Client Stories

SUPPORTING LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS

Preparing to Move On
A long time executive director integral to the work of a national membership association wanted to redefine his role within the organization and create a succession plan to prepare the organization for his eventual retirement (still two to three years away). CHP&M worked with the staff leadership team to revise the organizational structure, changing the executive director's role to that of senior strategist and spokesperson, and moving responsibility for day-to-day programmatic and administrative activities to deputy directors. With the new organizational structure, the association maximizes the value of the executive director and has knowledgeable managers in position to lead the organization in the future.

Moving Beyond the Founder
After 10 years in the role of "working board chair," a founding member of a nonprofit organization announced his plans to step back and assume the role of a more traditional board member. The nonprofit had established itself as a leader in its field with strong national name recognition and a highly respected staff, but much of the organization's identity remained linked to the board chair. CHP&M worked with the board and staff to reduce the organization's dependency on this single individual, to identify and utilize the diverse mix of skills of other board members, and to capture and transfer the knowledge and relationships the board chair had amassed over time. A new board chair has recently been elected and the founder is working closely with her and other key members of the organization to pass on his years of expertise.