Planning for succession can be painful, exhausting, and typically involves change. Leadership change should not derail the vision or mission of the organization. In this Webinar, we explore ways to help you prepare for new leadership and navigate the changing landscape.
Objectives:
• Learn how to engage your board in succession planning
•Prepare leadership for exit transition/emergency backup plan
•Encourage leadership development
2. Introduction of SST Partners
Rebecca DaVee, CPA
Outsourced Accounting/CFO Services
Bill Sims, CPA
Audit – Nonprofit Organizations
3. Housekeeping
• Webinar will last approximately 55 minutes
• Attendees will be muted during our discussion, however
as we cover various discussion items, post your
questions and we will attempt to answer them.
• 1 Hour CPE Credit - in order to receive credit from SST,
you must answer the polling questions, respond to the
survey and return evaluation/attendance verification
form.
• Any questions?
4. Learning Objectives
• Engage your board in succession planning
• Prepare leadership for exit transition
• Create an emergency backup plan
• Create a succession plan
• Encourage leadership development
5. Today’s Nonprofit Sector
• Nonprofit Sector – 3rd
largest US employer
• Approx. 2 million
NPOs
• Employ 10.7 million
people
• Produce revenues in
excess of $1.9 trillion
6. Hiring and Recruitment
• 52% do not have a formal
recruitment strategy
• 67% do not have a formal
recruitment budget
• 68% do not have a social
media recruitment
strategy
• Most candidates for
senior/executive level
positions come from other
nonprofits
10. Risks vs Benefits
RISKS BENEFITS
• Going out of
business
• Sudden and
unprepared loss
• Loss of
relevancy
• Key operating
roles
• New energy/
talent
• Defines
leadership and
how to advance
11. Emergency Backup Plans
Purpose
1. Define short and long-term unplanned absence
2. Clarify who decides the absence is occurring
3. State who assumes the functions and roles of the executive
during the absence.
12. Emergency Backup Plan
• Create Role/Function
• Determine Staff
• Communication Plan
• Cross-Training Plan
• Finalize/Monitor
14. Essential Components
Identify ED duties and
responsibilities
Interim ED
Assignment of duties
Establish timetable
Review/update job
description
Who is responsible for
identifying, recruiting,
interviewing and selecting
new ED
15. “The old adage ‘People are your most
important asset’ is wrong. People are not
your most important asset. The right people
are. Good to great depends on having the
right people on the right bus at the right
time.” Jim Collins, Good to Great
16. Strategic Leader Development
1. 3-year strategic plan for
leadership
development
2. Annual executive
performance evaluation
3. Board self-assessment
4. Annual evaluation of
staff
5. Develop high-
performing team
17. Strategic Leader Development
(Cont’d)
6. Cultivate relationships
with external stakeholders
7. Financial reserves (6
months operations)
8. Financial management
systems = industry
standards
9. Administrative
operational manual
18. Organizational Culture
• Organizational mission
• Value and recognition
• Understand requirements
for leadership
• Leadership development is
encouraged and rewarded
• Strategic plan reinforces
developing leaders
• Builds a diverse and
sustainable culture
• Change occurs calmly
20. Learning Objectives
• Engage your board in succession planning
• Prepare leadership for exit transition
• Create an emergency backup plan
• Create a succession plan
• Encourage leadership development
21. Resources
• “Managing Executive Transitions: A Guide for Nonprofits” by Tom Wolfred
• CompassPoint Nonpofit Services – www.compasspoint.org
• “Elements of a Good Nonprofit Leader Succession Plan” by Eileen Morgan
Johnson– whitepaper #31072 - www.asaecenter.org
• “Sustaining Great Leadership: Succession Planning for Nonprofit
Organizations” by Tom Adams.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation Executive Transition Monograph Series
www.aecf.org
According to the 2015 Nonprofit Employment Practices Survey – as nonprofits continue to project growth, they lack formal strategies to attract talent.
Nonprofits are projecting growth in 2015 that could outpace the corporate sector.
Employees who see no opportunity for advancement are less likely to stay with the organization. Many nonprofits miss good opportunities to promote their own staff.
Polling Question #1
Are we surprised that 2 out of 3 nonprofit organizations do not have a succession plan?
Are we surprised that only 14% say they plan to create one in the coming years. WHY
Change makes people anxious – which is why they often put off planning.
First – verify that everyone (Board and ED) are in agreement with the organization’s mission statement.
Be sure that your mission and strategic direction are clear. If there are wide variations in opinion you need to build consensus on mission and direction before moving into leadership planning. As you build agreement you build trust.
Honestly assess whether you have good trust and communication among board members and between the executive and the board. You may need to delay succession planning for a few months while you sort through any performance issues or lack of trust among the top leaders.
Successful organizations are built on positive, open relationships between the executive and the board. Form a team to begin conversation of succession.
This team collects information, may attending training and learns more to help lead and begin the conversation.
Make sure there is no undue fear and establish clarity about the intention of the process.
Polling Question #2
To broaden support the board should discuss both the risks of failing to plan and the benefits of planning.
RISKS:
1. Without direction - the organization bears the risk of going out of business.
2. Leaders depart all the time, due to new job offers, dramatic and sudden life changes, accidents and other unpredictable causes.
3. Organizations that aren’t growing have either plateaud or are dying. When mission is no longer effective or needed by the community, the organization has become irrelevant.
BENEFITS:
“Unpack” the executive and other top positions – so that they become more sustainable. Overtime managers pick up additional responsibilities because of their particular background and experience with the organization. This can make their position impossible to fill.
Younger staff have a deep hunger to grow and take on new responsibilities. Creating a succession plans requires us to be intentional with leadership development and advancement.
Through sustainability and succession planning, organizations identify the attributes and competencies required for leadership at all levels of the organization. This allows the organization to create management and training opportunities to help staff develop core competencies.
Result: Greater retention and internal advancement, and ultimately a more sustainable organization.
The emergency backup plan is not designed to pick a long-term Successor or Heir Apparent. The Goal is to ensure continuity of leadership in an emergency.
In larger organizations create additional emergency backup plans for other key positions.
1. Create Role/Function
a. Executive prepares list of the 5 or 6 most important functions and key roles within the organization – ensuring efficiency and success.
b. Who they supervise
2. Determine Emergency Backup staff
a. List individuals who now or with training could carry out high priority functions
b. Select a person to serve as acting director in an emergency backup
3. Create a communications Plan
a. Regularly maintained contact list of which stakeholders need to be informed in case of an unplanned absence.
b. Board and Staff members are contacted within 2 to 3 days
c. Depending on the nature/expected length of absence – funders, government officials and other stakeholders may be informed
d. Post communication occurs initially within a week and then on a need to know or update basis.
4. Create a Cross-training Plan
a. Ensures that designated backups receive orientation and training in any areas deemed essential for carryout short-term leadership
b. Keep the list short, ensuring that the process and timeline for completing the training is realistic
5. Finalize the backup plan
a. Annual review of the plan and designate who gets a copy
b. Understand where key documents and passwords for computers and bank accounts are kept
c. Board review and adoption – focus on “what” went in to the plan and the implications for long-term sustainability
The Emergency Backup Plan becomes a part of the organization’s strategic plan. The board should review and adopt the plan as a policy – especially when a founder or long-term executive is involved.
Polling question #3.
Board Members
Secure the organization’s future by clarifying direction and ensuring strong leadership. A succession plan promotes the availability of a strong executive when needed.
Understand the complexity and responsibilities of the executive role. Select, support and evaluate the executive on a regular basis.
Leverage board contacts and expertise, especially during periods of leadership transition.
Play a lead role in working with the executive to develop and approve succession plans for various scenarios.
Appoint a board committee to address transitional issues in the unexpected departure of the executive.
Executive
Provide a process for regularly reviewing and stretching the board’s effectiveness.
Ensure legacy and succession occur. Draft an emergency succession plan and submit to the board for approval.
Implement process to develop key staff members and promote a culture that encourages professional development
Work with the board chait to schedule board meetings dedicated to the succession-planning process
Evaluate their role in the organization, promote and encourage the executive succession-planning process.
Implement, upon board approval, and communicate the succession plan with affected staff.
Key Staff
Support successful transition of new executive and provide program and organizational information as requested.
Continue to provide services to clients in absence of executive and during transition
Ensure they are aware of the defined internal and external communication plan so they can address public inquiries
The strategic plan should include a definition of the leadership requirements necessary to lead and achieve organizational goals. An emerging critical leadership skill is the ability to keep the organization’s business model current and effective.
Boards play a critical role in nurturing strong and sustainable leadership along with oversight of the executive. A responsibility of the board is to implement and conduct a performance feedback and evaluation process. This should be completed on a regular basis regardless of the executive’s high performance. A structured process creates opportunities to address any performance issues in a timely manner and not only when they are concerns.
Committed boards play a key role in the success of the executive and the organization’s sustainability. The board should periodically assess its effectiveness and commitment to supporting the organization and leadership.
4. All staff should be provided periodic feedback and have formal development plans to promote professional and personal growth.
5. The executive should promote the leadership team’s ability to work together. If possible, the executive should conduct an effectiveness assessment and then work with the group to identify improvement strategies. Components of a high-performing team include:
a. Clear goals understood by all
b. Trusting and respectful working relationships.
c. Information is communicated across the organization.
d. Conflict is regarded as helpful and focused on problems not people.
e. Decision making is effective and promotes a climate that is conducive to involving people.
It is important that there be more than a single relationship with external stakeholders. An organization is in a vulnerable position when critical external relationships are maintained by only the executive or business development manager. Identify external relationships and target internal staff to create contacts as a way to promote continuous exchange and trust in the event of a departure. In a very small organization the board or long-term volunteer(s) can be responsible for this.
All leadership talent needs to understand the funding sources and how they impact the financial stability of the organization. This should be a developmental objective for all leadership to ensure adequate funding knowledge and ability to maximize funding resources.
Conduct regular financial system audits to ensure the organization meets industry standards and use this as a developmental opportunity for staff. Knowledge of the financial management system should be a core competency of top leadership and high-performing staff who are being developed for future opportunities.
Key activities should be documented and a backup person identified to carry on duties in case of an emergency or unexpected departure. This is a common goal but often not completed due to time and limited resources; however, organizations should consider using a volunteer or borrowing from another organization that has completed the process. Examples of key manuals include records retention policy, information technology and computer usage policy, volunteer recruitment process, performance management process, recruiting process, code of conduct, whistleblower policy and fund raising process.
Organizational Mission – every person can state clearly how she/ he contributes to the organization
Both formal and informal leaders are valued and recognized
Staff who are interested in advancing in formal leadership positions know/understand the requirements
Managers/supervisors are encouraged and rewarded for actions that support leader development
Organization’s strategic/annual plan reinforces the importance of attention to the development of leaders on staff
The organization has a written inclusiveness policy along with its emergency backup plan and succession policy, and is committed to building a diverse and sustainable leadership culture
Changes in leadership are handled calmly and without drama because there is a plan and confidence in the organization’s investment in the development of internal leaders.