The Opportunity
Prairie Paws Animal Shelter (PPAS) is seeking an Executive Director for its nonprofit animal shelter located in Ottawa, KS.
Organization: Prairie Paws Animal Shelter’s Mission Statement is to provide compassionate care and placement for animals in need. PPAS is a private, no kill, 501 (c)(3), non-profit shelter, founded over 70 years ago by Beatrice Martin Peck.
Purpose of Position: To plan, organize, manage and supervise all aspects of operations of the Prairie Paws Animal Shelter, Inc. as established by the Board of Directors in accordance with the Prairie Paws Animal Shelter, Inc. policies and bylaws.
Position Summary: Uphold the mission of Prairie Paws Animal Shelter, promote goals and advise and report to Board of Directors; plan, organize, manage and supervise all aspects of operations at Prairie Paws Animal Shelter as established by our Board of Directors and its policies; and serve as a dynamic liaison between the PPAS Board, shelter staff/volunteers, the community-at-large, our customers and the animals PPAS helps. Experience in a senior leadership role where he/she has either reported directly to or worked closely with a Board of Directors is needed. The ideal candidate will bring strong and successful leadership of an animal welfare/control agency or other animal welfare nonprofit. The person we seek should demonstrate a balance between creative thinking and management acumen as well as the ability to assess and maintain policies and procedures for building an organization. The candidate should excel in planning, forecasting and determining courses of action.
Specifically, the Executive Director will:
Finances and Fundraising
• Create and manage an annual budget, both capital and programmatic
• Manage daily finances and monthly reporting, coordinating this work with our board treasurer and/or contracted bookkeeping
- Dedicate up to 25% time to fundraising, with the ability to adjust to the needs of events and projects. This includes: finalizing and managing a robust, re-aligned, diverse fundraising plan with tiered individual and corporate gifts and a maximum of 2-3 annual events; building and maintaining a donor database; successfully reaching fundraising benchmarks; supervising or working with fundraising volunteers or volunteer teams; where appropriate, apply for local, regional and national grants that help our agency reach its strategic goals and successfully administer those external grants and contracts
- Reach a new population of major donors who can support a major gifts initiative and continuing annual fund.
- Continue to develop and nurture past relationships with major donors including individuals and foundations.
- Develop new, creative fundraising opportunities with staff in order to secure the Shelter’s financial position.
- Develop new, creative fundraising opportunities with staff in order to secure Shelter’s ongoing financially stability.
- To make funding and grant requests which align with the organization’s values and ethical practices
• To ensure that any restrictions on funds are identified and accounted for per organizational policies and accounting principles
• Establish annual endowment goals and policies in coordination with our Board of Directors
Staff and volunteers
• Further refine and consistently execute employee and volunteer policies
• Serves as the Personnel Director by recruiting and hiring the staff team to ensure appropriate staffing levels and executes all aspects of the staffing cycle to include conducting probationary and annual reviews, disciplining as appropriate and terminating when necessary
- Plans, conducts and documents regular staff meetings
Public Engagement
• Actively build, coordinate and evaluate strategic partnerships, including Animal Control, city/county councils, elected officials, local veterinarians and pet supply stores
- Represent the organization with consistent, timely and high-quality public interactions
• In cooperation with volunteers and staff, create a plan for and coordinate a cost-effective, county-wide humane education strategy
• In cooperation with volunteers and staff, coordinate an effective marketing and communication strategy that, at minimum, includes social media posts, newsletters and press releases - Ensure that Prairie Paws Animal Shelter is represented locally, regionally and nationally at coalitions, membership organizations and other humane field associations.
Operational Quality
• Working with volunteers and staff, ensure the mental and physical health, well-being, and successful placement of all animals in our care
• Create and oversee execution of organizational policies; recommend policies to the Board that reduce organizational risk or improve long-term viability and success of our mission
• Create and oversee operational procedures which encompass best practices
• Based on strategic and annual goals, establish quarterly benchmarks for quality and quantity based on industry standards and discuss findings with Board; annually evaluate all programs and services
• Using existing agency platforms, establish a consistent data collection system for all areas of operations
• Ensure all software and platform subscriptions are optimally used by staff and volunteers (e.g. timely inputs of donations, adoptions and animal-related information); per Board policies, ensure all paperwork and records are maintained, forwarded and updated
• Develop a plan to offer regular open hours to the public; post hours on the website and communicate widely; ensure that our customer experience is positive, consistent and professional
• Establish additional volunteer or paid positions needed in all areas of the organization to improve quality, consistency and impact
• Oversee facility and property maintenance, repairs and long-term capital needs (e.g. expanded facilities, capital campaigns to replace and repair large expenses.)
Board and Organizational Goals
• Establish a positive working relationship with the Board as a body; create clearly-defined boundaries re: the Executive Director’s responsibility over daily operations, supervision and annual goals and the Board’s broader strategic responsibility to ensure adequate resources, policies, connections and support
• Together, establish annual Executive Director goals; create and manage agency’s annual goals and work plan
• Together, create and implement future 3 year strategic plan with board guidance.
• Provide regular reports as required by the Board Chair (e.g. shelter statistics, progress on goals, announcements)
• Attend all Board and Executive Committee meetings; bring major issues or questions to the board or committee for its consideration or guidance; recommend policies; answer questions re. submitted reports
• Forward names of quality candidates to the Board’s recruitment committee and any committee chairs
• To help the Board support the agency’s fundraising goals and any related staff and volunteer duties, train or connect Board members with opportunities to build its own fundraising competencies and confidence
Skills, Education and Job Requirements
Skills
• Excitement about the mission and a “service” orientation
• Demonstrated ability to manage programs, including planning, prioritizing, managing time, meeting deadlines, and managing multiple projects at one time
• Excellent and compelling written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated problem-solving and resourcefulness skills that are proactive, creative and quick
• Attention to detail and a penchant for quality
• Patience, resilience and a sense of humor in times of re-alignment and change
• Demonstrated ability to influence others to complete duties and approach work in a positive manner
• Excellent listening skills and ability to receive constructive criticism
• Natural inclination to create community and interact well with a diverse group of volunteers and the public
• Professional, calm communication skills, demonstrating emotional intelligence, positive customer service and an upbeat team-oriented attitude, especially in high-stress moments
• Ability to lead professional, compassionate, honest conversations
• Comfortable asking “why” questions and holding everyone accountable for policies, procedures and benchmarks
Education and Experience
• Minimum associate degree in animal welfare, nonprofit, education, business or finance (required)
• Proven experience as a self-starter, motivated and self-directed (required)
• 3-5 years leadership over successful fundraising activities, to include but beyond events (required)
• 1+ years staff supervision experience (required)
• 2-4 years program management (required)
• Senior or executive level experience (preferred)
• 1+ years working in or volunteering at an animal welfare organization (preferred)
• 2-4 years managing volunteers (preferred)
• Certificate in Fundraising Management, Certificate in Fundraising Leadership or related coursework (preferred)
• 1+ years serving on a well-functioning Board or working with a well-functioning Board (preferred)
Work Environment
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products, QuickBooks and Google Applications
- Ability to work in a high stress environment
- Ability to work weekends, evenings and holidays
• Must have a mobile phone with unlimited text service
• Must have a reliable mode of transportation - Ability to stand, walk, set, kneel and bend a minimum of 50% of the time
- Ability to lift, push and carry a minimum of 25 pounds
- Ability to work safely around unruly, sick, and potentially dangerous animals
- Ability to work with and around chemical compounds such as bleach and disinfectants
- Ability to work outdoors in varying environmental climates
Compensation and Benefits
The salary for this position is $55,000. Paid vacation accrues after 90-day probation period.
Apply on indeed at: https://www.indeed.com/job/executive-director-90f2df3ec436bd55