Drawing from findings in the State of the Interim Profession Report on the growing complexity of the nonprofit ecosystem, this Forum brings forward key questions interim executives may face when navigating labor unions and workplace organizing efforts during a leadership transition.

Interim executives are increasingly stepping into organizations where labor relationships shape nearly every decision they make. Whether renewing a bargaining agreement, managing a workforce represented by a union, or navigating a new organizing effort, interim leaders face a distinct set of forces that permanent executives rarely encounter in the same way: compressed timelines, limited institutional trust, and high stakes for getting it right.

At this National Interim Executives Forum, we will examine how unions shape the interim executive's role: their authority, their relationships with staff and boards, and the decisions they are asked to make on someone else's behalf. This session will unpack some of the key questions shaping the conversation:

What unique challenges do interim executives face when leading a unionized workforce?
How should an interim leader approach an active organizing campaign or contract negotiation?
What authority does or doesn't an interim executive have to make binding commitments to a union?
How can boards prepare an interim leader for the realities of a unionized environment?
What ethical and legal responsibilities do interim executives carry in labor relations, given the short-term nature of their role?
What emerging practices are helping interim leaders navigate union dynamics effectively?

The Forum will feature representatives of the AFL-CIO, human resource professionals, and interim practitioners with direct experience leading unionized nonprofits. As with our past forums, this is not a session that will advocate for or against unionization; its purpose is to present the realities interim leaders face and invite open honest dialogue among practitioners, boards, and the organizations that engage 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: Demonstrating Interim Executive Excellence in the Unionized Nonprofit Workplace