Advice to a New (and Perhaps First-time) E.D.

Besides serving as a management consultant to nonprofit organizations, I am actively involved as a board member in two at present, one of which is underway with a search for a new executive director. Meanwhile, a very dear friend is working her way through her first year as an E.D. So I would like to share with you some advice intended for any new executive director, but especially for one who may have prior business experience in the for-profit world and is entering the nonprofit E.D. role for the first time.

An explanation and a preview: The advice shared below is not my own per se but rather a sampling from respondents to a question posed on LinkedIn and Facebook. (They have been edited in some instances for form or brevity but not in substance.) Using social media in this way offers its own lesson for nonprofit management, upon which I will reflect soon.

Advice to a New (and perhaps first-time) E.D.

Don’t panic. Ask questions and listen to and reflect upon the answers.
(John Bourke)

Learn to fundraise (if you don't already know how). Major donors want to know they are valued by the top people at an organization, so they will probably want to meet you. When they do meet you, you'll want to know how to go about having the conversations that go into donor cultivation and stewardship.
(Olivia Engkvist)

I might suggest that the person speak with some other nonprofit executives to find out what they think is the best way to begin. Then I would suggest they learn as much about their nonprofit as they can from a range of sources, donors, founders, board members, and if it is not too big an operation, I would suggest speaking to each person employed by the nonprofit to get to know them and to ask them their take on what they think works and what could stand to be improved and how that could be done.
(Nancy Fawcett)

You are now a social entrepreneur. Those two words must always be used TOGETHER. In other words, run your nonprofit like you would any business but never forget the "social" section of your title. You are there for the greater good, not the profit. Good luck!
(Trevor Lobel)

Be extremely nice to your volunteers.
(Judy Margolis)

Regarding advice to an E.D. with presumably for-profit experience, I would say, learn the culture of the nonprofit, and understand how decisions are made and be ready to wait for results.
(Bill Mattox)

Asking this question is a good sign. Too many "for profit" people come to the nonprofit side thinking the "business world" has all the answers. Asking this question indicates you recognize there should be some differences and you are appearing open to learning what they are.

1. Understand your new organization and how to lead in this culture that is new to you.
2. Ask around and find an E.D. who is seen as highly successful at understanding how to work successfully with a board, staff, and volunteers. Find an appropriate mentor.
3. If you have not done so already, read all you can about board governance. As an "executive", you probably know something about managing people. Learn all you can about working successfully with boards.
4. Build a serious, close relationship with your board chair. Work to clarify the separation of your responsibilities.
5. Talk to each current board member. Get to know what they bring. Look for untapped talents.
6. Talk to as many former board members as you can, especially past board chairs.
7. Devour and learn your bylaws. Compare your bylaws to the best board governance. Look for clues as to built-in board or organizational weaknesses. What practices or habits might be leading to dysfunction or under-performing? Study nominations, term limits, clarity of responsibilities (E.D., chair, board, Nominating Committee).
8. Talk one-on-one with each of your direct reports (if you have some) early, regularly, and often.
9. In all cases, listen to what people are trying to say but might not fully articulate. Listen for what is not being said.
10. Try to see your role as "helping build a successful productive organization."
11. Force yourself to delegate to staff and volunteers.
12. Develop some serious peer relationships with other executive directors who are seen as successful and are in positions that are highly similar.
(Ed Runner)

Don't be afraid to make changes if you have thought them out and they are sound. When I entered the nonprofit world, I found a lot of the "long-timers" to be very resistant to change. Also, I never sat through longer meetings in my life before I worked in the nonprofit world. They love meetings and will sit there for hours going off on tangents. Keep your meetings brief and your staff on point. Good luck.
(Glenn Stannis, CPA)

Use the same high standards of excellence – in employee relations, client service, everything – in nonprofit that you used in your business.
(Catherine Austin Thiemann)

Build solid relationships with your President and other board members. They will be your partners for success.
(David Unger)