Developed by Authenticity Consulting, LLC
Roles and Responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer of a Corporation
© Copyright Carter
McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
Adapted from the Field
Guide to Developing and Operating Your Nonprofit Board of Directors.
Sections of This Topic Include
Roles of Chief Executive Officer
Responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer
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Roles of Chief Executive Officer
NOTE: References to a Boards of Directors in the following are in regard to chief executive officers of corporations, whether for-profit or nonprofit.
Leader
- Advises the Board
- Advocates / promotes organization and stakeholder change related to organization mission
- Supports motivation of employees in organization products/programs and operations
Visionary / Information Bearer
- Ensures staff and Board have sufficient and up-to-date information
- Looks to the future for change opportunities
- Interfaces between Board and employees
- Interfaces between organization and community
Decision Maker
- Formulates policies and planning recommendations to the Board
- Decides or guides courses of action in operations by staff
Manager
- Oversees operations of organization
- Implements plans
- Manages human resources of organization
- Manages financial and physical resources
Board Developer
- Assists in the selection and evaluation of board members
- Makes recommendations, supports Board during orientation and self-evaluation
- Supports Board's evaluation of Chief Executive
Responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer
There is no standardized list of the major functions and responsibilities carried out by position of chief executive officer. The following list is one perspective and includes the major functions typically addressed by job descriptions of chief executive officers.
1. Board Administration and Support
Supports operations and administration of Board by advising and informing Board members, interfacing between Board and staff, and supporting Board's evaluation of chief executive
2. Program, Product and Service Delivery
Oversees design, marketing, promotion, delivery and quality of programs, products and services
3. Financial, Tax, Risk and Facilities Management
Recommends yearly budget for Board approval and prudently manages organization's resources within those budget guidelines according to current laws and regulations
4. Human Resource Management
Effectively manages the human resources of the organization according to authorized personnel policies and procedures that fully conform to current laws and regulations
5. Community and Public Relations
Assures the organization and its mission, programs, products and services are consistently presented in strong, positive image to relevant stakeholders
6. Fundraising (nonprofit-specific)
Oversees fundraising planning and implementation, including identifying resource requirements, researching funding sources, establishing strategies to approach funders, submitting proposals and administrating fundraising records and documentation
Return to Overview
of the Chief Executive Role
For the Category of Leadership:
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Related Library Topics
Recommended Books
There is an explosion of books about leadership. Some are about broad and general philosophies, paradigms, visions and values. Others are about more specific models and theories. Still, others are about even more specific tips and tools. Bibliographies of books on leadership span numerous pages. The books mentioned on these pages are a reasonable beginning. They are focused on books with both foundational principles and practical tips and tools.
Note that, although many perspectives on leadership are about leading other individuals and groups, there are other domains of leadership, including leading oneself and organizations. The books referenced from this page are in regard to all domains of leadership.
Leading For-Profits and Nonprofits
There is much more in common between leading a for-profit and nonprofit than many people might realize. Small nonprofits are a lot more like small for-profits, than large nonprofits. Similarly, large nonprofits are a lot more like large for-profits, than small nonprofits. Nonprofits often include leading volunteers. A section, later on below, provides more books about leading specifically in nonprofits.
-
Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision in Business
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
Includes step-by-step guidelines, tips and tools to effectively lead:
1. Yourself
2. Other individuals in the business
3. Groups and teams in the business
4. Business organizations
5. As well as all functions within the business organization.
Many of the Library's materials about business, leadership and management are adapted from this book. Just click on the title of the book above to see the Index and Table of Contents.
Leading Nonprofits
The following books are recommended because of their highly practical nature and often because they include a wide range of information about this Library topic. To get more information about each book, just click on the image of the book. Also, a "bubble" of information might be displayed. You can click on the title of the book in that bubble to get more information, too.
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Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision With Nonprofit Staff
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
Includes step-by-step guidelines, tips and tools customized for personnel in nonprofits to effectively lead:
1. Yourself
2. Other individuals in the nonprofit
3. Groups and teams in the nonprofit
4. Nonprofit organizations
5. As well as all functions within the nonprofit organization.
Many of the Library's materials about nonprofit leadership and management are adapted from this book. Just click on the title of the book above to see the Index and Table of Contents.
