The Speak Easy, Indiana’s original nonprofit coworking space for entrepreneurs, is seeking its next Executive Director (ED). This is a cooperative leadership role, working closely with an engaged and supportive board of directors and a leadership partner, the Chief Community Officer, who oversees membership, events, and the space.
The ED’s responsibilities will fall primarily into three areas: vision/strategy, fundraising, financial management.
Vision/Strategy
The Speak Easy delivers on its mission and serves the community as 1) a structure of belonging, 2) a gathering place that connects people, and 3) an entrepreneur support organization. It does so through its culture and its unwritten rules of Leave it better than you found it and Say hello to someone you don’t know. The ED is responsible for embodying and communicating these values and behaviors while simultaneously understanding—or quickly learning—how a high degree of local connectedness creates the environment for founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, and remote workers to succeed. The ED and the board use data from sources such as the Kauffman Foundation, startusupnow.org, and Right To Start to understand how the organization fits into the larger entrepreneurial ecosystem, and to hone the organization’s vision and programs.
- Working with the board, refine a shared vision for the future of the organization by developing and facilitating an active planning process
- Develop appropriate goals and strategies to advance the mission
- Communicate the organization’s vision, strengths, and impact to external stakeholders
- Engage with emerging data on entrepreneurial ecosystems
- Represent the Speak Easy in regional and national entrepreneurial ecosystem programs and entrepreneur-led economic development initiatives.
Fundraising
Fundraising will be a major component of the ED job. Using the organization’s vision, data, and impact, the ED will raise funds from donors, foundations, and other sources. The search committee welcomes a wide range of candidate experience in this space.
The scope (part-time or full-time) of the ED position, and the compensation of the ED position, will be closely aligned with capacity for fundraising, and fundraising goals. Compensation will also be benchmarked against nonprofit organizations of similar size.
Financial management
As a 501c3 nonprofit, the Speak Easy has a sustainable and innovative business model, with 70-90% of its budget coming from earned income. The ED will oversee the financial management of the organization.
- Manage business model – understand big picture of financial sustainability
- Manage financial controls, risk management, and maintain proper records
- Build and manage annual budget