There’s a moment that many nonprofit founders reach, but very few talk about openly. From the outside, everything looks successful. The organization is stable. The team is strong. People trust your leadership. You’re told you’re a great CEO, maybe even “the best boss” people have had. But internally, you’re thinking: I don’t want to do this anymore.
Many nonprofits approach board recruitment the same way they approach emergency fundraising. Someone rolls off the board. A gap appears. There’s a scramble to “find someone good.” Names get floated. A few conversations happen. And eventually, someone is voted in.
At some point, nearly every new nonprofit leader has the same quiet thought: Maybe I’m not cut out for this.
Every year, organizations across the nonprofit sector go through the same ritual: Managers pull up a template. Staff complete a self-evaluation. Meetings are scheduled. A few goals get written down. Everyone nods politely. And then six months later, no one remembers what was said.
Planned giving has a way of dividing nonprofit leaders. Some see it as essential to long-term sustainability. Others see it as something only large universities, hospital systems, or national organizations can realistically pursue.
So what happens when a founder and board president has stepped away in practice, but still controls the organization on paper?