What Nonprofit Boards Should Consider Before Launching an Executive Search

The board knew this day would come — and members had hoped it would not happen during their terms. Whatever the reason for the departure, the need to hire a new executive is here. And yes, even with a succession plan in place, panic or dread is often the first reaction.

The nonprofit executive search for the perfect paid leader to continue the legacy of those who came before is often viewed as a daunting task. One thing boards learn quickly: A clone is not available.

But that's not necessarily bad news. By the time the executive seat must be filled, the organization and its environment will have changed — and that change may call for a different skill set than the previous leader brought.

Stanford University’s Corporate Governance Institute concluded that boards can have different paid leadership needs during distinct stages and institutional changes. A board does well to assess where it stands before launching a search — that assessment will likely point toward a different mix of skills, knowledge, and experience than the outgoing executive possessed.

Departing executives, especially founders, often possess skills well-suited for startups and early growth. But shifting environments — political climate, competition, funding landscapes — combined with internal changes like expanded staff and programs can significantly alter what the role requires. 

Think of organizational leadership on a pendulum that swings between strong programs and solid infrastructure. Ideally, both are balanced. Growth — especially rapid program expansion — often pushes one side ahead of the other, reflecting financial constraints or competing priorities. When leadership changes, boards that pause to assess their stage of development and their internal and external challenges will be better positioned to define what the next executive actually needs to deliver.

Start With an Interim

When should the search start — and end? For a long-tenured or founder executive, the answer is: not immediately Hire an interim executive before launching recruitment. The search can begin as soon as the board knows the executive is leaving, but consider staggering the hiring and start dates, and appoint an interim leader to bridge the gap.

An interim executive can serve for three to nine months following the departure and address three specific needs: 

1. Lessen the panic or sense of emergency board members feel when facing the task.
2. Provide on-the-ground support to staff until a new executive is in place.
3. Conduct a thorough assessment of the organization’s current state.

One of the most critical outputs of an interim engagement is building consensus on hiring criteria and a job description. If the interim's findings align with an existing description, great. If not, the board has saved itself from hiring against the wrong target.

Think Carefully About Internal Candidates

And what happens if the departing executive has identified an internal candidate they believe is optimal to continue their legacy? Many boards see this is a clean solution to ensure continuity — and while continuity has real value, the picture is more complicated.

Boards should resist skipping a formal search simply to elevate an heir apparent. The risk is that the board ends up not knowing what it doesn't know — and misses candidates or perspectives that could have moved the organization forward. At minimum, even if a leading staff member takes the helm as interim, bringing in a formal outside assessor can surface insights that insiders cannot.

Weigh the Value of a Search Firm

Hiring a search firm can be highly beneficial. The executive search process involves defining desired skills and experience, networking, reviewing applications, scheduling interviews, supporting deliberations, and managing candidate communications. That workload is time-consuming and often beyond most boards' capacity.

The tradeoff: search firms typically charge 20–30% of the planned salary. Some firms offer a lower fixed rate for a narrower scope of services, which can help offset budget constraints. All things considered, executive search firms bring real value — particularly for organizations that have never run a senior search before.

Not every nonprofit can afford both an interim and a search firm, and some will default to word-of-mouth and local networking. That approach can produce results. But organizations hoping to move to the next level — beyond where the outgoing executive brought them — may find that a self-directed search limits the candidate pool. 

Include Stakeholders in the Process

Stakeholder involvement in the search process carries real benefits and is worth building in deliberately. The board should appoint a search committee as the central clearinghouse overseeing the search and, if applicable, the search firm. Search committee members should report back to the full board regularly. Both paid and volunteer staff should receive updates on the process and, ideally, participate in finalist interviews. Communicating with donors and beneficiaries helps keep them informed and signals organizational stability.

Once a new executive has been selected, onboarding and communication to everyone, everywhere should be the theme. A successful nonprofit executive search starts well before the posting goes live. Nonprofits fill resource and experience gaps that communities would not otherwise have — and getting the right leader into that role, then setting them up to succeed, is one of the most consequential things a board can do.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.