How We Work: Transition Consultant and/or Interim Executive Director?

The Transition Consultant guides your non-profit organization through the change in leadership.

Executive transition consultants are particularly suited to guide a non-profit organization’s board, senior staff and transition committee through the essential steps of leadership change.

A transition consultant can work with you in four ways to:

1. Assess the organization and strengthen it before the new executive director takes charge
2. Develop a clear job description for the open position, i.e., the type of leadership necessary to move the nonprofit toward its vision
3. Conduct a deep and broad search, including outreach to and recruitment of diverse candidates, to deliver a strong, diverse pool of executive-level candidates from which the board can select
4. Provide post-hire support to ensure that the board and the new executive director are well positioned for success

Interim executive directors are more than just substitutes.

Certainly, interim executive directors will provide day-to-day administrative leadership while the search is proceeding for a new leader.

But the tenure of an interim executive director can mean so much more. He or she can resolve critical problems, thus freeing the new executive director to begin building for the nonprofit’s future. As a veteran non-profit administrator, the interim ED can also bring objectivity, a fresh perspective and new ideas to the organization.

The interim ED also helps the staff bring closure to the relationship they had with the previous executive director while preparing for and creating a bond with the new leadership.

(In ETP’s model, interim executive directors do not conduct the searches for their permanent replacements.)

How we choose, how you choose.

Once you have decided which type of support you need, the Executive Transitions Program will send you a candidate to interview. TSNE has developed a diverse pool of highly skilled and experienced transition consultants and interim executive directors through a competitive selection process that includes an application, interviews, references and practice/values alignment. TSNE also provides ongoing training and peer learning among transition consultants to continually strengthen their skills.

If you are not satisfied with the first candidate we send you, we’ll offer you another.

Next: Expected Costs and Lengths of Service