The choice of a contractor or temporary employee relationship is not to be taken lightly by professional interim executives. There are considerations that are generally not universal, and many depend on the situation and the state where a nonprofit is located.

At the next National Interim Executives Forum on Wednesday, September 30, we’ll examine the operational, legal, governance and ethical considerations of properly defining the position and its risks, as well as what that could mean for nonprofit organizations and the leaders who make decisions on their behalf.

Drawing from findings in the latest State of the Interim Profession Report, this session will unpack some of the key questions shaping the debate:

What risks and misconceptions surround contractor classification?
How does employment status impact authority, accountability, and organizational trust?
What should boards consider when governing through an executive transition?
What should nonprofits, foundations, and HR leaders weigh before structuring interim engagements?
What ethical responsibilities, if any, do interim leaders have toward defining their legal relationship with public charities?
What emerging standards and practices are shaping the interim profession nationally?

The Forum will feature recognized leaders in risk management for nonprofit organizations, human resources, accounting, and law firms with clients in multiple states. This is not a forum that will advocate for one position or another, rather its purpose is to present data and professional opinions, and encourage dialogue amongst interim leaders and the nonprofits who engage or employ them.

We hope you will consider attending the Forum and sharing this invitation within your networks via email and LinkedIn to increase understanding of how interim leadership serves the entire nonprofit sector.

The goal of The National Interim Executives Forum is to create space for difficult conversations that advance the profession, lead to informed decision-making, and invite continued peer conversations.

Third Sector Company is committed to advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion as foundational to its programs.

We acknowledge and honor the fundamental value and dignity of all people; and we pledge our individual and organizational efforts to build respect, dignity, caring, and equitable treatment for all. As an organization, we are committed to transforming the world into one that promotes social justice and freedom from oppression, including but not limited to, racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, and ableism.

Thus, we aim to be adaptable, actively anti-racist, embracing cultural differences, and to be accessible for people who are differently resourced and differently abled. Since we do not want financial hardship to be a barrier to participation, there are several seats reserved in each of our fee-based programs for confidentially awarded scholarships. We encourage those from historically underserved communities to apply.

Interim Forum - Interim Executive’s Dilemma: Contractor or Employee?