Success in the Interim

By Diana Coyle, CICF Director of Nonprofit Services and Sustainability 

Often deployed after sudden leadership vacancies, interim leaders are adept at stabilizing an organization while laying the groundwork for an eventual leadership hire.  

Several years ago, Gennesaret Free Clinics were in transition. Up against a six-week timeline before leadership change, they ultimately chose to hire an interim executive director, so they wouldn’t rush their search. 

“A full [leadership] search is about four months,” says Charitable Advisors president Bryan Orander. He assisted Gennesaret for both the interim and long-term hires. “I brought three potential interim candidates to the board leaders. They selected Caroline.”  

That’s Caroline Dutkanych, CFRE, now vice president of philanthropy at Women’s Foundation of Indiana. She came to interim work from a fundraising background, building her unique approach to temporary leadership as she went. Soon, she received formal interim credentials at the Interim Executives Academy. 

Dutkanych ran Gennesaret as interim ED for six months. After Orander and the board completed their search, Milele Kennedy, PHA, was hired for the long-term director role.  

We spoke with all three to see how the leadership handoff from Dutkanych to Kennedy illustrates the value that intentional, temporary leadership provides for nonprofits. 

What is an interim leader? 

Understandably, many boards don’t learn exactly what an interim does until they need one, and by then they may be short on time. Even boards familiar with the role may fail to see its full potential. However, knowing what an interim does best can prevent a costly, chaotic transition. 

In the event of a leadership departure, nonprofits will frequently default to promoting staff or an available board member. For some, this may be the right call – it’s quick, and the replacement already knows the organization.  

Orander: “A planned retirement with a healthy board and staff can certainly get by without an interim, especially since boards and staff would rather avoid more transitions than necessary. In most of these cases, the retiring ED/CEO hands off directly to their successor.” 

But, as we know, circumstances are rarely ideal. Temporarily promoting a current staff member means they are expected to perform two jobs, and the board fails to gain the objective insights of an experienced outside leader.  

Orander again: “We see outside interims used most often when the ED/CEO departs with limited notice, is fired, or the organization is in some type of financial or reputational trouble that makes the CEO position undesirable to an ideal long-term candidate.” 

Thankfully, a board can act well before any possible crisis. Develop a simple emergency succession plan that names good interim candidates or a transition advisor (find a template here). Having that conversation early makes the choice easier during tough times. 

What makes a good interim candidate? 

Dutkanych, Gennesaret’s former interim leader, argues that the best temporary leadership creates a better environment to attract the right long-term hire. “[As an interim,] you don’t need to be the subject matter expert for the nonprofit’s mission,” she says. “That’s what the rest of the team does.”  

Instead, a temporary director is equipped with skills in transitional leadership, like keeping the momentum on mission-critical programs and services, ensuring success in fundraising, retaining high-performing staff, and nurturing relationships with external stakeholders. 

Sometimes, a board will set expectations too low for the interim; this is done under the mistaken belief that transition leaders have little to do beyond keeping the lights on and unlocking the doors.  

However, while they may not be an expert in the org’s mission, an interim leader is (or should be) far more than a benchwarmer. In times of crisis, they’re more like an ER doctor, addressing major issues to stabilize a patient for the specialist.  

Another key aspect of a good interim is clear communication about their own professional ambitions. In other words, is the interim or the board considering the transitional leader for the eventual hire? In her experience, Dutkanych tells staff, board, and community early on that she won’t apply for the leadership role. “This protects the interim’s ability to be objective and make tough decisions,” she says. “It can be difficult to do the necessary, unpopular thing if you ultimately want to win the leadership role.”  

One approach to interim work 

There are as many different ways to serve as interim as there are people to serve. Caroline has developed an order of operations that works for her. Some highlights:  

• First stop is finance. Who does payroll and handles the bills? Hopefully nothing is amiss with an organization’s finances, but if there are any surprises here, find them early. Financial stability during transition is critical. If something doesn’t add up, Dutkanych recommends letting the board know with “grace, care, and candor.” 

• Meet staff. In organizations of thirty or fewer employees, an interim can usually meet everyone in several weeks. These conversations introduce an interim to the team and can help shape priorities for the interim period. 

• Meet donors. During multiple transitions, donors can easily get lost among incoming and outgoing leaders. Speak with them one-on-one, clarify the plan, and stay in touch. 

• Set priorities. After a month, hopefully you have a sense of the organization’s financial health, staff dynamics, and major initiatives. What needs maintenance, what needs repair, and what can wait?  

• Set the length of work. The interim period will run at least the length of a search for a “settled” leader (Dutkanych’s preferred word, as opposed to “permanent”). Orander estimates a search is generally four months, plus several weeks for initial board engagement. The interim at Gennesaret ran about six months and could have been longer. In their case, the organization was finalizing a major new partnership with Gleaners Food Bank, which required extra care and attention during Dutkanych’s tenure.  

• Form a small transition team. An interim may need to make big decisions quickly. If so, they’ll need expertise as well as buy-in from others in the organization. Dutkanych assembles teams that will be accountable to leadership and to finance. It can be as small as three, with an executive board member and a finance or fundraising lead joining the interim director. 

• Prepare for the handoff. At Gennesaret, Dutkanych received robust transition tools from the prior director. She also assembled her own to leave for Kennedy, the eventual ED. However, if no “starter kit” exists to pass on, build one as you go. Start by writing down standard operations for every organizational program; a current summary of finances; and information on any “hot button,” high priority, time-sensitive, or controversial issues. 

• End on purpose. During her final week, Dutkanych was sure to recognize and celebrate her time at Gennesaret with staff. Then, her final four weeks were spent off-site, interacting only with Kennedy as she took over…   

After the interim, a hands-on handoff  

Milele Kennedy’s first piece of advice to anyone hired as director after an interim executive period is to treat that interim as an ally. “The interim director is your best friend those first few weeks,” she says. “More than anyone, they are your bridge into the organization.”  

As mentioned above, Kennedy came aboard just as Gennesaret was solidifying a major partnership with Gleaners Food Bank. Opening the new clinic inside Gleaners’ would reinforce Gennesaret’s growing ambition to unite food access with healthcare while also starting up a location in a new part of town. That required consultation with Dutkanych, who had been shepherding the partnership during the transition. 

Kennedy’s second piece of advice: “Don’t be afraid to ask for more time.” Four weeks in, Kennedy asked for two more. Dutkanych’s own practice is two weeks side by side with the new hire, then four to six weeks of remote support exclusively with the leader. As interim, Dutkanych also schedules the settled leader’s first month in advance, with a staff champion for each meeting and open blocks for learning and site visits.  

This handoff period is also the time to engage donors. Dutkanych introduces the new leader personally to the donors she has met over the prior six months. Kennedy named bringing donors along as the toughest aspect of her onboarding. In the several years leading up to her hiring, Kennedy noted how Gennesaret’s donors had begun to see several new faces in the executive chair after their founder had been in the role for decades.  

Kennedy is still helping donors acclimate. Fortunately, she started with a well-documented organization and a thoughtful interim she could rely on. 

And two years later, the Gleaners Food Bank clinic is open, the mobile clinic is up and running, and a third site with food access on the far east side is moving toward construction.  

Resources 

• SuccessionREADY – Free from Charitable Advisors, this page offers resources for emergency succession planning, development director hiring, staff contingency plans, and more. 

• To learn more and read about other examples of interim leadership, see this free 2005 interim leadership manual co-created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.   

• CICF’s Executive Leadership and Fundraising Academy is an annual, 11-month resource program for new executive directors and CEOs. The second cohort began Oct. 14, 2026.  

• Third Sector Company Interim Executive Director Academy, the nationally recognized standard for placement, training and support for interim executive directors for nonprofit organizations.  

About the author

Diana Coyle, director of nonprofit services and sustainability, is dedicated to helping Central Indiana nonprofits access the tools, knowledge, and relationships they need to thrive. In collaboration with her CICF colleagues, she supports CICF’s nonprofit partners by offering professional development, resources, and technical assistance that strengthen organizations and their leaders. With more than 15 years of experience in leadership and community engagement, she is committed to fostering connections that amplify the missions of nonprofits and create lasting impact across the region.