The Green Chair Project
Position Profile: Chief Executive Officer
Hiring range is $150,000-$175,000 plus benefits
Applications will be accepted until position is filled
As the only organization of its kind in Wake County, NC, The Green Chair Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit that reuses and repurposes donated furnishings to create sustainable homes for people coming out of homelessness, crisis, or disaster. Since its inception in 2010, The Green Chair Project has experienced remarkable growth, become a nationally recognized model for other furniture banks, and is poised to expand the depth and breadth of its services to families in need in the coming years.
The Green Chair Project seeks a new CEO who brings passion, vision, and strategic leadership to guide the next phase of this thriving non-profit’s growth – following the departure of a dynamic founder. The next leader will need to be a visible and trusted community leader, nurturing and developing The Green Chair Project’s role within the human services delivery system in Wake County and beyond.
Engaging the Board of Directors and staff in strategic conversations to determine the best opportunities for expansion will be a key focus for the new CEO. In 2020, The Green Chair Project’s service model was adapted from an on- site shopping experience to a remote selection process in response to significant demand, accessibility constraints, and COVID-19. Ensuring that these changes are sustainable and in keeping with the culture and values of The Green Chair Project will be a key factor when considering expansion opportunities.
As a proven communicator, fundraiser, adept business manager, and consensus builder, the new CEO will serve as the face of The Green Chair Project and champion the vision, creativity, and nimbleness that are the hallmarks of the organization. Building upon relationships with over 100 agency partners in government, non-profit, and private sector arenas, the successful candidate will need to be a skilled collaborator, a thoughtful and insightful team builder, and one that is skilled in scaling organizations to meet growth demands. The new leader will need to foster an expanded leadership structure that empowers others to assume appropriate responsibility for decision making, supports staff and volunteer teams that are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and embraces a high degree of passion and sensitivity to those who are served.
In January 2023, The Green Chair Project began a transformation to the Lean Management System to respond to continued demand. Lean is a management system initially started in the car manufacturing industry designed to help organizations achieve sustainable growth. Rather than a top-down approach, its aim is to reduce costs, streamline operations for efficiency, and develop autonomy and engagement of team members at every level. Collaborating with the staff and volunteers, the new CEO will be responsible for determining how best to proceed to manage the organization’s extensive logistical operations, enhance organization-wide communication, and optimize service delivery.
The Board of Directors is looking for a leader who will be a strong advocate for The Green Chair Project’s mission – furnishing homes, changing lives – and believes that lives are truly changed when families and individuals are nurtured and sustained in well-equipped homes. The chosen CEO will be enthusiastic about creating sustainable homes for those in need through efforts to collect donated furnishings but will need to understand that The Green Chair Project is much more than a typical second-hand furniture bank. By embracing its culture and values, the selected candidate will enable families and individuals to feel they finally have a place that feels like home.
“ Thank-you so much for the gifts that arrived for my apartment. I was stunned when I got home, literally could not believe it was mine. Thank-you for helping me start my new journey.” A May 2023 The Green Chair Project recipient
The core values of choice and dignity shine through artfully arranged vignettes of furniture along with art and accessories for clients to choose from to find the one that feels like home to them. Hundreds of volunteers help clean, sort, assemble and organize donations and support the work of the 24 member staff who coordinate each referral and personalize items to meet each family’s unique needs. Dishes, cookware, bath baskets, beds, and bedding packs for each family member are included in each home furnishings package and delivered to their home.
By partnering with case managers from government agencies, shelters, schools, and nonprofits in Wake County and recently, other portions of North Carolina impacted by natural disasters, the shopping experience empowers families to prioritize and choose furnishings that reflect who they are and that help rebuild their lives. In 2022 alone, 1,296 households were furnished, and 97 percent of recipients reported feeling less stressed and more hopeful after receiving furnishings from The Green Chair Project. The average family of four pays $200 for furnishings that include a couch and armchair, dining table and four chairs, dishes, pots and pans, lamps, towels, bedding, and accessories. Hundreds of individuals, businesses, and organizations throughout Wake County help keep the showroom floor and shelves stocked through their donations of goods and money.
Through its Sweeter Dreams Bed Program, the Green Chair provides new beds to students identified by Wake County Public School System social workers as not having beds of their own. Each $250 donation helps provide a complete bed for a child that includes a new mattress, bed frame, bedding set, and pillow delivered to the child’s home. New cribs are provided for infants that include safe sleep messaging imprinted on the crib and crib sheet. The ultimate goal of the Sweeter Dreams Bed Program is to provide a bed for every child who needs one. Last year, 1,687 beds and cribs were provided to children who previously slept on the floor, sofa, or with others.
The Green Chair Project prides itself on demonstrating fiscal responsibility, valuing donor support, and holding administrative costs to a minimum (20 percent or less of total spending) so programmatic needs can be met. It has a fiscal year 2022-2023 operating budget of $2.6 million and total assets of $7 million, including revenues generated through private donations, government grants, program fees, and retail sales – a significant sustainable source of income for the program budget. There is an annual signature event, Chairity, which showcases designer vignettes available for public sale, and in 2022, the proceeds were $320,000. The agency’s assets include home furnishings, trucks for furniture pick-up and delivery, and a 30,000 square-foot office, showroom and warehouse building that was recently purchased and beautifully renovated as the result of a successful $3.2 million capital campaign in 2018.
Primary Responsibilities
Strategic Vision and Leadership
Community Partnerships
Financial Resource Development
Budgetary and Operational Oversight
Board of Directors
Talent and Leadership Development
Minimum Requirements
Core Competencies
The Board of The Green Chair Project is committed to attracting and retaining an outstanding CEO through a comprehensive package that includes a salary range of $150,000-$175,000 and an employee benefits package that includes health, long-term and short-term disability, a flexible spending account for dependent care and medical expenses, parental and caregiver leave, holidays, and paid time off. A 401K retirement plan is available from the first day of employment, and The Green Chair Project matches up to 3% after 90 days of full-time employment.
The Green Chair Project is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace for all – where people’s race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, education, and varying abilities are valued and respected.
The Green Chair Project is committed to a nondiscriminatory approach in all we do and will provide equal opportunity employment, advancement, and participation across all departments and programs. We value diverse life experiences and support an inclusive environment where all are treated with dignity and respect.
In one document, please submit a cover letter, resume, and how you found out about the position. Candidates are encouraged to submit an application before June 30, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning June 1 and accepted until the position is filled. Anticipated start date is fall 2023.
Send applications via email to:
Search Co-Chairs Charles Royal and Vicky Serany
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
2023-05-22 00:00