Tomorrow's Nonprofit Leaders (Originally published June 2008)

A recent study produced by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Meyer Foundation and Idealist.org found that over the next decade, nonprofits will face significant obstacles to recruiting new leaders to replace retiring Baby Boomers. Among the survey's key findings include the reality that younger generations:

• View the work associated with executive nonprofit leadership as unappealing due to overwhelming fundraising responsibilities and compromised personal lives.
• Have major concerns about nonprofit salaries and lifelong earning potential.
• Receive inadequate mentorship and career grooming from the generations above them.
• Feel alienated and underutilized by top down decision making and rigid organizational structures of nonprofit organizations.
• Do not believe that a career in the nonprofit sector is essential to making a difference and impacting social change.

A full report of the survey is available for download at http://www.meyerfoundation.org. For additional free resources on navigating the generation divide, log on to http://www.interchange-group.com.