One of the most important roles of nonprofit boards is overseeing and evaluating the CEO or executive director. But where do you begin this critical and challenging task? The Nonprofit Leadership Center’s sample CEO evaluation form is a helpful place to start the process.
Our sample CEO performance evaluation template consists of five sections: 1) organizational performance, 2) community relations, 3) financial management and legal compliance, 4) board of directors, and 5) qualitative questions. Be sure to customize the nonprofit CEO performance evaluation template sample form to meet the needs of your organization.
Areas to Include in Your Nonprofit CEO Evaluation Form
In our nonprofit CEO evaluation template form, we include a scoring scale (from 5 to 0) to assess the following skills and abilities:
Organizational Performance
- Communicates the organization’s vision internally and externally.
- Manages and leads the organization in a manner that ensures excellence and impact.
- Works with the board and management staff to develop strategies for achieving mission goals and financial viability.
- Demonstrates quality of analysis and judgment related to progress, opportunities and the need for changes.
- Builds respect and profile for the organization with its various constituencies.
- Manages and leads goals for excellence and impact.
Community Relations
- Serves as an effective spokesperson for the agency; represents the organization and its point of view of the organization to agencies, organizations and the general public.
- Establishes sound working relationships and cooperative arrangements with providers, governmental agencies, community councils and other community groups.
Financial Management & Legal Compliance
- Ensures adequate oversight of all funds, including developing and maintaining sound financial practices.
- Works with the staff, finance committee and board to prepare budgets, monitor progress and initiate changes.
- Ensures investments are developed, executed and modified to maximize mission.
- Ensures the organization operates within budget guidelines.
Board of Directors
- Effectively implements policy as determined by the board.
- Works well with board officers.
- Provides appropriate, adequate and timely information to the board.
- Sees that the board is kept informed on the condition of the organization and all important factors influencing it.
- Works effectively with the board as a whole
Qualitative Questions
- What are our CEO’s two to three greatest strengths?
- What areas of opportunity do you see for our CEO’s improvement or growth?
- What are our organization’s priorities in the coming year?
- How can our CEO help you be a more effective board member in the coming year?
Learn How to Conduct Better Nonprofit Board & Executive Reviews
Join us for a new two-hour live virtual class led by our CEO Charlie Imbergamo on January 16 to explore best practices for how to conduct nonprofit board and executive reviews. You’ll walk away with practical tools and evaluation templates to improve governance practices and leadership performance at your nonprofit.
If you or your nonprofit organization need custom board training or one-on-one assistance with nonprofit CEO evaluations, contact the Nonprofit Leadership Center at info@nlctb.org or 813-287-9779.