Past reports

Daring to Lead 2006:
A National Study of Nonprofit Executive Leadership

Daring to Lead 2006 was conducted five years after the first groundbreaking study in 2001. Key findings included:

1. Executives Plan to Leave Their Jobs —But Not the Sector — Within Five Years
2. Boards of Directors and Funders Contribute to Executive Burnout
3. Executives Believe They Make Significant Financial Sacrifices to Lead Nonprofits
4. Concerned with Organizational Sustainability, Executives Seek New Skills and Strategies
5. Bench Strength, Diversity, and Competitive Compensation are Critical Factors in Finding Future Leaders

Daring to Lead 2001:
Nonprofit Executive Directors and Their Work Experience

This was the first report in the Daring to Lead series of national studies of nonprofit executive directors.  Daring to Lead 2001 expanded on the findings of CompassPoint’s 1999 report, Leadership Lost: A Study of Executive Director Tenure and Experience.

The report’s key findings are divided into four sections:

1. Characteristics of executive directors
2. Professional background and recruitment
3. Compensation, job satisfaction and retention
4. Executive training and support