This fall, we\u2019re launching a new community program focused on succession planning and organizational capacity building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our programs are growing. What started as a small arts collective is now beginning to develop into a network of nonprofits and larger, distributed projects. As that happens, we\u2019re putting more attention into the work that happens behind the programs themselves: developing organizational knowledge, building practical skills, creating new leadership opportunities and making sure there is enough capacity to support what comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re developing this work with our Winnipeg and Alberta hubs, alongside our partners at Melgund Recreation, Arts and Culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For us, succession planning is not simply about preparing for someone to leave. It is about developing the people who are already part of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A participant can become a volunteer. A volunteer can take responsibility for part of a project. Someone working on a project can develop into a coordinator, mentor or organizational leader. People already in leadership can continue to expand their skills and take on new areas of responsibility as the organization changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aim is to create more opportunities for that kind of internal growth. Rather than assuming that new capacity always has to come from outside an organization, we want to understand what happens when people have opportunities to develop within the organizations and projects they are already connected to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That means paying attention to the stages between participation and leadership. What experience does someone need before they can take on more responsibility? What support makes that transition possible? How can people learn the practical knowledge that is often held informally by more experienced members of an organization?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The program will also look at the systems that make internal growth possible. That includes documenting knowledge, developing administrative capacity, strengthening governance, improving project management and creating better ways for people to learn from those already doing the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI and other digital tools will be part of this work where they are useful. We are particularly interested in their practical application to documentation, research, analysis, knowledge management and administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The research will follow what happens as people move through different levels of participation and responsibility. We want to learn from those experiences and use what we learn to improve the way our organizations develop people and share responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re developing the program across our Winnipeg and Alberta hubs and with Melgund Recreation, Arts and Culture. This gives us an opportunity to test and develop the approach in different organizational and community settings while continuing to build our own network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The work is ultimately about building organizations in which people can grow into new responsibilities rather than having to wait for a position to become vacant or for new leadership to be recruited from outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ll be sharing more about the program this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n