🔥 Hot take: board members should never serve as interim director for your nonprofit!

Published 2 months ago • 1 min read

A black graphic with faint gold specks in it, features light tan text: should a board member serve as interim director. At the bottom of the graphic is a sage green text box that says: naomihattaway.com

A board member who feels very connected to the mission, purpose, and operations of your organization may seem like the perfect candidate for an interim role while your nonprofit finds its new hire–especially when that board member also has some experience in an executive leadership role.

But I’m coming in HOT with a strong opinion: You should NOT place a Board member into an interim executive role!

Now, are there situations where this might work well? Of course–but they are exceptions to the rule. For instance, if a board member is retiring from the board and won’t be returning to it, they MAY be a qualified interim candidate.

But let’s talk about what’s really important when it comes to keeping your organization stable in this time of uncertainty.

Three great ways to get my additional thoughts on this topic:

Listen to Episode 51 of the Leaving Well Podcast: Interim Executive Leadership and Leaving Well. It’s a quick listen, around 20 minutes.
To dive in deeper, read my article where I’ve added even more advice and resources to make sure you’re making the best next step for your nonprofit.
Please consider subscribing to the Leaving Well YouTube channel for helpful videos to support your organization's succession planning, stability, and interim needs.

❓ Have you ever hired or brought on a Board member as an interim director? How did it go?

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