How to Tell If It’s Time to Hire an Executive Director

Your nonprofit has served its mission statement well. So well in fact, that the directory of volunteers has grown from a half-page to just over three pages.

Since those first meetings in a living room more than a decade ago, the nonprofit now has a conference room in a rented office. No more garage storage of files and records. Lessons learned, you ceased bringing in volunteers to answer the phone and manage the paperwork. Now the nonprofit pays an office manager, a part-time assistant, and grudgingly hired a volunteer coordinator.

Next, the five-member volunteer board of directors besought with management challenges, turned into pariah instead of heroes. And they might have better luck asking for someone to volunteer for a root canal than to volunteer on the board of directors.