Successful Transitions – Lincoln Nebraska

Continuity is key to successful nonprofit leadership

Planning for a leadership change has shown to have many benefits, even going beyond a smooth transition. Join the Successful Transitions cohort to prepare your organization for the future!

Through an ongoing partnership with Cause Collective, members can participate in a special Successful Transitions cohort designed just for organizations in the Lincoln, Nebraska area. Local funders cover the majority of the cost, meaning your organization only pays $250 to participate. (Contact me to ask about costs to participate if you aren’t a Cause Collective member.)

The next Lincoln-based cohort will be held in 2026.

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Successful Transitions Details

Developing the next generation of leaders to guide your nonprofit is essential for your work to continue making a difference. Yet it is often left to chance, meaning organizations face a crisis when a key leader leaves. It’s understandable, as there’s always something more urgent to be done, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Whether you’re planning to pass the torch in a few years or envision a lifelong commitment, the time to craft a robust succession plan is now. By doing so, you not only safeguard your legacy but also empower your organization to flourish well into the future.

To help organizations create a sustainable and impactful leadership continuity plan, I created the Successful Transitions Cohort. This program combines national best practices with customized coaching so your organization can develop a plan that works best for you. The executive director and a key board member participate in all parts of the program to ensure both levels of leadership partner in succession planning.

Participants in the Cohort receive:

Five engaging and interactive group sessions where you’ll join 6-8 like-minded organizations on this transformative journey.
A comprehensive leadership continuity checklist, featuring ready-to-use templates for succession planning, crisis communication strategies, executive transition blueprints, and much more.
Three exclusive one-on-one coaching sessions with Ingrid, ensuring your plan is finely tuned to your organization’s unique DNA.
A customized training session curated specifically for your board of directors, empowering them to champion the cause of leadership continuity.

Please contact me with questions at ingrid@ingridkirst.com or 402-730-2532.

Successful Transitions Registration

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Testimonials

“Successful Transitions helped me think about how we structure our team now so that our staffing model can continue to effectively run our organization well beyond any one member of the team. I learned so much, and highly recommend for anyone, especially if you have no plans to transition in the future.” — Alec Gorynski, Lincoln Community Foundation President/CEO

“The Lincoln Arts Council was so fortunate to be part of the Successful Transitions program with consultant Ingrid Kirst. As my retirement approached with 20 years in the role as Executive Director, we knew that we needed to plan for my transition and leadership development of the board and staff. I had no idea where to begin. It seemed like an overwhelming process. During the class sessions with Ingrid she outlines every step of the way with excellent materials and instruction. Her coaching sessions afterwards helped keep us on track with completing key components of our transition plan. The experience was a perfect blend of expert knowledge from Ingrid, guest speakers who have had successful transitions, and the cohort members there for support and inspiration.” — Deb Weber, Lincoln Arts Council Executive Director (retired)

“I attended Ingrid’s Successful Transitions workshop in the Fall of 2022, and found it INCREDIBLY helpful in helping our organization obtain clarity on best practices for setting our organization up for success in the event of a planned or unplanned transition(s). Ingrid is an excellent presenter, a clear and concise communicator, and has put together a very well-thought out and logical system of helping non-profits get organized and think through those things you don’t want to have to think about, but really have to, if you want to grow and sustain momentum as a force for good in the community. Ingrid is also an excellent coach and goes out of her way to create time and space for her clients, and is as approachable as she is knowledgeable! Ingrid is a real joy to work with and a tremendous asset to our non-profit community.” –Jamie Peer, Atlas Lincoln Board Chair

“Successful Transitions provided Mourning Hope with a valuable opportunity to thoroughly assess our internal strengths and weaknesses. It fostered challenging yet essential conversations. Additionally, it initiated important dialogue about needed policies to ensure long-term stability of our organization. Throughout this process, we realized that Mourning Hope has been informally engaging in succession planning via recent staff hires, shared responsibilities and cross-training. While this informal planning is crucial, it also highlighted the necessity for formal processes to manage executive leadership transitions and their future implications.” – Carly Woythaler-Runestad, Mourning Hope

Video Program Overview

Building Your Next Leaders – Introductory Workshop

I periodically offer a sneak preview of the Successful Transitions course called Building Your Next Leaders. This workshop is open to anyone interested in learning more about succession planning and how it can benefit their organization. I encourage you to invite board members to attend.

Please contact me to schedule a workshop for your organization. You can reach me at ingrid@ingridkirst.com or 402-730-2532.