Finding the Right Person and Setting Them Up for Success

You've built a strong board, done your planning, prepared a research-based budget, raised the needed funds, and developed your personnel policies. You have group-wide consensus about exactly what kind of skills and qualifications your first executive director should have, and what their responsibilities will be. You've captured that in a clear position description.

Now what?

Step One – Conduct a Search, Interview, and Choose

If your organization has sufficient resources, consider hiring an executive search firm to conduct this part of the process. Otherwise, at least let yourselves be guided by a qualified HR professional or someone with experience in nonprofit hiring. They will know the best way to advertise the opportunity, which job boards to use, how to evaluate incoming resumes, etc. If you took the steps outlined in Part 1: Getting Ready, then you've already recruited an HR professional to your board or to your ad hoc search committee.

You will want to advertise the opportunity in both a targeted and in a wide-reaching way, posting it on job boards within your particular field and on popular sites. Find your local or statewide organization that serves nonprofits and share it there. Is there an association of groups like yours? See if they have a job board. Don't be afraid to advertise nationally. If your offer is strong enough, the right candidate would be willing to relocate to your area.

I am old school enough to value a good cover letter with an attached resume, but many online search services (such as Indeed) are moving away from those. However the applications are received, what’s needed is a screening tool, a scorecard for use in quickly sifting through what could be hundreds of incoming applications. By thinking through the criteria in advance, the team is gaining further clarity about what they are actually looking for in an E.D.

Using your scorecards, rank the applicants and offer first interviews to as many people as the team can comfortably accommodate, perhaps the top 10 or 15. Write questions designed to get you the information you need regarding whether the person would fit in at your organization.? Refine your scoring system to rate the candidates, then confer. Reduce the list to the top 2-4 and check references. Offer a second interview, including board members and any staff or volunteers. It can be helpful to review the group’s strategic plan and budget with the top candidates, to get a sense of how they would attack the goals in their first year.

Rate. Discuss. Choose.

Be kind to all applicants. Send a polite note to those who are not chosen.

Step Two – Make an Offer/Contract with Chosen Candidate

Once you have identified just the right person to lead your organization to higher levels of success and impact, you need to make a formal offer of employment and, if accepted, sign a contract. Again, let your HR expert and perhaps an attorney guide you here. The letter of offer provides information about the salary and benefits, hoped for start date, and any other provisions such as moving assistance, whether the position is remote or onsite, etc. ?Give your chosen candidate a week or two to decide whether to accept your offer as they may have many things to think through. Some candidates will make a counteroffer, to open a negotiation about pay, benefits, and/or work requirements. Groups should know in advance who has the authority to conduct those negotiations on the group’s behalf.

The contract spells out the job description, starting salary and benefits, provisions for salary adjustment, how expense reimbursements are made, confidentiality and conflict of interest requirements, termination and severance, and a number of other provisions. This is a good place to ask an attorney for assistance, to ensure that the organization’s interests are protected. The #1 cause of lawsuits against nonprofit boards of directors is former employees, so make sure to give this step proper attention.

Step Three – Conduct Proper Onboarding

The first few weeks are about more than simply providing the new hire with the information and support he or she needs to get started: they are also very much about building the firmest possible foundation for a strong relationship between E.D. and board. You will want to be intentional in establishing communications channels, both formal and informal, and in making sure everyone has the same understanding about what is expected on both sides. Ask each other questions like “What will feel like a success to you?” and “How do you see your role?” and “How do you see my role?” Find a way for the new E.D. to spend time with each board member one-on-one in the first month or so. Time spent that way has a high return on investment.

It's important to remember that the role of the board of directors will change now that an E.D. is in place. With someone hired to run programs and take care of operations, all board members can refocus on their governance work. Not everyone will make the transition very easily. (See Part 3 on Common Traps for more on this!)

Step Four – Provide a Proper Evaluation at 30, 90, and 180 Days

Chances are everyone will be utterly delighted with the new hire and the organization will be moving along swimmingly. Good for you! Still, that is no excuse for failing to provide solid feedback from the board. If you’re happy with the person’s work, then that is what you will say when you conduct those early evaluations. This is your new E.D’s chance to learn more about what the board specifically likes to see, what exactly they are doing that the board wants more of. Of course, there may be a snag or two. An honest, early discussion about what those are can end problems before they get worse.

Find a good sample evaluation tool, but make sure to customize it according to your expectations and goals, as spelled out in the job description, strategic plan, and personnel policies. It is not fair to hold someone accountable for being at their desk every morning at 8:30, for example, if that is not spelled out as a requirement of employment. Similarly, if the person is spending time to develop a new program that is not outlined in the strategic plan, make sure to give feedback redirecting them to the goals of the actual plan.

The evaluation should be an opportunity for the board to receive some feedback as well. You'll want your new hire to tell you early on in the relationship if there are aspects of his or her work life that are less than satisfactory, if there are any problems that the board can solve. Now is the time to practice what you no doubt discussed many times: There is a new leader here now! You've hired a skilled professional with a fresh perspective on the work. He or she will have different ways of doing things - and that can be a very good thing!

Step Five – Continue the Planning Cycle

Give the new hire a good six months or a year to settle in and get a feel for the organization and its environment, then do another round of strategic planning. Pick goals that make best use of your director’s strengths and minimize whatever weaknesses they may have. Analyze the fundraising program and take care with revenue projections to make sure you can fund all your goals. But it’s time to let the new E.D. take a leadership role, to help shape the organization, and set it on its path for the future. Enjoy!

Conclusion

Finding and hiring the right person for a first-time executive director position is a time-consuming process, and can be emotionally draining for those who are deeply invested in their organization and its mission. Care must be taken at every step along the way. In Parts 1 and 2 of this article, I've outlined 11 steps altogether and they can't be done in a week, or even a month. Doing this right takes time, effort, energy and fortitude. It also takes a team, so make sure you have several people involved and divide up the work.

It's easy to make mistakes. In Part 3 we will talk about several common traps boards fall into. Stay tuned.

The Level Up Nonprofit Accelerator is an intensive program designed to help small, often unstaffed, nonprofits stabilize and grow to the next level. It combines 28 weekly live sessions on governance, finance and fundraising with a wraparound learning community and a Capstone project. The next cohort begins June 13 and scholarship applications are being taken now. Visit our website at www.LUNAExperience.org to learn more.