The Role of Nonprofit Leadership

Social workers in nonprofit leadership roles are uniquely positioned to bring about community change. As mission-driven organizations, nonprofits provide ideal platforms for identifying specific issues affecting a community and creating targeted programs to address them. While no single path exists to become a nonprofit leader, social workers can develop relevant skills that prepare them for such roles through advanced degree programs that emphasize leadership.

The Online Doctorate in Social Work at Tulane University prepares students to manage community-focused initiatives. Social work professionals interested in building a nonprofit organization or transitioning into a leadership role at an existing agency can build their skills through the DSW program’s remote learning opportunities, which offer the flexibility that working professionals require to advance their careers.

The Importance of Nonprofit Leadership 

The importance of leadership in nonprofit organizations cannot be overstated. Nonprofit organizations engage with broader public issues to address the social services needs of individuals. While social workers interacting with clients individually might assist with program applications or provide counseling, those who lead community organizations concentrate on the underlying causes of social problems, such as economic inequality, unemployment, housing policies, drug laws, and structural and environmental issues that disproportionately affect marginalized groups.

Effecting systemic change — work sometimes described as macro social work — requires leaders with the training to implement, manage, and evaluate complex programs as well as the knowledge and experience to influence public policy.

How Do Nonprofits Help Communities? 

Nonprofit organizations help communities in a variety of ways, including the following:

• Child care agencies
• Disaster response networks
• Food banks
• Homeless shelters
• Mental health centers
• Needle exchange programs
• Public health services
• Refugee and immigrant services
• Substance abuse programs
• Women’s shelters
• Youth centers

The above examples and countless other types of community social services organizations share an emphasis on marginalized populations and a commitment to the core social work values: service and social justice.

Nonprofit Leadership Careers 

Social workers with the necessary training for leadership roles have many career options, and their education qualifies them for both public and private sector positions. Advanced degree holders may choose to focus on clinical work or research. Many also choose an academic path, pursuing professorships or academic administration roles. For some, however, careers in nonprofit organizations provide the most effective setting for addressing problems that affect communities.

Social workers have a wealth of career options in the nonprofit sector. Those wanting to serve in a leadership role that is focused on community-level action typically target executive positions. The titles for such roles vary — an executive director at one organization might be equivalent to a CEO at another, for example — but all require a broad knowledge of social work practices and theory as well as general and field-specific leadership skills. Leadership roles include program management positions and specialists in areas such as community outreach, development and funding, strategy, and public policy.

Those with an interest in nonprofit management have numerous career paths to consider. Here are a few of the most popular paths.

Fundraising Manager

Every nonprofit needs to cultivate a donor base and ensure a steady revenue stream, an important job that often falls to the fundraising manager. The person in this nonprofit leadership role creates strategies to bring in new donations, organizes fundraising events, and provides training to other employees whose roles involve donor relations.

Advocacy Manager 

The role of the advocacy manager is to oversee the organization’s missional functions, including its strategies for advocacy. For example, the leader in this role may develop plans to promote inclusivity among stakeholders. This role can also play a significant part in furthering allyship in social work.

Program Director 

Another leadership position to consider is program director. The person in this role is tasked with developing and executing outreach programs on behalf of the organization. This can involve establishing a budget for the program, spreading the word about it, measuring its effectiveness, and training the volunteers who help run the program. This is an especially important position for nonprofits that are by their nature more programmatic or more directly involved in the day-to-day life of their community.

Director of Communications 

The director of communications is a nonprofit leadership position that combines marketing and public relations disciplines to promote the organization’s cause and message, not only to bring in donors but also to raise awareness among the general public. A big part of this job is cultivating a language and style guide that upholds the values and principles of the organization.

How to Become a Nonprofit Leader 

Advanced degree programs allow professionals to hone their nonprofit leadership skills, building their knowledge and abilities related to community organizing, fundraising, grant writing, research and analysis, finance and budgeting, and strategic planning. This may involve pursuing an advanced degree in social work or another relevant field.

Graduate students also cultivate the communication skills that social workers in nonprofit leadership rely on to collaborate with other organizations, inspire staff members, and articulate a clear strategic vision. Additionally, leadership programs such as a DSW emphasize critical thinking skills, which are necessary to design, evaluate, and implement programs and policies that can effect change across an entire community.

Developing Skills in Nonprofit Leadership 

Studying specific styles of leadership, as well as exploring how they align with a student’s areas of interest and professional goals, brings focus to the leadership development process. For example, a social worker who wants to join a large, well-established organization may focus on delegation leadership, while an individual targeting agencies in earlier stages of development may explore transformational or participative leadership styles.

Nonprofit leadership development is not limited to management training, however. Leadership roles in nonprofit organizations require a deep understanding of social work theory and process. An advanced curriculum builds on students’ understanding of social welfare policy, systems theory, and evidence-based program management.

Become a Leader and Drive Positive Change 

Social work professionals with a DSW have their choice of career paths in the field. They have the qualifications to practice clinical social work or become educators, but many pursue managerial positions or even start their own nonprofits. In fact, nonacademic administrative positions are the top area of employment for doctorate graduates, according to the Council on Social Work Education.

The Online DSW at Tulane gives practitioners who are interested in leadership a path to attaining executive-level positions. Graduates are prepared for roles in program management, applied research, nonprofit leadership, or university-based teaching in as little as seven semesters. 

No matter which career path they choose, graduates of the DSW program have the ability to affect meaningful community change. Visit the program to learn more about how it prepares social work professionals to bring positive change to communities across the world.