As fundraising consultants, my sister and I have worked with countless organizations that have an Executive Director (ED), Board member, or some other key staff or volunteer who has been with the organization for decades. While this can be a huge benefit for an organization, providing them with consistency, historical knowledge, and a valued team member, it can also put the organization in a dangerous position. 

If that star staff or volunteer decides to move on to accept another opportunity, retire, or resign for whatever reason, what happens to all that knowledge? Is it all in their head, or do you have a record of it? If you don’t, we’re sharing seven actions to take right away before your long-time staff or volunteer leaves the organization. 

1. Document what they really do. When a team member has been at an organization for a long time, it’s likely that their job description is out of date. It’s also likely that they complete many “other duties as assigned” that no one knows about. While it’s great for your organization when someone goes “above and beyond,” you need to know what those tasks are so that when the time comes, one, or several people, can do the work that is required. 
2. Take stock of relationships with donors. Who has the relationships with donors and sponsors at your organization? Are they only contributing because of their long-time relationship with a staff member or volunteer? If so, start the work of documenting who the donors are and how they are connected to your organization. Using donor management software can help keep your data organized and ensure donor information can be shared with the entire staff and board. Also, start joining your long-time staff member or volunteer on donor calls and sponsorship meetings to build relationships with your donors. Those relationships have to expand beyond the person, or your organization will find itself in a very troublesome situation when trying to secure gifts, sell event tickets, or find sponsorships after they’re gone. 
3. Make sure the person feels valued. Often long-time staff and volunteers feel a deep connection to your organization’s cause and that’s why they continue to do the work. But to be honest, we speak to many, many people who feel very close to burnout, or wish they had more support from their board. So don’t wait, start today, and check in on your long-time staff or volunteer. Find out if they are overwhelmed and delegate extra tasks. Secure a term administrative person or consider automating manual tasks such as switching from spreadsheets to software, to help relieve some of the pressure. Or just let them know that you appreciate them and everything they do. If they feel valued, they’ll be more likely to help in the process of transferring knowledge to the next person. 
4. Create a process for ongoing documentation. In addition to taking stock of what hasn’t been documented in the past, create a process to make documenting a priority moving forward. Your long-time staff or volunteer doing the role for years doesn’t need a manual or written procedures, but a new person will. So ensure your team builds in time to create procedures and processes for how the work gets completed. 
5. Encourage collaboration. For those of us who have worked in the nonprofit sector for many years, we know and understand the amount of work that is required, often with limited resources. For most organizations, even if only one person is doing the bulk of the work, it is likely that more hands on deck will create a better situation for all. So ensure you create a culture of collaboration where everyone chips in. Encourage cross-training and learning by many people so not all of the knowledge is held by one person. Tasks such as fundraising really do require that everyone in the organization contribute in some way to be effective, so start incorporating this work into everyone’s job description. 
6. Create alternatives to full retirement. If you have a staff member who is close to retirement, start discussing what that might look like. Perhaps the person is open to continuing in a part-time capacity, or as an independent contractor for a period of time to assist with knowledge transfer. This may be a great situation that works for both you and the employee. Your organization will retain valuable knowledge and skills, and the long-time staff member can adjust to retirement life and learn to live on a different level of income while maintaining more independence. 
7. Don’t wait until they hand in their resignation. Knowledge transfer takes time, and most organizations don’t have the time to drop their day-to-day work just to focus on it. So, start working on these practices immediately rather than waiting until your long-time staff member or volunteer hands in their letter of resignation.  

Many of us are lucky enough to work with some incredibly talented and driven people who spend hours doing the very important work of your organization’s mission. They truly are experts in their field. So don’t wait until your expert leaves to start planning for the future. While it is always difficult to lose talent, it is much better to have a plan for the future than to be caught off guard when someone exits. Your organization, and its people will thank you. 

With over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector including as a former Executive Director, Roxanne Tackie is a creative, avid tap dancer and instructor who enjoys crafting and baking. As the co-founder of Story Point Consulting Roxanne uses her skills to help nonprofit teams develop genuine and long-term relationships with their donors. She excels at writing impact stories, donor stewardship strategies, and donor prospecting.