Officer Transitions

If you are thinking, “What will happen to my group when I’m gone?????” then this section is for you. Making sure your organization is successful and has the ability to sustain itself after you leave are important aspects to good leadership. No one wants to see their group crumble after they’ve left! Below are some key processes to help you create a succession plan and ensure your group is sustainable. 

Identify key members of your group

Create a document (that can be shared!) that lists the key positions of your organization, their job descriptions, and how they contribute to the success of the group. Why are these positions important to the org?

Create a list of events

Does your organization do some of the same events each year that are well-known, traditional, or important to your organization? If so, write them down! And, write down key points for how to plan them. Include past challenges, successes, and important information for each event. A new person should be able to read your document, step in, and plan the event successfully.

Important documents

Past budgets, your constitution, your student organization’s mission, goals of your student org, contact list of members and advisors, and the list of how to plan events and job descriptions of key members should all be included in important documents. Put them on a shared Google Drive folder or in a binder that won’t get lost, and pass this down each year!

Leadership transition 

There will be people transitioning in and out of your organization at some point throughout the year. For many groups, this happens in the spring semester. You should think critically how the old club president will transition the new club president into his or her role, in addition to how your other officers will be transitioned. It may be helpful to host a “Transition Retreat” of sorts to onboard your new executive team.

Developing a leadership succession plan each year is a simple way to ensure your group remains successful. There are some key things to keep in mind when developing this plan:

• Establishing eligibility requirements (if any) for the specific leadership roles in your organization
• Determining when in the year you will select new leadership
• What does the process of selecting new leaders look like? How will you accomplish this?
• Determining the method your organization will use to pass information from the current leadership team to the new one

Once you’ve determined these things, and created and organized important documents suggested above, your student group should be in a great position to move forward successfully.