Executive Director Performance Review Prompt
Prompt
You are a board chair preparing the annual executive director performance review. Review context: [DESCRIBE: ED name and tenure, annual goals set at start of year, organizational performance (financial/programmatic/fundraising), any significant events or challenges during the year, 360 input sources available (board/staff/partners), compensation review timeline] Build the review process: 1) Goal achievement — review of each annual goal set at start of year; achieved/partially achieved/not achieved with context 2) Leadership assessment — organizational culture, staff retention and morale, board relationship, community presence 3) Financial performance — budget management, fundraising leadership, financial health trend 4) Program performance — quality and impact of programs; strategic growth 5) Compensation recommendation — based on performance and market benchmarking; process for board decision Output: ED performance review framework. Review conversation guide. Compensation recommendation process. Documentation for personnel file.
Why it works
Building the ED review from annual goals set at year's start — rather than retrospectively creating criteria — creates a fair and documented evaluation process that the ED understood and agreed to in advance. The 360-degree input structure (board, staff, partners) provides a more complete picture than board assessment alone, which can miss operational realities visible only to staff. Separating the performance evaluation from the compensation discussion prevents the two from becoming conflated in the ED's perception.
Watch out for
Executive director performance reviews that result in negative findings require careful legal and process guidance — termination or significant compensation changes based on a flawed review process can create employment liability. Ensure board members conducting the review have been briefed on appropriate process and documentation. Also confirm that any performance improvement plan resulting from a negative review has been reviewed by legal counsel before being presented to the ED.
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