What I WISH I'd known About Being an Executive Director

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to be a great executive director, you’re not alone.
After all, you don’t study it at school. And if you’re like many ED’s or aspiring ED’s, you probably worked your way up through the nonprofit world by doing it all yourself. And that skill set isn’t what will take you to the next level.
Enter Erik Hanberg...
After getting thrown into the fire in the nonprofit world at the age of 23, Erik worked for a variety of nonprofits both big and small. And after learning how things were done at the best nonprofits, he asked himself a simple question:
“What if I could teach my younger self what I wish I’d known about running a nonprofit?" His answer turned into a series of books on how to be a more effective nonprofit leader.
And in this episode of A Modern Nonprofit Podcast, Erik joins us to talk about how YOU can be a more effective Executive Director.
From plunging toilets, to fundraising, to dealing with the board, this episode has a bit of everything.
So jump right in and enjoy!
In this episode, you'll discover...
- What it means to a “small” or “very small” nonprofit (2:28)
- The #1 thing Erik wants every nonprofit ED to know (4:18)
- Why your goal should be to “work yourself out of a job” (8:18)
- The “4 D’s” to accelerating your nonprofit’s growth (10:24)
- Tosha’s top tip for simplifying documenting your processes (13:20)
- Why the board-ED relationship can be so challenging (15:11)
- 3 steps for dealing with a micromanaging board of directors (18:13)
Erik Hanberg has spent nearly 20 years working with nonprofits. In addition to serving as the director of two nonprofits, he has worked for nonprofits in marketing and fundraising, and served on boards and committees for more than a dozen organizations, often in leadership roles. He is the author of four books for nonprofits, focusing on fundraising, social media, and board governance. He was elected as a Metro Parks Tacoma Commissioner in 2011, a junior municipality with an annual operating budget of $50+ million.
Thanks for watching. Be sure to subscribe for new episodes every week!
For more nonprofit accounting resources check out www.thecharitycfo.com
For more information on his consulting services or to buy Erik’s books, visit ForNonProfits.com
You can find the “Book Bundle” Offer that Erik mentions in the episode here: forsmallnonprofits.com/produc...
Want to listen to A Modern Nonprofit?
🎧 Find our podcast on AnchorFM
anchor.fm/amodernnonprofitpod...
🎧 Find out podcast on Apple Podcasts
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

[@erinpompa]

This is great and I defiantly needed this. Thank you for the insight and perspective.

[@Marnwhite59]

This is exactly where I am… this Change Management is exactly where I am. This has to be done but it doesn’t have to be me. Thank you so much for this

[@TheCharityCFO]

Thanks for your thoughts. We really enjoyed this conversation and thought it would resonate. Feel free to share with others in your network that might benefit from the message!

[@ripegrapes6108]

it would be much better if the interviewer has talked less and listened to the speaker more without making any comments :)

[@janissevalenzuela]

Agree 💯

[@bestymusic4845]

Hello and good afternoon I am opening a charity which will involve people with mental health issues. I not sure who I can use for directors ? would be grateful thanks