Publications

Research

Daring to Lead 2011
Daring to Lead is a signature initiative of the Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. For more than a decade, Meyer and CompassPoint have worked in partnership to learn more about the tenure, career paths, and professional development challenges of nonprofit executive directors--and to spark national conversation about the importance of supporting and sustaining leaders. This work is grounded in our two organizations' shared belief that strong executive leadership is critical to organizational effectiveness. The two previous studies in the series, released in 2001 and 2006, found that three-quarters of executives planned to leave their jobs within the next five years and that finance, fundraising, and weak boards contributed to burnout and turnover. The most recent study, Daring to Lead 2011, was conducted in the aftermath of a deep recession that continues to have a profound impact on nonprofits and their leaders... Read more

Meyer Foundation Releases Report on Outsourcing Back-Office Services in Small Nonprofits
The current economic situation has only intensified the ever-present need for executives of small and mid-sized nonprofits to find effective ways to reduce overhead costs. According to a new report released today by the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation and the Management Assistance Group, outsourcing is a promising strategy for these nonprofits to meet their back-office needs, but there are many barriers that prevent outsourcing success... Learn more

Urban Institute Report: Washington-Area Nonprofit Operating Reserves
Imagine having expenses of $2,000 and take-home pay of $2,100 every month. You are living hand to mouth in good times. Then your employer cuts your hours by 30 percent to keep its business afloat. If you have some money in the bank--an operating reserve--you can survive. If not, you could be in dire straits. This is the current predicament faced by many public charities in the Greater Washington area. Learn more

Ready to Lead? Next Generation Leaders Speak Out
A skilled, committed, and diverse pool of next generation leaders would like to be nonprofit executive directors in the future, according to a national survey of nearly 6,000 next generation leaders. However, the survey also finds that there are significant barriers: work-life balance, insufficient life-long earning potential, lack of mentorship and overwhelming fundraising responsibilities which may prevent many younger nonprofit staff from becoming executives... Learn more

Daring to Lead 2006
Relentless fundraising pressure, weak boards of directors, low salaries, and lack of management support are causing many executive directors of small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations to leave their jobs. Daring to Lead 2006, a study based on a survey of nearly 2,000 executive directors in eight metropolitan areas throughout the U.S., reports that three out of four nonprofit executive directors are likely to leave their jobs within the next five years... Download