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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So, I started a nonprofit and it grew really fast. I'm now managing dozens of people and a  six-figure budget. The budget is definitely not enough and most of the costs are fixed, so there is no obvious way to simply scale back to fit our resources. There are lots of challenges.

I've never done this before. We're also doing something totally unique so there isn't a sector of funders/other nonprofits/conferences in my space.

I am a pretty good CEO - we have 9/10 satisfaction with our program from clients, a regular flow of testimonials about how we've changed lives, I figured out how to fundraise enough to stay open, staff is generally happy. But I do make a lot of mistakes and often I just don't know what I am doing. I see all my mistakes very clearly (and others love to point them out) but often I don't know how to do things better until after I've made the mistake...and sometimes not even then.

I have been seeking support but none of my friends, nonprofit donors/supporters, or staff really have the experience leading an organization. The best they can do is general empathy or "Great job, you're amazing!", but they have no idea how to navigate the challenges we face. I can't afford to hire really experienced people for my leadership team. I can't afford an executive coach and I haven't been able to find one pro bono. I've also been looking for board members and can't get anyone with experience. Generally, as I have two young kids, between work and family, I don't have time to do a lot of networking events and meet people... and even if I did, like I said, we're so different from all the nonprofits I've encountered, and I'm not sure who I'd network with.

I know that I can always walk away. Overall, I'm happy with the flexibility, lack of bureaucracy, work-life balance, and the actual work I do every day.

I'm not happy being the target of all the criticism from others and feeling like I see all the mistakes but just don't know how to fix them. Given that it's impossible to be everything to everyone, I am not sure how to prioritize tasks and manage our resource deficits optimally. I'm pretty sure other CEOs don't do it all on their own without anyone ever teaching or advising them. Does anyone have any practical advice for me? Please be kind, I get enough criticism as it is![/quote]

Get a better board. And see if you can get coaching and a mentor. Apply for a leadership program or accelerator or whatever. [/quote]

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