Creating a succession plan
What is a succession plan?
A succession plan is about putting ongoing formal plans and procedures in place to prepare for a smooth transition from one volunteer to the next in all the key club roles. It is a chance to look to the future of the club and identify and develop capable leaders who can fulfill key roles when they become open.
Does your club currently consider:
- What will happen when you or key volunteers leave the club or their role?
- What your club has in place to keep everything on track when someone steps away?
If not, developing a succession plan will help place the club in great stead for when those situations occur.
Why is a succession plan important?
Succession planning helps build the longevity of your sporting club by ensuring the club continues to be supported when people step away.
- Helps anticipate change
- Plan for future needs
- Upskill new volunteers
- Allow for smooth transition from one volunteer to another
- Reduce the risk of losing valuable information
- Ensures when one person leaves, there is someone ready to take on the role
Barriers to succession planning
There are some barriers to creating a succession plan that you or your committee may face. These may include:
- Considered too much work / time consuming
- Different personalities and opinions on succession planning
- Committee members may be fearful or resistant to change
- Not everyone is committed to succession planning, meaning it isn't implemented properly
- Not seen as a priority
- People may feel undervalued
- Assumption that replacement 'just happens'
How to develop a succession plan
- Identify key positions for succession
- Not every position requires succession planning, however key committee roles, coaching roles or specific positions that manage important club tasks may benefit from having a plan in place for when someone moves on.
- Identify key skills required
- For the roles identified for succession planning, record any key skills or experience that may be beneficial to identify for potential successors.
- Identify structure and processes required to support succession
- Consider any processes or structures in committee that may be required to support your succession plan (e.g assistant roles, dual roles, fixed term roles).
- Identify potential volunteers
- Look through your networks to identify people who could be approached to take on a role in the future.
- Provide training and development opportunities
- Once you have identified your next volunteers, set them up for success by supporting them to undertake any on the job training or online accreditation so they are ready to step into their role.
