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Leadership Development
Interim Executive Director Program - Easing Leadership Transition
 

"Hiring an interim is a great way to allow an organization to take stock, assess its opportunities or needed changes,
and then find the next permanent leader who can help the organization to soar! "

-Peg Hendricks, Executive Director, Delaware County Community Foundation

 
"...VIA now has a permanent Executive Director who steps into an agency that is in the best fiscal position we have been in years...We believe that the Board(s) decision to contract with the La Salle Nonprofit Center's Interim Executive Director's Program...was a decision that resulted in a better than expected return.  We would not hesitate to recommend this program and process to other nonprofits."

-Eugene Lennon, Chair; Sarah Mercer, VIA Events Chair; Lisa A Somers, Chair, VIA Foundation, VIA of the Lehigh Valley


When a nonprofit organization is in a leadership transition, hiring an Interim Executive Director can be the most positive and logical response its board can make.  Rather than hire a new permanent director or merely provide a place-keeper, an Interim Director fills the leadership gap and provides the objectivity and clear-thinking that paves the way for a smooth transition to permanent leadership when the organization is ready.

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University’s School of Business developed a pool of interim executives to function on a short-term basis (4-12 months) in the executive director role. These professionals bring hands-on experience as executive directors and help position nonprofits for permanent hires, while addressing organizational challenges.  Temporary leadership from an interim, with no vested interests, offers time and perspective for the organization to make its needed changes to better ensure the likelihood of success for the permanent executive.

An Interim Executive Director enables the board to get back to board business and is financially feasible by saving the cost of benefits, overhead and other employment-related expenses that would total an estimated 32% of salary.  In our clients' experience, the savings that an Interim Executive Director provides in the positive changes they make within an organization more than cover the cost of their tenure.
A Nonprofit Center Interim Executive Director brings your organization:

  • Prior experience as a successful nonprofit Executive Director
  • Objectivity
  • Support from The Nonprofit Center with its nearly 30 years of experience in and resources on nonprofit leadership and governance
  • A special ability and commitment to working in an organization that may be in crisis or turmoil 
  • Cost savings, including no benefits expenses
Read about how an Interim Executive Director can help turn an organization around >

Contact The Nonprofit Center to find out how an Interim Executive Director might be the best fit for your organization.
Contact us if you are interested in becoming an Interim Executive Director and meet the following criteria:

  • have served as a nonprofit executive director for five years
  • are not seeking a full-time permanent position, but prefer the challenges of a temporary leadership role
    • A Cross-Section of Interim Executive Director Clients:

    Angel Flight East                   Centro Nueva Creacion
    Connecting Generations        Equality Advocates
    Mother's Home                     Philadelphia Folksong Society
    The Lighthouse                     Wyck Historic House
    VIA, Lehigh Valley                Arc of Delaware county
    West Chester Senior Center  Point Breeze Performing Arts Center
    See our Interim Executive Director Fact Sheet >

    "Interim director a smart choice for nonprofits in transition," says Nonprofit Business Advisor >

    Read a real-life case study of how an Interim Executive Director contributes to an organization's health and future >

    "Daring to Lead 2011," a national study of nonprofit executive leadership concludes, "33% of leaders (surveyed) followed a leader who was fired or forced to retire, indicating the frequency of misfires and expectations between boards and executive directors."  An Interim Executive Director can prevent your organization from becoming one of these negative statistics.

     

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