Executive Transitions Series

The Executive Transitions series, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation from 2004 to 2008, includes reports written with nonprofit leaders in mind. Each publication tackled a particular topic, such as navigating leadership transitions, utilizing an interim executive director, engaging in emergency succession planning and training next-generation leaders. Read more on executive transitions and what to expect.

Building Leaderful Organizations

Succession Planning for Nonprofits

This publication presents emergency succession planning tools (an important “risk management” practice). It offers executive directors guidance on when and how to leave an organization, and includes suggestions for boards to assure the sustainability of their organizations.

Next Shift

Beyond the Nonprofit Leadership Crisis

In this monograph, the authors counter a variety of proposed interventions from infrastructure organizations and present an alternate to the current crisis framework. The authors posit that by applying a crisis framework to the transitional trends in the non-profit sector, leadership ignores the rich opportunities that lay ahead.

Ready to Lead?

Next Generation Leaders Speak Out

A skilled, committed and diverse pool of next generation leaders would like to be nonprofit executives in the future, but concerns about insufficient work-life balance and lack of earning potential may keep them from it. This national survey of 6,000 emerging nonprofit leaders, produced by the Meyer Foundation in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation and others, presents challenges and recommendations for training and supporting future nonprofit executives.

Stepping Up, Staying Engaged

Succession Planning and Executive Transition Management for Nonprofit Boards of Directors

This publication focuses particularly on board leaders. It provides a set of practical perspectives, hands-on tools, brief case studies and useful resources to help board chairs, officers, and members take a proactive approach to preparing their organizations for a transition.

Interim Executive Directors

The Power in the Middle

This paper explores the benefits and basics of using an interim executive director during a leadership transition. It also highlights some considerations that organizations should take into account when deciding whether or not to use an interim executive director.

Founder Transitions

Creating Good Endings and New Beginnings: A Guide for Executive Directors and Boards

This guide examines the unique challenges presented by transitions involving founders or long-term executives. It provides clear advice for executives and their boards in confronting the complex issues these transitions present.

Up Next

Generation Change and the Leadership of Nonprofit Organizations

Research indicates that leadership transitions from the Baby Boom generation to Generations X and Y will become more common within the nonprofit sector. This report delivers a series of recommendations on how a variety of stakeholders can improve the hand-off from this generation of leaders to the next.

Nonprofit Executive Leadership and Transitions Survey

This nonprofit leadership transition study reports demographic, geographic, executive management and career plan information from a survey of over 2,200 U.S. nonprofit leaders.

Capturing the Power of Leadership Change

Using Executive Transition Management to Strengthen Organizational Capacity

This report highlights the challenges associated with executive transitions and describes the model of executive management transition that has been used in the last decade.

Executive Transitions Series

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