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My First Executive Director Position

I was young, only 32 when I landed my first executive director position. Not only was I young, I was very green. I had only worked for 2 previous NPOs and one was a management position, where I oversaw my own development department. Neither prepared me for the intense and overwhelming experience of being an executive director for the first time.

The board members didn’t really understand the inner-workings of the organization; they were looking for a miracle worker who could raise a gazillion dollars over the course of a few months and I was up for the challenge! I mean, what could possibly go wrong? 

I shudder thinking about that situation now. I didn’t know the right questions to ask during the interview process, how to read the budget to truly understand the current landscape, had no clue about the staff or what their roles were, I was just excited to start my first executive director job! I thought - I can do this! I have the experience they’re looking for, I know how to win people over and I certainly know how to raise money - I’ve got this! (Oh the naïveté of the young and inexperienced.)

To say that I was in over my head is an understatement. I have always been good at managing and leading teams, so that wasn’t an issue. I was good at raising money, so that wasn’t an issue either. What was a major issue, however, is the reputation that this organization had in the funding community. Funds had been mismanaged and I learned that almost 90% of our income was down to United Way contributions only. No events, no grants and very few individual or corporate donors. And to make things worse, the board didn’t understand how dire the situation was.

Within a few months on the job, I knew there wasn’t going to be any miracle that I could perform that would keep our doors open. We employed 6 people at the time and I had to let every one of them go right during the holidays. It was awful. 

The experience taught me a lot, not the least of which is understanding the financial outlook and board culture - both can make AND break an organization.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me over the years how I got into nonprofit and especially how I became an executive director. There isn’t really a lot of science to it, I mostly just fell into it. The same can happen for you and I can help guide you along the way. 

I will share tactics and strategies that have worked for me and for people whom I’ve mentored over the years. I will give real life examples of some not-so-fun situations I’ve been in and mistakes I’ve made so that you can hopefully learn from them.

If something I share resonates with you or you’d like more information, shoot me an email or comment on one of my posts. I would love to hear from you and will respond as quickly as I can. My goal is to create a community of nonprofit executives who support and learn from each other.

Welcome to the greatest industry in the world! Who else gets to wake up every morning knowing they’re touching the lives of others?

Cheers,
Stephanie