This academic-year-long, graduate-level certificate program has been specifically designed for mid-career professionals in nonprofit organizations.
Recognizing the complex and challenging set of skills that are necessary to excel in human services management, this program includes five blocks of classes in key subject areas. This certificate program is offered in partnership with Suffolk University in Boston.
Info Sessions are now available for the 2025-2026 Certificate in Nonprofit Human Services Management Program! To view available sessions, please visit our events page here.
Applications for the 2025-2026 Certificate in Nonprofit Human Services Management Program are now open! Apply now at the link below.
The deadline to apply to be considered for the 2025-2026 program is June 1, 2025.
Download the required Supervisor and Agency Commitment form here.
FAQs:
– What is the Certificate in Nonprofit Human Services Management program?
– What are the eligibility requirements to apply for this program?
– Where is this program?
– What is the cost of the program?
– What are the benefits of participating in the program?
– What is the curriculum included in this program?
– How long is this program? (Time commitment and schedule requirement)
– What will I gain after completing the program?
What is the Certificate in Nonprofit Human Services Management program?
This purpose of the program is to provide access to a graduate-level education at a significant discount to promote educational accessibility and assist human service workers in climbing the career ladder. Participants in the program will be enrolled from September to May and complete five classes covering current topics and skills relevant to the human services sector. The program provides graduates of the Certificate Program with a well-rounded skill set to be successful managers in today’s human service sector.
Program Structure:
The Certificate in Nonprofit Human Service Management Program consists of five mandatory blocks of classes for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The program allows students to explore crucial topics in greater depth. For example, the previous class on Alternative Revenue Strategies for Nonprofits covered a variety of strategies for diversifying an organization’s income and financial sustainability, including grant writing, fundraising, and social entrepreneurship. In this course, students developed a strategic understanding of how nonprofit organizations can integrate diverse revenue streams into a comprehensive revenue strategy in order to effectively achieve their mission in a critical and dynamic fiscal environment.
Example of Curriculum:
The 2024-25 program consisted of the five following blocks:
– Human Services Nonprofit Management
– Legal and Ethical Issues in Nonprofits
– Nonprofit Financial Management
– Organizational Change
– Human Resource Management.
This program is run in collaboration with Suffolk University.
Who can apply for this program?
This program is for nonprofit agency staff working in program management, human resources, administration, and finance capacities. Examples of titles that participants have held include program manager, residence director, project manager, office manager, executive director, accountant and so much more.
Registration is open to employees of Providers’ Council members, non-member nonprofit organizations and experienced professionals who would like to enter the nonprofit sector.
To be eligible for this program, the applicant must have a bachelor’s degree OR two years of nonprofit work experience.
Applicants must also have a completed agency commitment form and supervisor recommendation letter, both of which can be submitted on the application here.
Admission to the program is contingent upon approval by the university partner and the Providers’ Council. If an applicant does not meet the above requirements and would still like to participate in the program, please email Nina Lamarre.
Where is this program?
Applicants can choose to take part in an online cohort or an in-person cohort.
The online cohort will meet weekly via Zoom, and the in-person cohort will be attending at Suffolk University in Boston, located across from Boston Common and near the Park Street and Downtown Crossing MBTA stops.
Classes for both cohorts will meet on Fridays from 9am – 4pm through the academic year. Block 1 begins in September and Block 5 ends in late May.
For applicants with any pre-planned major events (surgeries, booked vacations, etc.) that would be impacted by the program schedule, please contact Nina Lamarre.
There is not a hybrid option available for this program.
What is the cost of the program?
For the program year of 2025-26, tuition for Providers’ Council members is $3,650 and tuition for non-members is $7,000.
This tuition does not include the $50 application fee per organization (not per applicant).
Note that tuition payment for the program must come from the agency.
If an agency wishes to arrange a payment plan to share the cost of the program with their participant, it is an internal matter for the organization and their learner.
What are the benefits of participating in the program?
Applicant Benefits:
– Academic training specific to management, evaluation, administration, and finance responsibilities in a human services nonprofit;
– Preparation for career growth opportunities;
– A professional network among the participants; and
– Potential graduate credit waivers to the Master’s in Public Administration program at Suffolk University.
Employer Benefits:
– Educational curriculum that addresses your organization’s needs;
– Great employee benefit for committed staff;
– Assist in retention for critical staff; and
– Can develop new leadership candidates.
What will I gain after completing the program?
Following the program’s completion, participants will receive a Certificate in Nonprofit Human Services Management from Suffolk University. Additionally, the students will have received training and education to propel them toward career advancement in the sector, and a professional network of peers in human services.
Graduate Credit:
In additional to developing critical skills sets, those who complete the program and already hold a bachelor’s degree prior to starting the program may also be eligible to receive credits toward the Master’s in Public Administration program at Suffolk University.
Suffolk allows graduates of the certificate program to apply 12 graduate credit waivers and six credits for graduate course requirement waivers toward a Master in Public Administration. The credit waivers, equivalent to four graduate classes, account for nearly one third of the total credits needed for a degree.
Students must maintain an adequate GPA to qualify for transfer credit towards graduate programs.
About Our Partnership
Suffolk University’s Moakley Center for Public Management began a human service management certificate program in partnership with the Providers’ Council in 2002. More than 500 future leaders have graduated from the Suffolk University and Providers’ Council program. For more information about Suffolk University’s Moakley Center for Public Management, please visit www.suffolk.edu.
Questions? Please contact Nina Lamarre, nlamarre@providers.org.