{"id":6094,"date":"2026-08-06T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cicp-pcpob\/?p=6094"},"modified":"2026-08-06T11:03:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:03:02","slug":"planning-for-tomorrow-why-succession-planning-still-lags-behind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cicp-pcpob\/2026\/planning-for-tomorrow-why-succession-planning-still-lags-behind\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning for Tomorrow: Why Succession Planning Still Lags Behind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Planning for Tomorrow: Why Succession Planning Still Lags Behind\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

Leadership transitions are inevitable. Whether planned or unexpected, most charities will eventually experience changes in executive leadership. Succession planning helps organizations prepare for these transitions by reducing uncertainty, preserving institutional knowledge, maintaining organizational stability, and creating opportunities to develop and retain future leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these well-recognized benefits, four years of Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP) survey data suggest that formal succession planning remains uncommon across the charitable sector. While roughly one in five charities consistently report that they are actively developing a succession plan, this proportion has remained largely unchanged over time. Instead, many organizations continue to operate without a formal plan for leadership transitions, relying instead on ad hoc or case-by-case approaches when leadership changes occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Year<\/th>We have a well-defined succession plan in place.<\/strong>  <\/strong><\/th>We are currently working on a succession plan.<\/strong><\/th>We address succession planning on a case-by-case basis.<\/strong><\/th>We do not have a formal succession plan.<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
2023<\/strong><\/td>12%<\/td>22%<\/td>22%<\/td>40%<\/td><\/tr>
2024<\/strong><\/td>10%<\/td>21%<\/td>22%<\/td>44%<\/td><\/tr>
2025<\/strong><\/td>11%<\/td>21%<\/td>26%<\/td>37%<\/td><\/tr>
2026<\/strong><\/td>13%<\/td>21%<\/td>24%<\/td>38%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This pattern is also reflected in broader measures of organizational readiness. Across multiple CICP surveys, charities consistently report feeling underprepared for leadership transitions. In both 2024<\/a> and 2025<\/a>, the CICP’s crisis preparedness surveys found that only a small proportion of organizations considered themselves either “well prepared” or “completely prepared” for a leadership succession crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership succession crisis<\/em><\/th>Completely unprepared<\/strong><\/th>Somewhat unprepared<\/strong><\/th>Moderately prepared<\/strong><\/th>Well prepared<\/strong><\/th>Completely prepared<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
2024 <\/strong><\/td>15%<\/td>33%<\/td>34%<\/td>15%<\/td>2%<\/td><\/tr>
2025 <\/strong><\/td>12%<\/td>32%<\/td>36%<\/td>15%<\/td>5%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The findings remain consistent in 2026<\/a>. Just 5% of responding charities reported feeling very prepared for a leadership transition, while 31% described themselves as somewhat prepared. In contrast, 21% said they were somewhat unprepared and 17% reported being very unprepared. Reflecting these challenges, nearly half of charities (49%) in 2025, and an even greater share in 2024 (55%), identified leadership development and succession planning as areas where additional support would strengthen their organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If many charities lack formal succession plans or report gaps in organizational readiness, are leadership transitions simply a distant concern for most organizations? CICP data suggest otherwise.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2022 and 2025<\/a>, 28% of responding charities experienced a change in senior leadership, while an additional 11% reported multiple leadership transitions during that period. Another 11% indicated they expected a leadership change in the near future. Looking ahead, the 2026<\/a> survey paints a similar picture: 10% of responding charities expect a leadership transition within the next year, 20% anticipate one within one to three years, and a further 21% expect one within three to five years. Together, these findings suggest that leadership transitions are not a distant possibility but an ongoing reality for many charities. They also point to several waves of succession on the horizon, in addition to the unexpected leadership changes that every organization must be prepared to navigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a New Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CICP findings add to a growing body of evidence showing that succession planning has been a persistent challenge across Canada’s charitable sector for well over a decade. While the issue is receiving renewed attention, it is far from new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, survey research<\/a> conducted by the Mowat Centre and the Ontario Nonprofit Network found that 66% of responding charities and nonprofits in Ontario did not have a formal succession plan. Six years later, the Senate’s 2019 report, Catalyst for Change: A Roadmap to a Stronger Charitable Sector<\/a><\/em>, reinforced the importance of succession planning by recommending that the Government of Canada “work with the charitable and non-profit sector to develop and implement a human resources renewal plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector workforce,” including through succession planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, these findings suggest that succession planning has remained an unresolved issue despite years of recognition by researchers, policymakers, and sector leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s Standing in the Way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If succession planning is widely recognized as important, why do so many charities still lack a formal plan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2026 CICP survey<\/a> points to three broad barriers: limited capacity, competing priorities, and organizational realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most commonly cited obstacle is a lack of time and resources. Forty-two percent of responding charities say they simply do not have the capacity to develop a succession plan. This finding reflects a broader challenge identified across CICP surveys: many organizations struggle to dedicate time even to their highest priorities, often resulting in missed strategic opportunities, increased staff burnout, and greater organizational risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competing priorities also play a significant role. More than one-third of charities (36%) say succession planning is not currently a priority for their organization. This is consistent with earlier CICP findings <\/a>showing that only 16% of charities identified succession planning as one of their top three organizational priorities for 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the realities of operating a small organization shape how many charities approach succession planning. Nearly one-third of respondents (31%) say their organization is too small to justify a formal succession plan, while one in five (21%) report lacking the expertise needed to develop one. These findings suggest that succession planning cannot be approached as a one-size-fits-all exercise. Smaller organizations may require practical, scalable approaches that reflect their size, governance structure, and available capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the findings suggest there is room for optimism. Although many charities have yet to adopt a formal succession plan, CICP survey data indicate that organizations are increasingly investing in leadership and governance practices that can strengthen resilience and make future leadership transitions more manageable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The persistence of these gaps comes at a particularly challenging time for Canada’s charitable sector. As organizations continue to navigate financial pressures, workforce shortages, and growing demand for services, leadership transitions become even more consequential, not only for individual charities but for the communities that rely on them. Succession planning is ultimately about more than preparing for a change in leadership; it is about strengthening organizational resilience and ensuring that charities can continue to serve their communities through periods of change and uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– The CICP Team<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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