Get in Touch

The experienced executives in our network are ready to guide your nonprofit through your leadership transition. Please get in touch with us today to start the process or if you have any questions.

Email

interimexecnetwork@gmail.com

Serving

The Metro DC Area & beyond

Phone

Currently, the best way to reach IEN is via the email address to the left.

Let’s Get Started

Ready to begin the process of working with IEN to get a placement for your nonprofit? Get started by filling out this contact form. Afterwards, IEN leadership will get in touch with you to start the process. We look forward to helping your nonprofit during your leadership transition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nonprofit interim executives serve exclusively in transitional roles in nonprofit organizations. They are specialists in managing leadership transitions.

The Interim Executive Network is a network of experienced, professional interim executives serving nonprofit organizations in the DC metro area and beyond.

Our executives are typically nonprofit executive directors, but we have also served as interims in other C-suite positions.

Our interims are required to have substantial experience as an executive director and/or interim executive, as well as meeting certain requirements related to our professional standards. After meeting these threshold requirements, individuals seeking to join our network must interview with at least two IEN members and be approved by IEN’s steering committee.

Placement lengths can depend on the needs of each specific nonprofit organization. However, the typical length is 6-12 months.

In many ways, interim executives are an executive and a consultant all in one.  Interims can bring outside, experienced judgment to complex problems and advise solutions in the same way consultants do, while also providing on-the-ground leadership and implementation of day-to-day decision-making and operations for your nonprofit, as a traditional executive director does.  Your interim executive director will serve as your lead staff member, and as such, will be empowered to “execute,” not just advise.

Our interim executives work primarily for nonprofits in the DC Metro area; however, many have accepted interim positions outside the region.  Some are willing to relocate temporarily, while others will accept hybrid or all-remote engagements.

IEN members have served both large and small nonprofit organizations, with budgets ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to millions. We have provided interim leadership to many organizations driven by diverse missions, but all needing experienced transitional leadership during periods of change.

If an organization reaches out to the Network for assistance in hiring an interim executive, IEN’s leadership will work with you to write a posting to be distributed to our referral list. Available candidates will contact the organization directly to apply and negotiate terms and conditions.

IEN charges a placement fee equal to 2.5% of the first six months of the fee or salary provided to the interim professional if the interim candidate was introduced through the IEN network.

Available candidates are responsible for negotiating their own terms and conditions, including payment.

It is true that interim executives, because of their extensive experience, may be more expensive (on a full-time-equivalent basis) than your organization’s former ED, but engaging an interim executive can help avoid costs that are incurred when a hurried board of directors hires the wrong leader.  In addition, over the course of the former ED’s tenure, many organizations have failed to keep up with the nonprofit salary market.  Hiring an interim executive gives the board time to adjust expectations and budgets as they embark on the search for their next long-term ED.

As many interims serve on a part-time basis, this reduces overall costs, and some interim executives also decline certain benefits (e.g. health insurance) that would otherwise be expenses for the organization.  Each interim executive approaches these issues differently.  All such issues should be negotiated between the interim executive and the organization and spelled out in writing.

 Our Resources for Interims page contains a brief form you can submit to express interest in membership.

Join Our Email List for Interims

Request to join for occasional news, training, and resources for interim executives, people considering doing interim work, and those who frequently make referrals for interim leadership.