Build the Financial Skills to Strengthen Your Nonprofit
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Nonprofit Management Institute provides practical professional development for nonprofit leaders, staff and board members. Through flexible online courses, participants across Nebraska and beyond build skills in nonprofit financial management, budgeting, financial analysis, long-term planning and strategic leadership.
Choose individual courses that meet your organization’s needs or complete the online certificate pathway in nonprofit financial management. Programs are led by University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty and experienced nonprofit professionals, with tools and strategies you can apply immediately.
Cost assistance opportunities are available.
Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Financial Management Stay Updated on NMI Offerings With Our Newsletter
Financial Management for the Nonprofit Leader Workshop
Thursday, October 8 | 9 a.m.-2 p.m. CT | Greater Grand Island Community Foundation, 1503 W. Second St.
Join the Nonprofit Management Institute in Grand Island for an interactive workshop designed to help nonprofit professionals strengthen their financial knowledge, learn from funders and connect with peers.
You'll explore nonprofit financial statements, operating budgets and cash budgets while gaining practical tools you can use to make informed decisions and strengthen your organizations.
What You Will Learn and Experience:
- Strengthen your understanding of nonprofit financial statements
- Explore operating and cash budgets as management tools
- Gain practical tools for nonprofit financial management
- Hear perspectives during a panel discussion with funders
- Connect with nonprofit professionals from across Nebraska
Breakfast, snacks, lunch and refreshments are included. Attendees will also receive a discount toward an online Nonprofit Management Institute course of their choice.
No previous coursework is required to attend this workshop. The workshop is separate from the online executive certificate pathway.
2026-27 Online Nonprofit Financial Management Courses
Build the financial knowledge needed to make informed decisions, strengthen your organization and advance its mission. The institute’s flexible online format makes professional development accessible to nonprofit professionals throughout Nebraska and beyond.
Take an individual course to address a specific need or complete the requirements for a certificate in nonprofit financial management. Live online courses provide opportunities to learn from experienced facilitators and connect with nonprofit professionals from different organizations and communities.
Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements
Self-Paced Foundational Course
Learn how to read and interpret nonprofit financial statements and reports. This course builds the financial foundation needed for the institute’s live online courses and certificate pathway.
Format: Asynchronous, self-paced online
Available: Beginning Aug. 24, 2026
Cost: $150
What You Will Learn
- Read and interpret nonprofit financial statements
- Analyze financial reports and case studies
- Build foundational knowledge for more advanced financial management topics
Earn an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Financial Management
To earn the certificate:
- Complete Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements, the self-paced foundational course.
- Complete any three of the institute’s four live online courses.
The foundational course is required before participating in the live online courses. Certificate coursework may be completed across multiple academic years, allowing you to choose the schedule and topics that best fit your professional goals and your organization’s needs.
Choose Three Courses Below to Complete the Certificate
Financial Analysis and Cost Accounting
Learn how financial analysis can help you assess organizational performance, communicate financial health and make stronger management decisions.
Dates: Sept. 29-30, 2026
Time: 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT each day
Format: Live online
Required foundational course: Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements
Cost: $350
What You Will Learn
- Apply budget variance and ratio analysis
- Understand the role of the audit committee
- Examine IRS Form 990
- Collaborate with other nonprofit financial professionals
Budgets and Resource Allocation
Develop budgets that connect financial resources with your nonprofit’s priorities and use them to monitor performance throughout the year.
Dates: Nov. 17-18, 2026
Time: 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT each day
Format: Live online
Required foundational course: Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements
Cost: $350
What You Will Learn
- Understand the mechanics of an operating budget
- Allocate resources to strategic priorities
- Manage and evaluate budget performance
- Prepare a cash budget
- Use operating and cash budgets as management tools
Long-Term Financial Planning
Look beyond the annual budget and develop financial models that can support your nonprofit’s long-term goals and sustainability.
Dates: Feb. 9-10, 2027
Time: 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT each day
Format: Live online
Required foundational course: Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements
Cost: $350
What You Will Learn
- Understand the importance of long-term financial planning
- Create financial models
- Examine capital budgeting
Strategic Financial Leadership
Strengthen your ability to use financial information when making decisions that shape your nonprofit’s long-term direction and performance.
Dates: March 23-24, 2027
Time: 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT each day
Format: Live online
Required foundational course: Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements
Cost: $350
What You Will Learn
- Make decisions that guide long-term organizational performance
- Explore mergers and acquisitions
- Discuss collaboration and strategic alliances
What once felt intimidating now feels empowering, and that shift is something I wish every nonprofit leader could experience.
Each course intentionally built on the last. It wasn’t just a series of classes—it felt like a progression that deepened my understanding over time and connected theory to real-world application.
— Viridiana Almanza, Latino Center of the Midlands, Omaha
NMI has helped me level up as a nonprofit professional. I’ve gained practical resources, a stronger network, and, maybe most importantly, confidence in areas where I didn’t have it before. You leave with things you can actually put to work, along with connections to people who understand the work you do.
— Sara Tall, Greater Grand Island Community Foundation
Why Choose the Nonprofit Management Institute?
- Practical learning: Gain tools and strategies you can immediately apply within your nonprofit organization.
- Experienced instructors: Learn from University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty and nationally recognized nonprofit professionals.
- Flexible access: Participate in online professional development from anywhere in Nebraska or beyond.
- Professional connections: Exchange ideas and build relationships with nonprofit professionals serving different organizations and communities.
- A customizable pathway: Take the courses most relevant to your work or combine them to earn a certificate in nonprofit financial management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should participate in the Nonprofit Management Institute?
The institute is designed for nonprofit leaders, staff and board members who want to strengthen their financial management knowledge and make more informed organizational decisions. Participants may have a range of financial experience.
Are the Nonprofit Management Institute courses online?
Yes. The 2026-27 certificate courses are offered online, allowing nonprofit professionals throughout Nebraska and beyond to participate. Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements is self-paced, while the four advanced courses are offered live online.
How do I earn the executive certificate in nonprofit financial management?
Complete the self-paced foundational course, Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements, followed by any three of the institute’s four live online courses. Coursework may be completed across multiple academic years.
Can I take an individual course without earning the certificate?
Yes. Participants may select individual courses that align with their professional goals and their organization’s needs. The foundational course is required before taking any of the four live online courses.
Is cost assistance available?
Yes. Cost assistance opportunities are available. Contact the Center for Executive and Professional Development at execed@unl.edu or 402-472-2353 for more information.
Facilitator and Speakers
Learn from University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty and experienced professionals with expertise in nonprofit leadership, financial management, fundraising, strategic planning and organizational decision-making.
Jim Croft, Ph.D.
Jim Croft is principal of JW Croft Consulting Group in Chicago, providing leadership and financial management expertise to nonprofits. He teaches nonprofit management, financial management and fundraising for the MBA program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
From 1984 to 2015, he was executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Field Museum in Chicago, also serving as its chief development officer and leading a major capital campaign. For the museum, he managed the annual giving, major gifts, planned giving and corporate and foundation giving programs. Earlier, he held finance and leadership positions with The Salvation Army.
Croft holds a doctorate in higher education leadership from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and served on the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Nonprofit Advisory Committee.
Rudy Anderson, CAE
Rudy Anderson is vice president of development and revenue at the American Academy of Dermatology. A fundraising executive with experience in health care-related nonprofits, he previously held leadership roles at the American College of Chest Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Otolaryngology. Anderson is a Certified Association Executive and a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross.
Bela Barner, MBA
Bela Barner has more than 15 years of experience guiding executive teams through complex decisions in higher education and professional services. He has helped universities relocate facilities, develop branding and enrollment strategies, create academic offerings and prioritize budgets. As a consultant, he specializes in capital budgeting, market research and financial literacy for non-financial leaders. Barner is founder and president of a 501(c)(3) organization and a certified financial modeling and valuation analyst. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in economics and French from Northwestern University.
Jeri Bingham, Ed.D.
Jeri is a marketing and communications executive, and adjunct instructor for Northwestern University. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education (public, private, Catholic and community colleges), nonprofits (March of Dimes, American Dental Association), government (Illinois Department of Public Health) and advertising (Leo Burnett). She specializes in brand storytelling and creating content that drives audience engagement. Bingham holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations, a master’s in integrated marketing communications, and a doctorate in education.
Jennifer Bulandr
Jennifer is a multi-faceted and forward-thinking professional with over 20 years of experience in fundraising, social media, volunteer management, and creating engaging communications through strategic planning that fosters creativity and innovation.
Judie Caribeaux
Judie Caribeaux is chief collaborations officer for Mission + Strategy and a licensed clinical social worker with more than 35 years of nonprofit leadership and consulting experience. She has led mergers, crisis response efforts, public-private partnerships and organizational culture change, securing millions in funding, including $3 million for a youth shelter. Previously named Nonprofit Executive of the Year, Caribeaux also served on the boards of the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence and HR Source. She holds degrees from Northern Illinois University and Aurora University.
Amy Funk
Amy Funk has more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience, specializing in strategic planning and sustainable practices across sectors including health care, performing arts and human services. She has advised organizations with budgets ranging from $1.2 million to $40 million, such as the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, Hyde Park School of Dance and Los Alamos Historical Society. Active in the philanthropic community, Funk serves on the Association of Fundraising Professionals Chicago Board of Directors and co-chairs its Fellows Program. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Millikin University and a master’s degree in nonprofit management, with distinction, from DePaul University.
James Honan, Ed.D.
James Honan has been on the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education since 1991 and also teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is co-chair and senior associate director of the university’s Advanced Leadership Initiative and teaches in executive education programs worldwide. Honan consults on strategic planning, resource allocation and performance measurement for colleges, universities and nonprofits. He holds degrees from Marist College, George Washington University and Harvard University.
Katy Scrogin, Ph.D.
Katy Scrogin is a nonprofit consultant, educator and advocate for financial literacy. She has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels, conducted prospect research, and developed fundraising communications. Previously, she was vice president for programming at the Chicago Sunday Evening Club, overseeing budgets, financial reporting and podcast production. Scrogin holds a doctorate in religion from Claremont Graduate University, a master’s in theological studies from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor’s in German and Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin.
Scott Steffens, CPA
Scott Steffens, a certified public accountant, has more than 30 years of experience providing audit and specialized services to nonprofit, health care, government and corporate clients. He has served in diversity, recruiting and resource roles for more than 20 years and on advisory boards for DePaul University’s athletics department and College of Commerce. His specialties include not-for-profit, health care, professional services, investment management and corporate clients.
Patti Tuomey, Ed.D.
Patti Tuomey is advisor to and past president and CEO of Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart in Chicago. She previously led the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation and held leadership roles at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Field Museum. With more than 25 years in nonprofit and philanthropic management, she has expertise in strategic planning, marketing, fundraising and financial management. Tuomey holds degrees from Marquette University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Benedictine University.
More Professional Development Opportunities
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Contact
Center for Executive and Professional Development
HLH 201
execed@unl.edu
402-472-2353