Nonprofits, We Have a Looming Succession Crisis
So, friends, we have a succession planning problem within the nonprofit community.
This is being seen across the workforce - you should read this aloud and sit with it. Between 2024–2030: 30.4 million Americans will turn 65, with more than 11,200 Americans turning 65 every day. This isn't new news to anyone who has been paying attention, so why is it so painful in the nonprofit workforce?
Reasons for Pain
Dynamic Leaders raise funds - It's true, who doesn't love a dynamo Executive Director or CEO and their ability to paint a picture of your organization's vision? The challenge becomes if supporters cannot envision the organization without tying it to your ED.
Chronic Lack of investment in Leadership Development - If you only have a professional development budget and not an intentional support program to disperse leadership skills across the organization, you aren't alone. Most organizations over-invest in their mission and programs and tend to undersupport future leaders. It is very common for subject matter experts and high performers to get promotions without any new skill-building associated with it. An awesome employee is not an immediate awesome supervisor - someone needs to invest in their learning.
Flat organizations - Nonprofits are much more likely to have flat organizations without room for younger leaders to practice and hone their skills in middle management. This leads to organizations not having a strong enough bench for succession planning in the future.
Immediate Solutions
Shift from I to We - If all of your social media is dominated by the face of one person - this is your notice to begin the gentle shift from "I did this" to "We did this." This is going to show up in subtle ways and not-so-subtle strategies. Overall, you want donors and the community to associate your organization with success, not just your top leader.
Invest in Leadership Development - Nonprofits have a tendency to promote subject matter experts - someone really good at their job without wrapping around support to learn leadership and management skills. If you aren't taking this seriously, you are likely harming your culture and impacting your future succession pipeline. Without talented leaders ready to step in, retirements are disruptive.