There are simple steps you can follow to put in place a succession plan for your organisation:
1. Identify Critical Roles – List the roles your organisation relies on, both formal and informal.
2. Document Key Tasks – You can keep this simple by aiming for one-page summaries of each role that include what the role is responsible for, key tasks (daily/weekly/seasonal), important contacts, tricks, tips and unwritten knowledge and access needed such as logins and keys.
3. Build a Volunteer Pipeline – You don’t need a complex recruitment process just small consistent actions such as inviting volunteers to “shadow” leaders for a few months, offering micro-volunteering roles for people to try before they commit to them, using a “buddy” approach so no one person holds all the knowledge, inviting new volunteers to attend committee meetings as observers or encouraging short-term projects to attract new skills.
4. Talk Openly About Transition – Each year ask all role holders if they intend to continue, step back or mentor someone new. It’s important to encourage a culture where volunteers feel comfortable to say they need a break, leaders regularly check in with volunteers about future intentions, stepping back is normalised and everyone understands that succession is healthy.
5. Use Practical Succession Tools – These could include role shadowing, task rotation, deputy roles, skills mapping or mini training sessions.
6. Create a Simple Succession Plan – This can be used to identify key roles at risk, the people with potential to step in, what training/shadowing would be needed, what knowledge and resources must be captured, handover time frames and risks if succession doesn’t occur.
7. Support, Recognition and Retention – Strong succession planning depends on you keeping your volunteers engaged. By giving regular thanks and recognition, offering learning opportunities, ensuring workloads are reasonable and shared, providing flexibility and promoting wellbeing you can make sure volunteers feel engaged and supported and reduce the risk of burnout.