A number of graduate programs in nonprofit management are being offered as colleges and universities scramble to meet the demand for trained leaders for one of the nation's fastest-growing sectors, Philanthropy News Network editor Todd Cohen reports in the April 18 New York Times.

Economic growth and a shift away from government-run social programs have helped fuel the growth of charitable nonprofit groups from 82,000 in 1975 to 181,000 in 1995, according to the latest Internal Revenue Service figures, the Times reports. The nonprofit sector now accounts for 8 percent of the gross domestic product.

To keep up with the demand for philanthropic leaders, at least 82 colleges and universities offer three or more graduate-level nonprofit management courses, up from 17 schools 10 years ago, according to Seton Hall University statistics.

Including Seton Hall, some of the larger nonprofit programs are offered by Auburn, Boston University, DePaul, New School University and Notre Dame.

Some critics contend the programs may be too narrowly focused for people who may later switch careers, the Times reports.

Most nonprofit graduate programs "are really creating technicians, " Pablo Eisenberg, senior fellow at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute told the Times. These programs usually focus on internal issues like fund-raising and accounting, not on external issues like collaboration with business and government, Eisenberg said.

Still, the growth of such programs is both fueled by student demand and also shows that nonprofits of all types are expected to be more professional as they take on an increasing amount of America's social-service work, the Times reports.

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041899personal-nonprofit.html