The Nonprofit Career Ladder: Exploring Career Paths as Leadership Development for Future Nonprofit Executives

Abstract

Pending leadership transitions in the nonprofit sector present a timely need to understand the career path to the executive position, but very few studies on nonprofit career paths have been conducted. A systematic study would help make sense of the existing leadership pipeline to the executive office and offer promising insights that contribute to theory building in the sector. This study investigates the career paths of a national random sample of nonprofit executives serving health and human service nonprofit organizations. Primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed on the experience, education, and credentials these executives hold. The analysis evaluates variations among career characteristics, as well as applies career typologies from within and beyond the nonprofit sector. Respondents also provided qualitative descriptions of their path to executive office, which are insightful about influencing factors that are beyond a resume’s depiction of credentials. The findings are rich in descriptive value and are discussed in light of their utility for nonprofit boards charged with executive selection responsibilities. Finally, the findings are also applied to formulate propositions for future research about how individual career movement may be shaping the nonprofit sector.

Determinants Linked to Executive Succession Planning in Public Sector Organizations

“…Organizational culture was considered the second most important factor in successful executive succession planning, which was also supported by previous studies (Gothard & Austin, 2013; Mehrtak et al, 2017; Mugo et al, 2015). The third factor was leadership development opportunities, consistent with studies that found that leadership development, as a component of executive succession planning, leads to employee satisfaction and enhances organizational performance (Manning et al, 2015; Stewart & Kuenzi, 2018; Yadav & Dixit, 2017).…”

COVID‐19 as a nonprofit workplace crisis: Seeking insights from the nonprofit workers' perspective

“…From this, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations both fuel sector choice and commitment (for a compilation of this research, refer to . Findings from studies of nonprofit workers suggest that many individuals currently working in the sector seek out these positions intentionally (Stewart & Kuenzi, 2018) with a strong desire to remain in these positions regardless of other mitigating factors or opportunities (Walk et al, 2020). However, evidence documents commitment can change over time (citation redacted for peer review), and we are concerned that nonprofit workers may encounter factors, such as prolonged uncertainty, COVID-19 related trauma, even concomitant concerns from the pandemic coupled with widespread social unrest that distract them from their commitment, prompting them to leave the sector for other career prospects.…”

Promising Pathways: Investigating Personal Factors Promoting Nonprofit Executives

“…Jäger et al (2013Jäger et al ( , p. 1028) applied concept of "career capital" to a sample of nonprofit executives to appreciate the temporal elements of an executive's career that accumulate from "past experiences, present actions, and future expectations." A study by Stewart and Kuenzi (2018) documented these 'past experiences' that comprised a sample of health and human service executives' career paths, making note of their credentials and experience. Yet, insufficient evidence still exists about what factors matter in this input-output relationship towards promotion to the top.…”

“…Higher education, as a credentialing source, has been documented as an explanatory factor of career advancement (Becker, 2009). Yet, the widespread prevalence of undergraduate education among nonprofit professionals (Norris-Tirrell et al, 2018;Stewart & Kuenzi, 2018;Suarez, 2010) indicates an undergraduate degree alone may no longer be sufficient.…”

“…Coined by Suarez (2010, p. 707), a "nonprofit lifer" spends their entire careers in the sector, because their employment is a vocational calling with no alternative to nonprofit employment considered. Although research documents nonprofit executives holding experience across the public, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors (Norris-Tirrell et al, 2018;Stewart & Kuenzi, 2018;Suarez, 2010), limiting work experience to the nonprofit-sector only may signal to a board that the candidate has a unique ability to navigate the complexities of nonprofit leadership.…”