Your Critical First Meetings
So you have taken your new executive director position and are ready to start building relationships. Where do you begin? There are a lot of people you will want to meet with and a lot of people eager to meet with you, but there are some key conversations you should have as soon as you can.
There will be people who will want and expect the courtesy of an early meeting from you and others who you will need to hop right into dialogue with in order to get off to the right start. So let's start!
First things first, you will want to talk to your Board President about how often the two of you to meet. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly? Will you have a standing meeting (preferred!), or will you set up meetings as needed -- with them or an assistant? What information would they like to receive from you at these meetings? What guidance will you need? What issues would they like you to bring to their attention, what would they like regular updates on, what would they like you to seek input on before taking action (more on this in a future post!)?
Also top on your list is your staff. You should meet with all your direct reports -- even if it's for just 15 minutes -- in your first day or two. This meeting should be fairly informal, allowing for a chance to get to know each other a bit and setting up your regular schedule of meetings. Your regular meetings should include one longer second meeting in which you review job descriptions and ensure you are on the same page regarding what role this staff member plays. For now, keep it simple. Answer questions, and reassure the staff member that the organization is headed in a positive new direction and that you recognize and respect what the individual has contributed to the organization thus far. Let them know you will seek their guidance and insights moving forward (and hold yourself to that!).
As for the whole staff, including non-direct reports and the organization's regular volunteers, make sure and schedule a group meeting within your first week. During this group meeting you can let them know a little about yourself, provide a sense of your vision for the organization and what inspired you to take the role. Also, let them know how often you will meet as a full staff and give them a sense of the best ways to communicate with you (Open door policy? Schedule meetings through Outlook? Send an email?), how quickly they can anticipate hearing back from you (Do you respond to emails within a day? Two days?), and what your regular in-office schedule will tend to be. Focus on letting them know you are accessible and excited to be part of the team.
Now is also a great time to begin reaching out to all your board members and top donors. Within the first week to try to send an individual email (or better yet, make an individual call) to each board member letting them know you are excited to have just started the job, thanking them for the opportunity, and offering to set up a time to meet to get acquainted. Depending on the size of your board, you may want to make some of these phone/video meetings. It is okay if you can't have all of these meetings within the first two weeks, but do try to get your emails and phone calls out there that first week so that they feel you have made getting to know them a priority.
All of your major donors (The cut-off for major donors really depends on the size of your organization and your revenue patterns. More on that later, but if you have development staff, let them provide you with that guidance.) should receive a call or email within the first two weeks. This includes both individual donors and program officers at the foundations currently funding your organization. The call or email should be an introduction to who you are, a thank you for their continued support, clarity on whether the leadership transition will impact any of your current commitments, and an invitation to meet (in person or by phone). Again, the meetings don't have to happen right away, but everyone appreciates feeling like they were part of your first-string of people for meeting and greeting.
Who else should you meet with? This depends quite a bit on what sort of organization you work with, but you should consider this list as a starting place:
* If your organization provides direct care, clients and other beneficiaries of your organization's services
* Key partners
* Policymakers that can act as champions for your organization
* Your counterparts at other organizations
* The previous executive director
* If your organization has affiliates, the executive directors of those nonprofits
* Previous donors
That's a lot of meetings, huh? A lot of your role is about building and maintaining good relationships, and starting off your role by having people feel appreciated and valued will go a long way towards building the network that will keep your organization strong.
Comments