Nonprofit Boards Need Succession Plans
Proactive Succession Planning: Ensuring Board Leadership Continuity
Nonprofit boards play a crucial role in guiding organizations toward their missions. However, most nonprofits I work with lack a structured plan for leadership transitions. Without a clear succession strategy, nonprofits risk losing momentum, institutional knowledge, and governance effectiveness. A proactive approach ensures leadership continuity, enhances board effectiveness, and strengthens the organization's long-term sustainability.
Many boards operate reactively, only recruiting new members when vacancies arise. This approach can result in rushed decisions, governance gaps, and a lack of preparedness.
Effective succession planning ensures smooth leadership transitions and positions new leaders to uphold the organization’s mission and strategic direction. One-hundred percent of leaders will transition fewer than 20% of organizations have a documented succession plan.
Building a Board Leadership Pipeline
Identify Critical Leadership Roles
Start by identifying key board positions such as chair, vice-chair, treasurer, and committee chairs. Understanding the skills and experience required for these roles will aid in recruiting and developing the right individuals.
Assess Board Composition and Needs
Evaluate the strengths and gaps within the current board. Consider expertise, perspective, skills, and engagement levels. Regular self-assessments help identify areas where leadership development is needed. This will require tough governance conversations around how some may not be meeting those standards.
Cultivate Future Leaders
Encourage board members to take on leadership roles through mentorship, training, and committee involvement. Rotating committees’ membership can expose members to a variety of responsibilities and prepare them for future leadership roles. Create a pathway to top leadership. For example, to serve as vice chair or chair a person must have served on multiple committees and as a committee chair for at least one year.
Implement a Recruitment and Development Strategy
Succession planning should be tied to a strong, ongoing recruitment strategy. Here is a sample pipeline:
Recruit qualified committee volunteers from the community, vet them as though they are joining the board.
When board vacancies arise these community volunteers are your first line of recruitment.
Ask board members if they are interested in board leadership roles, use this information to guide who to recruit for future leadership roles.
Maintain an engaged and active governance committee to regularly discuss openings on committees, the board, and in leadership positions. Analyze and respond to annual board self-evaluations promptly.
Identify committed and engaged board members and encourage them to diversify their board experience and take on increasing responsibilities.
Agree upon a pathway to top leadership roles that you will rely on while being prepared to adapt if something unexpected occurs.
Regularly Review the Plan
Board succession planning should be a continuous process. Regularly reviewing and refining the plan ensures it remains aligned with organizational needs. Annual discussions about leadership transition help prevent blind spots.
The board chair and governance committee should lead succession planning efforts, ensuring continuity, and guiding the board through leadership transitions. Prioritizing succession planning safeguards the nonprofit’s mission and strengthens governance.
All leaders are interim leaders.
Succession planning is about preserving the long-term health of the organization and ensuring mission vitality. Boards should engage in candid discussions about leadership transitions and actively prepare for the future. The transition process should be gradual, transparent, and structured to maintain stakeholder trust and organizational stability. By planning early, identifying future leaders, and communicating openly, nonprofit boards can navigate leadership transitions effectively and ensure a thriving mission for the future.