to 12:00 PM

Session One

Session 1- | Terrace I

Heather Carpenter
Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research, Louisiana State University Shreveport

Brittany Spillman, Ed.D.
Director of Community and Collegiate Programs
Cary Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies
College of Human Sciences-Auburn University

Jeff Brasher
Council Executive, Boy Scouts Norwella Council
MSNPA Student, LSU Shreveport

(more…)

By |2023-07-20T07:47:06-04:00May 4th, 2023|

NACC Black Lives Matter Statement

NACC Black Lives Matter Statement

The recent murders of African-Americans at the hands of the police and others in the USA have yet again brought the issue of race relations and the long history of injustice to the fore. If anything good is to come of this, we – as individuals and as an organization – must take this opportunity to reflect on where we stand and what we can do to address racism, bias and inequities.

NACC, an international membership association of academic centers, urges all members in the USA and elsewhere to use the months and years ahead to investigate our research and teaching to better understand where our biases are and where we have failed. The nonprofit organizations we serve and study are critical to the development and strengthening of democracy and civil society. Universities are central institutions for understanding and promoting the structures essential for democratic life. However, universities and the sector mirror society and contain the same endemic inequities. Our research continues to emphasize white, male philanthropy.

NACC itself has a decidedly mixed record. We only have to look at our membership and at the attendees at our meetings and conferences to see the evident truth. We are overwhelmingly white. We are primarily female. Almost exclusively, white males hold the senior positions in our own organization and in our member organizations.

One “excuse” we use is that we reflect the biases and inequities of the field we work in. We cannot hide behind that anymore. Another “excuse” is that we are going through a generational change, as the newer generation of emerging leaders better reflects the wide range of our society. If that is true, how can we push that change to occur faster?

As an organization, we commit to incorporating new content into the NACC Curricular Guidelines that will help nonprofit academic programs institute anti-racist curricula on their campuses.  We must remember that our students look to us for guidance on how to make the world a better place. The world is calling our graduates to fix the systemic problem of racism with protest, policy, programming, and with compassion.

But it’s not just about the curriculum content we recommend to member colleges and universities ; it’s about faculty members, administrators, and NACC itself. We commit to being an anti-racist organization. Over the last year, the NACC board went through a much-needed inclusion and diversity training. From this we created a series of working groups for improving NACC. These working groups have defined a number of important objectives including: revamping our communications to ensure greater participation by all members; instituting a new system of committee and board member recruitment that pushes us to incorporate a more diverse leadership; and, establishing a bias check function for our meetings and conferences.

The horrific incidents in Minnesota and elsewhere have placed an even greater sense of urgency on NACC to implement these and other improvements. Like many institutions in academia, NACC is a work in progress and there is much work to be done.

We welcome your suggestions and experiences in this journey forward.

Yours in solidarity,

The Nonprofit Academic Centers Council Board of Directors

By |2021-01-04T22:13:11-05:00January 4th, 2021|
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