Management Essentials
Leading People, program & resources in today's nonprofits
A practical, interactive course for new and experienced nonprofit managers
Fall 2026: Wednesdays, September 2, 16, and 30; October 14 and 28 (via Zoom)
Stepping into nonprofit management today means more than supervising staff—it requires balancing people, programs, and limited resources while driving meaningful impact.
Management Essentials is an interactive, real‑world course that builds the confidence, tools, and judgment nonprofit managers need to lead effectively in complex, mission‑driven environments.
Why This Course?
Nonprofit managers are often asked to:
- Lead teams without formal authority or adequate resources
- Deliver on ambitious program goals tied to funding requirements
- Navigate staff performance challenges while maintaining morale
- Manage budgets and make difficult tradeoffs
- Adapt quickly to change
Who Is This For?
This course is ideal for:
- New managers stepping into supervision roles
- Emerging leaders preparing to manage people or programs
- Experienced managers who want to strengthen their approach
- Program managers who need to better manage staff and budgets
What You'll Learn
You’ll learn how to integrate people management with program execution and budget decision-making—the reality of nonprofit leadership.
Over five sessions, you will build core skills across three critical areas:
1. Managing People
- Set clear expectations and build accountability
- Give effective, timely feedback
- Coach staff and address performance challenges
- Build trust and psychological safety
2. Managing Programs
- Translate goals into actionable plans
- Track progress and adjust in real time
- Prioritize competing demands
- Strengthen team collaboration and execution
3. Managing Budgets & Resources
- Understand and manage program budgets
- Make strategic tradeoffs with limited resources
- Align staffing, funding, and program goals
- Make informed, equitable decisions under constraint
What You'll Walk Away With?
By the end of the course, you will walk away with a practical toolkit for managing people, programs, and budgets, along with increased confidence in handling real management challenges as they arise. You’ll gain hands‑on experience applying these tools directly to your own work—not just learning theory—while also building a network of nonprofit peers you can continue learning from beyond the course. In addition, you’ll leave with a clear action plan for your next 90 days as a manager.
Participants often find that they feel more effective in their day‑to‑day management, better equipped to navigate complexity and constraints, and clearer on how to lead in a way that balances both accountability and empathy.
Schedule:
Day 1 | September 2 | 9:30 am - 12:30 pm PST | Via Zoom | Foundations of Managing in Nonprofits
- Understanding what nonprofit managers are accountable for (people, programs and budgets)
- Decision-Making
- Building trust and accountability
- Effective communication
- Creating positive change and momentum
Day 2 | September 16 | 9:30 am - 12:30 pm PST | Via Zoom | Managing People & Programs
- Effective 1:1s and team check-ins
- Tracking Program Progress
- Managing Competing Priorities
Day 3 | September 30 | 9:30 am - 12:30 pm PST | Via Zoom | Performance Management & Accountability
- Diagnosing performance issues (Skill vs. will or people vs. systems vs. resources)
- Managing program performance and program slippage
- Having difficult conversations (SBI Feedback Model)
Day 4 | October 14 | 9:30 am - 12:30 pm PST | Via Zoom | Managing Budgets & Making Tradeoffs
- Understanding and managing program budgets
- Making tradeoffs with limited resources
- Relationship between program and finance staff
Day 5 | October 28 | 9:30 am - 12:30 pm PST | Via Zoom | Leading Teams, Change, & Sustainability
- Managing team dynamics and morale
- Leading change through people, programs, and budgets
- Employee Retention and increased program impact
Program Details:
- Fall 2026: September 2, 16, and 30; October 14 and 28. Five half-day sessions, 9:30am to 12:30pm, via Zoom.
- CVNL Member tuition: $900.
- Non-member tuition: $1080.
- Tuition includes: All materials, handouts, and additional web resources.
- Limited to 16 people.
- CVNL Certificate of Completion awarded to participants who register for the full series and complete course requirements. Participants may miss one class and still qualify for a certificate.
- All sessions will be recorded and shared.
- Scholarships available for first-generation or new nonprofit professionals serving Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano counties.
- Cancellation policy: If plans change and you are no longer able to attend, we will transfer your enrollment and payment to the next program cycle. Funds must be applied and used within a 6 (six) month period. We do not offer refunds.
Our Faculty
Our faculty members are experienced and working professionals, who combine strong theoretical frameworks and real-life industry knowledge.
Dr. Jolie mason
Leadership coach and nonprofit management consultant with over 20 years of executive experience
Dr. Jolie Mason, Ed.D. (she/her) is a leadership coach and nonprofit management consultant with over 20 years of executive experience supporting nonprofits, government entities, and philanthropic partners through organizational growth, change, and systems-level work.
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She has served in senior leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, overseeing multimillion-dollar budgets and complex, community-centered programs.
Dr. Mason’s doctoral research and training in organizational change and leadership at the University of Southern California complement her hands-on executive experience, grounding her work in both theory and practice. This dual perspective allows her to help leaders move from ideas to action, navigate complexity, and make informed decisions grounded in data, feedback, and organizational priorities. Her background in human resources and workforce development further strengthens her ability to support leaders and teams while maintaining alignment across people, systems, and mission.
Since 2016, Dr. Mason’s consulting work has focused on strengthening leadership capacity and organizational infrastructure through coaching, strategic planning, and program development. She advises and supports organizations as they strengthen program development, evaluation practices, fund development strategies, contract and grant compliance, operational systems, and organizational development, often serving as a strategic human resources partner to leadership teams. Known for her collaborative, results-oriented approach, Dr. Mason partners closely with leaders to design practical strategies that promote sustainability, clarity, and measurable community impact.
Tuition & Scholarships
CVNL is pleased to offer partial scholarships to support first-generation professionals and professionals entering the nonprofit sector for the first time in Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano Counties.
These scholarships are made available by generous grants from the Peter A., and Vernice H. Gasser Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sonoma County, the Solano Community Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, and U.S. Bank. To apply, click here, or for more information, please contact us at learning@cvnl.org.
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