Your ED just resigned. Or maybe they're planning to in six months. Either way, you need leadership coverage, and someone on your board just said, "Can't Susan from Finance just step up?"

Maybe!

This email will share some tips and knowledge so you're aware of how to actually choose between. If you'd rather read the full article, click here.

Full-time Interim ED/CEOs

Full-time interims are external hires who specialize in organizational transitions. They show up when leadership changes, mergers happen, or strategic pivots need steady hands. Full-time commitment, temporary tenure.

The right fit:

• Brings transition expertise and fresh perspective
• Stabilizes operations during uncertainty
• Implements systems that outlast their tenure
• No internal politics or competing loyalties
• Can make unpopular decisions without career fallout

Typical engagement:

• Duration: 6–18 months
• Commitment: Full-time (40+ hours/week)
• Compensation: $8,000–$25,000/month depending on org size, scope, and geography

Acting ED/CEOs (Internal Candidates)

These are your current staff—often a deputy director, COO, or senior program leader—stepping into the role temporarily. They already know your people, programs, and problems.

The right fit:

• Maintains continuity and institutional knowledge
• Already trusted by staff and stakeholders
• Can start immediately with minimal onboarding
• Tests whether they're the permanent hire
• Lower financial investment

Typical engagement:

• Duration: 3–12 months
• Commitment: Full-time, but juggling old and new responsibilities
• Compensation: 10–20% salary increase or stipend ($1,000–$5,000/month depending on base salary)
• Hidden cost: Their previous role often goes unfilled or understaffed

Fractional ED/CEOs

Fractional leaders work part-time with multiple organizations simultaneously. Think of them as your strategic executive who's there 1–3 days a week, not 5.

The right fit:

• Provides executive-level thinking without full-time cost
• Brings cross-sector insights from other clients
• Ideal for smaller orgs or those between growth stages
• Can be ongoing, not just transitional
• Less hands-on with day-to-day operations

Typical engagement:

• Duration: Ongoing (can be 6 months to 2+ years)
• Commitment: Part-time (8–24 hours/week)
• Compensation: $3,000–$10,000/month depending on hours and scope

Some leaders can operate in multiple modes. But once you need full-time crisis management, organizational restructuring, or a permanent search process, a full-time interim becomes essential. When you just need strategic direction without daily operations oversight, fractional makes sense. And when speed and continuity matter most and you have strong internal capacity, acting can work—if they get real support and aren't set up to fail.

Want to know what to ask? Start here:

Their answers can reveal how they think, solve problems, and whether they prioritize organizations or just paychecks.

Even the best interim won't fix governance dysfunction, board micromanagement, or a fundamentally broken business model. That's your work. But the right leadership model for this moment? That choice shapes whether you survive the transition or just survive to face the same crisis again in two years.

Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you might have!