The next 10 years are going to be a significant challenge for many Canadian charities. And mostly, probably from the talent perspective. And that, maybe, seems self-serving for a Search Executive to say that, but I think that’s the reality. And I think so many organizations have, perhaps, not taken the time that they’ve needed to, to determine exactly what their talent needs are going to be over the next few years. And some of the biggest driving factors in this are the Baby Boomer generation that is already into retirement. The stats that have been thrown around are 10,000 Baby Boomers (US-based number) a day will turn 65 over the next somewhere around 19 years. So, it’s going to be a significant transition for many organizations, from that perspective.
And I think the other piece of it is that charities, especially if they’re established, have had long-term leadership who have risen to become the executive leadership of the charities today. And while we have talked about mentorship and talked about executive leadership development, we haven’t, perhaps, necessarily practiced it to the degree that we should have. And so many organizations are, while they might have a CEO or an ED, they don’t necessarily have a number two or a number three. If, for no other reason, a risk management perspective, if that CEO were to leave for whatever reason.
