Executive Director Evaluation and Development Kit

PREPARE A FAIR, USEFUL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REVIEW WITHOUT BUILDING THE PROCESS FROM SCRATCH.

An annual review asks a board to bring together a year of results, feedback, and changing priorities. For a new executive director or board chair, preparing that review can also mean deciding what good performance looks like, which examples matter, and how to turn different opinions into feedback the leader can use.

The Executive Director Evaluation and Development Kit gives you a shared process for that work. Agree on expectations early, keep relevant examples throughout the year, and prepare the midyear and end of year conversations with clear reasons behind the feedback. The executive director leaves with specific development priorities, and the board records the support it has agreed to provide.

HOW THIS SAVES YOU TIME

You do not need to create a calendar, find a survey, and rewrite an agenda to make the pieces fit. The kit connects those documents, with the same 14 expectations already listed in the rubric and evaluation summary. You can adapt one process instead of assembling several unrelated templates.

The calendar identifies when to request reflection, feedback, and draft scores before the meeting. The supporting evidence form points back to reports and examples you already use, reducing the need to reconstruct the year from emails or memory. The agendas include questions, timing, and space for agreements, so you can spend preparation time considering the leader's work instead of writing the meeting structure.

The fictional meeting examples go one step further: they show reviewer talking points, possible executive director responses, and written next steps. You can see how to discuss a concern, hear the leader's perspective, and agree on support before leading your own conversation.

WHAT IS INCLUDED AND HOW IT HELPS

• Start Here guide: purpose, responsibilities, and first decisions, so the person coordinating the review knows where to begin.

• Rubric and scoring guide: six areas of leadership and 14 expectations, each described at four performance levels, so feedback refers to observable practice and a score has an explanation.

• Annual calendar and goals: preparation dates for midyear and end of year evaluations, plus goals and board commitments, so everyone knows what to prepare and when.

• Executive director reflection and supporting evidence: prompts to connect results with their context, so improvement, constraints, and the leader's perspective inform the discussion.

• Review meeting agendas: a 70 minute midyear meeting and a 90 minute end of year meeting, with check-ins, development discussion, feedback in both directions, and fictional conversations showing what participants might say.

• Board, staff, and community feedback: separate surveys and summary guidance, so people comment on work they can observe and reviewers can consider different perspectives.

• Evaluation summary and development plan: all 14 expectations, reasons for scores, the executive director's response, and next steps, so the evaluation becomes a record you can use at the next check-in.

• Fictional worked example: one expectation followed from goal setting through evidence, scoring, and development planning, so you can see how the documents connect.

You receive eight editable Word documents, a 51-page PDF for reading, and a Start Here README in one ZIP download. The Word files are the working forms; the PDF is not fillable. The package is in English.

SEE THE SAMPLE BEFORE YOU BUY

The six-page preview contains the overview, scoring guidance, one complete rubric expectation, a calendar page, and a two-page fictional midyear conversation. Use the Preview button to see the actual pages.

WHO THIS IS FOR

Board chairs, governance committee leads, and authorized review coordinators who want a clear process for evaluating and supporting an executive director. It is especially useful when a leader or reviewer is new to the process and needs concrete documents and examples to work from.

HOW SCORING WORKS

The four levels are 4 Exemplary, 3 Proficient, 2 Developing, and 1 Needs Improvement. Reviewers compare dated examples with written descriptions and explain the chosen score. Not applicable and Insufficient evidence are recorded separately and never treated as zero. Feedback surveys use a separate five-point agreement scale; those responses are not converted directly into performance scores. The kit does not calculate an overall score.

PRICE AND LICENSE

$199 launch price. One payment for one organization's internal use. Your organization may edit and reuse the documents for future executive director reviews. Participating board members, staff, and your contracted review facilitator may use working copies. Resale, public posting, and use across multiple client organizations are not included.

HOW TO START

Unzip the download and open 00 Start Here.docx. Agree on who coordinates and approves the review, adapt the expectations to the role, and put the midyear and end of year meetings on your organization's calendar.

All examples are fictional. Your organization determines approval authority under its governing documents and employment arrangements. The kit provides expectations to adapt; it is not a validated assessment scale.