Michelle Anderson, President and CEO
Updated: December 23, 2024
Rethinking nonprofit leadership: 4 ideas to find your next great hire
By Michelle Anderson, Junior Achievement of Maine
When hiring for an executive position within a non-profit there are certain metrics a board will be looking for the “right” candidate to meet.
Certainly, there are academic and experiential requirements, as well as skill sets that are acquired over the long arc of a career. It makes sense then that many executive directors or presidents of organizations are those who have been in the workforce for decades. They have had the time to build illustrious careers and garner experience that align with an open position.
Other — more unexpectedly important — skills that set a candidate apart include passion, grit, and vision. Non-profit leaders need to be visionaries and dreamers — and they need to be creative and scrappy to actualize those visions with limited resources.
The vitality of nonprofits rests in how relevant they continue to make themselves to the community at large. This requires ceaseless energy and a creative approach to partnerships and development. While both categories of these characteristics — skill sets and passion — co-exist in candidates at any stage in their career, prospective hires who are closer to the starting line of theirs, and see an organization’s mission through wide, starry eyes, can breathe life into a non-profit for decades to come.
A younger applicant may not have a professional legacy, but they may bring certain attributes that act as a guarantor for a successful hire.
Here are four ways to approach hiring the new leader of your organization.
Look within your organization
Speaking from my own experience, I started out at as an intern at Junior Achievement of Maine (JA Maine). Seeing JA Maine’s impact was so inspiring, and kept me with the organization, turning my internship into employment.
As an employee, I’ve held roles in event management, marketing, and programming which has provided a vantage point of every aspect of the organization and allowed me to develop relationships with community partners.
Valuing a hire for the passion they bring to a role can balance skill sets that need polishing. Skills can be taught; passion is intrinsic. Seek a candidate who brings enthusiasm and unwavering dedication to the table. Sometimes those special candidates are diligently working within the organization already.
Build a talent pipeline with an internship program
Internships offer both the student and the organization the chance to see the other in action. It’s an excellent test run that could create a pathway to potential hires.
In collaboration with other organizations serving Maine students, Junior Achievement provides stepping-stones to Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO’s). A Maine Department of Education program, ELO’s emphasize community-based learning with experiences held outside the classroom, and count as academic credit. They include paid internships and work skills development, with a focus on real world opportunities. With partners, JA Maine provides introductory steps toward harnessing an ELO by offering job shadow experiences at companies throughout Maine; as well as JA Titan, a business simulation experience placing students in the CEO role.
According to this NewsCenter Maine article, there are roughly fifty ELO’s throughout the state, which help students tailor internships around specific skill sets and interests. As pointed out in an Mainebiz article — written by the publication’s own intern, Boden Terry — both students and companies benefit from internship programs. Companies reference successful ideas, streamlined administrative tasks, and fresh energy as some of the benefits of having an intern as part of the team.
I joined Junior Achievement as an intern. It was such a valuable decision on both my part and the organization’s. I never saw myself in the nonprofit arena, and working as an intern showcased skill sets that aligned perfectly with the nature of the work, opening the door to opportunity for the role I have now.
Double down on collaboration
JA Maine doesn’t work in silos. A major focus of this work is building relationships and learning from all of JA Maine’s stakeholders — the team, board, educators, volunteers, partners. This has helped me grow as a leader and a professional.
Hiring isn’t just about filling an open position, it’s an opportunity to review the direction of an organization. If you’re part of a hiring committee, encourage your board to refer candidates from their network and take on the role of coach or mentor to the selected candidate. Inspire your board to extend their involvement beyond the conference table and become excited by the opportunity to build the future of your organization by attracting and retaining top talent.
This collaboration made JA Maine stronger and cultivated deeper ties to its work within both its team and board members.
Consider ethos over experience
In some cases, what a person lacks in experience they make up for in mindset and spirit.
Stepping into the president and CEO role six years after joining JA Maine as an intern, I knew I was devoted to its mission which was bolstered by the unique perspective I brought through my experience of holding so many other positions within the organization.
An aspect that has supported my work and career trajectory is that I consider myself a lifelong learner. I believe this to be a vital characteristic; in a nonprofit you must be resourceful, innovative and gritty, and always be willing to try something new.
Understanding an applicant’s purpose gives you a good idea of how they will approach tough days in the position. Their “why” motivates them to keep going. Tease this out in an interview, and continuously ask them to expand on their intrinsic drive, what roots them in their work, and what they love about the community they will serve.
Hiring executive leaders is always a daunting task. I hope these ideas inspire you to start building bridges for future hiring needs within your organization, or consider candidates who might not tick all the job description boxes, but have the energy and drive to succeed. It’s never too early to start planning and never too late to try something new.
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