One in three current nonprofit CEOs will have left their jobs by 2025. Are you ready?

According to a 2022 survey from the Florida Nonprofit Alliance, approximately one-third of nonprofit CEOs in Florida will have left their jobs within two years. Past surveys have reported similar forecasts without actual high turnover, but this year we are seeing a high rate of retirement. 

 The good news is that transition is a normal part of work life. With some reasonable and common-sense proactive planning, it doesn’t need to be disruptive.  

How do you prepare?

  If you’re a board member, you can decide a lot before any transition actually occurs.

• What’s the road map for a transition?  Hint: Thinking of it as a process rather than a transactional replacement is useful and gives you time to make better decisions.

• What are the roles and responsibilities of a transition committee? 

• How can you control the story? How will you reassure the people you serve, your staff, your partners, funders, and donors that everything is well in hand?

• How will you handle interim or acting leadership?

• What’s your policy on severance pay, continuation of benefits, etc.?

If you’re a CEO or ED, you can also prepare for your departure.  (Even if it’s time to step away, we know that you still have the mission in your heart.)

• What’s the logical sequence of events that need to occur for a smooth departure?

• What are the tasks or relationships that only you handle? Is there time to start transitioning these?

• Are there people on your team who are ready to step up? Can you step up development or stretch assignments before you leave?

• What information is stored in your head that could be made accessible to your team? This can be especially challenging in smaller organizations.

• What’s your personal plan to step away from the work?

 Download a free succession readiness assessment our website and see how you fare.

And here’s a teaser for March: If you consider “succession management” as part of your regular work, you can minimize organizational risk and strengthen mission delivery in the process.