Program and brand expansion : the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service

This report examines a nonprofit executive education provider, The RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service (RGK), as a conduit to understanding challenges that nonprofit executive education providers in the U.S. are experiencing in the current economic environment. These challenges include attracting participants (who are presently less likely to invest in executive education because of budget constraints), cutting costs, increasing revenue, coping with slashed budgets, and trying to stay innovative by developing timely, relevant content that meets nonprofit leaders’ evolving needs and desires during economic hardship. RGK aims to strategically use its limited resources to expand its executive education programming, called the Strategic Management Program (SMP), in hopes of increasing revenue while better meeting the needs of its local nonprofit leadership community. This report provides the first steps in planning for SMP’s strategic expansion with a market analysis that will give RGK a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of current SMP programming, as well as a comprehensive view of the environment in which the SMP is operating. The market analysis is achieved through examining the external environment, RGK’s internal SMP environment, and a target audience assessment. Second, the report gives specific recommendations and strategies for expanding SMP, based on insights garnered from the market analysis and other research.