Practical Succession Planning: Leadership Continuity to Sustain Your Mission
with Erick Seelbach and Jeffrey R. Wilcox, CFRE from Third Sector Company
A 2024 survey of nonprofit capacity in the Pacific Northwest identified succession planning and leadership development as continued and potentially growing challenges for nonprofits. The nonprofit sector is experiencing growing rates of employee and volunteer transitions. Many issues that nonprofits face can be linked to the impacts of high employee and board turnover, lack of talent planning and development, and an unrealized commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, access, and belonging. A significant portion of nonprofits do not have written plans or policies to guide executive transitions, board succession, or employee retention, nor do they include talent development and leadership continuity in strategic planning. Nonprofit executives and their boards often react nervously, even negatively, to the idea of leadership succession discussions. Those organizations face significant risk should they experience a sudden vacancy in a key position. Leadership transitions can be destabilizing to organizations, but they also provide opportunities for growth if an organization has a culture focused on ongoing and intentional development of the human capital needed for the future. As defined by Third Sector Company, “Succession Planning is stewarding a demonstrated commitment to fostering a continuity of human talent able to advance a community cause. A Succession Plan is a set of detailed understandings and actions that form a systematic guarantee that adequate human talent will be in place to deliver on mission both now and in the future.” Intentional and systematic planning can minimize disruptions to operations and programs during times of transition, ensuring an organization’s mission can continue. The goal of succession planning is to introduce and maintain a culture of succession within an organization. It is a systematic process of exploring key questions, developing agreements and policies, connecting strategies and budgets, and creating a pipeline of developed talent.
Learning outcomes for participants include:
• Identifying the essential components of an effective succession plan
• Assessing their organization’s leadership continuity landscape
• Committing to convening a discussion in their organization about how they are demonstrating intentionality about guaranteeing a continuity of leadership
Presenters
Erick Seelbach – Erick graduated from The Evergreen State College with a Master of Arts in Teaching. For over 20 years, her work in HIV led her to many different corners of volunteer, nonprofit and government settings: as a participant in HIV vaccine and prevention research studies, a leader of various research community advisory boards, a graduate of several leadership institutes, an outreach worker, a technical assistance and training provider, a grant writer and reviewer, a conference planner, and more. Erick served as the HIV and Hepatitis Consultant for the Office of the Regional Health Administrator in Region 10 of the US Department of Health and Human Services and later as the Executive Director of PCAF (Pierce County AIDS Foundation), chaired the Pierce County Human Services Coalition, and served as the President of the Board and later as the Interim Executive Director of the Nonprofit Association of Washington. Currently Erick owns and operates The Liminal Mirror, a coaching and consulting business, and works with Third Sector Company on nonprofit leadership continuity solutions.
Jeffrey R. Wilcox – CFRE is a nationally-recognized pioneer in the field of leadership succession solutions for community impact organizations. Founder of Third Sector Company, its Interim Executives Academy and Board Chairs Academy, Jeffrey is an author, columnist and popular speaker on succession planning, board and staff talent development and retention, and strategic interim executive solutions for nonprofit charitable organizations, trade and professional associations, and congregations. Since its founding in 2002, Third Sector Company has provided services to over 900 nonprofit organizations in Southern and Northern California, Arizona, the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. In 2023, Third Sector Company was named a “Top 10” Interim Executives Services Firm by Manage HR Magazine.