The good folks at LightBox Collaborative have taken it upon themselves to declare next Thursday, November 18, a new holiday: National Nonprofit Executive Director Appreciation Day.
Who would argue with the idea that nonprofit executive directors deserve our thanks? Being an executive director is an extremely difficult job, requiring a broad range of professional skills, from leadership ability to financial acumen, and a strategic mind to marketing chops. Let’s not forget interpersonal skills like facilitation and mediation, plus a way with communications.
The job involves considerable sacrifices too, often involving long hours for low pay—usually far lower than what the same people could earn in the private sector. However, money is not the motivation. Our nonprofit executive directors have dedicated their career to a cause. They advocate for a healthier environment, provide services to those in need, fight for social and economic justice—simply put, they do good. For these reasons and many more, we at LightBox Collaborative believe nonprofit executive directors deserve their own day to be celebrated.
Cheeky? Definitely. Do ED’s deserve it? Of course!
This is all in support of CompassPoint’s new Daring the Lead survey, which is in the field now. So if you’re an executive director, why not take a few minutes to respond? The deadline to reply is November 19.
