The article, Rediagnosing “Founder’s Syndrome”: Moving Beyond Stereotypes to Improve Nonprofit Performance, from Nonprofit Quarterly diagnoses founder's syndrome and its four "symptoms", and explores how boards of directors can address and remedy symptoms for a mission-driven focus and approach.
One of the most effective and cost efficient ways to prevent intellectual, emotional, creative, and even physical burnout is the sabbatical. Creative Disruption: Sabbaticals for Capacity Building & Leadership Development in the Nonprofit Sector reviews findings based on surveys of 61 sabbatical awardees and 30 interim leaders, interviews with program staff and awardees, and interviews with consultants and evaluators who support these programs.
2020 statement of values and code of ethics for nonprofit and philanthropic organizations from Independent Sector.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's report, Capturing the Power of Leadership Change: Using Executive Transition management to Strengthen Organizational Capacity, highlights the challenges associated with executive transitions and describes a model of executive management transition.
The primary goal of emergency succession planning is to prepare an organization for the unplanned absence or departure of a key manager. Nonprofit organizations can adapt this sample emergency backup succession plan (Raffa, formerly TransitionGuides) for appointing an acting executive director, president or chief executive offider in the event of an unplanned leave.
Board evaluations of executive directors (CEOs) are different from all other performance evaluations in an organization. This difference – especially the limited ability of board members to observe the executive – represents many of the primary reasons why 45% of executives have not been reviewed in the previous year according to CompassPoint's "Daring to Lead" 2011 study.
This 2004-2008 series of publications on executive transition management was funded in part by the Casey Foundation and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. It features ten reports on topics related to leadership change--using interim directors, "founder's syndrome," how boards can be proactive, and more.
This guide outlines the steps and stages of a well-conducted search for a new CEO or Executive Director, as experienced by BoardWalk Consulting, a national executive search firm that specializes in recruiting CEOs and senior leaders for nonprofits and foundations. (BoardWalk Consulting)
Terry Allebaugh had his "aha" moment when he was away from the office. He was at a workshop on executive transitions presented by the N.C. Center for Nonprofits with support from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC Foundation. He realized he'd fulfilled his work at Housing for New Hope (HNH), which he founded "to prevent and end homelessness one valuable person at a time." After 20 years as executive director, he realized it was time to move aside and let new leadership take the helm. He wasn’t ready to retire, but he was tired of the CEO's administrative responsibilities.
Organizations can adapt this sample policy and process for the board of director's evaluation of the executive director/CEO.