Nonprofit leadership can be lonely work. The nonprofit executive functions as a bridge between staff and board and yet is not fully immersed in or part of either. Staff report to the leader, and the leader reports to the board, and the ultimate responsibility for the organization’s day-to-day performance and deliverables falls squarely on the shoulders of a single individual.

It can be an isolated feeling at times, and that isolation can be most acute in rural communities, where a nonprofit leader may function without a typical local peer network or the robust ecosystem of comparable nonprofits based in more populous urban cores. In small towns and rural communities, a leader’s identity can also become intertwined with the organization’s. For the public, and sometimes staff and board, the line between the individual and the organization begins to blur.

Rural nonprofit leaders are often entrepreneurs and visionaries who can plant an idea and tend it with steadfast devotion for years. That talent and drive can be a gift to an under-resourced place, but it can lead both board and staff to defer to and depend on a single individual. When that leader is also the founder or original executive leader, the dependency is often deeper.

That’s why a leadership transition at a rural nonprofit can be seismic and, without proper care, potentially terminal for an organization. When a nonprofit faces the transition of a founding or long-term leader, rushing the process can derail hard-earned progress and disrupt institutional culture, a disruption that can take years to correct.

For rural nonprofits, rushing to replace a departing leader too quickly or defaulting to a mindset of finding a carbon copy replica can be a step backwards or a step off the intended path entirely.

As my colleague Staci Barfield likes to say, “what got you here may not be the thing that gets you to where you need to be.”

At Armstrong McGuire, we believe in the power of the interim executive management option for nonprofits navigating a leadership succession. During planned or unexpected transitions, our experienced, certified interim CEOs, presidents, CFOs and fundraising professionals step in with support tailored to each organization’s circumstances.

The interim management engagement is not meant to be a cruise-control option in the space between a departure and a new hire. The interim executive is trained to objectively assess the organization’s current strengths, challenges and most urgent priorities from an external perspective. The interim then works with board and staff to address any known or underlying issues to fix potential pitfalls before a new executive sets foot in the door.  

That outside perspective matters especially in rural communities and small towns. In a place where everyone knows everyone, staff may hesitate to speak candidly about what needs to change. An interim can ask the hard questions and make the tough decisions without the burden and long history of intertwined relationships.

The interim preps and amends the organizational soil for the next planting of strong and effective leadership, providing the right nutrients early for a long harvest of missional fidelity in a new era.

Rural nonprofit staffs and boards often work at reduced capacity to meet overwhelming demand, so it is understandable that a board would look to move quickly to fill the vacancy of a powerful and energetic leader. It may seem counterintuitive, but that is exactly the right moment to hit pause. Take a breath and assess where the organization stands in a season of transition and what it will need from its next leader to get to where it needs to be in the future.

If you are a rural nonprofit leader or board member, begin the succession planning discussion now. Then, when the transition happens, either planned or unexpected, consider an interim executive to lead an organizational assessment and address lingering and underlying issues that may overwhelm new leadership, and then have a plan in place for a steady and thoughtful onboarding process.  

Rural nonprofits are frequently asked to do more with less, and they are often called upon to do even more when they do well. It is understandable then if the initial reaction is to immediately launch a search and quickly hire a new leader.

But consider fighting that urge. Take a breath. Test the soil. See what amendments are needed, decide what you want to grow next and then plant with greater confidence for your future harvest.

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