Topic outline

  • Welcome!

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    • We are very happy to welcome you to NGO Academy! The following sections give you an overview on the Academy and its programmes. Enjoy browsing through it and feel free to contact us for further information anytime.

      For information in other languages, follow the relevant links: Czech, German, Hungarian, Serbian, and Romanian.

      Kind regards,
      the Team of NGO Academy
    • Forum icon
      Announcements Forum

  • What is it all about?

    • NGO Academy was founded in 2013 with the goal of strengthening the civil society sector in Central and Eastern Europe by providing further educational opportunities. It offers a range of high-quality capacity building programmes designed specifically for executive managers and staff members of NGOs. By transferring knowledge, imparting skills and helping participants to build up networks, the Academy supports the organisations, and, indirectly, also their beneficiaries.
      Currently, NGO Academy offers four programmes: the Social Innovation and Management Programme, the Regional Programme, Community-Led Events and the MSc Social Innovation & Management. They focus on the further development of management competences and address a huge variety of topics related to them. They are implemented in a cooperation between ERSTE Foundation and the Competence Center for Nonprofit Organizations and Social Entrepreneurship at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna).

      NGO Academy's Capacity Building Programmes are open for NGO Academy Member Organisations and their employees.

      For more information, please find more details below, visit our website or contact us via info@ngoacademy.net.

  • Social Innovation and Management Programme

    • The Social Innovation and Management Programme is a comprehensive, modular programme combining practice orientation with a solid base of expert knowledge and provides its participants with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and skills required to manage their organisations. 

      Each year, one edition of the Social Innovation and Management Programme is implemented, consisting of a group of 25 non-profit managers and leading staff members. The programme is structured in three modules, each of them lasting one week and taking place in Vienna in English language. During the modules, the daily programme is enriched by various side events allowing the participants to discover Vienna and to build a strong network. The programme stretches out over a timeframe of five months, enabling participants to work on a course project in between modules. A seperate application is required in order to participate in this programme.


  • Regional Programme

    • The Regional Programme is a topic-centred programme, focusing on strengthening management competencies of non-profit managers and staff members, taking into consideration their local context and needs for further development. Throughout the semester, independent webinars, physical workshops and online coaching experiences, lasting usually between one and four days, are provided to the NGO Academy Network in English, German, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Romanian, Czech and Hungarian language. These elective offers are taking place in a variety of locations in Central and Eastern Europe and online.

  • Community-Led Events

    • Community-Led Events (CLEs) promote exchange and collaboration among NGO Academy Member Organisations and other organisations in Central and Eastern Europe. They are a unique opportunity to tap into the potential of learning from each other and of attainnig common objectives by creating synergies and alliances. A CLE is organised by an NGO Academy Member Organisation for at least two other participating members with the purpose of networking and knowledge transfer. In a call for application, NGO Academy members can apply for financial support for an either closed or public activity. This event can have any format which fulfils the purpose of networking and/or knowledge transfer and adds value to the NGO Academy community.


  • MSc Social Innovation & Management

    • The MSc Social Innovation & Management (CE) is a fully accredited programme at WU Vienna, in collaboration with WU Executive Academy and ERSTE Foundation. This master’s programme is designed to accelerate the understanding of the current core dimensions of social innovation and management. It empowers leaders in civil society, philanthropy and the social enterprise sector as well as the nonprofit sector to elaborate and reinforce innovation and management knowledge. The programme equips a multinational group of participants with current state-of-the-art knowledge, methods, tools, techniques and skills to further develop their innovation and management capacities at all levels. Thinking beyond boundaries, imaging the future, transferred thinking, supporting and promoting highest ethical, governance and professional standards, advancing public interest are the bearing principles of cooperative learning fostered within this program. Additionally, conversations with experienced academics, experts, peers and coaches enable a constructive and target-oriented development of outcome-oriented and transferable knowledge. Moreover, relevance for organizations as well as civil society-related perspectives play a decisive role. The programme has a duration of 15 months, consists of six weeks in presence, two elective courses, a master thesis and covers the following core topics, e.g. Social Innovation and Strategy, Marketing Psychology and Market Research, Organizational Behavior and Organization Lab, Digital Solutions for Impact and Digital Citizenship, Evaluation and Impact Measurement & Impact Reporting and Communication, Finance, Accounting, and Strategies for Impact & Social Finance and Impact Investing, Social Politics and Economics I, II etc.

      Please find more information on the curriculum, admissions and fees on the website of the WU Executive Academy.




  • Moodle

    • If you want to learn more about Moodle, its funcionalities and the Regional Programme semester registration, have a look at our Moodle Handbook. 

      Download it here:

    • File icon
      NGO Academy Moodle Handbook File

  • Get in touch

    • If you have any questions regarding NGO Academy, its programmes or Moodle feel free to contact us anytime. (communication in English or German preferred)

    • Team

    • Klara LentzKlara Lentz
      Project Assistant
      WU Wien
      Vienna University of Economics and Business
      info@ngoacademy.net

    • Marianne MannMarianne Mann
      Programme Coordinator
      WU Wien
      Vienna University of Economics and Business
      info@ngoacademy.net

    • Martin MehrwaldMartin Mehrwald
      Programme Coordinator
      WU Wien
      Vienna University of Economics and Business
      info@ngoacademy.net

    • Yvonne ReifYvonne Reif

      Programme Coordinator
      WU Wien
      Vienna University of Economics and Business
      info@ngoacademy.net

    • Reinhard MillnerReinhard Millner
      Academic Programme Director
      WU Wien
      Vienna University of Economics and Business

    • Peter VandorPeter Vandor

      Academic Programme Director
      WU Wien
      Vienna University of Economics and Business