By William J. Moran, J.D., M.S.Ed.
The Moran Company
www.MoranCompany.com
"We Find Great Nonprofit Executives"

1.  Make Interim Arrangements for the Agency's Management. The interim period between CEO's is a difficult time, especially if the prior CEO left precipitously. The Board should not rush into a hasty decision for a replacement. Reasonable arrangements should be made for the management of the organization during the search process.

2.  Form a Search Committee. The Board must have full ownership in the hiring process. The Board Chair appoints a search committee to work with the recruiter during the search process.

3.  Determine Your Nonprofit's Needs. What are the knowledge, skills and other characteristics needed in this position? What are the unique circumstances of your organization? A profile of the person you are searching for should be developed by the Recruiter with input from your Search Committee.

4.  Agree on a Search Process, Timetable and Salary Range. The Recruiter and the Search Committee decide upon the geographic scope of the search, a timetable and a preliminary salary range.

5.  Decide how to Involve Key Staff. Key staff are kept informed of the process as it unfolds and, if possible, are involved in the process. Often, it is appropriate for the final candidates to meet with the staff.

6.  Advertise the Position. The Recruiter markets the position and seeks qualified applicants. He or she uses nonprofit job boards, emails, mailings and other forms of advertising to publicize the job opening.

7.  Screen Applications. The Recruiter reviews all applications and decides which applicants to interview.

8.  Conduct Screening Interviews. A series of short interviews are used to screen candidates. Sometimes this is done by the Recruiter alone. It may be advisable to have the Search Committee participate in the interviews.

9.  Background Checks are Performed. As much information as possible is gathered by the Recruiter regarding prior job performance of the final candidates by speaking to peers in the community.

10.  Conduct Final Interviews. The Committee (and perhaps the Board as a whole) interviews the final two or three candidates. Staff has an opportunity to meet with the candidates and offer their feedback as well.

11.  Making an Offer. The Board agrees on the best candidate and an offer for the position is made. The Recruiter helps negotiate the final employment details.

12.  Draft a Letter of Employment.  A letter is drafted that sets out the specific conditions of employment including salary, vacation, medical insurance, retirement benefits, and other parameters which vary with different organizations.

13.  Set Clear Expectations. The Board Chair and the new Executive Director meet to establish ground rules for communication and define clear expectations for each other.

14.  Plan a Formal Evaluation. A formal evaluation is planned for six months or one year. Board feedback is given to the Director on his or her initial performance in a private meeting.

 © 2008 The Moran Company
"We Find Great Nonprofit Executives"

For more information, see "Hiring a Director for a Nonprofit Agency: A Step-by-Step Guide"
K. Jenne and M. Henderson
Popular Government, Summer 2000