Laura Zabel | Rosetta Thurman

How’d You Get That Job? The Story of a Thirtysomething Executive Director

This is a guest post by Laura Zabel, executive director of Springboard for the Arts, an organization out of St.Paul, Minnesota which connects artists with resources. Laura previously appeared on my radio show for the special episode, A Day in the Life of a Young Nonprofit Executive Director.

When I present at conferences or meet with people who are interested in nonprofit careers, there is always at least someone who asks me, “So, how’d you get that job?” When I first started 5 years ago, this question stung a bit (in the same category as “Wow, you’re younger than I expected.”) But now, as I’ve proved to myself that I can do this job, I see that people are just genuinely curious about my career path and how, after holding positions as an executive assistant and then a development manager at mid-size organizations, I came to be the executive director of a 20 year old organization at 30. So, I’ve tried to pull some useful tips from my experience for other emerging leaders hoping to make the transition to an executive director role:

Apply for it. That’s my flip answer, but it’s also true. I think sometimes, emerging leaders spend a lot of time pointing out how few younger executive directors there are in the field and assuming that no one would hire them for those positions without actually going for it and throwing their hat in the ring. I remember very clearly reading the job description for my position to my husband and telling him, “That’s like my dream job in 10 years.” and he said, “Well, then maybe you should apply for it.” Oh, right. It’s very hard to get a job you didn’t apply for.
Passion for the mission. It wasn’t (and still isn’t) my dream to be an executive director, it was my dream to change my community and to help and advocate for artists. I know that I probably wouldn’t have had an interview for an ED position at a different organization, but a real, authentic passion for the mission is hard to ignore. I was a constituent of the organization and invested in the community that the organization serves. When I hire new staff now, this is my number one criteria.
Figure out how to add up all your experiences to equal something more than the parts. In my previous jobs I’d taken on a lot of new projects and tasks that weren’t originally part of my job (who doesn’t do this at small orgs, right?) and I was able to show the hiring committee that having all those experiences made me familiar with a lot of different facets of running an organization. I served on the board of a tiny organization. I’d also started and run one major side project that showed that I could, in fact, be in charge of things like budgets and people (even if they were all volunteers!)
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to find organizations that might be willing to take a risk on you, you’re going to have to take a risk on them. The fact is, the job I have now, wasn’t the job I applied for 5 years ago. There were some pretty big issues facing the organization – financially, strategically, and brand-wise. It was a job that people with a lot more experience than me probably didn’t want or couldn’t afford to take. But the organization also had a strong history, and a really engaged staff and board, who were committed to the mission and willing to do the work to set a new vision. They took a big risk on me and they were also willing to continue to support and mentor me, which made me feel comfortable taking a risk on them.

Laura Zabel is the Executive Director of Springboard for the Arts. Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Springboard for the Arts is a leader in the field of artist service and provides arts focused economic, business and career development services for artists of all disciplines and at all stages of their careers. Since 1978, Springboard has served more than 70,000 artists and cultural organizations throughout the upper Midwest.

In 2010, Laura was named one of Twin Cities Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty and Springboard won the Social Entrepreneur’s Cup award which recognizes Minnesota’s most innovative and effective social entrepreneur and the organization they lead. Laura has been a featured presenter at the National Association of Artists Organizations conference and the National Performing Arts Convention. She has presented classes and workshops on nonprofit organizations, fiscal sponsorship, fundraising and other topics for groups all across the Midwest. Laura serves on the City of Saint Paul Cultural STAR Board. In addition to her work at Springboard, Laura is an actor in the Twin Cities and has worked with companies such as Theatre in the Round and the Brave New Workshop. Laura has her undergraduate degree in theatre from the University of Kansas, where she serves on the Professional Advisory Board for the Department of Theatre. You can connect with Laura on Twitter @laurazabel

You Don’t Have to Be 40 Years Old to Be a Nonprofit Executive Director

Did you miss yesterday’s live broadcast of A Day in the Life of a Young Nonprofit Executive Director? You missed an amazing discussion, but have no fear. You can click on the link or listen below to the archived show.

On my radio show yesterday, we had an incredible discussion about leadership with four nonprofit executive directors under 40 (see their full bios here):

Trista Harris, Headwaters Foundation for Justice
John Mark Eberhardt, The Steward’s Staff
Bridget Clark Whitney, Kids Food Basket
Laura Zabel, Springboard for the Arts

In a special 90 minute episode, my guest shared insights about the paths they took to become an executive director, the responsibilities they have as the head of the organization, how they use social media in their leadership role, their strategies for managing staff, how they build relationships with funders, and their approach to work/life balance. They even talked about their salaries!

It was probably the most candid radio show I’ve had so far. What did listeners think?

Last year’s report, Ready to Lead? Next Generation Leaders Speak Out painted a grim picture of the future of nonprofit leadership and the barriers young people face in becoming executive directors. Yet Trista, John Mark, Bridget and Laura debunked all the myths and proved that young people CAN lead and we can do it OUR way. You can read my detailed notes on Twitter using #youngeds. But here are my main takeaways from the conversation. What were yours?

Young People Already Have the Skills to Lead

Both Trista and Laura said they found their ED jobs about 10 years before they thought they were ready. But they realized that they were ready much earlier than that, because they got the jobs! Trista said it was a stretch to move into that leadership role, but you realize you already know most of what you have to do. All of my guests had a ton of skills when they came into the job, and were able to leverage them along with their mentors (and “antimentors’) to help them in their ED job. One Twitter listener put it this way:

The Path to Leadership is Not Linear

Each of my guests took a wildly different path to becoming an ED. Bridget went from being an intern to ED because she was the one who helped the founder during the start of the organization. John Mark founded his nonprofit after many successful and financially lucrative roles in the corporate world. Trista went from being a fundraiser to a grantmaker to running an entire foundation. And Laura used both her passion and skills in the arts to parlay into her ED role. There is no one size fits all path to get to the top job, if that’s what you aspire to do. Taking the risk and putting yourself out there was the only common thread to success for my guests.

Young People Hate Hierarchy and Seek to Change the System

What was most interesting to me was that each of my guests have created a flat/collaborative/empowering management structure in their organizations. None of them are fond of micromanagement by their board or of micromanaging their staff. What that says to me is young people hate hierarchy and when given the opportunity to lead, they will change the system. All of my guests value and trust the wisdom of the team. Bridget tells a story of having staff who are all older than she is, so she uses email as little as possible. John Mark talks about the challenge of enforcing the vision when your staff are your peers. Yet none of my guests use their top-down prerogative to keep staff in check. Another interesting theme was that both Bridget and John Mark pay some of their staff more than they earn as an ED, either because their staff have more experience than they do or because they choose to sacrifice so their staff can be happy with their compensation.

Salary is Relative and Can Be Enhanced

None of my guests seemed thrilled with their salaries, but their happiness with their jobs outweighed any monetary benefits. None of them do this job for the money, but the passion for the work. Laura put it perfectly:

If you think the executive director job is too much work for too little pay, you’re right.

Guest agreed that everyone has a choice to make more money in other sectors, but if you want this job with more money, you have to use your leadership to change it. Bridget shared that her board agreed to pay for her Master’s degree – sweet! Guests also shared ways that they enhance their income – through consulting, speaking engagements, and Trista even started a drycleaning business and sells products like Do Good Guides through her blog.

Work/Life Balance is Up to You

All of my guests benefit from spending time with their spouse and family when times get tough on the job. John Mark prays with his wife every morning and maintains a weekly date night. Trista tries to combine work travel with family time, such as her recent speaking engagement in Puerto Rico that she turned into a family vacation.

These are just a few highlights from the conversation, so be sure to listen to the entire discussion here! And if you know Trista, John Mark, Bridget or Laura, please thank them for sharing their precious time with us!

P.S. There will be no show next week in celebration of Thanksgiving! Be sure to mark your calendars for Wednesday December 2, 12pm EST: What Should Racial Diversity Look Like in the Nonprofit Sector with three very special guests!