NMI 103: Effective Financial Management Principles (July 2025)

In this course, you will learn basic accounting principles and how to interpret and manage financial statements for a nonprofit organization. In addition, you will also learn the difference between accrual and cash basis accounting, and the importance of internal controls to protect the assets of your organization. Finally, you will learn how to analyze and use tax form 990, along with your organization’s annual report, as public relations tools.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the relationships between and among the major players in the structure of financial governance.
• Explain common internal controls and how they can protect the assets of an organization.
• Distinguish between accrual versus cash-based accounting.
• Differentiate between different classes of net assets.
• Differentiate between contribution versus exchange transactions.
• Develop a budget with reasonable, justifiable assumptions
• Analyze a set of basic nonprofit financial statements and describe different types of business transactions.
• Analyze financial reports and evaluate trends.
• Determine the financial strength of a nonprofit.
• Distinguish among three types of accountant’s reports and audit opinions.
• Analyze the main components of a 990; explain where the public can find them and how they can be used as a public relations tool.

This course will consist of article reading, discussion questions, authentic assessments, and self-tests to enhance learning and build upon prior knowledge.

NMI courses are taught using the Canvas learning management system and include a variety of multimedia tools and resources. To ensure you can successfully access the multimedia tools in your courses, we recommend you use a standard PC or Mac desktop or laptop. Mobile devices are not recommended. Courses are best accessed using a high-speed Internet connection and a modern web browser such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome or Safari.

Early Bird special: $349 (ends two weeks before course start date, retail $379).