Executive Director

Overview: the organization

The Book Thing of Baltimore (TBT) is a small 501(c)(3) non-profit located in Baltimore City. Founded in 1999, our mission is to put unwanted books into the hands of those who want them, for free. We receive over a quarter of a million donated books per year. We give the vast majority of these away from our warehouse in the Abell/Waverly neighborhood, selling only a tiny fraction online to help fund our operations. Much of the operational work is performed by volunteers: nearly 200 volunteers gave more than 10,000 hours of their time on-site last year.

Our organizational culture is collaborative: we need flexibility, communication, respect, tenacity, problem-solving skills, teamwork, diversity, and a can-do attitude to handle the many things that come up in a small organization. We value every volunteer and every employee as a contributing team member. We respect every patron who comes to adopt books. Together, we find pride and joy in our work and in the nature and the quality of the service we provide to readers of all ages throughout the greater Baltimore area and beyond. We are united by our understanding that books matter, that access to books makes a difference, and that a community organization with free books can be a force for good.

Overview: the position

TBT seeks an experienced executive director (ED) to assume the leadership roles and responsibilities of the organization and shepherd it into the next chapter. This position will necessarily be part-time to start. Our immediate goal is to build up organizational capacity, staffing, and volunteers in concert so as to secure a gradual increase in delivery of the mission: more frequent donation days and more frequent public openings, without a degradation of the quality of the services provided. The ED will provide leadership for this natural growth and evolution within TBT’s mission. The ED’s role will evolve as the organization matures.

Key responsibilities

Operations management

• Lead in the management of staff, volunteers, and the day-to-day operations and logistics of TBT’s internal processes, including facilities management.
• With the support of TBT’s Board and professional services, ensure compliance with all legal, financial, contractual, and reporting obligations.

Program management

• Lead and oversee programmatic operations including public openings and donation days.
• With support from staff, oversee volunteer recruitment, scheduling, and training, ensuring consistent supervision and application of operational procedures.
• Build capacity to support more frequent public openings.
• Oversee the TBT sales department, including staff management and sales performance.

Strategic leadership & organizational management

• Lead strategic planning in collaboration with the Board, key volunteers, and staff to secure stable, sustainable operations at TBT.
• Cultivate a culture of professionalism, respect, inclusiveness, quality, positivity, reliability, community stewardship/service, and a love of books.
• Build strategic relationships with relevant organizations in education/literacy, information services, and philanthropy.
• Serve as the primary spokesperson and advocate for TBT, including overseeing the organization’s communications strategy from media relations to social media.

Financial management and fundraising

• Manage TBT’s annual budget with a focus on sustainability and stewardship.
• Lead fundraising efforts, including philanthropic relationships, sponsorships, grants, donor cultivation, events, and planned giving.

Board relations & governance

• Collaborate and liaise with the Board of Directors to support Board functions, including development, governance, recruitment, and engagement.
• Prepare timely reports, updates, and agenda items for Board meetings.

Qualifications

We are looking for a skilled and diplomatic leader who:

• Sees leadership as service – to the people behind the organization, to the organization itself, and to the mission – and has the interpersonal skills to motivate people and bring them together in a shared purpose.
• Changes gears as needed between the big picture and the small details that keep an organization running smoothly; can adapt and multitask as priorities demand.
• Cultivates an environment that brings out the best in people and allows them to grow, by establishing clear expectations and demonstrating the confidence and humility to listen, understand, and learn.
• Has a love of books and avid reading habits across many topics and genres, and/or a general knowledge of the book industry.

We are looking for a proven track record in the nonprofit sector, including:

• Successfully raising money through grants and donor relationships, and building sustainable fundraising strategies.
• Nonprofit financial planning and demonstrated financial management ability.
• Experience managing and leading paid and volunteer staff, including hiring, onboarding, and training/staff development.
• Knowledge of best practices for nonprofit management, including legal and fiduciary responsibilities.

We’re looking for a candidate with:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in a leadership or senior management role in the public or nonprofit sector, or in a relevant business entity
• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience is required; a Master’s or equivalent experience is a plus.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience working with and reporting to a community-based board of directors.
• Fluency with grant writing, budgets, spreadsheets, and data analysis.
• Proficiency with office and donor management software tools (e.g., Google Suite for nonprofits, Excel/Word/PPT, Xero, fundraising platforms, etc.).
• Availability to work some evening and weekend hours in support of programmatic activities.
• Local candidates with professional networks in Baltimore preferred.

Physical requirements

• Frequently walks short distances in a warehouse setting; over the course of a day these distances may accumulate to several miles.
• May work up to 12 hours at a stretch on public event days.
• Physical demands range from pushing heavy bins/carts and lifting boxes of books to extended periods of deskwork / office work.
• The indoor work environment involves exposure to potential allergens (dust, mold, etc.) due to the resident cat and donated books. TBT is a non-smoking facility.

The ideal candidate must be able to complete all physical requirements of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Details

• Compensation for this exempt, part-time position will be $38K-$45K in the initial year, depending on experience, and based on an expected half-time schedule of approximately 20 hrs/wk (full-time equivalent: $75-90K/yr). Hours and thus compensation will scale as the organization grows.
• Benefits: PTO commensurate with part-time work, as well as some schedule flexibility. TBT is unable to offer traditional benefits at this time, but we expect to support benefits as the position grows to full-time.
• Location: A mix of on-site and remote work is expected, including on-site evening and weekend hours.

Application procedure

Include the following documents with your application. You may combine them into a single PDF or Word file if you wish:

• resume
• letter of interest

We will request at least two professional references.

Open until filled, review starts late March

Ideal start date: April/May

The Book Thing of Baltimore is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. At the same time, we recognize that it is unlikely that any given applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for any given role. If you’re excited about this position but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be the right candidate.

This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, or skills for the position.

PTO commensurate with part-time work, as well as some schedule flexibility. TBT is unable to offer traditional benefits at this time, but we expect to support benefits as the position grows to full-time.