Exploring Innovation in the Nonprofit Sector: Q&A with MNA Candidate Louis Holbrook

The Masters of Nonprofit Administration equips students to explore innovative concepts and strategies of social entrepreneurship. Through a hands-on curriculum, students engage in real-world problem-solving, applying innovative concepts to address pressing societal challenges.

The course “Innovation in the Nonprofit Sector” challenges students to use systems thinking to tackle complex social issues. The course culminates in a group project where teams design and implement impactful solutions that emphasize sustainability, scalability, and ethical decision-making. The goal is to prepare students to become influential leaders and innovators in the nonprofit world.

MNA candidate Louis Holbrook shares his insights on the course and how it has shaped his perspective on innovation, leadership, and his future in the nonprofit sector. The project allowed the team to think innovatively about an important topic—addressing social inequalities and creating a more inclusive environment for persons with disabilities.

Q: How did the "Systems Thinking and Mapping" final project allow you to adhere to the Mendoza "Grow the Good in Business" philosophy from a non-profit perspective?

This project allowed us the space to do something new, a task my group did not take lightly. By encouraging our team to truly innovate, rather than rebuild someone else’s wheel, we had the unique opportunity to not only grow the good in business but to challenge the very idea that business should grow anything but good.

Our new tool will allow regions, businesses, and other groups to grow the good in their own communities, and the nonprofit sector is a perfect vehicle for this cross-functional collaboration.

Q. How has the "Innovation in the Non-Profit Sector" course been beneficial to you as you're considering next steps in your career in the non-profit sector? 

The course gave me the time to hone my passion for disability inclusion into an effective, scalable, tool that can be integrated into a business model. More than providing resources to participate in the nonprofit world, this program is giving me the opportunity to change and grow the nonprofit sector.

Q. What have you enjoyed most about the MNA program at Notre Dame that has surprised you? 

The best part about the MNA program at ND is how action-based our learning is. Rather than learn theories of innovation, we live them, iterate in them, and share them. The professors here constantly push us to take our knowledge out of the classroom and into the community.

The MNA program at Notre Dame is more than an academic journey—it’s a transformative experience, preparing leaders to drive meaningful change in the nonprofit sector. Through courses like “Innovation in the Nonprofit Sector,” students like Holbrook are learning to develop bold, innovative solutions to address today’s most pressing social challenges.