At no previous time in the history of America has there been a bigger need or call for not-for- profit organizations to take more of a leadership role in solving some of our nation’s social, moral, and economic problems. Additionally, there has never been a time when so many people, who have had successful careers in the private sector, have the opportunity to either take early retirement or otherwise give serious consideration to transitioning their careers to leadership roles with not-for-profit organizations.
As not-for-profit organizations proliferate, more people from education, government, and the private sector are serving on boards of nonprofits. While most people are not brought onto boards specifically to serve on a search committee, if you serve long enough OR are on enough boards, eventually an organization you are with will go through a change of leadership. This means you may be asked to serve on that search committee for a new Chief Executive Officer. Whether the organization is a museum, a social services agency, a health and human services agency, an institution of higher education, or a religious organization, the people involved in selecting new senior leadership generally face the same challenges and have the same questions.
Have you recently or are you currently serving in this capacity? We want to know…what are the challenges you are facing and what seem to be the glaring questions at hand? Comment now.
Tommy Thomas is Lead Partner of JobFitMatters® as well as Board Member and Managing Director of parent entity SIMA® International. He specializes in cabinet-level retained executive search for nonprofit and faith-based organizations.