Your first thought may be that a full-time CEO or CFO would be far more effective in your office. That executive would be able to be there at all times and strictly focus on your work. Well, we are here to share how interim C-Suite leaders can provide massive benefits to nonprofit organizations. Filling a newly vacated position with an interim leader can introduce industry-veteran insights, facilitate effective change management, quickly stabilize and improve an organization, and recharge your development. We will discuss all of these benefits below in order to show how and why an interim C-Suite leader can be very beneficial to your nonprofit.

What are the Benefits of an Interim C-Suite Executive?

Broadly speaking, interim C-Suite leaders have a great ability to tackle novel challenges. If your long-time executive director just walked out the door, an experienced nonprofit executive working on an interim basis brings crisis experience and an unbiased/unemotional approach to getting your organization on its feet while searching for a new executive. Interim executives can also alleviate a heavy workload from other staff members or executives, handle particularly challenging projects or campaigns. Below we check out the specific ways an interim C-Suite leader helps in all of these ways.

Provide Experience-Based Insights

A quality interim C-Suite leader can be a wellspring of industry insights. Speaking for NMBL Strategies, our interim executives have worked in various executive positions, at various types of nonprofit organizations. Since working as an interim executive involves moving between organizations, our team has had even more opportunities to work in varying scenarios as they move across different nonprofits and industries. Interim leaders take all of that experience and deliver insights based on that experience. Additionally, interim C-Suite leadership is of a caliber that most nonprofits cannot get save spending more of their budget on compensation than possible. The prorated salary of an interim executive allows for lower-budget operations to get the insights and leadership found in the largest organizations in the country and reap the benefits that accompany that.

Handle Change

Directing change internally can be a real challenge. When we work in the same environment for years or even decades, it is hard to affect change or even see what needs to be changed. Whether it is managing people in better ways, reorganizing departments, or applying new strategies, an experienced, outside perspective can make all of the difference. Additionally, interim executives can be more dynamic within your organization. From week to week or month to month, they can address different areas and work in different departments to handle change with a hands-on approach. Having an unbiased, fresh perspective when undergoing change is just one of the many benefits of bringing an interim C-Suite leader into your organization.

Stabilize

Like we noted above, interim C-Suite leadership brings experience. These executives have handled change, crisis, and the many novel challenges presented by leading a nonprofit. Whether your nonprofit has been experiencing instability due to unreliable funding, effects of the pandemic, or staffing challenges, an interim executive can come in and provide stability by relying on their experience in times of crisis and by introducing our next point, fueling the development of staff and funding. Where a less experienced leader may not know where to turn, an experienced leader will have both the experience to keep a cool head and recognize the resources to leverage.

Boost Development

As we introduced above, an interim C-Suite leader possesses a knowledge bank of effective development. That goes for people and your budget. Experienced executives have led many teams in many different scenarios, meaning they know how to utilize and increase the capacity of a talent pool. These leaders can offer effective knowledge, mentor, and improve the structure of your organization in order to make sure talent is not only being used but also improved over time. Second, an interim executive that has worked in the nonprofit space for a long time, can offer a wealth of knowledge when it comes to improving development. Whether that is general fundraising, membership, capital campaigns, or soliciting large gifts, a tenured nonprofit leader will know where to turn in your community and what your organization must do in order to strategically build your development capacity.

Choose the Right Interim C-Suite Leader

When choosing an interim C-Suite leader, it is important for your organization to find one that is able to both match the culture of your organization and bring the right qualifications to the table. At NMBL, we have experience working in a variety of industries and environments. We have worked across the country on demanding development projects, museums of all sizes, re-opening projects, construction, turnaround, or even just providing insights to a nonprofit looking to take the next step in its growth. We deliver nonprofit executive leadership that has experience serving on boards in many organizations and overseeing some of the largest nonprofit projects in the country as well as the small-scale operations that make so many communities flourish.

Interim leadership is an incredibly impactful tool because it brings seasoned nonprofit leaders into nonprofits that typically could not afford that level of leadership. Reach out to us today to learn more about Dion and Eric’s experience leading nonprofits and what we can do to help guide your organization toward a better future.

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