Let’s start with some big questions…

Does your organization aspire to solve a problem, declare victory, and go out of business? If so, what would victory look like – and when will it happen?

Are you building a resilient nonprofit that can persist and thrive? How would you know? How do you measure resilience?

When you step back, who will step up? Are you actively developing leadership skills throughout your organization? If you’re involved in collaborative work or social movements, are you supporting leadership development beyond your own group?

By creating a succession plan, you can begin to answer these kinds of challenging questions.

Succession planning, defined

Simply stated, succession planning means identifying and supporting the next generation of leaders. Yes, we’re talking specifically about your organization, but this process could prompt a broader conversation with partners and peers. 

Nonprofits grow and change. The leaders you need at one stage are not necessarily the ones you need at a different stage. Your goal is to elevate, recruit, and/or develop leadership that can bring your group to the next level of effectiveness and impact. 

With luck, these emerging leaders will carry you even closer to victory, whatever that means for you.

Once upon a time, I shared a post on the rationale for succession planning. In preparation for a new webinar on June 29, here’s a more tactical take on the same subject. 

You need more than one plan

Succession planning isn’t just one thing or one plan.

Contingency plans deal with unexpected transitions. Perhaps your leader(s) leave on short notice, or suffer an accident, or follow a partner to another community. Maybe your leader is fired for embezzlement or malfeasance. Maybe they receive a better offer from another employer and leave on short notice. 

Faced with any of these challenges, it’s useful to have a contingency plan you’ve prepared in advance.

Leadership succession plans are designed for orderly long-term transitions. This is especially true (and essential) when a founder or other well-established leader is approaching retirement.

In many ways, the checklists for both kinds of plans are similar, but the timeline for implementation can be very different.

Things to include in the plan

As you build your plan, consider the following components.

Calendar or timeline outlining what happens when.

Recruitment. Will you identify and develop your next leader internally – or look outside the organization?

Clarify roles of staff, board, and departing leader throughout the transition (and beyond). 

Financial plan – because transitions cost money.

Relationship plan. Be intentional about transitioning and maintaining key relationships with partners and donors.

Celebration. How will you celebrate the departing leader?

Preparing for succession: Nine tips and tools for leaders

1. Hand off tasks you like to do – not just the stuff you’re trying to avoid.

2. Don’t be a perfectionist. Encourage others to learn by trying new skills and letting them fail.

3. Because facilitation is a leadership skill, support others in running meetings. Bonus points: create agendas with different people facilitating different parts of each meeting. 

4. Listen twice as much as you speak. There’s a reason you have two ears and one mouth.

5. Learn about the cultural dimensions of leadership. There are different leadership styles based on culture, social class, age, gender, and so forth. Embrace these differences!

6. Designate a “Shakespearean fool” who will tell you when you’re abusing your power or making a martyr of yourself. Listen to what they say without being defensive or reactive.

7. Consider term limits for staff. These are essential for the board, and maybe a good idea for staff, too.

8. Create a “will” for what you want to leave behind when you depart. Share it with others and use it as a prompt for deeper conversations about the future of your organization.

9. Think about succession the same way you might think about retirement planning. Create deadlines and benchmarks, then honor them. 

Want more? Join us on June 29

Later this month, I’m teaming up with the Community Resource Center to present a new webinar: 

Succession Planning: Leading By Sharing Power

We’ll take a deeper dive into all aspects of leadership transition, plus take the time to answer your questions. If you’re facing leadership turnover within your organization – let’s be honest, every organization deals with leadership changes – here’s an opportunity to build your skills, become more proactive and start to create a plan.

Hope to see you there!