It’s not always about the money: Saying “Thank You” to your Executive Director

Sherry is a sparkly-eyed Executive Director who works hard for a small non-profit. Her salary isn’t bad, but she works a lot of hours and wears many hats: manager, HR counselor, fundraiser, office manager. She attends all Board and committee meetings, acts as the marketing director – you name it. Her board members come and go, but Sherry works to keep the board on an even keel and well informed.

Still, in the ten years Sherry has been the Executive Director, she has had just two job reviews. Only once has a board member ever taken her to lunch, and nobody has sent her a birthday card or work anniversary card since she started. “If someone would just say thank you once in a while,” says Sherry, “it would really make me feel that I had value for the organization, beyond a simple employee status.”

One of the major roles for board members is to manage their key staff. That means evaluating their CEO or executive director annually, checking and comparing their salary levels to maintain current appropriate pay levels, investigating employee benefits and upgrading if appropriate.

I was Executive Director for a small arts council many years ago, and after eight months, I left the position because the board couldn’t deliver with the contractual agreement to provide health insurance. We had the money; the board just couldn’t make a decision, and frankly, didn’t seem to care if the decision was ever made. I thought if the board was that laissez-faire about something that was so important to my security, it was probably the culture of the board that I was never going to reconcile with my own values. Needless to say, I went to work for another non-profit with benefits.

The ED is a critical organizational team member that needs to stay happy beyond the paycheck. The biggest issue facing non-profit organization in the next 20 years is that Boomers are retiring in record numbers. Getting and keeping a great non-profit executive director is going to get harder and more competitive. Salaries and benefits will need to entice good management to stay, and a board culture of consistent appreciation and recognition for key staff will add to the camaraderie and trust between board and staff. Beyond annual job reviews, below are four things I have heard Executive Directors say they would love to have happen:

1. Scheduled lunches with the Board President. No agenda – just a casual lunch to check in on how things are going. The best boss I ever had would finish every phone conversation or lunch meeting with “Is there anything I can do to help you do your work?” There hardly ever was, but it meant a lot that he even cared to say it.
2. Handwritten thank you notes from any board member any time noting a piece of work well done by the Executive Director.
3. A phone call or handshake at meetings with a sincere “thank you for your hard work with us."
4. A special work anniversary gift, such as a massage, coffee card, office gift, a day off, with a card signed by the whole board. I was president for two years of a start-up non-profit that trains board members. We sent our Executive Director and her husband to the coast for two days after our big annual board training conference. It was an inexpensive but nice hotel on the beach, and she loved it.

The next time you have board meeting, schedule in a time to discuss management of key staff: When and how annual reviews take place, research and update job benefits, and build in ways during the year your Board can say “thank you” to key staff. It’s easy, it’s fun, and you’ll be surprised how rewarding it can be to build a culture of trust and positive feelings.