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Interim Executive Leadership

An Interim Executive Leader (IEL) steps into the Chief Executive position to offer strong, effective, and temporary leadership to an organization after its executive director has departed.

The IEL ensures that the organization remains stable and keeps moving in the right direction during the executive transition process.

An IEL is NOT a candidate for the permanent executive director position.

IEL Duties and Responsibilities

Assess
Manage
Oversee finances, program operations, and fundraising goals
Address immediate or potential resource issues
Support Managers
Meet the pressing needs of the board

An IEL can attend to the fears and anxieties of the staff, funders, and agency supporters while working closely with the board to facilitate a successful transition. It is also typical for an IEL to improve agency systems and generate new excitement for the organizations future.

Groups that use an IEL emerge from their executive transition:

Stronger
More financially sound
More optimistic about the future impact of their agency services

Factors that make interim management a powerful resource:

Time

Your IEL can be in place in a fraction of the time it would take to hire a new, suitable executive director. With a capable IEL leading the organization, you can take the time needed to do a thorough search for the permanent executive director.

Assurance

Interim executive management assures your funders, staff, constituents and board members that your agency has an experienced, trained and skilled professional at the helm during the transition.

Experience

Support Center trained IELs have extensive experience and are amply qualified for the positions they undertake.

This allows them to be productive from the outset, have an immediate positive impact on your organization, minimize the risk of things going wrong.

Objectivity

Unencumbered by any previous involvement in organization processes or staff relationships, IELs provide a fresh and candid perspective to the board and are free to concentrate on what's best for the agency.

Accountability

Rather than taking on a purely advisory role, interim directors are responsible and accountable for managing your organization until it is time to hand it off to your newly hired executive director.

Staff Development

Employment of an IEL allows your organization and your staff time to adjust before your next permanent executive director comes aboard.

It also offers your employees a unique opportunity to step up as leaders during this transition process.