Finding a New Executive Director for an NPO

Jay Love — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:10:00 GMT

Welcome back, I hope, since this blog post builds upon my previous blog entry regarding the possible movement of people employed in the for-profit world to the not-for-profit world. A tight, uncertain or stagnant economy in any country can cause the employment changes by the population to increase radically. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics certainly bears this out. These blog entries allow me to briefly discuss and reflect on this topic as it relates to our sector.

Ironically, during the course of researching and writing my previous blog entry, one of the nonprofits on whose board I serve found itself in the midst of finding, evaluating and installing a new executive director. This particular NPO was one of three that I had the wonderful experience of assisting in their creation and formation. Bringing an NPO to life is somewhat similar to raising a child and perhaps should be the basis of a future entry.

The reason I mention my involvement in forming this NPO is it explains why I was also lucky enough to be the very first board chairman. Being chairman enabled me to have a direct influence on the process of picking the first executive director. In fact, since the process I outline below worked so well in the growing of staff at eTapestry, we literally emulated most of the aspects of it for the charity. I hope that you find the process enlightening and perhaps useful in some manner for your organization. Even if you only derive a golden nugget or two, I will consider this blog post a success!

Step One

We first began by utilizing every relationship and source possible to entice a large pool of candidates. Board and staff relationships, as well as funders and key donors were explored. We particularly focused on the use of web-related sources for announcing the position such as commercial sites like Monster and a multitude of newsletters. The use of our own web site and email was also critical. Every potential partner and related association was notified.

Step Two

We asked for and received all responses electronically via our web site. This allowed us to automate the process, which is crucial for a busy board or executive committee or for any rapidly growing business. The position announcement or overview is linked here. Notice how we tried to build some excitement, yet fully present this vital role. The networking was successful since the candidates came forward in fairly large numbers.

Step Three

All candidates who applied and met the basic criteria were sent an email asking them to respond within one week to the linked set of questions. We felt it was critical to first see this ever-so-important communication skill at work. It also served to illustrate how the applicants approached such a task and met a deadline. (Yes, nearly 1/4 of the responses came in past the deadline. I cannot even fathom doing that in a job search, but it did occur.) Notice how open most of the questions are. The responses ranged from a few words to 2-3 paragraphs each. The link takes you to a spreadsheet, which in our case allowed us to download all of the responses and route them to our committee. By the way, at eTapestry we use the eTapestry database to store each job candidate’s contact information, resumes and responses. Using our query tool and report writer allows us to review them easily! (Shameless plug for which I am partially sorry...).

Step Four

Our search committee voted via an online forms tool called Formspring. This was loosely our version of American Idol or Dancing with the Stars because it allowed the top 20-30% to easily rise up. This group was then contacted for our next step. (We usually had 100 or more applicants for most positions.)

Step Five

Our first interactive contact with the top applicants began here. This step was a 20 minute phone interview based upon the questions linked here. We knew the ability to communicate effectively over the phone was another key asset we were searching for. This crucial step allowed us to verify that skill plus provide an opportunity for the first question or two to come from the candidates. Each committee member was responsible for 4-5 calls which were scheduled ahead of time by the NPO’s staff.

Step Six

The search committee met via conference call to determine our semifinalists. This was important because only the semifinalists would be interviewed in person. In fact, if they became one of the 2-4 finalists they would have two chances to communicate in a face-to-face manner.

The key content for those face-to-face sessions will be explored in my next post. I truly think you will find the questions insightful. In addition, the final step was quite a surprise for the finalists. I bet it will be for those of you reading this. How’s that for a lead-in to the next episode? Not quite the same as the TV show 24, but this is a lower budget operation...

The Jay Love Blog : job search

Finding a New Executive Director for an NPO