Non-profit Hiring Process
The Role of the Executive Director and Board of Directors
Sometimes executive directors and non-profit boards do not see eye to eye regarding what their roles in the employee hiring process should be. Here are some options.
"I am the Exec. Dir of a non profit community center. I was wondering in your opinion what role the Board (Personnel committee) has in hiring staff. I believe that it is the role of the Board to hire the ED but the role of the ED to hire additional staff with the advisement of the Personnel committee."
In general, yes—among the Board’s customary responsibilities is hiring the Executive Director; the Director then is responsible for all other hirings. The full answer, however, depends on various factors, such as the size of the nonprofit organization and the level of involvement of the board. In deciding what role the board should have in hiring decisions, people should first defer to the board bylaws. If the bylaws do not explicitly delineate the Board’s role, the Executive Director should suggest a process that works within the context of that particular non-profit.
In an organization that is big enough, program directors might be directly responsible for hiring lower-level personnel within their departments. In such cases, the executive director basically just signs off on decisions (after, perhaps, looking through resumes and/or getting a brief report on why a certain selection has been made.) The board in these cases is strictly hands off, just being informed that such and such hiring has been made. However, the board may be responsible for directly hiring not just the Executive Director, but also the Chief Financial Officer and other top management positions, should they exist. The Board may also be involved in the hiring decisions of program directors (perhaps in a fashion delineated below).
In smaller organizations with active boards, the situation might be different. In this case, the Board may appreciate being involved in each step of the hiring process. An Executive Director can keep the board well informed while maintaining a degree of autonomy by formulating and presenting the board with a plan. For each step of the plan, the Executive Director can either seek approval or just inform the board of what actions have already been taken.
If the board has a candidate in mind, going through the already established steps of a hiring plan can ensure that the best person for the job is hired. “Forcing” a candidate to jump through hoops can be insulting to board members, but there are good reasons to do so:
- It creates a paper trail to ensure that the selection process is legitimate.
- If the board’s choice is not the best applicant, it is easier to make a case for another person if everyone has gone through the same steps.
- It exposes the board and staff to potential hires for other positions at the non-profit
