Career and Succession Management for NGOs and Social Enterprises
Named backups for the roles that cannot be vacant.
What this looks like in ngos and social enterprises
The parts of career and succession management that are specific to this sector, rather than general.
Careers Against Project Funding
Development when roles are funded in cycles.
What this coversHide
Careers Against Project Funding
Development when roles are funded in cycles.
What this coversHideCareer development in a funded organisation runs against a structural obstacle: roles exist for as long as a grant does, so long-term planning feels dishonest. It is still necessary, and can be done honestly.
- Progression criteria defined independently of any single project
- Redeployment across projects as the primary career mechanism
- Field to programme and programme to management routes
- Leadership succession mapped despite funding uncertainty
- Development funded from core rather than project budgets where possible
- Honest conversations about funding horizons
- Alumni relationships maintained for re-engagement
Funding development from core rather than project budgets is the structural decision that makes any of this possible, and it is worth arguing for with donors rather than treating as impossible.
The general method — what career and succession management covers, the questions it answers and what an engagement produces — is the same whatever the sector, and is set out on the succession and leadership development page. What is above is the part that differs for ngos and social enterprises.
Other HR topics for ngos and social enterprises
Where to start
Most engagements begin with a review of how this runs in your business today, then a written process and the sequence to implement it.
See all HR topics for ngos and social enterprises, or another industry.