The ED Academy

Sara Roach-Lewis hears that often from Executive Directors who have taken part in the ED Academy.

The comment reflects a reality many not-for-profit leaders know well. Executive Directors carry enormous responsibility, yet many step into the role with little preparation and very few places to turn for practical support.

Before creating the ED Academy, Sara worked as an Executive Director and then a consultant with not-for-profit organizations across Prince Edward Island and beyond. Again and again, she found herself answering similar questions from Executive Directors: how to work effectively with boards, manage budgets, navigate staff challenges, and decide where to focus limited time and energy.

At the same time, Andrea MacDonald, then CEO of United Way Prince Edward Island, was seeing the same pressures from her vantage point within the sector. Through United Way’s relationships with community organizations, Andrea saw firsthand how much responsibility new Executive Directors were carrying as they worked to stabilize their organizations and deliver the work their communities depend on.

Sara and Andrea had worked together on a number of projects over the years. In 2021, when Sara began developing the idea for a leadership program designed specifically for not-for-profit Executive Directors, Andrea was the first person she approached.

Andrea immediately understood the need. She had also been a new Executive Director herself and knew how steep the learning curve could be. From her role at United Way, she could also see the broader impact that stronger leadership support could have across the not-for-profit sector.

Together, they began exploring what a practical leadership program for Executive Directors might look like. And the impact it would have. The ED Academy would not only support leaders but also organizations, ultimately building the capacity of the entire sector.

Sara developed the program through SRL Solutions, drawing on her experience supporting not-for-profit leaders and working alongside organizations across the sector. United Way Prince Edward Island helped build the curriculum and convened the first two cohorts of Executive Directors.

From the beginning, the goal was simple: create a program grounded in the real experiences of not-for-profit leaders.

The curriculum was developed based on the priorities the United Way was seeing in the community and conversations with Executive Directors about what they wished they had known when they stepped into the role. The conversations were remarkably consistent.

Leaders spoke about the complexity of the job, the pressure of managing multiple responsibilities at once, and the isolation that can come with being the person ultimately responsible for an organization’s success.

When Executive Directors first began hearing about the ED Academy, the response was immediate. One comment surfaced again and again:

“I wish something like this had existed when I started.”

The first ED Academy cohort launched in Prince Edward Island in 2022. Executive Directors from across the province came together to learn, share experiences, and strengthen the foundations of their organizations.

What began as a local leadership initiative quickly demonstrated something larger. When not-for-profit leaders have access to practical training, peer support, and the tools to build stronger organizational systems, the impact extends far beyond the individual leader.

Organizations become more stable. Leadership transitions become easier to navigate. Communities benefit from organizations that are better equipped to deliver on their missions.

As United Way Prince Edward Island later joined with seven other United Ways across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to form United Way Maritimes, the ED Academy expanded across the region. Today, the program brings together Executive Directors from across Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and continues to grow, including the launch of a French-language pilot in New Brunswick in 2026.

Since its launch, more than one hundred Executive Directors have completed the program across the Maritime provinces.

United Way Maritimes remains the founding partner of the ED Academy and continues to play a central role in advancing leadership development across the region.

The partnership between SRL Solutions and United Way also demonstrates an important lesson for the sector. Strengthening not-for-profit leadership does not require every organization to build programs from scratch. By working together, backbone organizations and experienced facilitators can create shared infrastructure that supports leaders across an entire region.

The model was designed to be adaptable, allowing regional partners to strengthen not-for-profit leadership in their own communities while drawing on a program already grounded in the sector's realities.

The ED Academy was built on that idea: a practical partnership that strengthens leaders, strengthens organizations, and ultimately strengthens the communities they serve.