It comes up in almost every association strategic planning engagement I facilitate. And almost every time, the team acknowledges the problem but isn’t sure how to solve it.
Here’s how it typically happens: we’re working through objectives and strategies for a governance or people-related goal, and someone raises the question — “What’s our plan for board succession?” or “What happens when our executive director retires?”
The room gets quiet. Not because it’s a surprise. Because everyone already knows the answer: there isn’t one.
This isn’t unusual. ASAE has called succession planning one of the most difficult management challenges associations face. Their research found that roughly 40% of association CEOs are at or approaching retirement age — yet many associations still don’t have current transition and continuity plans in place. The gap between awareness and action is wide.
What I Keep Seeing
The pattern is remarkably consistent across associations of different sizes and sectors. The specific challenges vary, but the underlying gaps are the same.
No pipeline for board leadership. Key board positions don’t have a prospective successor identified. There’s no pool of potential candidates being cultivated. The nominating committee starts looking for candidates a few months before the election, rather than developing relationships with potential leaders over years.
No formal process for identifying and engaging future board members. Most associations rely on informal networks — who do current board members know, who’s been active at conferences, who’s raised their hand. That’s not a succession strategy. It’s a referral system that produces a narrow, often homogeneous pool of candidates.
Executive leadership transition is unplanned. The executive director or CEO has been in the role for 10 or 15 years. Everyone knows they won’t be there forever, but nobody has started the conversation about what happens when they leave. There’s no deputy being developed. There’s no documented institutional knowledge. The transition, when it comes, will be reactive rather than planned.
The recognition is there. The action isn’t. This is what strikes me most. Association leaders I work with aren’t unaware of the problem. They recognize they need to address it. But they struggle with how to start, how to formalize it, and how to sustain it alongside everything else competing for their attention and their volunteers’ time.
Why It Surfaces in Strategic Planning
Succession planning doesn’t usually show up on the agenda when an association hires me to facilitate strategic planning. It surfaces organically — because a well-designed strategic planning process forces the team to confront the organization’s vulnerabilities.
When we’re setting objectives under a governance or people-related goal, the conversation naturally turns to leadership capacity. Can the current board sustain this direction? Do we have the leadership depth to execute this plan over three to five years? What happens if our board chair, our treasurer, or our executive director transitions during the life of this plan?
Those questions expose the gap. And once it’s on the table, the team usually agrees it belongs in the plan — often as a specific objective with assigned ownership and a timeline.
What I Tell Associations About Succession Planning
I’m not a succession planning consultant. I’m a facilitator. But I’ve seen this pattern enough times to share what I observe in the organizations that handle it well versus those that don’t.
The ones that handle it well treat board development as an ongoing discipline, not an annual scramble. They identify potential leaders early — often two to three years before they’d be nominated. They engage those individuals in committee work, task forces, or advisory roles so they develop familiarity with the organization’s operations and culture before they’re ever asked to serve on the board.
They formalize the process. There’s a documented pipeline. The nominating committee has criteria, not just contacts. Board members are expected to help identify and mentor potential successors as part of their role — not as an afterthought after they’ve announced their departure.
They address executive succession separately from board succession. These are different conversations with different stakes. Board succession is about maintaining governance continuity. Executive succession is about preserving institutional knowledge, organizational relationships, and operational leadership. Both need a plan, and the plans look different.
They put it in the strategic plan. The associations that actually make progress on succession planning are the ones that treat it as a strategic priority — with measurable objectives, an owner, and regular progress reviews. When it stays in the “we should really do something about that” category, nothing changes.
A Starting Point
If your association recognizes the succession planning gap but hasn’t been able to address it, you’re not alone. Most of the associations I work with are in the same position. The fact that it keeps surfacing in strategic planning conversations tells me the awareness is there — what’s missing is the structured approach and the commitment to follow through.
The simplest starting point: make it part of your next strategic plan. Give it a goal, give it measurable objectives, and give it an owner. That won’t solve everything overnight, but it moves succession planning from a conversation people keep having to a commitment the organization is accountable to.
Planning a strategic planning retreat for your association? Learn more about our strategic planning facilitation services. We’ve worked with trade associations, professional societies, and membership organizations across every sector.
Want to discuss what your association needs? Let’s have a conversation. No pitch. Just an honest discussion about where your organization is and what would help.
Comments are closed.