Discussion:
Application: Executive Director Interview
Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector
Use APA FORMAT with Cover sheet Citations and reference pages
The executive director of an NPO is comparable to the chief executive officer (CEO) of a for-profit organization. NPOs tend to use the title of executive director to avoid the business connotation that the title of CEO usually evokes. The executive director personifies the organization, in that he or she typically is the chief spokesperson for the organization and embodies the vision and mission of the NPO. In very small NPOs, the executive director may be the only paid employee in the organization. In this Application, you will interview an executive director and examine his or her role within the organization.
Assignment:
• Review focusing on the information about the role of the executive director within an NPO.
• Select an executive director of an NPO who will agree to an interview.
• Conduct an interview with the executive diretor of the NPO using these interview questions.
• Be sure to listen for specific examples of leadership roles and responsibilities as the person responds to your questions.
• Reflect on the executive director's responses to your questions.
• Think about any insights you gained regarding the function of managers and leaders in NPOs from your interview.
Assignment: (1-2 pages)
• Briefly describe the NPO for which your interviewee is the executive director.
• Analyze the leadership and management roles of the executive director in a summary from your interview that includes specific examples of management and leadership roles fulfilled by him/her.
• Evaluate the extent to which you believe the executive director is effective in his/her role.
• Justify your evaluation.
Readings
• Course Text: Drucker, P. F. (2005). Managing the Nonprofit Organization: Principles and Practices.
o Part 1, "The Mission Comes First" (pp. 3-4 9)
o Part 5, "Developing Yourself" (pp. 189-2 19)
Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the Learning Resources for this course.