Interim Solutions

There is often panic when an organization experiences an executive vacancy. I hear board chairs frequently say, “I was hoping this wouldn’t happen on my watch!” Given that most nonprofits operate with lean staffing, board members face the real possibility they might have to step in and do management work because there is no surplus internal staff capacity. Boards, then, often feel forced to react immediately: How quickly can we fill this position? Who do we already know in this field? How quickly can we post the existing job description? Why not fill it internally with someone who already knows everything?