Executive Issues

I am continually amazed at the growing number of nonprofits without an nonprofit succession planning program. This scenario applies not only to the CEO position but other key administrative positions. I am also referring to chief development officers. Running an effective nonprofit is difficult enough without having succession planning issues...

Legitimacy is based upon respect through association. It’s similar to the way a prospective employer checks an applicant’s job references. A leadership council is a group of people who effectively say through their association, “We’ve checked this group’s references, and they’re solid.”...

Having worked and consulted with multiple nonprofit organizations through the years, I have studied each nonprofit to see if they have four-star success in a variety of areas. In a perfect scenario, each major element of the nonprofit would be constantly analyzed to see if they incorporate four-star material...

In my daily interactions with nonprofit CEOs, I am struck by how quickly the expectations for the role are evolving. During my time as a nonprofit CEO, nearly 10 years ago, I was acutely aware that my duties had progressed beyond those carried out by my predecessors and involved much more complex leadership and management...

The first step in recruiting leadership council members is to clearly define what it is you are expecting of them, both in terms of time commitment and ultimate goals. Remember that anyone you approach is going to be, in all likelihood, a busy person, and people have their own time obligations...

Just as there are different types of leadership councils, there are key moments in your growth when a leadership council can help your nonprofit. Consider these four big moments...

Finding a powerful name and defining the purpose should be top on your list of tasks as you start and develop your leadership council. Here’s three reasons why: you want the members and the public to take notice; you want to convey energy and vision; and you want to differentiate it from the board of directors...

A leadership council is a group of individuals outside of your board who fulfill a number of special functions for your agency. Unlike your board members who assume a governance responsibility, the council is a non-governance group...

In this webinar, Nathan Safran and Tim Sarrantonio will share and discuss key findings from the 2019 Nonprofit Leadership Impact Study.

A successful nonprofit merger looks a lot like a successful marriage. Stick with me for a minute here. In both instances, there is an initial "getting-to-know-you" period. You’re both trying to determine if you’re a good fit. After you both agree there’s mutual chemistry, you move into the dating phase, sharing more information and growing in understanding of each other...