EVERY association expects to have continuity in times of uncertainty. As an association leader, I’m sure you’ve been asked this question before: “Why do we need a succession plan if I am still working as an executive director or serving as a Board Chair?”
In today’s world, there are many unexpected things that can happen and your association needs to be prepared. Succession planning isn’t just about planning for the eventual retirement of a beloved Board Member; it’s about planning for the unexpected.
This was the gist of the webinar that we, the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE), organized recently. Rhea Steele, chief of staff of the US-based School Nutrition Association (SNA), outlined these six steps to building a successful plan:
1. Decide who is responsible for maintaining the plan. Associations can assign its nominating or leadership development committee to take the lead in developing the plan and assessing the turnover risk for each position. They could also look at all the job descriptions of the positions on a yearly basis to ensure they are up-to-date and aligned with the needs of the association. To enact the plan, you don’t want to be scrambling to find and update the job descriptions.
2. Assess potential vacancies on your Board and staff. Now that you have a group in-charge of creating the plan, they need to identify which positions should have a succession plan. You don’t need a plan for every single position, only those that will have the biggest impact on the organization. For most associations, this is the executive director and any officer who stands alone or is in the line of succession such as the Chair, Chair-elect and Secretary/Treasurer.
3. Develop a plan for planned and unplanned departures. Your bylaws would be the first place to look when building your succession plan. For each position you identified earlier, you need to plan for a planned versus unplanned departures. An unplanned departure is when an individual unexpectedly resigns, is removed from the position or gets ill. A planned departure is when an individual’s term limit is approaching, or has announced an early departure. Unplanned vacancy on your staff or Board could be retirement, illness, or a transition out of the association or industry. There is also a need to plan for the planned departures.
4. Write the plan. Gather all the materials you need and answer all the questions the committee came up with. Share the plan with others and get feedback.
5. Build your leadership pipeline. Be on the lookout for new talent. Think small by creating micro-volunteering opportunities. Build a pathway to leadership and long-term volunteerism, and recognize and thank volunteers.
6. Develop an orientation plan for new leaders. Lastly, it is important to develop a board orientation program for your new leaders. Prepared materials should be ready to go for the positions covered under your succession plan. They may need more in-depth training in certain areas that are usually communicated from the incumbent in the role or information only the person in the role has. You definitely want to capture this knowledge before you have to activate your succession plan.
Octavio Peralta is currently the executive director of the Global Compact Network Philippines and founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the “association of associations.” E-mail: bobby@pcaae.org.