How can an organization strategically develop new leaders at all levels?

Many think of succession planning as a one-time process that only occurs when an organization considers how it will continue to thrive after a senior leader moves on. The 2010 American Express NGen Fellows hold that intentional succession planning should start much earlier with comprehensive leadership development throughout the organization.

The 2010 American Express NGen Fellows spent nine months confronting the tough issues that face their generation and the sector. Their final report, Changing the Status Quo: Intentional Succession Planning Through Leadership Development, reflects thoughtful research and engaged conversations with nonprofit and philanthropic leaders of all ages. Download the report here.

The Fellows’ recommendations suggest that leadership development in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector should emphasize strong mentoring relationships and an intentional culture of development over generational differences. This report aims to spark further discussion about how our sector can make comprehensive leadership development a more intentional part of our ability to advance the common good.

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The American Express NGen Fellows is a program of Independent Sector. It was established in 2009 to honor and connect 12 under-40 leaders at IS member organizations. This fellowship is a flagship program of IS’s NGen: moving Nonprofit Leaders from Next to Now program, which is designed to expand and develop the nonprofit talent pool’s leadership skills and practices and to strengthen under-40 nonprofit leader networks. NCoC’s Executive Director David B. Smith was a member of the 2010 Fellows class and contributed to the creation of this report.