Current Trends and Emerging Best Practices in Succession Planning for Nonprofits

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1 Current Trends and Emerging Best Practices in Succession Planning for Nonprofits MCN Annual Conference 2016 Robert L. Routhieaux Hamline University With a big thanks to MCN for their support!

2 Research Focus How prevalent is succession planning in the nonprofit sector? To what extent is succession planning focused on one or a few key positions? To what extent is it built into the culture of the organization? How does organizational size or lifecycle stage impact succession planning efforts? Are there consistent differences in succession planning across different sub-sectors? What have emerged as best practices in succession planning for different types of organizations with different resources and structures? In succession planning efforts, what are the key responsibilities or activities of board members, the current executive(s), staff, or other constituents? What tools have been most useful to nonprofits in guiding succession planning efforts? How do or should nonprofits track the success or impact of succession planning efforts?

3 Responding Organizations

4 Extent of Succession Planning

5 Focus of Succession Planning

6 Scope of Succession Planning

7 Involvement in SP Efforts

8 Staff / Leadership Development

9 Critical Elements of SP Knowledge capture / transfer make sure key information is passed on Skills identification clarify both immediate and future skills for success Assess and identify potential successors (internal candidates) Provide training / development for potential successors

10 SP Challenges Part 1 Making the time to do it Finding guidance / models that fit our organization s unique needs and context Small organizations limited staff to draw from for internal succession Knowing who & how to involve in process Getting started lack of expertise, guidance, initiative, urgency

11 SP Challenges Part 2 People don t want to or are unwilling to bring up topic (for a variety of reasons) Forecasting future needs / skills Finding consensus on key priorities or skills for successors

12 LD Challenges Funding and time for leadership development activities Finding development activities and programs pertinent to our unique organization / context Board and executive recognition of need for ongoing development of staff Ensuring application of learning hard to see impact of one time trainings

13 Emerging Best Practices in Succession Planning 1. Acknowledge how personal and potentially threatening conversations about succession planning can be 2. Make progress, in writing, on a regular basis 3. Extend your focus beyond the Board and Chief Executive prioritize vulnerabilities 4. Stay future focused organizational needs 5. Understand and prepare for both expected and unexpected departures

14 Emerging Best Practices in Succession Planning 6. Be willing to address emotions / feelings of both departing and remaining personnel 7. Engage in ongoing conversations about internal versus external candidates 8. Encourage all executives and staff to create a guidebook for their position and roles 9. Facilitate cross training and job shadowing across functions and levels 10.Monitor external trends that will impact the labor or talent pool

15 Emerging Best Practices in Leadership Development 1. Build professional development plans into evaluation & goal setting processes 2. Have ongoing conversations not just once per year or at standard intervals 3. Budget for in both time and money build into funding proposals 4. Make sure there is time for application integrate principles of adult learning 5. If training is done off site, provide ways to share the learning with the organization

16 Emerging Best Practices in Leadership Development 6. Encourage staff to take interest and have voice beyond normal duties / roles 7. Work to align personal / professional goals with organizational goals & directions 8. Practice reverse mentoring encourage learning across organizational levels 9. Create learning spaces physical and virtual, to share resources for learning 10.Partner with other organizations for training, development and mentoring programs

17 Open Q & A What questions do you have about succession planning both in general and based on your organization s unique needs / circumstances? What questions do you have about leadership development? If time share in clusters around organizational size and / or sub-sector: ideas for creating a culture of SP & LD

18 For More Information Resources and guides from CompassPoint - Great report and resources / guides from unexpected source - Succession-Planning-Toolkit.pdf Report focused on government agencies, lots of good information - elinetoolkit_213235_7.pdf One of the best resource guides from Annie E Casey Foundation - BuildingLeaderfulOrganizations-2008-Full.pdf List of resources from the Foundation Center -