I’m back! My midlife in college journey is continuing. Well, that did not take long…
My rabid readers will be keenly aware that I intend to be in some form of educational program for the rest of my life.
Starting in the fall term, I will be starting a Master of Nonprofit Management-Entrepreneurship program.
Why another Masters Degree?
As many of you know, my wife Michele and I own Mushing Magazine and its related properties. We also formed a non-profit last year called the Team and Trail Foundation, whose mission is to empower adventurers through leadership development, direct funding to organizations that foster sustainable outdoor leadership, and support initiatives that intersect environmental and social justice.
Simply, we want to help people go places, do good things. Since I know very little about proper non-profit management, why not learn how?
Besides, I thoroughly enjoy challenging myself in an academic environment, conducting research projects, and delving deeply into academic writing. My idea of fun, right?
What does the Master of Nonprofit Management-Entrepreneur program look like?
I am starting in the first course, BMAL 602 Nonprofit Management, and following that up later in the first term with BMAL 620 Nonprofit Leadership and Board Governance.
Other courses in the program will include:
- BMAL 621 Fundraising and Development Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations
- BMAL 622 International NGO’s
- BMAL 630 Accounting for Nonprofits
- BMAL 690 Capstone: Strategic Planning and Ethics in Nonprofit Organizations
- WRIT 601 Grant Writing
- BMAL 603 Entrepreneurship
- BMAL 640 Entrepreneurial Innovation in the Nonprofit Organization
- BUSI 561 Business Law
I am most excited about the entrepreneurial innovation course, which explores various nonprofit principles based upon current theories or concepts for nonprofit entrepreneurs and uses relevant readings, current research, and application-based assignments
I am already thinking of a way to launch a major project for this capstone, too.
How Will You Use the Master of Nonprofit Management?
As I mentioned, we started the Team and Trail Foundation. We are planning a massive launch of a multi-year project where we travel to parts of the world and work toward our mission to “empower leadership” and promote sustainability and community advocacy. We propose a transformative three-country trip to Mexico, Peru, and Brazil in the spring of 2027. This initiative will leverage leadership and team-building strategies to cultivate outdoor leaders who are committed to these vital causes.
I look forward to learning about what makes a successful nonprofit, well, successful. I am known for diving deep into just about everything I do, and this is no exception.
Since I was a young lad, I have been an entrepreneur. It started in grade school when I had a paper route and I “hired” kids younger than me to deliver the papers, and I did the “admin” duties. This spirit continues today, and it has served me well in developing a six-figure dog training business; This was FOR-profit. I, however, there is still much to learn.
What is Up First?
Well, like I did (almost) every week, I will update my struggles, triumphs, and tribulations as I move through the program. I hear from at least one person a week who says my blog has helped them in some way.
I will update or tag them by course number (ie, BMAL 620, etc.)
I will also be attending several conferences with a deliberate focus on this new venture, including:
- Podcast Movement in Dallas, Texas
- The Outdoor Media Summit
- The Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education conference in San Diego, CA.
I’m not sure if I’ll spend a whole day every week sipping on a single Starbucks coffee as I write, amidst the din of noise and commotion, like I did for the last two degrees, but we’ll see. It is going to be a fun year!
Let’s Connect…
Oh, if you are on X/Twitter, I highly encourage you to follow the hashtags, #AcademicChatter and #AcademicTwitter both are great threads with advice, motivation, and a very supportive community and if you wouldn’t mind, give me a follow at @robertforto and send me a tweet letting me know you found my blog helpful!
Suggested Materials
Ice to the Eskimos: How to Market a Product Nobody Wants
Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters
Support the Blog
I earn a small commission from Amazon when you click and buy something from the items below. A little can go a long way, and thank you very much for the support. Even if something here doesn’t fit your needs, by clicking on one of the links and going to Amazon, buying something else through the site on that visit helps the blog too. It is called an “affiliate link,” which means that a click earns me a few cents without any upcharge to you for your items.
If you are feeling REALLY generous or if you want to support in some other way, you can always shoot a buck or two on PayPal at live@dogworksradio.com
