Passing the Torch: What It Means to Transition with Care
November 10, 2025
We are living through so many transitions in the nonprofit sector, as with elsewhere in the world.
People are leaving long-held roles, teams are shrinking, and organizations are rethinking how they survive in a time when everything, from funding to trust, is shifting. The sector is being reshaped in real time.
And while the headlines often focus on who’s leaving or what’s being lost, I’m starting to believe that change doesn’t have to feel like loss. It can also be an act of love if we approach them with care.
Leaving Well Is a Form of Leadership
After nearly 13 years at IISC, I’m in my own big transition. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to leave in a way that feels honest, grounded, and caring – for myself and for the people I’ve worked alongside. And, my cheerleader self is on full display this fall.
When a key leader departs or several staff members move on, the focus often lands on logistics: files, budgets, and inboxes. But the deeper work is emotional and relational. My own “transitional hygiene,” as my colleagues call it, has been equal parts planning, presence, and cheerleading. I’m handing off pieces of my job to other current colleagues as we are not re-hiring for my role (budget constraints!). What keeps bubbling up is how caring and skilled my colleagues are. So it is cheerleading in the best sense – not some false “rah, rah, you can do this” but rather a deeply grounded sense that others can master the spreadsheets and the tasks and that, in fact, they will bring fresh eyes and ideas to the table. They will improve on my contributions and leadership.
That realization has been healing. Instead of feeling like I’m disappearing, I feel like I’m passing something on.
How to Make Transitions Healthier for Everyone
In the nonprofit world, we often treat leadership changes like crises to be managed instead of opportunities to grow collective capacity. But what if, without being Pollyanna-ish about it, transitions were seen as opportunities for renewal?
Whether it’s one person leaving or major shifts or an organizational closure, here are some practices I’ve leaned into:
- Start with care, not checklists.
Before diving into to-do lists, take a breath together. Acknowledge what’s changing and what’s hard about it. That small moment of grounding makes everything else easier. - Document, but don’t dump.
When you hand things off, don’t just send a pile of folders. Share the story behind the work – why certain choices were made, what relationships need care, and what you’ve learned along the way. In fact, ask what files might no longer be needed and when it’s more important to offer a frame than a set of to-dos, which really need updating anyway. - Honor relationships and the work you have done.
Tell people what you’ve valued about working with them. It sounds simple, but it builds connection and confidence when the ground feels shaky. In a meeting about one of our most significant clients over the last ten years, after tactical sharing about relationships and ideas, we waxed for 20 minutes about how meaningful the work was/is, how awesome it is to see change in the direction of racial equity in a large system/network, and how much we enjoy being together as a team. - Build continuity into culture.
Cross-train regularly. Share leadership. Make sure that knowledge lives in the community, not in one person’s inbox. - Grieve.
Leave time for where you and others feel grief and loss. In not skirting by this, you are building strength and connection into the system. - Celebrate and mean it.
It turns out that when you take time and celebrate others, they want to do the same for you. Genuine appreciation creates confidence, which creates continuity. In my transition meetings, I say, with real belief, that I know they will elevate the work to another realm.
A Transition Toolkit for Nonprofits
Here are some things I’ve found useful in my own transition and in supporting others through theirs:
Transition Documentation: Outline key processes, relationships, and decision criteria. Use plain language like “what future me would want to know.”
Reflection Template: Ask departing staff: “What have you learned? What unfinished questions remain? What advice would you give your successor?”
Peer Learning Check-Ins: Pair departing and remaining team members to share context, insights, and gratitude. It’s not just about transferring work, but sharing wisdom.
Onboarding Continuity: Build onboarding systems that emphasize culture, not just compliance. How do new staff learn who you are as an organization?
Celebration Rituals: Closing circles, storytelling sessions, or shared meals mark endings with gratitude. They reinforce the community even through change.
The Real Legacy of Leadership
At its heart, leadership transition is an act of trust. Trust that others will hold the mission. Trust that the organization will evolve. Trust that letting go can be a form of contribution. When we treat transitions as part of the work rather than an interruption of it, we open the door to institutional renewal. And, we create room for new leadership in expected and unexpected places, in ways that many of us profess to do. It is true that Facilitative Leadership™ makes room for others to shine and lead.
So here’s to every cheerleader holding the pom-poms of purpose right now. May we all leave and arrive with care, courage, and celebration.
How does your organization mark transitions? What would it take to make change a source of renewal instead of fear?
Author’s Note
From Miriam Messinger: In my experience, it is hard to end well: to feel good about oneself and one’s contributions, to shift work to others, and to know that you are leaving folks well set up. After nearly 13 years at IISC, I’ve learned that the heart of a healthy transition isn’t about perfection but about presence, celebration, and trust. This piece is both a love letter to my colleagues and an invitation to the broader field: let’s model the kind of endings that make new beginnings possible. I’m happy to be part of a great ending for me at IISC.
Ready to Lead Through Transition with Care?
Whether your organization is preparing for a leadership handoff, restructuring, or renewal, IISC can help you design processes that honor both people and purpose. We’ll help you build clarity, continuity, and culture in times of change so you can move forward with confidence and care.
