Leadership transitions are pivotal times in the life of nonprofit organizations. Even the strongest organizations can experience some degree of upheaval as a result of changes in senior management—executive director, development director, board chair. If not managed well, this change may impact funding, staff morale, or strategic direction. In addition to identifying the right new leader, the rest of the nonprofit must be ready to effectively orient him or her to the organization and position them for success.
Rainmaker assists senior leadership in navigating leadership transitions through:
- Executive coaching for senior leadership.
- Creation of a search committee and search process that will lead to the identification of a well-matched leader.
- Review of job descriptions, search postings, and marketing materials used for candidate search.
- Development of an on-boarding plan for welcoming and orienting new leadership and post-hire support for all leaders.
- Support for interim leadership—board, staff, volunteers.
- Staff/board retreat—strengthen your team and forge forward.
We find that organizations that are supported through leadership transitions have a more effective search and that new leaders are more likely to remain in their positions after five years.