You are a board member of a nonprofit organization that the president / CEO (possibly the CEO) just announced that he is leaving. What are you doing now?
For more than 30 years in higher education and as a trustee or director on nonprofit boards, I looked at this scenario from several angles: trustee, candidate in search, administrator conducting search, incoming president, outgoing president. What I have learned is that while most trustees are business owners who have hired and fired, few have selected a nonprofit executive. Trust me; it is a “very different” experience from the corporate one.
Nonprofit executive selection processes are often open, public, “political” and lengthy affairs in which stakeholders frequently assert their “right” to participate in the selection process, if not to make the decision. . In the cacophony that often follows, it doesn’t take long for trustees to wonder who let the dogs out.
So, to keep a little sanity the next time your nonprofit executive leaves, follow this To Do List, detailed in rough chronological order:
- Address the transition of the president to the Board of Trustees.
- Announce the presidential transition to staff and the public.
- Establish a search plan, including committee structure, participants, procedures, etc.
- Establish the search calendar for the president.
- Establish a communication strategy to inform trustees, staff, students, et al.
- Establish a president’s search budget and institutional account for cost accounting.
- Publish the president’s statement on the fundamental importance of confidentiality.
- Determine if you should appoint a search consultant: individual or company.
- Consider if, where, when to schedule a Board of Trustees retreat, as needed.
- Reaffirm the vision and mission of the organization and clarify leadership needs and opportunities with the Board, staff, and constituents.
- Develop the president’s search link and page categories for the organization’s website.
- Create website mechanisms to form questions, participation and nominations and authorize people to review this information.
- Appoint a search committee, select a chair, and take over the tasks and schedule.
- Appoint, as necessary, relevant advisory committees and take charge of tasks and schedule.
- Develop search documents: job announcement, job description, opportunity profile, applicant questions and procedures.
- Publish search documents on the organization’s website.
- Identify associations, periodicals, and websites to post job announcements.
- Determine the name of the email or mailed grace cover letter acknowledging inquiries, and write this letter.
- Determine the information requested from applicants: resume, answers to applicants’ questions, references and for religious organizations, possibly a statement of religious experience.
- Direct inquiries and requests will be sent electronically or by mail to the organization, search consultant / firm, or PO box hired for this purpose.
- Determine the authorized recipient for the email or mail corresponding to the search: member of the Search Committee, consultant, Director of Human Resources, administrative assistant, et al.
- Determine what criteria will be used to select applicants.
- Determine how and by whom applicants will be informed when they are released from further consideration.
- Assign human resources to administer standard psychological tests to semi-finalist or finalist candidates.
- Determine when and how many referrals will be asked of semifinalists and / or finalists, who will contact these referrals and when, and what questions will be asked of all referrals.
- Establish an interview process, including whether “pre-interviews” will be scheduled off-site and who will participate.
- Identify the interview questions and coordinate who will ask the questions on various committees.
- Determine when and where the Search Committee will interview semifinalists and / or finalists and if the candidate’s spouse will be invited (a common practice for non-profit organizations).
- Determine if, then, when and where the advisory committees will interview the semifinalists and / or finalists.
- Determine when and where the Board of Trustees will interview the finalists and if the candidate’s spouse will be invited.
- Consider whether finalists should be asked to return for additional interviews.
- Identify how and when a new search will be initiated and communicate if the appropriate candidate for president is not identified in the search for the president.
- Make recommendations from the Search Committee to the Board of Trustees.
- Schedule the Board of Trustees meeting for the Board to vote on the recommended finalist.
- Establish approximate compensation and a contract (if any) to guide the president in negotiations with the finalist on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
- Request ratification by the Compensation and Contract Board.
- Coordinate with the designee the content and timing of internal staff communications, press releases, and other public relations announcements of the appointment of the new president.
- Identify dates for the first day in office and, as appropriate, recognitions and celebrations.
It’s a great job. But if done professionally with integrity, it pays off. Remember, in addition to establishing the strategic vision of an organization, there is nothing that a Board of Trustees does that is more important than selecting the best and most suitable President for the organization. Happy hunting.