7 Tips to Communicate Your Retirement Prior to a Nonprofit Executive Search

So, you’ve made the decision to retire from your position as a nonprofit Executive Director or CEO. You want to leave the organization in good hands and assure that the legacy that you have built will continue. You care about your staff and want to ensure that they are considered in the process of succession planning. You might be apprehensive that announcing too early will make you a “lame duck”, or that your board will not react well. You may be asking yourself, what are my next steps? How do I navigate this change successfully?

One of the first steps to consider is a well-thought-out communication plan announcing that you are retiring. It is best if you are able to give your organization time to carefully consider all the steps needed to assure a successful leadership transition. Here are several things to consider when planning your announcement:

1. Announcement to the Board of Directors: If the nonprofit is in a good place, you have been a strong leader, and you have a board of directors that you trust to do the best thing for the organization – it is good practice to begin discussions with your board chair 12 to 18 months prior to your planned retirement. This will give the board time to digest the information, select a succession committee, and begin planning for a well-thought-out succession. This process allows you and the board time to prepare the organization for the change process and to map out the road ahead. Your board chair will most likely be your best ally during this process.

2. Communications Plan: After you have informed the board of your plans, put together a written communications plan that includes timelines and dates to communicate with each additional group of stakeholders, who will communicate with each group, and a list of talking points for the board and leadership team. The plan should outline a designated spokesperson who is authorized to speak to the press and their contact information.

3. Announcement to your Leadership Team: The timing to announce your retirement to your leadership team will depend on how well the team works together. This is a time for you to evaluate the strength of the team and determine if you have the right people in place. Does the structure of the team need to change? Are there any members of the team who might be in line to succeed you? Are there potential problems that might arise between team members when the announcement is made? After you have successfully answered these types of questions, begin to engage the leadership team as early as possible in the entire process. Go over the communications plan, and make sure that each team member understands that the information is confidential until an official announcement is made. Give the team adequate time to work with you to prepare the organization for the change. Ask team members to evaluate the readiness of the organization for transition to a new leader. Begin some guided discussions on what is excellent about the organization and what may need to be restructured.

4. Announcement to the Staff: The staff need to be informed about your retirement before a general announcement is made to the public. The announcement will typically come from the board chair and will include information about how the board intends to carry out the search for the new executive. This is the best time to show the staff that the plan is solid, well thought out, and comprehensive. Good planning will reassure any anxieties the staff may have about change. You may want to consider setting up sessions when the departing executive and the board chair are available to answer any questions.

5. Announcement to the Public: Once the announcement has been made to the staff, it is essentially public. It is important to quickly follow up with an announcement to your key stakeholders, referral and funding sources and the general public. You will want to consider which stakeholders (such as funders) should be informed via a personal visit or phone call, which stakeholders can be informed via a memo or letter from the board chair, and who can be informed via media release.

6. After the Announcement: The board and the departing executive need to keep in mind that change is always difficult for staff. It is good practice for the board chair to communicate regularly with the staff during the recruitment process. Let them know if there are plans to partner with a nonprofit executive search firm like The Moran Company, or if the recruitment and hiring will be handled by the board of directors. Share a general timeline of when recruitment will start and how the transition will be handled.

7. Starting the Search: If possible, include the staff and key stakeholders early on in the search process via survey in identifying the traits that would be ideal in a new leader. If you choose to work with The Moran Company, this type of survey is included as part of the first phase of our thorough and inclusive search process to gather additional input prior to launching external recruitment efforts for nonprofit Executive Director or CEO positions. Read more about “How to Engage Staff During a Nonprofit Executive Director Search” and “Maintaining Funding Relationships During a Nonprofit Executive Search.”

Good communications are essential to a positive transition in any organization. Having a plan will reassure everyone that the board has the process under control and understands the difficulty and fear that takes place with change. It will also minimize the rumor mill and assist the staff in making the successful shift to a new leader.

When properly managed, communicating the retirement of the Executive Director/CEO can go smoothly, and both the organization and its new leader will thrive. The Moran Company is accustomed to partnering closely with nonprofits to recruit the right successors. If we can offer advice or assistance to your organization, please contact us for a free 30-minute consultation.

By Ann Graff, M.A.
Senior Search Consultant
The Moran Company
“We Find Great Nonprofit Executives”