Thomas J. Tierney

The need for senior talent is a recurring theme in our work with clients. Founders of organizations move on; growth brings the need for new functional capabilities; and, as we all know, our nation faces a looming “brain drain” as the first baby boomers are set to retire from full-time positions. Finding the right people to fill leadership roles has always been challenging, but our perception is that it is becoming increasingly difficult.

In 2005, a Bridgespan Group team set out to better understand the landscape of the nonprofit sector’s senior labor market. What we discovered was a stunning gap: a potential need, over the next decade, for more than half a million new nonprofit leaders. And, while some organizations, including our own, are recognizing and beginning to formulate responses, we believe that this is a sector-wide issue that will need our collective attention and support.

“The Nonprofit Sector’s Leadership Deficit” describes our research and begins to lay out some ideas for discussion and action. In addition to the paper and financial model, we are delighted to be able to provide responses from 14 commentators whose essays reflect different ideas and perspectives on how to begin. We invite you to peruse this material, share it with others as appropriate—and, as always, provide your thoughts and feedback. We also invite you to suggest other related content to link to this site.