ANE: Succession Planning, Countdown to the Inevitable

Leadership transition is one of the most critical and often most feared moments in a nonprofit’s life cycle. For board members, the thought of searching for a new CEO or Executive Director can feel overwhelming. For executives, raising the topic of succession planning can spark anxiety and misunderstanding: “Wait…are you leaving?” The truth is that healthy, high-performing organizations plan for succession before it’s urgent. A strong partnership between the board and the executive in creating a succession plan is a hallmark of organizational resilience and sustainability. This interactive 3-hour workshop, designed for nonprofit executive directors and board members, will demystify succession planning and equip you with practical tools to prepare for the inevitable leadership transition. Through expert insights and breakout sessions, you’ll learn how to build a proactive, collaborative approach that strengthens your organization for the future.

Learning Outcomes:

• Emergency Succession Planning: How to create a plan for unexpected executive absence—whether permanent or for an extended period (longer than three months).
• Departure-Defined Succession Planning: How to prepare for a planned retirement or permanent departure of the executive, ensuring continuity and stability.
• Strategic Leader Development: How to foster ongoing leadership development within your organization to build a strong talent pipeline and reduce risk.

 Shannon Williams serves as Managing Director at Armstrong McGuire where she helps the team of advisors create winning strategies for their nonprofit partners. Before joining Armstrong McGuire, she focused on both annual and capital development working with independent schools and human service organizations, including the YMCA of the Triangle—one of the top 5 YMCA’s in the country in terms of revenue. Throughout her career Shannon has been a leader of successful capital campaigns ranging from $1 million to more than $100 million and in annual campaigns ranging from $200,000 to more than $3.5 million. A graduate of the Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Shannon is a talented writer, strategist, and coach.