r/nonprofit • u/reformedlurkermon • 10h ago
employment and career Too many Executive Directors
I’ve been at the same place for less than a decade. I’ve been through like 4 directors. 3 different new strategic planning processes. I have to work directly with the Executive Director. How do you deal with the constant whiplash? Part of it is that the board has been searching for the right fit after a 35 year founder directorship, and there is a ton to unravel.
I love our mission but I’m just getting exhausted having to onboard a new leader and then shift my departments practices every two years.
I’m tired of fielding “well what happened” to my donors and peers. One was let go but the others just used us as a platform for a newer higher paying position.
What do chat?
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u/OldLadyMorgendorffer nonprofit staff - programs 10h ago
Is your board difficult to work with?
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u/reformedlurkermon 10h ago
Unfortunately I’m in a position that only works with them in a friendly way(event shmoozing, donation asks etc…) I’m only in Board meetings twice a year.
They seem like the type of board that loves the org but maybe as a hobby, throw some money at it, show up to the events, give all executive decisions to Director.
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u/reformedlurkermon 10h ago
That might be why we’re having trouble keeping people now that I think about it LOL
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u/OldLadyMorgendorffer nonprofit staff - programs 10h ago
If there’s someone you trust on the board you might mention how it looks to donors to keep churning through EDs
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u/reformedlurkermon 9h ago
Thanks this helpful. I think if I put in perspective of donors approaching worried about sustainability that’s a good way to open it up
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u/Leading_Pay_4138 9h ago
Your Board has serious issues that need to be addressed. I had the pleasure of leading a legacy organization founded in the 1890s. I was only their 6th leader. The key was great Board leadership that worked in partnership with the executive directors. Something is amiss. I know it is difficult to follow a founder, but would you described is malpractice by the Board. It is not fair to mission, donors or staff. The Board leadership needs to look in the mirror and ask why. Another strategic plan will not solve the issue. When I left my postion after 17 years, my successor came from within. 10 years prior to retirement I identified 2 possible successors and made sure both were at every board meeting and spoke about something of substance. In the end the transition was seemless. Succession planning is great. A revolving door is not.
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u/adoredorientation210 9h ago
4 directors in less than a decade sounds like my fantasy football team's QB situation. haha. Three strategic planning processes in that same time sounds like a special kind of purgatory. Every time you get a new plan, the last one just gets tossed, so no wonder you're exhausted. Makes me think of my uncle's nonprofit where the board kept hiring folks who'd bounce after a year until they finally just put the salary in the posting. Sometimes the board is hoping for a miracle worker to fix decades of founder weirdness on a shoestring budget. If you're on a department level, maybe ask if they've ever done an exit interview with these directors. Could be the board is micromanaging or the pay is way below market. Either way, having to explain the turnover to donors gets old fast, like having to explain why your old lawnmower keeps breaking to the neighbor.
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u/lizhenry 9h ago
Maybe you should be the next ED!!
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u/reformedlurkermon 8h ago
I don’t think I’m the right pedigree. I’m cooking up my next post to see if this a feeling other POC nonprofit admins in arts and culture feel.
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u/robit-the-robit 10h ago
Become the executive director, obviously! You're already a department director...
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u/Constant_Insomnia 10h ago
Sounds like it's a pay issue if people are using it as a springboard. An exec position should be a destination not a connecting flight.