Advice for first year Executive Director from Jerry Sinclair, President of Faithful and True of Jacksonville, Inc.
1. Never stop prospecting for new donors or new volunteers
2. Keep an eye on the finances. I have a treasurer, but I am still responsible for the financial health of the charity.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate Keep your board informed.
4. Inspect what you expect. If you ask anyone (paid staff or volunteer) to do a task, quietly check to make sure it is done properly.
5. While staying humble, be confident when doing the right thing. Your integrity will be tested more often than in the for-profit world.
6. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask for help. It is far worse to tackle a problem the wrong way in ignorance. Better to admit up front if you are in need of help.
7. Keep the charity mission statement at the forefront of everything you do. Make it a habit to review all of your tasks and directives to make sure they are within the mission statement guidelines.
8. Be prepared to say NO early and often. You and your charity may be asked to do some good things, but it may be outside the DNA of your charity’s ability or staffing resource.
9. Make staff and board meetings timely, efficient and as short as possible.
10. Have FUN!
So many of these suggestions apply to homeschool leaders too!