Q & A with Sylvia de Haas-Phillips.

Program Director Sylvia de Haas-Phillips, MS, MSW, initially trained in counseling and social work, intending to provide direct service in the nonprofit sector. But while doing student practicum work at a policy think tank, de Haas-Phillips found her passion for the public policy, management and organizational leadership of nonprofit organizations and quickly became a leader in organizational development and strategy. She brings to her Bay Path students decades of hands-on experience, including positions as Senior Vice President of Community Impact at United Way of Pioneer Valley, Principal of Organizational Planning & Solutions, Program Officer for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Project Director for the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, and Director of the Travelers Companies Foundation.

Professor de Haas-Phillips is a member of multiple boards and committees, including Chair, Board of Directors for Springfield (Massachusetts) School Volunteers; Treasurer, Board of Directors for Interval House, Hartford (Connecticut); the National Academic Centers Council (NACC) Accreditation Committee; the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Duggan Award Committee; and the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, Terry McAdam Book Committee. Outside Bay Path, she enjoys learning about new cultures through traveling, cheering for the UCONN women and men's basketball teams, reading a great novel, and spending time with her husband and adult children.

What do you love about Nonprofit Management/Strategic Fundraising & Philanthropy?
Making mission possible in nonprofits is incredibly rewarding. I did it through strong leadership, great management, and high quality services, and that’s what our graduates do. They create and support the systems needed to advance important social causes. I have spent my entire career in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and continue to be heartened by people's willingness to do what it takes to make mission happen.

What’s the value of an MS in Nonprofit Management/Strategic Fundraising & Philanthropy?
The Master's is becoming a requirement for advancing in nonprofits. Even current leaders of nonprofits find they need the additional business and leadership skills offered by the Masters's. Our graduates say, Wow, I feel so much better prepared now! Those who learn the skills to lead will have great opportunities; jobs in U.S. nonprofits grew nearly 17% between 2007 and 2016 – four times faster than for-profit businesses.

Why choose Bay Path for graduate work in Nonprofit Management/Strategic Fundraising & Philanthropy?

• For our faculty. They are practitioners with significant professional experience in the development of effective organizational and resource development strategies in support of mission.
• For our curriculum. It translates theory into practice and focuses on students developing a "tool box" of resources to use in their daily professional lives.
• For our individualized approach. Each student works with their adviser to develop a personal educational plan to support their carer development and goals.
• For our online format. The University has a long history of online instruction, developed and refined by a talented and accessible team of professionals from the Center for Online & Digital Learning.
• For our national acclaim. Our program is recognized by thebestschools.org as one of the top ten best online master’s in the nation.