To Grad School or Not to Grad School?

A FLiP reader just emailed me a question… one I get all the time… but I don’t have the answer. So, FLiP community, I need your help. If you have an opinion - and I know you do - please leave a comment at the bottom of this post (on the flip site: http://flip.onphilanthropy.com).

Here’s the situation: A 23-year old fundraiser has been working at a nonprofit for a year and a half, and is thinking about what his next step should be. Of course, one of the things this FLiP is thinking about is grad school, but he doesn’t know if there is any real benefit. Do nonprofits care about that degree? Is it more worthwhile to spend the money and time to get an MBA? Should he save his money and just focus on getting the right jobs?

So, FLiP community, here is the crux of the question: How important is grad school in the philanthropic sector?

What are you planning on doing? What did you do? And what would you do differently?

Taking an informal survey it seems like *a lot* of people would like to know the consensus of this community. Let’s get to work!

Comments

[Sam Davidson]

It depends on where he dreams of going.

If he'd like to be the CEO of a major nonprofit, then get the MBA now when you're used to going to school. It will pay for itself in the end. Likewise, more and more MBA programs focus on multiple bottom lines.

But, if he wants to be a hands-on program manager in a service-based nonprofit, then he should get the right jobs. Similarly, as grants get more competitive and funds get tighter in a given community, he'll just need a great set of contacts and some practical experience raising funds. Very soon there will be a premium on great fundraisers (if there isn't already) depending on the market and the issue area - if he wants to stay in fundraising.

My gut feeling is that his next three years could be pivotal and experience in the sector will outweigh an MBA or other grad program in many people's eyes.

I ultimately left the sector because I thought I could do more good outside of it by starting CoolPeopleCare.org. Before I made that leap, however, I looked long and hard an nonprofit master's programs.

I also sought the advice of people in the CEO and ED roles (where I thought I wanted to be). Not only did those conversations reveal some ideas about higher education, but I also learned what that position required. And in every case, it demanded a lot more than an advanced degree.

[Will Schneider]

I meant to add - a while back FLiP wrote a few articles about education in philanthropy:
http://flip.onphilanthropy.com/flip/augustseptember_2006_education_in_philanthropy/index.html

Also, I don't know how up-to-date this is, but this site has a searchable list of philanthropy programs (both degree-bearing and non) across the country. http://tltc.shu.edu/npo/

[VL]

I think it's a good idea to consider grad school. I took about three years working for a nonprofit before I decided to go back part time. However, I used that time to research programs and speak to people who had degrees in public administration (my area of interest). Idealist.org posts graduate school fairs. If he knows what he's interested in studying and where he ultimately wants to end up (i.e., director, fundraiser, policy analyst, etc), then attending one of those fairs with a list of key questions might be a good experience for him.

[Amy]

I am currently pursuing my MPA (halfway through) with a concentration in nonprofit management. While I will be happy in the end to have a master's degree, I find it frustrating that nonprofit management seems secondary to what most professors consider public administration - ie working for the government. When I voice frustrations, many respond that it will be helpful to understand the government in terms of funding. I reply that government funding is only a small fraction that seems to only be decreasing and is irrelevant to a vast number of nonprofits.

It seems an MPA is considered the way to go but I would make sure the faculty are supportive of students interested in nonprofit management and that there are a good number of relevant courses offered. Until there is a master's in nonprofit administration...

[Paul Verrette]

MBA? Why not MPA?

Grad school training specific to nonprofit management has been extremely important for quite some time now. It will only continue to increase in value. I have seen many nonprofit executives and managers of all levels that could have benefitted from some basic training specific to nonprofit financial management, the regulatory environment, human resources, strategic planning, etc. I have examined, using a set of very basic standards, the management of about 300 or so nonprofits in the past two years.

I also respectfully disagree with a previous comment that the value of higher training is of more benefit to those with executive aspirations. Nonprofits deserve the most qualified employees at all levels.

However a nonprofit degree will not always confer value on you automatically. Nonprofit degree programs are still new to many people. It is up to individuals to demonstrate the value of the degree themselves.

I went to NYU's Wagner school pretty much straight after my Peace Corps service. The combination of qualified professors and students with considerable nonprofit experience made for a great learning environment. I would recommend finding programs that enable working people to complete their degrees. The professional network your fellow students offer will be very important to you.

If you work full time, do not take a full class load. I did this for a semester or two, burned out a little and then took forever to write a thesis.