In my 11 years as a nonprofit Executive Director and my six years as a Board Chair, I’ve witnessed a dangerous paradox: The longer a chief executive leads an organization, the less likely the Board is to evaluate their performance. Boards tell themselves: “We’re too busy with other things” or “Our leader is doing just fine; let’s stay out of their way.” Yet few things are more essential to good governance than the Board partnering and communicating effectively with the ED. And what’s more, most EDs I’ve talked to over the years want to be reviewed. They want feedback. They want to continue to grow.

The research is clear: 40% of nonprofit boards do not formally review their leader. Those that do often lack any meaningful process or structure. As a board member, on more than one occasion I’ve received an email from the Chair with one sentence: “Shoot me a note with your thoughts on how our ED is doing.” That’s it. That’s the entire process.

This gap in responsible governance is particularly frustrating given that nonprofit EDs are typically highly self-driven and interested in professional growth, making structured feedback valuable to them. Without a formal, anonymized data set from the full board, the chief executive is forced to lead via guesswork, navigating the individual opinions of one or two board members rather than structured, unified input.

Three Pillars of a High-Functioning Review

For an assessment to drive improved performance and professional growth, a review must move beyond the traditional "manager-employee" approach. Instead, nonprofit EDs need:

• Anonymized Synthesis: Individual board member feedback is often sporadic, situational, and biased. An objective, third-party report filters that noise into actionable growth.

• The "No Surprise" Rule: A review should be a data-backed summary that supports a year-round conversation.

• True Partnership: The most important question a Board Chair can ask during the review is, "How can we as a board do a better job of supporting you?" This shifts the power dynamic from oversight to investment.

The Bottom Line

Skipping this process isn't a time-saver in the end; rather, it creates a rift between your Board and the ED. A structured, quantitative assessment isn't just good governance, but also a compass that allows both the Board Chair and the CEO to focus, align, and support continued growth.

What's Next?

Are you looking for a structured, independent assessment that enables your board to conduct a thoughtful ED performance review? At Cause Strategy Partners, our Executive Director Performance Assessment (EDPA) helps boards lead the annual review with confidence, a wealth of objective data, and clear next steps. You can learn more and get support here.