Title: Strategic Finance for Nonprofit Leaders

Location: US

Company: Harvard University

About this course:
Taught by Professor James Honan and adapted from the Harvard Kennedy School classroom, the course is built for professionals who do not come from a finance background but need to understand how money shapes the decisions being made in their organization.
This course introduces a practical strategic finance framework—Ask, Locate, Decide, Assess—to help learners interpret financial information, ask the right questions, and connect financial choices to mission, sustainability, and impact. Along the way, learners will build skills in reading nonprofit financial statements, budgeting, resource allocation, cost containment, and planning.
Featuring case studies from organizations including City Year and Steppenwolf Theater Company, the course brings strategic finance to life through real-world examples, tools, and frameworks such as stakeholder mapping, logic models, and the strategic triangle. By the end of the course, learners will be prepared to communicate more effectively with boards, donors, and funders—and will create a strategic finance action plan tailored to their own organization or leadership context.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Identify and frame the key financial questions facing nonprofit organizations and their leaders.

Analyze nonprofit financial statements to assess organizational health, sustainability, and decision-making needs.

Apply strategic finance tools to support budgeting, resource allocation, cost containment, and priority alignment.

Develop evidence-based financial recommendations that advance mission, impact, and long-term sustainability.

Communicate financial insights and decisions clearly and confidently to boards, funders, donors, and other stakeholders.

Designed for current and aspiring nonprofit leaders, this course helps learners build the confidence needed to make stronger financial decisions in mission-driven organizations.

Duration: 6 weeks

Curriculum:
- Identify and frame the key financial questions facing nonprofit organizations and their leaders.
- Analyze nonprofit financial statements to assess organizational health, sustainability, and decision-making needs.
- Apply strategic finance tools to support budgeting, resource allocation, cost containment, and priority alignment.
- Develop evidence-based financial recommendations that advance mission, impact, and long-term sustainability.

- Communicate financial insights and decisions clearly and confidently to boards, funders, donors, and other stakeholders.