Succession Planning at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Abstract

On average, nonprofit organizations have fewer resources to compete with the private sector for effective leaders who are a vital factor in organizational performance and success. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between succession planning and Executive Director turnover at Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Clubs. The aim of the study was to identify practical solutions for reducing leadership turnover at BGCA Clubs. Understanding how to better develop and retain leaders could help BGCA Clubs improve their performance and success. Leaders from 149 BGCA Clubs representing all five BGCA regions anonymously responded to an electronic survey, which focused on Club demographics, leadership turnover, and succession planning. The studying findings support the hypothesis that the use of succession planning has an effect on Executive Director turnover. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) test with logarithmic transformation the study found a relationship between the use of succession planning and Executive Director turnover, as well as a strong relationship between Executive Director turnover and gaps in leadership. Furthermore, to address retaining and strengthening Club leadership, four practical solutions and areas of future research with qualitative methods were identified that the researcher suggest could serve as the foundation for strategic plans to enhance leadership development and reduce Executive Director turnover. Keywords: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, leadership, nonprofit, succession planning, turnover