Resources
Nonprofit Strategy, Management, and Performance
On This Page:
Select Books, Chapters and Multimedia Products
- Social Enterprise Faculty Seminar Series CDs
“Strategic Alliances: The Power of Partnering Between Nonprofits and Businesses”
“Strategy, Leadership, and Performance Management in the Social Enterprise Sector”
(For information on available nonprofit rates, please contact the Social Enterprise Initiative) - Harvard Business Review on Nonprofits (Paperback). Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1999.
- William P. Ryan, Allen Grossman, and Christine W. Letts, High Performance Nonprofit Organizations: Managing Upstream for Greater Impact. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999.
Select Articles and Working Papers
- V. Kasturi Rangan, Herman B. Leonard, and Susan McDonald. “The Future of Social Enterprise” HBS Working Knowledge (July 3, 2008).
- William Foster and Jeffrey Bradach. “Should Nonprofits Seek Profits?” Harvard Business Review (February 2005).
- Robert S. Kaplan. “Strategic Performance Measurement and Management in Nonprofit Organizations.” Nonprofit Management and Leadership 11, no. 3 (spring 2001): 353–370.
- V. Kasturi Rangan. “Lofty Missions, Down-to-Earth Plans,” Harvard Business Review (March 2004).
- Allen Grossman and V. Kasturi Rangan. “The Challenge of the Multi-site Nonprofit,” HBS Working Knowledge (June 9, 2003).
- James Austin, Ezequiel Reficco, and SEKN research team. “Motivation and the Cross–Sector Alliance,” HBS Working Knowledge (January 10, 2005).
Search HBS Working Knowledge for cutting-edge research by HBS faculty related to nonprofit strategy, management, and performance.
Search Harvard Business School’s faculty publications and research interest databases on nonprofit strategy, management, and performance.
Select Cases and Notes
- “The Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, India: In Service for Sight” (9-593-098)
V. Kasturi Rangan - “Dana Hall: Funding a Mission ” (9-306-090)
F. Warren McFarlan, Herman B. “Dutch” Leonard, and Melissa Tritter - “ Mercy Corps: Positioning the Organization to Reach New Heights” (9-307-096)
Caroline King and Allen Grossman - “Mt. Auburn Hospital“ (9-397-083)
F. Warren McFarlan and Jaan Elias - “PlaNet Finance: Broad Scope in Microfinance” (9-708-441)
Andrei Hagiu - “ Playgrounds and Performance: Results Management at KaBOOM! (A)” (9-306-031)
Herman B. “Dutch” Leonard, Marc J. Epstein, and Laura Winig
Search Harvard Business School Publishing for articles and cases on nonprofit strategy, management, and performance.
MBA Courses
Entrepreneurship in Education Reform (Second Year, Winter Term)
Senior Lecturer Stacey Childress
Entrepreneurship in Education Reform (EER) is an
elective course for second year MBA students and crossregistrants
who are interested in creating, leading, or
supporting education enterprises with the purpose of
driving higher levels of academic achievement for all
K–12 students in the United States. The course architecture
is driven by the following questions: 1.Why is there
an entrepreneurial opportunity in a sector that is
publicly funded and historically has been publicly
delivered? 2. In what specific areas of the sector are
opportunities arising and why? 3.What possibilities
and constraints are faced by entrepreneurs across all
the opportunity areas? 4. How might we evaluate the
effectiveness of the entrepreneurial approaches at work
in the sector? EER challenges students to consider these
questions by examining the complexities of the existing
education system, the strategies of entrepreneurial
organizations that are attempting to address root
causes of the performance problems in urban education,
and the entrepreneurial behavior of leaders and
managers trying to affect systemic change in both
traditional and new types of public schools.
Leading And Governing High Performing Nonprofit Organizations (Second Year, Fall and Winter Term)
Professor Allen Grossman; Associate Professor Alnoor Ebrahim
A large number of HBS graduates will engage in the
nonprofit sector during their lifetimes. Leading and
Governing High Performing Nonprofit Organizations
(LGN) is designed to help students become highly
effective nonprofit professional managers and/or board
members. This course will offer an in–depth exploration
of how to create, build and sustain high performing
nonprofit organizations. Many for–profit leadership and
management skills can be successfully adapted to nonprofit
organizations; however, because the differences
between the sectors are often greater than their
similarities, the process can be daunting. Moreover,
many for–profit concepts and frameworks do not
transfer; therefore, new approaches must be developed
for the complex nonprofit operating environment. LGN
will identify, analyze and integrate the concepts and
frameworks that nonprofit organizations need for
outstanding performance.
Executive Education Programs
Governing for Nonprofit Excellence (GNE) is intended for chairs of nonprofit boards and other nonprofit board members occupying significant board leadership roles. This three-day program explores issues of critical concern to board leaders, including strategic planning; managing mission transitions and organizational transformations; achieving financial sustainability; structuring and managing alliances; attaining effective board-CEO relationships; creating a productive board structure; and preserving trust and accountability. Participants also benefit from the opportunity to explore a current challenge facing their organization during peer consultation sessions.
Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations (PMNO) is a three-day program designed to help nonprofit leaders use performance measurement to enhance their organizations’ ability to achieve their missions. Specifically, the program encourages participants to look at how the strategic use of organizational performance measurement can improve key areas of management concern such as resource allocation, internal processes, and external accountability. Participants address various organizational performance measurement challenges that managers face, and explore best practices reflecting the awareness that different types of performance problems require different approaches. PMNO is a collaboration between the Social Enterprise Initiative and Harvard’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations.
Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management (SPNM) is an intensive six-day program designed to strengthen the capacity of nonprofit CEOs and executive directors to lead their organizations effectively. SPNM provides a conceptual approach to shape the direction, mission, policies, and major programs of nonprofit organizations. Participants explore strategic concepts in mission focus, market sensitivity, organizational structure, and performance management and control. Participants also take part in the Strategy Workshop, a small-group consultative session in which they address critical challenges facing their organizations.

