I agree that without an ED, there needs to be a point person on the board but that's not enough. I was the volunteer ED who was a board member for years. I had a paying job that obviously demanded my attention. It was also impossible to do a good job on being an ED because I was only on site about once a week. Our organization survived because we had good staff but really didn't thrive until we hired a full-time ED. We're still recovering in terms of structure after years of not addressing issues. Maybe it would work if the volunteer ED was retired but there's no incentive to really learn the ropes since they are not invested in the industry as a career. Would not recommend.
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Elizabeth Johnson
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2024 11:37 AM
From: Elizabeth Finch
Subject: Are there organizations without and ED?
I operated within this environment for years and it is not for the faint of heart. I don't recommend it. My situation is a cautionary tale of why it doesn't work to let a team of directors be in charge. Only an ED should be reporting to the board and even then, your board needs to understand that ED still only has one boss - the board as a whole and the President or other designated officer is their primary point person. So many boards fail hard at understanding this. What would need to happen for this to work is for the board to officially name a board member as unpaid ED and let them do the job. If I could go back in time with what I know now, I would have insisted on this but even then, I don't think it would have worked given the makeup of personalities. And, you'll need someone who can really ride that line between board member and ED. It's completely possible if you have the right mindset. I think the more important factor here is board composition. I would advise evaluating every angle of this before proceeding. Happy to discuss details with you further offline if you want a sounding board.
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Elizabeth Finch
Editor
Community Cats Podcast
GA
Original Message:
Sent: 08-02-2024 08:40 AM
From: Alicia Fortenberry
Subject: Are there organizations without and ED?
Are there any organizations that operate with a team of directors but without an executive director? If so, how does this structure function in practice? Are you satisfied with this arrangement?
#OrganizationalManagement
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Alicia Fortenberry
Clinic /Medical Director
Southern Pines Animal Shetler
MS
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