Nancy: The cost of replacing an over-stressed and approaching burnout Executive Director will be even more costly---and not just in terms of money--to an organization should any such non-profit work to develop a “case” for anything other than for the organization’s board to determine the reasons for the malfunctions, and then to act if corrections can be made or not. I might be missing something here, but I would never put forth an arbitrary argument in favor of keeping someone in the most key staff job who is not doing the job---especially if she or he cannot do the job.
One of the board’s key duties is to evaluate the performance of the Executive Director to the ED’s job description. A properly governed organization cannot put that exacting and critical process aside to simply come up with what would surely be seen as allowing undesirable performance in favor of saving money to hire a new ED. Consider how that would look to donors, prospective donors, volunteers, other staff, not to mention the poor ED---and to the community in general.
I respectfully submit that you will not find any material which cites the cost of replacing an ED. You will, I am sure, find how such transitions are made and made smoothly. You’ll never find a “case” to justify keeping any employee who is not working up to expectations and to prior agreements and who is beset by serious mental and physical strain. The poor soul could very well develop serious health problems.
Justifying the retention in the job of such an individual for only the sake of keeping her or him on to save money, will surely turn out to be a disaster all around. Better to first evaluate and make any possible changes in the job or the conditions and resources under which that person is working with the best interests of all involved. If this will not work, the ED must go.
Tony Poderis
~~~~~~~~~
Fund Raising Forum Library: Forty-Five articles to Date
http://www.raise-funds.com/library.html
Latest: “A Campaign Deferred is a Campaign Defeated"
(Permission to reproduce any material is not required)
