Open source technology is built on collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement — values that closely align with nonprofit work. The Open Source for Social Impact professional certificate is designed to help nonprofit staff understand how open source products and communities are developed, managed, and sustained.
Participants will explore the foundations of open source technology alongside practical skills in user research, product planning, onboarding, and team collaboration. The certificate focuses on building technology with users in mind and creating processes that support long-term growth and participation.
Designed for nonprofit staff of all technical backgrounds, this certificate is ideal for anyone involved in digital products, community engagement, or technology decision-making. Whether you’re helping shape a new tool, supporting an existing platform, or exploring open source for the first time, you’ll gain practical knowledge you can apply in your work.
Certificate requirements
To complete this certificate, you must complete 13 one-hour courses and a final assignment – all of which can be completed at your own pace. You can take up to one year to complete the certificate from your enrollment date.
- 6 open source courses
- 2 leadership courses
- 5 courses from any category
- 1 final assignment
Customized certificate paths
Earning a certificate with NTEN means you can select the courses that best match your learning goals and subject matter interests. With all that choice, each participant’s combination of courses looks different, but here are a few examples of what a certificate path in Open Source for Social Impact could look like.
IT Manager working in refugee and immigrant support
Open source courses:
- Intro to open source tech
- User research fundamentals
- Product management foundations
- Data-driven approaches to user onboarding
- Goal-centered feature planning
- Build an agile product team
Leadership courses:
- Constituent and community data privacy
- Data migration and change management
Other courses:
- Human-centered design for nonprofits
- IT planning and assessment
- Introduction to multi-system integrations
- Cybersecurity incident response
- Improving accessibility in nonprofit workplaces
Executive Director working in democracy and governance
Open source courses:
- Product management foundations
- Build an agile product team
- Goal-centered feature planning
- User research fundamentals
- Intro to open source tech
- Data-driven approaches to user onboarding
Leadership courses:
- Racial equity in tech planning
- Harness development and communications teams for donor campaigns
Other courses:
- Emerging tech trends and their impact for social good
- Foundations of data visualization
- Lead with technology roadmaps
- Fair chance hiring
- Introduction to multi-system integrations
Looking for more ways to learn?
Nonprofit Tech Readiness
These fully funded six-month cohorts give you an opportunity to ramp up your technology leadership and planning skills.
Learn more and applyTech Accelerate
Don't know where to begin? Take a free technology assessment for your organization to identify gaps in its tech preparedness to help chart your learning plan.
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Prefer dipping your toes in rather than embarking on a full certificate? Start by taking a single course – you can add it to your certificate progress later!
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Registering for a certificate program saves you 40% compared to registering for the same number of courses individually. Like courses, certificates are 50% off for NTEN members, which also offers other benefits, like discounted registration to the NTC.
Scholarships
Participants from the state of Oregon are eligible for full scholarships to complete the Open Source professional certificate. To avail this offer, email us.
Learn about scholarships
