Before You Take the Offer
Accepting any new job comes with a slew of considerations. Do you like the leadership? How cohesive is the staff? Will the pay and benefits adequately address your needs? Do the job demands fit with your lifestyle outside the office? What kind of reputation does the organization have?
As you contemplate taking on a new nonprofit executive director position a few more questions should be added to your usual list. Here are a few points of information for you to consider and how you can get the answers you need:
* How actively engaged is the board of directors?
* Do board members have term limits?
* How fiscally strong is the organization?
* Have there been any issues in terms of the organization's internal controls and policies?
* How much money will you need to raise in the coming year, and how successful was the organization in meeting fundraising goals last year?
* What sort of resources will you have to work with to meet the organization's goals?
* In what ways does the board of directors expect the organization to grow and change in the coming year?
* How does the organization currently evaluate success, and how will your performance be evaluated?
* How does the organization create a culture of inclusion in terms of its board recruiting, staff hiring, and programmatic practices?
All of these questions are good fodder for discussion during the interview process, so when the interviewers ask you if you have any questions for them, have these handy! That said, if you have already been interviewed, it is completely appropriate to ask some of these by way of follow-up to your main point of contact through the interview process. You can also do your own research to supplement that feedback by asking for and reviewing the following sources:
BOARD MEMBER LIST AND BYLAWS
While most boards won't want to share board meeting minutes, asking for a list of board members and a copy of the bylaws is completely acceptable. These should give you a sense of the organization's structure, diversity, board member term lengths and limits, and policies regarding removal of board members.
FINANCIALS AND AUDIT
The organization should be willing to share with you some basic financial documents: most recent audit, assets & liabilities report, current year and last year's budgets. These will give you a pretty good picture of whether the revenue the board is hoping to raise this year is in line with what the organization has been able to secure in the past. The audit will also note any concerns in accounting practices or controls for the year that was audited. The budget will also give you a sense of what expenses the board has approved, and therefore what you will have to work with in terms of getting the job done. You can also use Guidestar.org or ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer to download the organization's most recent tax returns, showing income and revenue. While it is not uncommon for organizations to be in the red in a given year, a consistent pattern of being in the red may be a point of concern. If the assets and liabilities report shows a continued growth in assets despite some years of being in the red, the organization is likely still financially sound.
STRATEGIC PLAN
Does the organization even have one? It should, and that plan should give you a clear sense of what the organization is striving to achieve. Are the goals realistic? Does the budget adequately reflect the activities outlined in the plan? Does the plan align with your own values and your vision for the position? Does the plan have clear metrics of success?
These questions and resources should help you get a fuller picture of the situation you are potentially stepping into. No organization is without faults and challenges, but the key is to have all the information upfront so you can make the best decision for yourself and not be blind-sided as you ease into this new role. No matter what you decide, congratulations on being considered for such important work.
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