Succession planning gets a bad rap. But in an emergency situation (e.g., sudden illness, unplanned family emergency, sudden or long-term disability, lottery win, unplanned complete loss of a leader, etc.) an emergency succession plan becomes essential to a nonprofit’s ability to navigate the situation and deliver on mission.
An unplanned absence can also be short- or long-term — and you may not initially know which it will be or the expected timing of a return. An emergency succession plan can appoint a specific acting successor or successors by role, define their scope, designate their reporting lines, and identify back-filled support. They provide a way to continue delivering on mission during an emergency absence.
Emergency plans also provide a cushion of time to make more thoughtful decisions on how to handle longer-term implications of change. More importantly, these plans can identify an operational checklist - documenting key operating information needed to successfully pass on responsibilities and roles to another person and prepare for planned or "departure-defined" succession plans.
Dates:
May 7th 9:30am-11:30am
June 4th 9:30am-11am
August 6th 9:30am-11am
October 1st 9:30am-11am
Join a small virtual cohort of your colleagues in the field led by Don Crocker, Cadence Pace Partners, to think through the challenges your organization might face if an unplanned absence emerged. This facilitated group will meet regularly, for 4 sessions between May and October, to help each other think through the challenges of succession planning and will provide tools and approaches you can try out in your organization to reduce the risks of unplanned succession. For those with interest, and when requested, we will also delve into departure-defined succession planning (tools that can help when a change is planned) and meet individually with Don for guidance and support.
In this workgroup you will:
o Learn about the benefits of emergency succession planning (and the risks of neglecting it)
o Explore with colleagues the challenges and fears inherent in succession planning (and how to manage these)
o Become familiar with tools and techniques to help you navigate succession planning and emergency succession planning.
Participants:
o Should be in senior leadership or given authority in the organization to pursue emergency succession planning
o Represent organizations based in Monmouth and/or Ocean Counties, New Jersey, or have a significant service presence in Monmouth and/or Ocean Counties
o Are ready and willing to be involved, this opportunity is entirely voluntary and an incredible benefit but only for organizations who are interested and dedicated to the process
If you have any questions, need assistance with the application, or have suggestions, please reach out to Vicki Fernandez, Grunin Director of Thriving Communities at Vicki@GruninFoundation.org
