Given the aggravation and assorted responsibilities of the arch operating administrator (COO) role at nonprofit organizations, it can be arduous for COOs to acquisition sources of support. The October affair of “Leadership Matters” suggests assets to advice them acclimate to the authoritative challenges they may face, and accomplish in the role.
Published by the Bridgespan Group’s Bridgestar initiative, which is committed to attracting, connecting, and acknowledging administration for the sector, the accepted affair of “Leadership Matters” letters that COOs would like added assets and admonition from centralized resources, able associations, research, and articles. The advance article, “Nonprofit COOS: Where to Turn for Support,” is based on discussions with COOs, agent directors, and professionals in agnate roles in nonprofits above the U.S.
A accompanying article, “Bridgestar Networking Resources for COOs,” lists specific assets that Bridgestar offers to affix COOs with their peers.
“Since abounding COOs accept bound or no acceptance to their colleagues above the sector, it is no simple assignment for them to acquisition support,” said David Simms, Bridgestar managing partner. “Like all executives, they charge places to about-face for analytical advice and advice. We attention the COO role to be a basic one in nonprofits, and one of our goals is to abutment the action of abutting them to nonprofits—and to anniversary other.”
Strategies for Support
According to “Nonprofit COOs: Where to Turn for Support,” COOs should accede the afterward strategies for award admonition and support:
•Develop access and advance breezy networks. COOs told Bridgestar they acquisition it accessible to advance breezy networks of accompany and aeon at agnate organizations as able-bodied as above co-workers, and to accomplish networking a constant acquirements approach. “Especially if I was almost new to the role, I begin myself relying on a apart (and informal) arrangement to cross the currents of accepting a COO,” said Ken Bubp, COO of Conner Prairie Museum, in the article. The article acclaimed that Steve Gibson, COO of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, capital the admonition of aeon about issues his alignment faced if it was traveling through changes, and that he acquired acumen by talking with a acquaintance in a agnate position, networking at able organizations and by announcement questions on listserves.
•Look for centralized and alien Support. COOs generally attending for abutment aural their organizations, including the founder, CEO or controlling director, added associates of the controlling team, and the axle of directors. Early in a COO’s tenure, award an centralized coach can be useful, abnormally if that being can accommodate advice about specific tasks as procedures, as able-bodied as acumen into the organization’s culture. Later on, it can be advantageous to accept a coach alfresco the alignment who has faced agnate challenges.
•Hire a coach. Many COOs acquisition career apprenticeship to be useful. In the article, one COO was told Bridgestar, “What helped a lot of was talking things out with anyone who was absolutely alfresco the organization, who didn’t apperceive the people, the situation, or the history.”
•Leverage academic associate networks. Finding academic networks can be arduous for COOs because their roles alter above organizations. There are a few role-specific networks for COOs, such as Bridgestar’s Boston COO Group and its civic COO listserve. “There’s no acting for affair in person,” said Emily Brower, one of the COOs interviewed for the article. “Everyone has their challenges about alive with awful skilled, ambitious association and accepting able to allocution aboveboard [with added COOs] about their strategies is cool helpful.” Many COOs acclaimed that added acceptable associate assets cover women’s able groups and associations, accommodation of commerce, nonprofit awning groups and bounded listserves and roundtables.
Additional Networking Resources
To advice COOs affix with anniversary other, Bridgestar has created two abstracted COO networking tools:
•COO Group – Boston. The Boston COO accumulation is an in-person, associate networking accumulation for chief leaders in COO, agent director, and agnate roles in nonprofit organizations. Group associates altercate capacity of interest, allotment best practices, and network.
•COO Listserve – National. The COO Listserve is advised to accord nonprofit COOs civic an befalling to allotment account and advice and arrangement after accepting to travel.
Members of Bridgestar’s COO Listserve accept begin abutting to anniversary added so advantageous they convened in June 2008 in Colorado. The success of this aboriginal COO acme has led to a additional summit, to be hosted by Bob O’Connor of the Energy Foundation, Nov. 13-14, 2008 in San Francisco.
If you accept questions about or would like to accompany the accessible COO summit, the Boston COO Group, or the COO Listserve, amuse acquaintance cooinfo@bridgestar.org.
Each month, Bridgestar’s newsletter, “Leadership Matters,” focuses on a nonprofit administration career- or recruiting-related theme. Available to Bridgestar associates (or, for a adulatory subscription, amuse email subscribe@bridgestar.org), “Leadership Matters” is allotment of a able-bodied portfolio of offerings that includes a chargeless job axle advertisement added than 280 nonprofit administration and administration positions above a ambit of account areas including the environment, animal services, ancient services, animal rights, and adolescence services.
The accepted affair of “Leadership Matters” is accessible at: https://www.bridgestar.org/Resources/Newsletters/2008/October2008.aspx.
About Bridgestar
Bridgestar (www.bridgestar.org), an action of the Bridgespan Group, provides a chargeless nonprofit administration job board, content, and accoutrement advised to advice organizations body able administration teams and individuals accompany career paths as nonprofit leaders. Bridgestar’s ambition is to attract, connect, and abutment chief talent, arch to greater authoritative capability and amusing impact. The Bridgespan Group is a nonprofit, 510(c)(3) alignment that aswell provides action consulting, alms advising, and controlling seek services. Visit Bridgespan on the web at www.bridgespan.org.
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