Sam Raj · Executive Director · Beginning August 3, 2026
ED Onboarding
Plan
Five phases from Prepare through Lead. This is how Sam goes from new hire to fully owning the organization by November 2026.
Five Phases
01
Prepare
July 2026 · Pre-arrival
- Systems access provisioned (Google, Asana, Buildium, InfiniPay)
- Donor brief prepared by JM
- First-week schedule sent to Sam
- Staff notified of start date and role
02
Orient
August 3–14 · Weeks 1–2
- Village tour with JM — Day 1
- 1:1 with each staff member
- Systems walkthroughs with Benjamin
- JM introduces 3–5 key donors
- Board chair introduction call
03
Assume
August 15–31 · Weeks 3–4
- Sam leads weekly staff meeting
- Sam owns day-to-day operational decisions
- Theological & cultural DNA session with JM
- Benjamin officially signs off August 31
- Sam and JM debrief the first month
04
Own
September · Month 2
- 30-day formal check-in with JM
- Sam fully owns staff management and HR
- JM introduces founding donor relationships
- Sam prepares first board report (JM coaches)
05
Lead
October–November · Month 3
- 60-day board review of Sam's first two months
- Sam leads year-end giving season planning
- Sam owns all vendor and contractor relationships
- 90-day formal review: Sam and board
- Transition complete — both roles fully defined and operating
Working Genius — Sam Raj
Genius (energizes)
Tenacity + Galvanizing
Executing on decisions. Getting people moving. Finishing what gets started. Sam will thrive when he's been given clear direction and needs to make it happen.
Competency (can do it)
Enablement + Invention
Sam can invent and enable — but it costs him energy. Give him room to do this without burning out.
Frustration (drains)
Discernment + Wonder
Strategic ambiguity and big-picture pondering will drain him. Don't put him in a role where he has to generate the vision. Give him one to execute.
90-Day Success Markers
Day 30 · September 3
Sam can run a staff meeting, approve expenses, and field an operational crisis without calling JM first.
Day 45 · September 18
Sam has met all major donors. JM has made every intro. Sam has sent at least one donor communication on his own.
Day 60 · October 3
Board has reviewed Sam's first two months. No surprises. Sam is preparing the year-end giving strategy independently.
Day 90 · November 3
Formal review complete. Both JM and Sam can describe their roles without overlap. Transition is done.
Your Responsibilities — Live from Walkthrough
Guardrails for Sam
Things to hold loosely in the first 90 days
- Don't restructure staff in the first 60 days. Learn the team before you change anything.
- Don't make major financial commitments without JM's awareness in Month 1.
- JM makes all donor introductions. Don't reach out to major donors independently before those intros happen.
- Ask before acting on anything that touches the Neighbor Covenant or theological program language.
- When in doubt about culture: ask JM, not staff. Staff will watch to see how you handle it.