Non-profits don’t have a top dog

Non-profits have different structures and different groups of people who handle different tasks. It can be difficult to tell who’s the boss from one organization to another. Some will have no employees, and some will have many. Some will have a governance board, and some will have an operating board. It can become increasingly challenging to understand who is that one person that is in charge.

We are trained to look for one person.

The concept of thinking a non-profit has one person who is responsible for everything is a model we see in many other areas of life. There is the principal at the school, the chief of police, or the Premier of the province. Much of our lives are governed by the notion that there is one individual person in charge. Non-profits follow a different format, and it starts with the founding members.

Non-profits don’t have a top dog; they have a pack.

A non-profit often starts as a group of people with common interests. In the early days, that group might be content with meeting for coffee a few times a month, sharing their ideas and supporting each other. Over time, there might be a desire to do a little more and to formalize the group. That’s when talk of becoming a registered non-profit, starts.

As a new non-profit gets going, the founding members will seek out more people with an interest in the work of the organization. It might be clients, it might be potential employees, it might be funders, and it might eventually be members.

From founding members to employees.

A new non profit is required to select a group of people who will act as the board of directors. The founding members will create bylaws to dictate what the board can and cannot do, and each year the board will be required to report to the members if they followed the rules. The board reports to the membership.

Eventually, a non-profit will grow and if funding allows, it will begin to hire paid employees. The first employee a non-profit will hire, is usually an executive director. The board will create policies that dictate what the ED can and cannot do, and each month, will expect a report to learn if the rules were followed. The executive director reports to the board.

People move on, new people join.

Over time, all the people, in all the roles, will change, but the reporting flow remains the same. The membership elects the board to govern, and the board hires the staff to do the work. At the end of the year, the work is reported to the board, which is reported to the members, and if desired, the members can elect a new group to handle things differently in the new year.

The organization grows and matures.

One of the most positive features of having the membership as the collective top dog is that the group itself will change over time. Dated and tired ideas will depart as those members depart. New ideas and new people will join, and the organization will grow and mature [hopefully] on pace with the world around it. There is no reliance on one individual person, to be liked or disliked. Instead, there is a group, and with a group comes a lot more flexibility and creativity.

We can make an impact.

When trying to determine who is the person in charge it really depends on the questions we ask. We can respect the reporting flow by directing governing questions to the board, operational questions to the staff, and if we don’t like the answers, we can become a member and make foundational changes ourselves.

What is the foundational structure of your non-profit? I’d love to know what works for you. If you have questions, and I love questions, I want to know that too! Please use the form on the right side of the page to let me know.

-Christie

…

Hi, I'm Christie Saas, current Executive Director, past board member, and non-profit volunteer. I remember well, those early years when I lacked the training, the confidence, and the work-life balance to focus on becoming the best non-profit leader I could be.

Fast-forward past many bumps in the road, lessons learned, and you’ll find me still in the trenches, but a little wiser, a little calmer, and a whole lot happier. I love my work and I want to help you love yours too.

I created ChristieSaas.com so non-profit leaders never need to feel alone. I’m here to help. If you’re a brand-new non-profit leader, or a little more seasoned, someone who’s looking to make a meaningful contribution and still have time for a full life away from the job, you’re in the right place.

© Christie Saas 2023 All Rights Reserved

…

Want to learn more?

Start with one of my free resources.

FREE Guides