How to apply for Executive Director

About Colorado Doula Project

Colorado Doula Project is a nonprofit that has grown from a grassroots collective of abortion doulas into a trusted organization providing emotional, logistical, and financial support to anyone getting an abortion in Colorado. It coordinates rides, funding, lodging, childcare, and volunteer-led doula support through its Abortion Support Network, and trains abortion doulas through its Abortion Doula Training program. The team is four staff, about 130 volunteer doulas, 6 intake volunteers, and a volunteer Board of Directors.

About the role

The Executive Director leads a small, mission-driven nonprofit into its next chapter. The role involves managing people and money, building relationships with funders and partners, turning a strategic vision into action, and keeping client-facing work running smoothly. This is a full-time remote position based in the US.

A typical day

A typical day might include meeting with staff to review client support requests, speaking with a funder or partner, and working with the Board of Directors on strategic priorities. You might also check in on the Abortion Support Network to make sure rides, funding, lodging, and childcare are coordinated, and review plans for the Abortion Doula Training program. Because the role is remote, much of the day would be spent on video calls, email, and coordination with volunteers across Colorado.

Who Colorado Doula Project is looking for

• Has experience managing staff, volunteers, and budgets in a small nonprofit or grassroots organization.
• Can build and maintain relationships with funders, partners, and a volunteer Board of Directors.
• Understands abortion access work and can honor the organization's history while shaping its next chapter.
• Is comfortable overseeing both strategic planning and day-to-day client-facing operations, including coordination of rides, funding, lodging, childcare, and doula support.

Tips for this application

• Read the full job description on the Colorado Doula Project website or job board, since the provided text is truncated. Look for the complete list of responsibilities and qualifications before writing your application.
• Address your experience with abortion support or reproductive health access directly. CDP focuses specifically on abortion, so general nonprofit leadership experience alone may not be enough.
• Describe a time you managed a small team and a budget at the same time. CDP has four staff and a volunteer network, so show you can handle both people and money.
• Mention any experience working with a volunteer Board of Directors. CDP is guided by a volunteer board, so show you know how to work with one.
• Explain how you would keep client-facing services running while also doing fundraising and strategic planning. CDP needs someone who can do both.

What to cover in your cover letter

In your cover letter, focus on: 1) Your experience leading a small nonprofit or grassroots organization, including managing staff, volunteers, and budgets. 2) Your track record building relationships with funders and partners. 3) Your understanding of abortion access work and how you would honor CDP's history while shaping its next chapter. 4) Your ability to balance strategic vision with day-to-day operations, such as coordinating rides, funding, lodging, childcare, and doula support.

Research before applying

• Read CDP's full job description and any annual reports or impact summaries to understand its programs, budget size, and recent growth.
• Research Colorado's current abortion access landscape, including laws, funding gaps, and travel needs for people coming from other states.
• Look up CDP's Abortion Support Network and Abortion Doula Training program to understand what client-facing work the Executive Director would oversee.
• Find out who is on CDP's Board of Directors and what their roles are, so you can speak to how you would work with them.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you manage a team of four staff and roughly 130 volunteer doulas while keeping client-facing services running smoothly?
• Describe your experience building relationships with funders and partners. Give a specific example of a funding relationship you built or maintained.
• How would you work with a volunteer Board of Directors to turn a strategic vision into action?
• What is your understanding of abortion access in Colorado, and how would you apply that to CDP's work?
• How would you honor CDP's history as a grassroots collective while leading it into its next chapter?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing a generic nonprofit leadership cover letter that does not mention abortion access or CDP's specific programs.
• Focusing only on fundraising or only on operations. CDP needs someone who can do both.
• Ignoring the volunteer network. CDP relies on about 130 volunteer doulas and 6 intake volunteers, so not addressing volunteer management is a mistake.