"It can take a good year (or two) for a new executive to learn everything about the nonprofit, from operations to processes to donor relationshipsespecially if they hire 'from away.' And discerning donors may take a 'wait and see' attitude before making new contributions, cheering for the organization but wanting to see how the new leadership fits in."
That's the advice of a Maine nonprofit's outgoing executive director, who writes in the Kennebec Journal of the importance of having a "strategic plan" in place before an executive's departure.
"Based on my three decades of service in the nonprofit sector, I would like to offer three tips for maximizing the good parts of transitions while minimizing the riskier parts," writes Susan Rovzar.
Among them: "Build a strategic plan for the organization's long-term sustainability."
A strategic plan "embodies the organization's vision, priorities, goals, as well as the activities, metrics, and resources required to accomplish its mission," writes Rovzar.
"Will there be time for a search process and overlap so knowledge sharing can occur and gaps can be minimized?...
If the organization need to hire an interim executive director to cover any gaps in professional leadership? If so, how do
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