Nonprofit Administration Programs

The Boler College of Business at John Carroll University Nonprofit Administration Program is accepting proposals from area nonprofits for group projects for its capstone class. The capstone project is the culminating experience for Master of Nonprofit Administration students and the group projects are the centerpiece of the course. A group of three to four students works an average of five to ten hours per week for 15 weeks (approximately 400 hours of work for the agency) to complete a project proposed by a nonprofit organization.

To be considered for this opportunity: Organizations must submit a brief proposal of the desired project (one project per organization). The proposal should be saved under Your Agency’s Name Capstone Project Proposal 2023 and include:

• The organization’s background, mission, vision, and values
• An overview of the project
• Goals, timeline, and metrics for the project
• Expected outcomes
• The benefit to the students and the organization
• The organization representative’s name, title, phone number, and email

If selected to move forward, the organization will appoint a representative to:

• Present the project to students during class at the beginning of the semester
• Meet with the students at the organization’s location or virtually
• Attend a meeting at JCU/Boler or virtually, to be scheduled by the capstone instructor
• Review and agree to the memorandum of understanding from the student group
• Provide any organization information necessary to complete the project
• Be available by phone or email to answer questions
• Attend the students’ presentation

Students will work in groups of three to four to complete a deliverable of tangible value to the organization. All projects will be supported by the capstone course instructor, the students, and relevant experts at John Carroll University and the Boler College of Business.

Students will be expected to:

• contact their organizations and set up a time to meet at the organization to discuss the project and complete a site visit
• draft a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which the organization representative will review and approve
• work on their projects for approximately five to ten hours per week for fifteen weeks (three to four students at eight hours per week for 15 weeks is approximately 400 hours of work provided to the organization)

Project selection occurs in two steps:

1. The NPA Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) reviews all proposals and selects those that best reflect the program’s learning goals.
2. Students choose from this smaller selection based on their interests and the interests of their group.

November 7th, 5:00pm: Deadline for organizations to submit their proposals to the Nonprofit Administration Program at nonprofit@jcu.edu.

December 1st: Projects will be selected by the Faculty Advisory Committee.

December 15th: Organizations notified.

First day of class in January: Organizations selected to move forward will be invited to present their project to Capstone students.

Students will then choose projects. Organizations will be notified by the NPA department of their selection and team of students later that week. Soon thereafter, students will contact selected organizations.

By the end of January: Organization representatives will attend a meeting with the capstone instructor.

Early February: Students will have made a site visit to the organization to learn the organization’s project goals, mission, values, and organizational culture.

Mid-February: Organizations and students will have agreed to a memorandum of understanding for the project.

Mid-May: In-class presentations to organization and university leadership.

The capstone course will meet spring semester of 2023.