The Foraker Group

Leadership transition is an umbrella term for the comprehensive approach to preparing the organization for change, conducting a search, and supporting a new hire. Leadership transition can start with the board exploring the organization’s strategic direction and end with a graceful exit of one leader and entry of a new one, whether the exit is planned or unexpected.

A successful transition begins with planning. Our succession planning service, described below, is the first step when you anticipate change in your top board or staff leaders. Ideally, planning begins months before an actual transition.

When the time comes to change leaders, you will be ready to move into Prepare-Search-Thrive. This is the part of our Leadership Transition service where we help prepare your organization for change, conduct a search, and support your new hire. Our objective is to assist you to move through each phase and position your organization to achieve its goals. You may also choose to participate in Prepare or Thrive as stand-alone services.

Our services are designed to help your organization ask critical questions about organizational structure, financial stability, mission results, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are here as mentor, partner, and guide to ensure your mission thrives. Fees for our service will be determined before commitment.

For more information, use our contact form or call us at 907-743-1200.

Attention to leader succession makes all leadership transitions easier on the board and staff while ensuring organizational continuity and mission success. We customize our services to your budget, size, and operational complexity. Our goal for you is to thrive, not just survive during change.

Our succession planning provides:

• Executive and board succession planning
• Organizational sustainability review
• Attention to the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Seamless integration to Prepare-Search-Thrive.

Our team is ready to lead you through the process of writing a succession plan that reflects your organization’s purpose, core values, and goals.

If you are currently experiencing a leadership change or know that leadership transition is imminent, our Prepare-Search-Thrive services are appropriate for you.

For more information on how we can help, use our contact form or call us at 907-743-1200.

This phase is completed when the board has a clear understanding of both its role and relationship to the next leader and of the organization’s strategic direction. Alignment of board and staff on the skills and attributes desired in their next leader is also a key step.

Every “Prepare” phase includes an opportunity to:

• Ensure the board and staff are aligned in their role, strategic goals, transition issues, and priorities
• Examine the organizational structure (bylaws, policies, staffing structure)
• Review and stabilize, if needed, the organization’s financial position
• Engage board, staff, and key stakeholders through interviews or surveys when required

When the time is right, the next steps will include:

• Developing a profile of the ideal candidate, including skills, experience, and connection to mission
• Developing a search plan with timelines and targets
• Aligning salary and benefits to community and job classification benchmarks

For more information, use our contact form or call us at 907-743-1200.

Recognizing the accelerating turnover rate in our nonprofit community, we have a suite of services including recruiters and a comprehensive database to identify, track, and recruit your next leader. The search phase includes:

• A focused outreach campaign to attract a diverse pool of candidates both inside and outside Alaska
• Resume and application management
• Cross reference to existing qualified applicants in our database
• Screening, research, and multi-stage interviews process
• Background and reference checks of top candidates

For more information on how we can help, use our contact form or call us at 907-743-1200. 

After working closely with you through the prepare and search processes, we have learned a tremendous amount about your organization and the individual needs of your team. A successful transition is not complete when the search is over, but in many ways is just beginning. The services we provide through the transition include:

• Developing an announcement and rollout plan to introduce your new hire to your stakeholders
• Creating and implementing an orientation plan that develops a strong foundation for the new hire and the relationship with the board, staff, and key stakeholders
• Developing performance measures and conducting a 90-day performance review

Our goal is to continue supporting your organization into the future with additional services, such as:

• Ongoing strategic planning and organizational development after the hire
• Leadership, board, and staff training
• Succession Planning

For more information, use our contact form or call us at 907-743-1200.