Chapter Leadership Succession

Search for your successor right away
It takes longer than you might think to find a suitable replacement. Begin planning and identifying as soon as you take over the group's leadership.

Don’t try to do every job yourself
Sometimes it's easier to do things yourself than to recruit helpers to whom you can delegate. But you might send the message to your potential replacements that a leader has to do all the work alone.

Consider a structured "order of succession"
For medium and large volunteer groups, structuring succession (e.g., with a "president-elect" or a vice president who always succeeds the president) can stabilize succession further into the future.

Seek guidance from past volunteers and current staff
Don't do the searching by yourself. You have valuable, experienced resources who can provide eyes and ears, as well as names of likely future leaders. Use these resources.

Add – don't merely "replace"
If you have someone ready and able to step up and contribute, you don't have to wait until the leadership role is vacant. Add them to the leadership ranks, creating a role if necessary.

Consider co-leader roles
Related to the "add, don't just replace" idea is the option of having co-leaders. You don't need just a single person at the helm, especially if you have two people with complementary characteristics (e.g., a charismatic public speaker paired with a behind the scenes organizer).

Document your plans and achievements
A listing of what the group has accomplished, and a road map showing a vision for the near future conveys a sense of structure. This makes new leaders more confident in their own prospects for success.

Have a backup candidate when possible
Smaller groups may not have many volunteers to choose from, but if possible, identify second and even third choices (but don't necessarily let them know they're backups!). Plans change, and people can be transferred away, end up with family responsibilities, or face other unexpected demands that will cut into their volunteer time.

Thank and recognize volunteers
Reinforcing the value and importance of volunteers' efforts is a key to making them feel that volunteerism is a privilege, not an obligation. Thank all levels of volunteers (not just leaders) publicly and sincerely.

Create clear and finite roles

Simple job descriptions can make volunteers feel like their roles are manageable. Ending dates, or task-based finish lines will reinforce this feeling. If volunteers feel that their jobs are too open-ended, they will worry about whether they can ever step down – and won't necessarily know when they have succeeded.

Attend as many alumni events as possible
Volunteer leaders are usually front and center at their own group's events. But not always. Working a room to meet new people is a valuable way to identify people with an interest in volunteering.

Remember the power of peer-to-peer relationships
People are more likely to donate financially when asked by a friend or other person they know personally. The same is true of volunteering. If comfortable doing so, a leader who asks a friend or acquaintance for volunteer help is more likely to get a "yes" than when asking a relative stranger. Volunteers can reach out to friends and classmates when seeking successors.

Be willing to stay during a transition
Volunteers are often so relieved that when they step down, they can disappear completely for a while. A volunteer leader should offer to be accessible to a successor, so that the new leader has a source of information, history, advice and – perhaps most importantly – encouragement.