Planting in salted earth?

December 12, 2015 3:01 PM

I may have the opportunity to take over a non-profit in which the old ED was run out of town for essentially burning all bridges very publicly, alienating important political connections, significantly damaging the reputation of the organization, as well as losing about 50% of donors along the way. All in about 5 years. So two questions...

1. Should I be running away from this as fast as humanly possible?

2. If I don't run away and decide to take the job and try to repair the damage, what should my first step be?

posted by Toddles to Work & Money (9 answers total)

1 -- Not if you're willing to work your ass off. In many ways, it's a no-lose situation -- if you fail, it's because you were inheriting an irreparable organization; if you succeed, you're a miracle worker.

2 -- Can you change the name of the organization? Make a whole thing of how the organization is making a transition to a new (possibly stripped-down) mission focus. The people who know the story of the old ED will recognize what you're doing, and the people who don't will soon forget that Toddles' New Non-Profit used to be ED's Old Non-Profit that was all fucked up.
posted by Etrigan at 3:10 PM on December 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

1. Not necessarily, but you have to ask yourself, why did the board let things go on for so long? Is it because the old ED had his supporters, which would indicate a divided board? And if so, divided why, if the damage is as clear as you describe?

2. First step? Negotiate a good contract.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 3:16 PM on December 12, 2015 [10 favorites]

Make you actually have the support/mandate/budget to fix things. Also, I agree with the comment above-- are you sure it was all the fault of the ED? What role did the board and other executives play? How much of that legacy is left in the organisation?
posted by frumiousb at 3:22 PM on December 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

Here's a success story from Charlotte, where I live:

Restoring Trust at a Non-Profit Giant
Just Jane

The most important question I'd ask you is, do you believe in the cause? This organization likely needs not just a leader, but an unabashed evangelist. Make sure you have the energy and enthusiasm you'll need to sustain yourself, because righting a sinking ship is hard work.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 4:32 PM on December 12, 2015

If you haven't read it before, get a copy of "Getting to yes." It is short and research based. A meatier research based book is The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator by Leigh Thompson. Get a copy. Then get a book on fundraising. I can't find the specific one I wanted to recommend, but there are lots out there.

I would try to position it as "under new management", basically. If possible, get a list of the donors that quit and come up with a good letter that thanks them for their previous support, informs them of changes they might be interested in, and invites them back. This may rake time to develop. Whatever you do, Thank them for their previous support.

I have heard podcasts in the past on this very subject. There is no real downside here. If you fail, you were expected to fail. If you succeed, you look like a hero and can practically write your own ticket for future jobs of this ilk.

You will need to learn to have extremely good boundaries. You will be dealing with a lot of negativity at first. You will need to be able to be understanding and compassionate to other people who are hurt and angry while not taking it personally.
posted by Michele in California at 4:36 PM on December 12, 2015 [2 favorites]

If you can take it on a reputation as a turnaround specialist can be incredibly remunerative.
posted by sammyo at 5:11 PM on December 12, 2015 [4 favorites]

I do think this could be a great opportunity for you, but agree that you should probably look into the situation with the board. Are the people who allowed the ED to be so toxic for so long (5 years???) still there?

If so, I'd stay away, because that's the actual source of dysfunction right there, and board composition isn't something you'd be able to fix as new ED.

If it's a completely new board, or the problem people are gone, that's a much better situation to step into.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:41 PM on December 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

Turnaround is very specialty. I do it but it is extremely stressful and I am on the road a lot. There is a fairer chance you can salvage the non-profit in less than two years if you are really dedicated to asking former donors back early and then hiring someone or recruiting in house for someone to manage those connections for you, as a significant change from the predecessor's status quo. Negotiate a target over the short and long term but twist the board's arm to commit at least seven hours of time each month to making calls on behalf of the business plan they agree for the time it takes to rebuild the donor/funder pipeline.
posted by parmanparman at 6:29 PM on December 12, 2015 [3 favorites]

1. Would this be, on paper at least, a big jump for your career? Sometimes you need to compromise or take risks to get a big new title. (Remember that for 90%+ searches for CEOs and Executive Directors, the most important qualification is "has already been a CEO or Executive Director".)

2. Do politicians matter here because the organization is a big grant recipient or government contractor? If so, are grants and contracts also down by 50%?

3. Understand that a 50% decline in any significant revenue line is very hard to come back from. This is not a typical turn-around gig ... and it might well be a Hail Mary pass. Don't take this job if you aren't willing to fail or be seen as failing.

4. Has the organization made the required spending cuts? If not, are you able and willing to be the person who does the zero-based budget review, lays off a bunch of people, and ends programs that a lot of staff / donors / beneficiaries are invested in?

If all of the above makes sense to you -- ask the Board Chairman to set up a dinner with you and several of the biggest donors. Topic of dinner: what would it take for you to double your contributions? Another dinner with the biggest former donors; topic: what it would take for you to give as much as you used to give? My guess is you'll emerge from those dinners knowing exactly whether this is a job you should take.
posted by MattD at 5:52 AM on December 13, 2015 [3 favorites]