Ebonie Johnson Cooper-Jean leads the development and expansion of nonprofit executive education and training, including as the academic director of the graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. She believes Black giving is magic. She leads from a place of intention and passion while serving in her most rewarding roles a mother to Marcus Kelly and wife to Marcus.
For nearly 15 years, Cooper-Jean has used her voice, research, thought-leadership and expertise to impact and influence nonprofit racial equity, African American donor engagement, church ministry, partnership development, and fundraising strategies. She has worked with numerous institutions and nonprofits alike including, WK Kellogg Foundation, The Lilly Endowment, and Washington Area Women’s Foundation.
A bi-vocational leader, Cooper-Jean is a full-time Associate Clinical Professor and the Faculty Director for Nonprofit Executive Education and Training within the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, while also serving alongside her husband as the Minister to Young Adults at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church (Calverton, MD). She’s taught at other institutions of higher learning, including Georgetown University School, Trinity University and Johns Hopkins’ Social Innovation Lab. In her spare time, she serves as a trusted nonprofit consultant through Friends of Ebonie, LLC, and leads the Young, Black & Giving Back Institute (YBGB) as its founder and Executive Director.
Cooper-Jean was recognized by ESSENCE Magazine (April 2022, November 2016) and JET Magazine (September 2013), as one of the nation’s top leaders for her innovation around NextGen African-American philanthropy. Cooper-Jean’s leadership and achievements have also been featured on CNN’s HLN network, The Washington Post, and Huffington Post Impact. She is a National Museum of African American History & Culture Ambassador, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Black Benefactors Giving Circle (DC). Cooper-Jean is an ordained Itinerant Deacon in the AME Church and a proud graduate of North Carolina A&T State University (BS), New York University (MS) and Wesley Theological Seminary (MDiv.)
- Nonprofit DEI; African American donor engagement; church ministry; partnership development; fundraising strategies
Through discussions of contemporary trends, challenges and issues, this course provides an introduction to the nonprofit and NGO sectors, social innovation, and the leadership and management skills required to achieve social impact. The course will explore the history, theories, and roles of philanthropy, the nonprofit sector, and social innovation in societies and cultures. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the process and principles of social entrepreneurship and social innovation. Additionally, the course will introduce students to topics in leadership, social innovation, resource development, community mobilization through networks, the role of policy-making in creating change, project management, and overall strategies for achieving social impact. The course will include mini hands-on learning experiences that allow them to apply key learning outcomes.
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Understanding pluralism and how groups and individuals coexist in society is an essential part of the public policy process. This course will examine the ways in which the diverse experiences of race, gender, ethnicity, class, orientation, identity, and religion impact the understanding of and equitable delivery of public policy. The examination of how identity development shapes our understanding of society and influences the decision-making process is central to students’ shaping policy that is truly for the people. This course will equip students with the skills needed to analyze pluralism and draw conclusions about the application of various theories to public policy issues.
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Furthers students understanding of topics in leadership, social innovation, resource development, community mobilization through networks, and the role of policy making in creating change. This course will further students understanding of the creation and leadership of nonprofits, social ventures, governance and boards; strategic planning and partnerships; advocacy and public policy processes; community outreach; working in teams, effective communications, and cross-sector approaches to scaling up social impact.
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Public policy students will take the skills and knowledge gained through their curriculum and apply them through their senior capstone course. Students will work in teams on problems and issues presented by outside clients, with guidance from faculty facilitators and interaction with the clients. Each team will work with the client to address a particular problem and produce a mutually agreed upon outcome. These hands on projects will advance students' understanding of the analytical, leadership, communication and problem solving skills necessary to address today's policy problems while allowing them to gain professional level experience that could contribute to their success in their post UMD endeavors. The course will conclude with an event that allows all teams to present their findings and outcomes to their client while being evaluated by faculty and public policy professionals. Restricted to students who have earned a minimum of 90 credits. Permission required.
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Introduces students to the fundamentals of fundraising. Identifies the major types of nonprofit funding models and assesses which fundraising methods are appropriate for each model. Explores motivations for giving; ethical concerns; types of funding sources; types of fundraising mechanisms and instruments; grant writing and the rise of strategic philanthropy and the new demands it places on nonprofit leaders - both to manage their programs and to raise funds.
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