How to Better Leverage the Position of Immediate Past President

Every nonprofit organization has a chief Board position, often titled as President, who serves an influential and highly visible leadership role. The time served as President is active and intense, but often comes to a halt quickly once the term of office is completed. Nonprofits can ease this transition by giving more thought to the role of the Immediate Past President.

To best visualize the possibilities for the Immediate Past President (IPP) position, organizations should first review the recent history of the position and then look to the future. Looking at recent history and analyzing how the IPP position has been used will yield important insights that will inform considerations about how to optimize and restructure this valuable resource for the future.

Start the process of looking back by reviewing key governing documents to see how the IPP position is referenced, if at all. Check the Bylaws to see if the IPP is listed as a formal officer position and if any specific duties have been assigned to this role. Next, check whether the responsibilities of the IPP have been set forth in other documents such as meeting minutes and policies, procedures, and working rules.

Regardless of whether the roles and responsibilities of the IPP are detailed in the organization’s governing documents, looking back at past practices can provide clues to possibilities for the future. Review recent Board actions that have involved the IPP to see if these actions expanded or contracted the role of the IPP. Pay close attention to whether there were any unusual events, issues, or circumstances (such as mergers, name changes, or other major transactions) that required (or could have benefited from) the expanded involvement of the IPP.  

After completing this look-back process, it is time to look forward and consider how to use the IPP position in the future based on the organization’s anticipated evolving needs. These considerations will vary for each organization, but in general nonprofits that have experienced a lot of change to programs and operations and/or have older governance structures could benefit from changing, formalizing, and/or expanding the IPP position.

Formalization of the IPP position will have two key elements of consideration: (1) whether the IPP is designated as an officer position; and (2) whether the IPP continues to serve as a member of the Board (as discussed in Q&A #91, these concepts are often -- but not always – linked). While many organizations choose to formalize the IPP in a continued Board/officer position, it is also possible to leverage the IPP position through other volunteer leadership roles.

Whether the IPP serves as an officer or in some other capacity, consider creating a job description for this volunteer position. A job description is an excellent opportunity to describe the role of the IPP and detail a code of conduct for this position. The job description should address key areas of responsibilities and how the chain of command works, describing interactions with the President, Board, and senior management. Consider having the IPP chair a committee (nominations, ethics, etc.) or serve as a representative of the organization in a coalition or advocacy effort, to name a few possible roles.

Formalization of the IPP position does not have to be overly extensive, but some element of being available to provide assistance at the discretion of the President should be maintained as a resource to help during times of crisis and unexpected change.

Planning Tip – Consider using the position of the Immediate Past President (IPP) to chair a council of past presidents. This resource of highly knowledgeable and recognized leaders can be of great service to a nonprofit. The IPP can coordinate efforts of the council of past presidents and make sure these individuals stay connected and empowered.

IPPs can have a compelling impact on a nonprofit but finding the proper balance between the President and the IPP is of the utmost importance. An IPP with too much authority can diminish the President’s ability to govern. Show respect for the office of President and strive to leverage the knowledge and experience of the IPP without overly expanding their job description so as to interfere with the new President’s leadership.