Q:

Our Executive Director resigned unexpectedly, and our board was caught unprepared. We were left scrambling to figure out who would take the lead, how to communicate with staff, and what kind of leader we even needed next.

We’re a small organization with just five staff, so the absence of an ED hit hard. Everyone’s stretched thin, and there isn’t a management team to absorb the gap. As board chair, it has felt like a second full-time job. I’ve spent countless hours coordinating meetings, drafting communications, and trying to keep things moving.

The process has been overwhelming, expensive, and incredibly stressful. We're realizing just how much harder all of this is without a plan, and how vulnerable that left us. What’s the minimum a board should have prepared in advance to avoid this kind of chaos? And how do we build that infrastructure now, even while we’re already in crisis mode?

A:

Succession planning is really important, and most organizations don’t do it well. Which is funny, because 100% of Executive Directors will leave their role at some point. It’s not an if, it’s a when! I guess most boards are just hoping it doesn’t happen on their watch?!

But when you're a small organization, with, say, five staff, an ED exit doesn’t just leave a gap - it leaves a crater! Not only is that person your entire leadership team, they hold 20% of your team capacity, a huge amount of institutional memory, and a wide range of responsibilities that no one else is positioned to take on. And it leaves the board without anyone to delegate organizational management to, which means that your Board Directors are left holding the bag. As you’re finding out, managing the operations of an organization in the absence of the ED is not an easy task. This is one of those situations where a little bit of planning can really go a long way.

The risks of managing a nonprofit leadership transition without a plan

When you don’t have a succession plan in place for your ED role, you’re more likely to:

• Make rushed decisions that don’t reflect your values or long-term strategy.
• Shake your communities’ confidence in the organization.
• Overload or demoralize staff, which can lead to conflict or even turnover.
• Run into unexpected costs (recruitment isn’t cheap, and neither is delay).
• Stall or interrupt your program and impact work.

And if you’re a board chair managing this solo, it’s easy to burn out. You’re not the first board chair to tell me that managing an ED transition is a full time job! And this is exactly why succession planning exists, to make the work more manageable and to protect the organization’s work, reputation and relationships. 

What should a nonprofit Executive Director succession plan include?

Ideally, your succession plan should consider a variety of possible scenarios, including both planned and unplanned scenarios for: a permanent exit, short-term absence and long-term absence. Take the time to think through the practical needs for each of those scenarios; for example, your organization may be able to distribute the ED’s responsibilities among existing staff or board directors for an unexpected three-week absence, but anything longer than that might require an interim leader. Decide what approaches are feasible, and draft the succession plan in a way that balances specificity with flexibility. 

Here are a few important considerations for drafting an ED succession plan:

• Specify how the ED’s most critical responsibilities will be covered (i.e. funder relations, managing contractual obligations, payroll and finances) and who is available and qualified to manage those responsibilities in the short-term. How are these critical responsibilities documented? How will the board monitor these responsibilities in the ED’s absence? 
• Consider in which circumstances you would rely on internal staff and when you would need to consider external support. It can be helpful to have the ED build a list of qualified individuals (i.e. internal staff that can manage specific or general executive responsibilities, or a short list of external candidates for an interim ED role) that the board could consider in an unplanned leave, and keep that list updated annually.
• Think about what kinds of hiring processes you might need to engage in, if you don’t already have strong HR policies in place that speak to the ED role. Is the board equipped to hire an interim or permanent ED on short notice? What kind of infrastructure would you need for that? Would it be preferable to have an existing relationship with a recruitment firm or HR consultant to support this process? 
• What kinds of communications will be needed for each scenario? Who are the priority audiences to communicate with, and at which milestones will you reach out to them (i.e. a weekly update to staff might be appropriate, but funders may be contacted on a need-to-know basis)? Who has access to the appropriate contact lists? Clear and effective communication, for internal and external audiences, is essential to the success of any transition, but it’s especially important for an unplanned one. 
• How will the board monitor the process to ensure it aligns with the organization’s core values? It’s a good idea to specify which values matter most, and consider what those values would look like in practice for each scenario. Crisis situations can often lead to rushed decisions that might not reflect the organization’s culture or values, which can cause more problems down the road.  
• What kinds of infrastructure will facilitate a successful process? Ensuring that the board has access to an up-to-date job description and competitive salary range will lighten the decision-making load. Holding a reserve to cover the costs of executive transitions will reduce stress and financial pressures. And requiring the ED to share annual continuity plans will help keep everyone in the loop should a transition be required unexpectedly.

Keep in mind, your succession plan doesn’t have to be a 40-page document! But it does need to be thoughtful, practical, and values-aligned. 

What to do if you’re navigating an ED transition without a plan?

You’re wondering what your board can do now that you’re in the middle of a chaotic ED transition, without a plan. Should you take my advice and draft a succession plan? I would say, no - at least, not yet. You know the saying, ‘hard cases make bad law’? It’s not a great idea to write policy in the middle of a crisis; when you’re under pressure, it’s hard to step back and think strategically, and you end up focusing too much on solving your immediate problem, without thinking about your organization’s long-term needs. 

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take notes. Document what you're doing, notice what works well and what doesn’t, and start sketching out what your plan would have included, had it existed. Once you’ve made it through the transition, go back and reflect on the process. At that point, when you have the space to think more broadly and consider a full range of transition scenarios, you can turn your lessons-learned into helpful policy infrastructure.

In the meantime:

• Keep your values front and centre, and let them guide your decisions.
• Don’t make short-term decisions that create long-term problems. 
• Communicate early and often, especially with staff; 
• Bring in an experienced interim or fractional ED if possible. This buys the board time to think and plan.
• Involve your staff; ask them what they think and give them ownership in the transition. But be sure to compensate fairly if you're asking for extra work or additional responsibilities. Read my recent article about collaborating with staff during an ED transition.  
• Be open to putting non-essential programs or events on hiatus, and press pause on any big organizational changes that are discretionary. Give everyone as much breathing room as you can!
• Start thinking about how to build the best possible onboarding process for your next ED.

Succession planning is good governance

Succession planning is one of those governance tasks that’s easy to delay, until it’s suddenly urgent. But leadership transitions don’t have to throw your organization into chaos. Whether you’re planning ahead (please, please plan ahead!) or picking up the pieces, the key is to stay values-aligned, communicate openly, keep the big picture in mind, and learn as you go. You won’t get everything right, but every lesson learned now becomes the foundation for a stronger, more resilient organization next time.

Big Takeaways

• ED departures tend to hit small nonprofits hard. You may think being ‘small’ means you can wing it, but succession plans are especially important for small organizations. 
• Good succession planning isn’t just about naming a backup, it’s about building infrastructure. A thoughtful plan includes clear roles, communication strategies, documentation practices, financial reserves, and contingency options. 
• If you're already in a transition without a plan, use the moment as a learning opportunity. Let your values guide decisions, communicate transparently, and lay the groundwork for better planning in the future.