Losing a long-standing leader brings a host of unique challenges that many organizations are unprepared to face. When a long-term nonprofit leader leaves that person is typically beloved by the staff, creating a hole emotionally as well as functionally.
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Sometimes this person is the original founder, other times they aren’t but they’ve been in the role for the organization’s most formative years. Regardless of whether they were there at the very beginning or not, they are someone who has been at the helm though significant periods of growth. As a result, they have imbued institutional knowledge that must be retained by the organization and passed onto the next leader.

When a leader’s era is over it’s important to recognize the challenges that lay ahead, understand where opportunities for growth may exist, and craft a formal transition plan to guide the organization through the change.

​In our line of work, we talk to nonprofit leaders every day that are making career moves. Some are entering executive leadership roles for the first time after putting in their time on boards or in mid-level managerial roles. Some are seasoned nonprofit leaders that are making lateral moves from the helm of one organization to another. Some are coming over from executive leadership roles in industry to the nonprofit sector.

But regardless of where they’re coming from, they enter the role bright-faced and optimistic about their future with the organization. They are excited, ambitious, and ready to succeed!
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There’s just one problem... They can’t succeed alone!

Every new Executive Director placement brings an individual with a unique set of skills and experiences into an organization with unique needs and goals. To effectively unite the two, the organization’s board and existing leadership team needs to provide their new ED with everything that they need to find success. 

For over two years one of the most popular articles on our blog has been about helping staff through planned leadership transitions. It likely comes as no surprise to anyone that nonprofit leaders are often concerned with how to best prepare their organization for success after they leave, so they are eager to find resources on how to make the transition smoothly to ensure success for everyone. But a planned leadership change is vastly different than an unplanned leadership change. The timeframe is different, the considerations are different, the emotions are different, the operational needs are different, the communications are different. Everything is different!

There is very little that can be said about preparing for a leadership change that applies when a nonprofit loses their Executive Director without warning. The jarring nature of losing a leader unexpectedly provides a whole host of unique challenges.

Our hope is that this resource will give boards the framework they need to manage through an unexpected leadership transition so that if their Executive Director quits, is terminated, or is abruptly unable to lead, the organization will be fully equipped to keep moving forward.

Congrats, you have a new Executive Director! Now it’s time to set them up for success!
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Successfully navigating an executive leadership transition is one of the board’s most important jobs. It’s a big lift to find the organization’s next inspiring leader, and it’s important to celebrate the hiring milestone. But, as much as we may wish the job was finished when the offer letter is signed, one of the most critical phases of the leadership transition has just begun.  

As a nonprofit director or manager, how do you know when you’re ready to step into an executive leadership role? Our team of nonprofit leaders regularly uses their experience to help nonprofit career professionals answer this question as part of our board advisory work and interim executive leadership engagements. We act as mentors during nonprofit leadership transitions when the board needs help identifying their next leader and equipping them for success. These are the types of conversations we have day in and day out as we assist organizations in handing over the organization to new leadership.
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Ultimately, the question of whether you’re ready to move up to the next level comes down to two things: whether you have what it takes to succeed from a personality standpoint and whether you have enough experience to lead not only a team but the entire organization effectively. Let’s look at each of those areas separately because they are complementary, yet distinctly different, aspects of what makes someone qualified to lead a nonprofit organization. 

These are the kinds of questions that succession planning can answer in advance. However. Most organizations simply do not have effective succession planning efforts in place before they need them. Even among organizations that have taken the time to put together a succession plan, it doesn’t always help them much when an unexpected situation arises because their plan falls short in scope. 

​So, how do you identify the optimal leadership model for your nonprofit? 

​Well…yes and no. Yes, you should feel good about the hire, and you should take a pause, but not for too long because the next phase of the transition is only beginning. “What!? Only beginning?” you say. Yes, hiring the new ED is just the first step of the transition journey. The next important move for the Board is to ensure your new leader settles confidently into the role for a long tenure.
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So, release that breath and let’s chat about this next phase.