You are a member of the board of directors of a non-profit organization where the president/CEO (possibly CEO) has just announced that he is leaving. What are you doing now?

For more than 30 years in higher education and as a trustee or director on nonprofit boards, I’ve observed this scenario from many angles: trustee, candidate in a search, administrator leading a search, incoming president, outgoing president. What I learned is that while most trustees are business owners who hired and fired, few selected a nonprofit executive. Trust me; it is an experience that is “very different” from the corporate one.

Nonprofit executive selection processes are often open, public, “political,” and lengthy affairs in which stakeholders frequently assert their “right” to participate in the selection process, if not actually take the decision. In the cacophony that often follows, it doesn’t take long for administrators to wonder who let the dogs out.

So, to maintain some sanity the next time your nonprofit executive leaves, follow this to-do list, detailed in rough chronological order:

1. Discuss the transition of the president with the Board of Directors.
2. Announce presidential transition to staff and public.
3. Establish Search Plan, including committee structure, participants, procedures, etc.
4. Set the search schedule for the president.
5. Establish a communication strategy to inform board members, staff, students, et al.
6. Establish a president search budget and an institutional account for cost accounting.
7. Publish the president’s statement on the critical importance of confidentiality.
8. Determine if a search consultant should be appointed: individual or company.
9. Consider if, where and when to schedule a Board of Directors retreat, as needed.
10. Reaffirm the organization’s vision and mission and clarify leadership needs and opportunities with the Board, staff, and constituency.
11. Develop the president’s search link and page categories for the organization’s website.
12. Create mechanisms on the website to constitute questions, participation and nominations and authorize people to review this information.
13. Appoint the Search Committee, select the President and order the tasks and the schedule.
14. Appoint, as necessary, relevant advisory committees and charge them with tasks and schedule.
15. Develop search documents: job advertisement, job description, opportunity profile, applicant questions and procedures.
16. Post search documents on the organization’s website.
17. Identify associations, periodicals, and websites to post position ads.
18. Determine the name of the grace cover letter sent by email or by mail acknowledging inquiries, and write this letter.
19. Determine the information requested from applicants: resume, answers to applicant questions, references, and, for religious organizations, possibly a statement of religious experience.
20. Direct inquiries and applications must be submitted electronically or mailed to the organization, consultant/search firm or PO Box contracted for this purpose.
21. Determine the authorized recipient of email or mail related to the search: Search Committee member, consultant, Director of Human Resources, administrative assistant, et al.
22. Determine what criteria will be used in the selection of applicants.
23. Determine how and by whom applicants will be informed when they are released from further consideration.
24. Assign human resources to administer standard psychological tests to semi-finalist or finalist candidates.
25. Determine when and how many references semi-finalists and/or finalists will be asked for, who will contact these references and when, and what questions will be asked of all references.
26. Establish the interview process, including whether “pre-interviews” will be scheduled off-site and who will participate.
27. Identify the interview questions and coordinate who among the various committees will ask the questions.
28. Determine when and where the Search Committee will interview semi-finalists and/or finalists and whether the candidate’s spouse will be invited (a common practice of non-profit organizations).
29. Determine if, then when and where the advisory committees will interview the semi-finalists and/or finalists.
30. Determine when and where the Board of Directors will interview the finalists and whether the candidate’s spouse will be invited.
31. Consider whether finalists should be asked to return for additional interviews.
32. Identify how and when a new search will be initiated and communicated if the right candidate for President is not identified in the President Search.
33. Make recommendations of the Search Committee to the Board of Directors.
34. Schedule Board of Trustees meeting for Board vote on recommended finalist.
35. Establish an approximate compensation and contract (if applicable) to guide the president in negotiations with the finalist on behalf of the Board of Directors.
36. Request ratification by the Compensation and Contract Board.
37. Coordinate with the designee the content and timing of internal staff communications, press releases, and other public relations announcements regarding the appointment of the new president.
38. Identify dates for the first day in office and, if applicable, recognitions and celebrations.

It’s a great job. But if it’s done professionally with integrity, it’s worth it. Remember, aside from setting an organization’s strategic vision, there is nothing a Board of Trustees does that is more important than selecting the best and most suitable President for the organization. Happy hunting.