Recruiting Nonprofit Chief Operating Officers

This section of the Recruiting Nonprofit Leaders learning center is dedicated to nonprofits seeking to add or recruit for the chief operating officer (COO) or similar role. Included are templates, tools, and articles we hope you find helpful in your hiring process.

Creating the COO Position
The COOs and EDs we interviewed shared their experiences working in organizations that recognized the need for a COO, faced doubts and concerns about the position, and worked through challenges to successfully bring in a COO.

 

Unexpected Directions May Benefit the Organization
This case study of Fellowship Health Resources' recruitment of a COO illustrates the importance of being open-minded and flexible as you fill your organization's leadership gaps.

 

Finding the Right COO for Your Organization
Because the profile of the ideal nonprofit COO varies so widely, the key to finding the right person is to consider what qualities, skills, and experience will provide a good fit with the needs of your organization.

Frequently Asked Questions: Hiring a COO
What is a COO? What do nonprofit COOs do? How can I tell whether my organization needs a COO? What advice do you have for organizations designing or restructuring a COO position? For organizations recruiting and selecting a COO? Answers to some common questions from organizations at various points in the search process.

 

Hiring a Bridger into the COO Role: Reflections from the Field
Hiring talent from the for-profit sector can be both rewarding and frustrating on both the side of the new hire and the organization.

 

Interim Leadership: Looking Beyond the Executive Director
How one organization used an interim COO to buy itself the necessary time to find the right person for the long term.

Sample Job Descriptions: Chief Operating Officer
COO roles—and the organizational structures in which COOs operate—are highly varied across organizations and even within organizations over time. Sample job descriptions illustrate three approaches to defining COO roles and responsibilities.

 

COO Hiring Stories

Emily McCann: Navigating an Organization's Decision to Create the COO Position 
Emily McCann was a self-proclaimed “outside-the-box” candidate when Citizen Schools hired her as chief financial officer. Less than two years later, she became the organization’s first chief operating officer. While this was a relatively quick transition for McCann, the organization’s decision to create a COO position took some time and consideration.

 

  Creating the COO Position: Videos
Watch three video clips of an interview in which Emily McCann, chief operating officer of Citizen Schools, discusses the challenges of creating and stepping into the COO position.