About This Session
Description
Is your organization ready for succession – replacing the executive director or the literacy program director? If so, you can look forward to a future of continued success in accomplishing your mission. If not, be prepared for a bumpy ride. You might be the executive director of a nonprofit organization with a host of required processes and policies or the director of a local (e.g., church) ESL program with a team of volunteers. Both situations call for preparation to insure long-term success.
This workshop goes beyond updating policies and procedures; nonprofit organizations are required to do so by stakeholders including donors and governmental agencies. Rather, the heart of succession planning is leadership development. Mentoring prospective leadership so that the who question is being solved as the organization is carrying out its mission is key to success.
What we'll cover:
After the workshop, participants will be able to identify steps necessary for succession planning such as updating policies and procedures.
Additionally, they will be able to describe the importance of leadership development as a component of succession planning.
Finally, participants will be motivated and equipped to evaluate their organizations in terms of succession readiness and to calendar action planning for succession.
Succession planning can be overwhelming. This workshop will assist participants in crafting a realistic plan to improve the likelihood of success following leadership change.
They will identify persons in their organizations from board members to staff and/or key volunteers to assist in tasks related to succession planning in a timely manner. Staff of organizations doing succession planning including leadership, program managers, and those conducting evaluation can all have a role.
We will examine how clear communication about roles and responsibilities builds morale in the environment of a program or organization doing succession planning. Workshop activities will include discussion of real world case studies. Participants will complete a survey designed to measure current readiness for succession as well as awareness of resources available to assist them in planning.
A resource list will be provided which will include organizations that provide succession planning training as well as materials available online. We will share findings from research in the field of readiness for succession planning among nonprofit organizations as well.
At last year’s Literacy Texas Conference we conducted a workshop to encourage faith-based literacy programs to conduct a self study of their programs using a model developed by ProLiteracy and containing 15 categories. We are adding a 16th category to facilitate consideration of readiness for succession on the part of church-based literacy programs. We will provide online (free) training in the fall for churches in consideration of this important topic.
Come, share your ideas, make a succession plan.
Topics & Focus
Primary Topic Area
Session will also cover:
Assigned by TCALL
Pending
Handouts & Materials
No handouts or materials available at this time.
“Name of Session” – session presentation slides (PDF)
Name of Document – lesson sample (PDF)
Name of Document (PDF)
Name of Document – infographic (JPG)
Presenters
Lester Meriwether
Executive Director
Literacy ConneXus
Visit Literacy ConneXus in the conference Exhibitor Area!
Dr. Harry Wilson
Executive Director
HOPE Literacy
Audience
Level
Case study?
Promotion?
Other info:
From the presenter:
“Google Succession Planning. Take a deep breath, and come to the workshop anyway. We’ll leave inspired to get busy with this critical task and learn from each other.”
Breakout25 – MERIWETHER
Page checked or updated: 6/6/2025
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