Executive Director Training
Transform your nonprofit leadership with training programs designed BY executive directors FOR executive directors.
Executive Director Boot Camp
Running a nonprofit organization is an amazing opportunity. But being an Executive Director can also be scary, lonely, stressful, and incredibly hard. As a sector, we haven’t done enough to prepare our nonprofit leaders for success. For most Executive Directors, there is no manual, no training, and your bosses (the board) are rarely equipped to help!
You need someone in your corner. Well, help is here!
Mind the Gap’s Executive Director Boot Camp training is designed by a successful five-time nonprofit Executive Director exclusively for Executive Directors like you.
Whether you’re a first-time Executive Director or taking on new leadership challenges, our training is designed to help you:
Master the 10 key areas of nonprofit management, including what matters and what doesn’t — so you can save your sanity.
Save time and frustration with access to a wealth of world-class tools, checklists, sample policies, templates, contracts, and more.
Learn to protect your career and your salary — while still making a difference in the world.
Build your confidence and resilience, and feel less alone as a nonprofit Executive Director.
Walk away with a step-by-step roadmap for running any nonprofit.
And much, much more…
Just a slice of what’s inside…
FREE WEBINAR TRAINING: Executive Director MasterClass
Executive Director MasterClass: Learn how to run any nonprofit
FREE WEBINAR Training: Executive Director MasterClass
3 Expert Strategies to Slay Your Doubts, Boost Your Confidence and Career
Ready to take your leadership to the next level?
Learn how to crush imposter syndrome and isolation with a mindset makeover. Use our proven strategies to find and build a network of nonprofit leaders who will have your back. You’ll also get expert tips to advance your career while avoiding rookie mistakes.
Media Skills Crash Course for Nonprofits
Tell Your Story, Build Your Brand, Magnify Your Impact
Reach Millions Through Earned Media with These Essential Tips.
Being able to tell your organization’s story with quick soundbites or smart visuals can be the difference between “speaking to the choir” or having a national audience. The skills you develop talking to reporters will also transform your fundraising and your confidence.
With our nonprofit media skills training you’ll learn to:
Practice and develop an effective message
Build a press kit
Write news releases, news advisories, and Op-Eds
Work confidently with print and broadcast reporters
Build and maintain a media contact list
Get free media coverage for your organization
Handle tough questions and plan media events
How to Implement a 4-Day Workweek
More Balance - Less Burnout
Burnout is endemic in the nonprofit sector. We’re all working long hours for little pay. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
As nonprofit Executive Directors, you can have the same workload and pay, with fewer hours... and I'll show you how.
This training will help you:
Save money by shutting down the office one day a week
Build goodwill and loyalty because you value worker's rest and work-life balance
Learn creative ways to get more work into fewer hours without the burnout
Retain your best people and attract more and better applicants than you've ever had
Maintain high productivity, even with fewer work hours
Do even more than this ^
Top 10 Responsibilities of a Nonprofit Executive Director
Master these and you can run any nonprofit…. really!
A nonprofit executive director is responsible for 10 areas, and this training will show you what to focus on, so you can make the most of your impact!
After this training, you will:
Know exactly what 10 areas to focus on in your job as a nonprofit ED
Be able to ask questions live of a 5x ED who has seen it ALL
Understand how all the 10 areas are connected to run a nonprofit
Understand key terminology
Better understand the division of labor between the board, the ED and others
25+ Tips for More Pay and Less Stress for Executive Directors
Nonprofit leadership doesn’t have to burn you out and pay a poverty wage.
Many of us believe we shouldn’t make a good salary or anything close to what the private sector makes as a nonprofit leader… but it’s all about priorities!
In this training, I’ll show you 25+ ways that you can increase your pay, protect your career, and reduce your stress - so you can:
Identify immediate things you can do to protect your reputation, job, and career
Take control of your day, schedule, workload, and job description
Use the organization's budget to lead with people-first values
Shift your mindset about what it means to work "nonprofit"
Stand in your power and confidence about the value you deliver and what compensation should come with
See that an employment contract helps everyone in the organization
And so much more!
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![- Taryn Gal | Managing Director, Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health]()
- Taryn Gal | Managing Director, Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health
“ED Boot Camp has provided greatly needed clarity to the rarely clear-cut and oftentimes ambiguous ever-changing responsibilities of an ED of a nonprofit. Sean is able to lay out these responsibilities in a manner that is honest, straightforward, and engaging. Sean invites you into the conversation and leaves you feeling competent and ready.”
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![Sue Samaniego | Director of Foundation, Colorado Northwestern Community College]()
- Sue Samaniego | Director of Foundation, Colorado Northwestern Community College
“The ED Boot Camp gave me confidence that I am on top of all of the various areas of compliance and reporting that I am responsible for. I truly appreciated the straightforward content that obviously comes from years of experience in the field.”
Leadership & Executive
Customized Training and Coaching
Crisis Communications:
Prevent a Challenge to your Organization’s Reputation
Is your organization ready for a public challenge to your reputation?
We have seen that a lie can make its way halfway around the world while the truth is still tying its shoelaces. What would happen tomorrow if true or untrue information was all over the news and social media…tomorrow? Would your donors and stakeholders stand by you?
Fact-checking in newsrooms has taken a back seat to “clickbait.” How can you weather that storm? Better yet, how can you prevent a crisis in the first place? Learn how to prevent a media crisis and how to protect your organization’s reputation and revenue.
Click on the icon below to fill out the form to access the training.
Development Planning You Can Bank on! (Beginners)
A solid development plan can be powerful. Imagine knowing exactly how much you need to raise, from whom, and by when. As you build your legacy of success, this plan will serve your organization and its mission both during you tenure and long after. Come learn the elements of a strong development plan that will impress your board and team.
Click on the icon below to fill out the form to access the training.
LGBTQ Diversity Training Crash Course (It’s fun & light-hearted)
For more than a decade I was Michigan’s leading LGBTQ diversity trainer and became an expert on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender policy, politics, and cultural competence. Does your organization or company wish to improve cultural awareness on LGBTQ issues? This dynamic and interactive LGBTQ diversity training is designed to meet the needs of any organization, and professions including educators, social workers, business professionals, law enforcement, and more.
Free Leadership
Tools and Resources
Executive Director Tool Kit
7 Great Tools for Executive Directors
This handy starter kit features key resources that have proven helpful time and again. Click below to see what’s inside.
Infographic: 10 Top Responsibilities of a Nonprofit Executive Director
Nonprofit Executive Directors have a lot of responsibilities. This infographic is a snapshot of the major areas. For more details on each area, contact us or consider taking our Executive Director Boot Camp online course.
Looking for More Customized Help?
Your nonprofit work is more important than ever before. Our courses are jam-packed with resources at a great price. But I also offer custom solutions for training, coaching, or consulting. Let’s tailor a solution for your nonprofit and unique situation. Just fill out that form below and let us know how we can help!
Success Stories
"Sean's new Executive Director BootCamp course is the perfect solution for anyone who is looking for a comprehensive course to help them hit the ground running successfully as an Executive Director. I only wish this course was made 5 years ago when I was a new ED, as it would have helped me navigate my time more skillfully as a new ED."
- Michael Faith | Former Executive Director & Professional Fundraiser
"Sean knows his stuff and it's obvious it comes from years of experience. However, you can't be trained to have empathy or care - you just have it, or you don't. And you do. So when I saw that Sean was listening to me, truly listening and the coaching/advice was coming from a good place of caring - that's when I knew I had made the right choice and was getting real value."
- Lyda S. | Executive Director, Green Teams of Canada