The Next Stage: Leaving Long-Term Leadership: Reports from the Field

Over four decades ago, the Baby Boom generation began entering the workforce in significant numbers with many deciding to dedicate their careers to social sector work. Now this cohort is entering the traditional age of retirement and looking to their next stage of life and work. Whether in nonprofits or government, their work has been a reflection of their life purpose ranging from serving vulnerable populations, solving community problems, or making systems change. And even as they prepare for leaving positional power, they have every intention of continuing to contribute to the social good.

The Next Stage: Leaving Long-term Leadership, written by Frances Kunreuther and Tim Wolfred, presents how some of these leaders – both those who have exited and those who are planning their departures – describe the process of leaving and figuring out what is next. The findings, based on two in-depth focus groups, draws from the research and experience of its authors who have been collecting information through the lens of succession planning and from surveys/interviews on defining this new stage of life and work.

The report is part of a series of papers sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation describing the impact of pending leadership changes on older cohorts, the generations that follow, social sector organizations and the nonprofit field.

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