Evaluating Your Executive Director: Tips and Best Practices
ED Evaluations are one of the most avoided things in non-profits!
Recently a friend of mine, let's call her Alice, who works in the nonprofit sector in a leadership position, told me she's considering changing jobs.
One reason why she wants to leave her current position is because of the current ED’s management style (let’s call him Marc). Marc often ignores input or guidance from employees or the Board and has not been given an evaluation regularly. The Board tends to defer to Marc for all decisions, as he carries a lot of power in the organization as the founder. Familiar picture?
Alice, being a conscientious professional, feels the moral responsibility before she leaves the organization to give some feedback to Marc so that the organization can actually do better and serve the community more effectively. However, fearing that this feedback would stop her from getting a professional reference from Marc causes an internal conflict in her.
ED evaluations are far too often not performed in non-profits. We have observed a few reasons for this. Often the Board doesn’t feel equipped or knowledgeable enough to evaluate the ED. Sometimes there aren’t policies and practices in place that promote regular evaluations of the ED.
The absence of regular evaluations, with input from staff, can create unhealthy and unjust situations for staff and stakeholders who must choose between their individual and collective responsibilities, creating internal dilemmas like the one Alice is facing now. It is also a disempowering situation for an ED never to get formal, structured feedback on their performance and contributions. So how can your organization avoid this?
Boards should strive to offer initial evaluations to the ED after 3-6 months in the position and then at least bi-annually after that. There are many collective benefits: your staff will feel heard, your ED will evolve professionally, and the organization will function better. Win-win-win.
So how do you start?
Step 1: If you don't have one in place already, create an HR committee with members of the Board. We don’t recommend including staff on the evaluation committee as that puts them in an awkward role of having to evaluate their boss. In a non-hierarchical organization, it is also more appropriate for just volunteer board members to form the evaluation committee.
Step 2: Borrow a model and approach from another organization (or reach out to our team!); You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are many examples of effective ED evaluation templates and processes in the sector. We recommend a 360 evaluation process involving feedback from both Board and staff and, in some cases, external partners. The feedback can be collected in various ways, such as setting up confidential (but not anonymous) surveys for staff, stakeholder interviews and even feedback from recent exit interviews if appropriate to include.
Step 2: Plan it into the organization's calendar and do it at least bi-annually. Choose less busy periods (yes, we have yet to define those for the sector), e.g., after grant writing periods or the AGM season.
Step 3: Allow the ED to self-evaluate. One of the most important parts of an ED evaluation process is their own reflections on their strengths and areas for improvement. This may involve identifying professional development goals and external resources to support the ED. The goal is to address current skills and identify areas for growth. You want both the individual and the organization to benefit and thrive.
Putting in place regular ED evaluations is like exercising. It may feel challenging at first, and you may need someone to coach and cheer you on; however, the sooner you start, the healthier and stronger your ED and the organization will be.
If you need support, including policies, procedures, templates and guidelines on what to include and what to avoid regarding ED evaluations, reach out to Social Impact Consulting. We've got your back!
Adri Lukács, Consultant
April 2023
