DESC – Rebalancing Leadership to Prevent Burnout

DESC’s Executive Director had doubled the organization’s budget and impact—but without corresponding staff growth, it was all becoming too much. Volunteers were underutilized, pay scales were outdated, and burnout was just around the corner. That’s when Wirth Works stepped in.

Working side-by-side with staff, we benchmarked salaries, aligned roles with strengths, and built a compelling case to the board to increase the ED’s salary—raising the entire pay structure in the process. We created and helped recruit for a new Managing Director role, bringing much-needed bandwidth and stability to the team.

The results were immediate. A stellar hire filled the MD role, the ED was finally able to breathe, and donor stewardship improved dramatically. What started as a capacity crisis became a turning point for DESC’s next phase of growth.