Spreading winning ideas to unite and support new charitable leaders.
The Directors Lounge provides social support and professional development for new executive directors in the Shuswap’s non-profit sector, helping them navigate challenges, share winning ideas, and ensure organizational stability.
Dozens of longstanding leaders have recently retired from local non-profit organizations, and many new executive directors now fill these demanding roles. The Directors Lounge directly addresses this gap.
Leading a charity is both an honour and a privilege, but can often feel like an endless barrage of impossible challenges: funding cuts, over-demand for services, staff burnout, and leadership turnover.
The Directors Lounge acts as the social support network and professional development community of practice for new charitable leaders, connecting exceptional local non-profit talent within the region. No one should suffer alone when we can all win together.
“A consistent theme I see is how isolating leadership can be…
… particularly when many organizations are working toward similar goals and supporting similar communities yet often do so independently.
The Directors Lounge responds to this need by creating intentional space for executive directors to connect, share knowledge, and learn from one another. This type of peer support is valuable for both new and experienced leaders and contributes to stronger, more confident leadership across the sector.
By fostering connection and collaboration, this initiative helps reduce silos and strengthens the collective capacity of nonprofit organizations in the region.”
“This initiative represents an innovative and timely approach to supporting new executive directors in our region
…as they take on the complex and demanding responsibilities of organizational leadership.
In recent years, Salmon Arm has experienced an exodus of long-serving executive directors who have transitioned into retirement, taking with them decades of accumulated knowledge, experience, and community insight. At the same time, a new generation of leaders is stepping into these roles-many for the first time. The Directors Lounge comes at a pivotal moment, offering an invaluable opportunity for new directors to learn, build confidence, and find mentorship through a structured, supportive network.”
“Nonprofit organizations across our community are facing unprecedented challenges
— from funding uncertainty and increasing demand for services to leadership burnout and staff turnover.
New executive directors are often expected to step into complex roles with limited peer support, yet their success is critical to the stability and sustainability of the organizations they lead. The Directors Lounge directly addresses this gap.
This initiative will not only benefit individual executive directors but will also strengthen the entire nonprofit ecosystem in our region. When leaders are supported, organizations are better equipped to deliver programs, steward resources, and serve their communities with integrity and impact. The Directors Lounge will help ensure that new leaders are not navigating these critical early years alone.”
Benefits of Joining
“A consistent theme I see is how isolating leadership can be, particularly when many organizations are working toward similar goals and supporting similar communities yet often do so independently.”
Professional Development
There are several outstanding directors in our midst who have taken their organizations to astonishing heights. Beyond this, the Directors Lounge regularly brings in seasoned experts to speak on specific topics that are relevant to the sector. Professional Development from people you trust who have succeeded themselves right here in the Shuswap is a recipe for tremendous learning and improvement.
Supportive Network
Executive directors have boards, staff, clients, and even their own families counting on them to succeed. Despite constantly being viewed and judged, the role is often lonely, as most of the work actually goes unseen. Connecting with other people in the same role and overcoming the same challenges makes all of us better leaders and better people, which leads to all of our programming becoming more successful.
Mitigate Risks
Being an executive director is not an entry level job, and new leaders bring skills and experiences that fulfill community passion to offer outstanding services in the region. That said, there is a steep learning curve for executive directors as they often step into funding, programming, and human resources challenges. Skillfully navigating the political nuances of a non-profit helps the entire organization mitigate its risks, grow budgets, manage volunteers, and effectively transition into new leadership.
“Understanding the specific yet common issues facing incoming executive directors, and connecting them with others who have successfully navigated these problems already, serves as both a strategic and human benefit to these leaders.”
Honour the outgoing director
Executive directors are often compared to the previous leader, who was often doing the work of about 8 people by the time they retired! It can feel like an impossible task to fill their shoes, and taking the org in a new direction can feel like you’re stepping on toes of somebody who’s not even there. Learn from the wealth of experience regarding this exact challenge, showing reverence for their past while leading your organization into the future.
Share Authentically
The Directors Lounge is a place to share your experiences, without worries of over-sharing or devolving into gossip. Every member takes the Confidentiality Pledge to ensure that conversations stay within the group of trusted colleagues and friends. A great amount of work goes in to curating the community and keeping the culture optimistic and realistic, and an invitation here means that you’re exactly the person we want to spend time with.
Build Your Own Community
The Directors Lounge is full of extraordinary leaders, and we’d love to learn from you! Share your wisdom, pass along your knowledge, and help your friends avoid the pitfalls that you learned the hard way. The Directors Lounge exists to share winning ideas to local leaders, and there is a captive audience eagerly waiting to learn from your hard fought victories.
Professional Development
There are several outstanding directors in our midst who have taken their organizations to astonishing heights. Beyond this, the Directors Lounge regularly brings in seasoned experts to speak on specific topics that are relevant to the sector. Professional Development from people you trust who have succeeded themselves right here in the Shuswap is a recipe for tremendous learning and improvement.
Mitigate Risks
Being an executive director is not an entry level job, and new leaders bring skills and experiences that fulfill community passion to offer outstanding services in the region. That said, there is a steep learning curve for executive directors as they often step into funding, programming, and human resources challenges. Skillfully navigating the political nuances of a non-profit helps the entire organization mitigate its risks, grow budgets, manage volunteers, and effectively transition into new leadership.
Share Authentically
The Directors Lounge is a place to share your experiences, without worries of over-sharing or devolving into gossip. Every member takes the Confidentiality Pledge to ensure that conversations stay within the group of trusted colleagues and friends. A great amount of work goes in to curating the community and keeping the culture optimistic and realistic, and an invitation here means that you’re exactly the person we want to spend time with.
Benefits of Joining
“A consistent theme I see is how isolating leadership can be, particularly when many organizations are working toward similar goals and supporting similar communities yet often do so independently.”
“Understanding the specific yet common issues facing incoming executive directors, and connecting them with others who have successfully navigated these problems already, serves as both a strategic and human benefit to these leaders.”
Supportive Network
Executive directors have boards, staff, clients, and even their own families counting on them to succeed. Despite constantly being viewed and judged, the role is often lonely, as most of the work actually goes unseen. Connecting with other people in the same role and overcoming the same challenges makes all of us better leaders and better people, which leads to all of our programming becoming more successful.
Honour the outgoing director
Executive directors are often compared to the previous leader, who was often doing the work of about 8 people by the time they retired! It can feel like an impossible task to fill their shoes, and taking the org in a new direction can feel like you’re stepping on toes of somebody who’s not even there. Learn from the wealth of experience regarding this exact challenge, showing reverence for their past while leading your organization into the future.
Build Your Own Community
The Directors Lounge is full of extraordinary leaders, and we’d love to learn from you! Share your wisdom, pass along your knowledge, and help your friends avoid the pitfalls that you learned the hard way. The Directors Lounge exists to share winning ideas to local leaders, and there is a captive audience eagerly waiting to learn from your hard fought victories.
Thomas Briginshaw
Thomas has 15 years of work experience in the government, charitable and non-profit sectors spanning topics such as literacy, workforce planning & development, and entrepreneurial & small business support.
Thomas founded the Directors Lounge out of a passion for his community, his fellow directors, and the local organizations within the region. Learn more about him, and our Directors.
Thomas Briginshaw
Thomas has 15 years of work experience in the government, charitable and non-profit sectors spanning topics such as literacy, workforce planning & development, and entrepreneurial & small business support.
Thomas founded the Directors Lounge out of a passion for his community, his fellow directors, and the local organizations within the region. Learn more about him, and our Directors.
The Directors Lounge is powered by capable leaders who share their stories, skills and specialties with other directors in the field.
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