Human Resource Development and Executive Leadership Succession Planning in Nonprofits

This paper explores the challenges of executive leadership and human resource development in a nonprofit setting. While human capital is a vital asset to any organization, it is particularly vital to nonprofit organizations, which expect their employees to work for less, and often do more, than their counterparts at for-profit companies. Managing these resources presents some challenges. Some of these challenges are similar to the challenges that for-profits face, such as attracting and retaining talent and developing leaders. Some of the challenges are unique, such as managing volunteers and the high-burnout rates of non-profit employees. Executive Leadership Development (ELD) is also a critical challenge faced by nonprofits. However, all Human Resource Development (HRD) issues within a nonprofit setting must be tackled with the organization’s mission in mind.