Being a Nonprofit Executive Director: Answering Viewer Questions

[@livingwatertv777]

Hello Amber This is Pastor Naeem I'm happy to see you ..as i told you before i have a church and the church building is under the construction,church is in the very backword area where no access to water properly,nor education system properly,nor electricity management good,so it is very necessary to build there church building to grow the facilities of the community and future of our child ...so it's a humble apeal to Nonprofit Executive Director please financially support us to build the church building and keep thinking about to future of our christian community future here..🙏🙏🙏

[@dotpenji]

Hi Amber, kudos for creating such informative and engaging content on social impact and nonprofit leadership! Your videos are a valuable resource for those in the nonprofit sector. One key takeaway I got from this video is the importance of understanding your personal work style and how it aligns with the nonprofit environment. Your insight into the differences between startup cultures and more established organizations was enlightening. I'd love to hear more about your personal experiences. Can you share a specific moment from your journey as an Executive Director that taught you a valuable lesson or had a significant impact on your approach to nonprofit leadership?

[@AmberMelanieSmith]

Yes, definitely! Starting as a founder, you have to do a lot of the functions yourself - at one point in my org's life I was the fundraiser, marketing pro, website builder, social media manager, program and project coordinator - all at once. As our team grew, I found it hard to detach from some of that work I'd learned to lead; I think I could have stepped back earlier and coached my staff faster to be empowered to lead those things sooner.

[@AmberMelanieSmith]

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[@jasonmorin2399]

Thank you so much for answering my questions, Amber!

[@AmberMelanieSmith]

You are so welcome!

[@carolinadiazlemus6738]

Hi I am Carolina from second chance training center, we are a new nonprofit, where could I get seed grants??

[@AmberMelanieSmith]

Check out my video about sites where you can research grants! Could be a good starting point. :)

[@krazykc06]

How long did it take before your organization could hire an ED?

[@AmberMelanieSmith]

Several years! I talk about some of the mistakes I made in another video (7 Mistakes I made starting a nonprofit) but if I could go back and do things differently I know how I'd cut the time down significantly to arrive at that milestone.

[@seizeself-loveself-care9869]

Thank you for the video. I am retired so I don’t work. I’ve been developing systems, forms, and policies while preparing to start the non profit. I will be the ED and board chair but don’t want to do it indefinitely. Should I put in the bylaws that I’ll hold both roles for a period of one year, during the startup phase only. Also how would I tell the board that I’d like let’s say $1,000 per month, while it’s in the start up? Does the ED salary appear as an agenda item in future meetings, as we grow? Thank you again!

[@generations-now]

I don’t think one year is long enough. You’ll need at least five years to build it up so you have enough revenue to pay a new executive Director with decent salary.

[@AmberMelanieSmith]

I would be careful about being overly specific in the Bylaws, because the IRS will hold you to whatever your Bylaws say and if you violate them you could be penalized. As for the salary - does your organization already have thousands of dollars in the bank to be able to pay the ED? You'll need to have some saved up to start. Negotiating what you'd like with the Board is just a matter of talking it out with them :) But they would have to vote and you can't vote for anything that benefits yourself, that would be a conflict of interest.

[@seizeself-loveself-care9869]

@@AmberMelanieSmith Got it. Thanks.

[@seizeself-loveself-care9869]

@@generations-now Thank you. I don’t plan to give up the ED only the board chair position. I don’t want to do both long-term.

[@janlethoko1244]

Hi I am Jan from south africa this side we short with funding to pursue the fundamental point of skills development so how can you help us

[@AmberMelanieSmith]

Check out some of my fundraising videos, they may help you think through strategy!