Wanted: Experienced manager overseeing nonprofit with a handful of employees and hundreds of furry clients. Must be outstanding leader with track record of strong fundraising, able to deal with dedicated board that at times is intractable. Hard work but highly rewarding.

That's the employment ad we'd like to see published and broadly distributed, but if it has been, we haven't seen it, nor have others with whom we've inquired.

There is in fact an opening at Kootenai Humane Society, but you probably would not have known that if a Press reporter hadn't made a routine call to former KHS Executive Director Rondi Renaldo. Calling just to see how things were going and if any events or fundraisers were on the horizon, the reporter was politely informed that Renaldo no longer worked at KHS, that she'd been dismissed almost a week earlier. Making more calls, the reporter was told by the chairman of the KHS board of directors that Renaldo's firing was not even a story.

It's a compliment to the organization's stature in the community and the depth of passion for the animals it serves that it is indeed a story when KHS dismisses its second leader in less than two years. Further, it's a mystery why the hirings and firings for this exceedingly visible organization are so invisible. Who knew anything about Phil Morgan when he arrived? Who knew when he'd been let go? The same held true for Renaldo, a former bank employee with no experience managing a sizable nonprofit.

The KHS board is comprised of some of the most dedicated animal advocates we know. In our opinion, the animal shelter will always struggle unnecessarily because of the board's insistence on a no-kill policy, but while we disagree, we respect their right to run the organization as they see fit.

But we also respectfully suggest that they work harder to build trust with the public they and the animals fully depend upon, and the best way to do that is to operate as openly as possible. There is no more important move than hiring the best possible executive director - except perhaps ensuring that person is then fully equipped to succeed and supported every step of the way.

Going through two directors in less than two years and coping with an insurgency among formerly dedicated volunteers strongly suggests the board of directors needs help. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but rather the opposite. There are individuals and organizations dedicated to helping nonprofits succeed, including hiring and training leaders. We suggest the KHS board reach out for professional help, ensuring a better future for all of its stakeholders, those with tails and those without.