succession planning
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Succession Planning: Challenges and Solutions For Nonprofit Organizations
April 18, 2013
St. Louis Area Foodbank2013 Agency Conference
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The Nonprofit Leadership Gap
Definition of Leadership Gap:
The difference between the need for leaders and the supply available in….
• Those with the required skills and commitment
• Those trained and willing to work in the nonprofit sector
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The Nonprofit Leadership Gap
Findings of a 2006 national study by the Bridgespan Group:
• By 2016 the nonprofit sector will need 80,000 new senior managers each year
• Follow-up data (2009) reveals the nonprofit leadership gap is widening
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Challenges Facing Nonprofits in Succession Planning
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Challenges Facing Nonprofits in Developing Future Leaders
• Pay in nonprofits is well below the for-profit sector
• Attitudes that nonprofits should have all resources going to direct services, keeping training and administrative costs to a bare minimum
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Challenges Facing Nonprofits in Developing Future Leaders
• Lack of funding for leadership evaluation and training comparable to the for-profit sector
• Nonprofits’ historic lack of know-how in developing succession plan processes
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Challenges Facing Nonprofits in Developing Future Leaders
• “Founder syndrome”
• Overreliance on leaders making huge time and financial sacrifices
• Crisis mode of survival prevents organizations from planning and taking proactive steps for leadership succession
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Key Elements of Succession Planning
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Key Elements of Succession Planning
• Recruiting and hiring individuals with leadership potential
• Identifying employee strengths and growth areas
• Encouraging employee aspiration for leadership and providing pathways for advancement
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Key Elements of Succession Planning
• Developing specific individual growth and development plans
• Evaluating employee growth in terms of skills, experience and competencies needed for specific leadership positions
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Key Elements of Succession Planning
• Charting succession plans by defining employees that are “potentially ready,” “nearly ready,” or “fully ready” to assume higher leadership positions
• Updating succession plan charts annually based on most recent performance evaluations
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Key Elements of Succession Planning
• Developing lists of individuals outside of the organization whose leadership skills and talents are estimated to match leadership needs for certain positions
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Nonprofit Succession Planning Solutions
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Nonprofit Solutions
• Recruit volunteers or board members that have specific expertise in succession planning
• Recruit volunteers or board members that can get donated leadership assessment and development services from their business sector associates
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Nonprofit Solutions
• Conduct strategic planning that includes succession planning
• Stay open minded – don’t let unconscious biases influence what a successor should look like (age, sex, race, etc.)
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Nonprofit Solutions
• The executive director and his/her direct reports meet regularly as a leadership team
• Board oversees a process that evaluates leadership strengths and growth areas of current leadership team members
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Nonprofit Solutions
• The executive director is expected to cultivate leadership skills among leadership team members
• The board and executive director develop and periodically update a succession planning chart identifying internal and external candidates for filling needed positions
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Nonprofit Solutions
• All staff member performance evaluations include professional development goals and strategies
• All members of the leadership team are evaluated annually for how they cultivate leadership talent
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Nonprofit Solutions
• Succession charts are developed and regularly updated listing “who is how ready” to assume “which positions”
• All supervisors are evaluated annually on their ability to cultivate successors and leadership among their staff members
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Succession Planning:Summary
1. Think ahead – stay out of denial
2. Recruit experts (paid or volunteer) to help develop a succession plan
3. Make leadership development an ongoing part of your organization’s culture
4. Use experts (paid or volunteer) to help build skills in cultivating leadership among current leaders
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