How to Choose an Executive Coach for Your Nonprofit

You've decided to get a coach. A search turns up dozens of them, and every website promises clarity, confidence and impact. How do you choose?

Here are eight questions that will help you tell them apart.

1. What Do I Want Out of This?

Write it down first. Do you want to grow your career, strengthen your organization, or both? Are you working on a specific goal, like a leadership transition, or on how you handle pressure? Some coaches focus on practical goals, some on mindset, and some on well-being and avoiding burnout. A coach can only be a good match for a goal you can name.

2. Have You Run a Nonprofit?

One guide to hiring a nonprofit coach recommends someone with three to five years or more of experience running a nonprofit, rather than only board or founder experience. We agree that this matters. A coach who has held the executive director's seat knows what it's like to answer to a board, balance a budget and tell staff bad news.

Some coaches in this field are former executive directors, and say so on their sites. Ask the coach to describe the hardest decision they made in the role. Their answer will tell you plenty.

3. Do You Know Our Field?

If you lead an HIV or other health nonprofit, ask about experience with community-based organizations that depend on public funding, with stigma and with the communities you serve. A coach doesn't need to be a subject-matter expert, but they should understand the pressure you're under.

4. How Do You Coach?

Ask about training and approach. Some coaches use a structured method. One firm, for example, draws on training from the Co-Active Training Institute. Ask what a session looks like, whether you'll get homework, and how the coach keeps sessions tied to your original goals.

5. What Will We Do, and for How Long?

A typical engagement starts with an agreement and a discovery step, then moves to a plan and regular sessions. Most engagements run three to twelve months, with one session about once a month. Ask what's included between sessions, and what happens at the end. Some coaches pair their work with board governance facilitation or board retreats, which helps when the issue involves the board.

6. What Does It Cost, and Who Pays?

Coaches usually price a package, not an hour. Ask for the total, what it covers and the terms for ending early. Optional extras, such as 360-degree reviews, can add a lot, so ask about those separately. Check whether a funder or foundation offers coaching resources, and consider group coaching, which can cost less and gives you peers.

7. How Do You Protect Confidentiality?

You'll talk about your board, your staff and your doubts. Ask how the coach handles what you share, particularly when someone else, such as a board chair or funder, is paying.

8. What Evidence Can You Show?

This is the one most people skip. The coaching sites we reviewed rely mostly on testimonials, and none gave outcome data. A testimonial tells you someone was happy. It doesn't tell you what changed. Ask for examples: a goal a client set, what they did, what was different six months later. If a coach can't tell you, with the client's permission, you've learned something.

A Short Way to Compare

After each interview, score the coach from one to five on each question. Add a line for how you felt in the room. Coaching is a relationship. If you left the call feeling more confused or more pressured, trust that.

If you'd like to talk with us about executive coaching for HIV nonprofit leaders, we'll tell you plainly whether we're the right fit. Start a conversation.

Onward. Together.

Sources

Nonprofit Fixer, Nonprofit Executive Leadership Coaching Guide.
The Ross Collective, Coaching.
RK Advising, Executive Coaching and Nonprofit Consulting.
Greater Good Coaching, Executive Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders.
Center for Nonprofit Coaching, home page and nonprofit executive coaching. Our automated tool could not open these pages, so Ace should read them directly.