Closing Remarks #28

One of the most common themes I see in organizational closures is endings precipitated by leadership loss. This occurs when a knowledgeable, well-liked, and competent leader -- oftentimes a founder -- departs the organization in a poorly planned or disorderly way and her successor suffers to fill her shoes. As my friend and esteemed colleague Naomi Hattaway frequently points out, far too few organizations prioritize succession planning. This often results in insufficient knowledge transfer, needless disruption to core activities, and sometimes even irreversible reputational damage.

Considering how important it is to get these transition processes right, it has been interesting over these last few weeks to listen to cardinals from around the world discuss the papal conclave, and how the Catholic church will pick a new pope. There is a transparent process with a lot of ritual (they bring in their own special floor tiles!) and clear communication upon process start and end.

Once the new pope is selected, thousands of years of church history is available on site for his onboarding. Church members also are prepared to welcome him, and all know that each Pope will come with a different focus and flavor than the last. While they might miss the last guy, at the end of the day, they must accept that this new guy is driving the bus now.

Say what you will about the institution itself, but from where I am standing, that succession process has gotten them pretty far!

1) Progressive media network goes quiet
Frequencies of Change Media began as a 10-week radio experiment to combat the rising popularity of right-wing media voices and grew into a 30-year audio broadcasting organization highlighting the stories of marginalized communities. Although its flagship shows were carried by hundreds of rural, urban, and tribal radio stations across the US, the shifting media and fundraising landscape forced the group to first downsize and then sunset.

2) Arts organization ends on a high note
The board of New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts has announced that their work in the state is done. The group was created 41 years ago to foster bonds between private business and the cultural sector, and the leadership now feels that they have accomplished just that.

While representatives of the group lamented that the timing was inopportune --- considering the cuts in state and federal government support --- the board determined that they wanted to quit while they were still in good financial standing.

4) Final bell to ring for Chan Zuckerberg-funded school
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg are one of the world's wealthiest couples, and they have been fairly active in their philanthropic giving throughout Northern California and beyond. Zuckerberg's many companies continue to grow and rake in record profits, with no end in sight. So it came as quite a surprise when the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative-funded school, The Primary School in East Palo Alto, announced that the 2025-2026 school year would be its last.

Critiques decry the hasty decision by the school's board, saying 9 years was not enough time to see results; others see it as part of CZI's ongoing move to abandon DEI and other social initiatives.

5) Palestinian support org in Jerusalem forced to close
According to several news reports, East Jerusalem’s Fund and Endowment was ordered shut by Israel's far right minister of security. Members of the group claim their work is limited to social, humanitarian and charitable work, and has nothing to do with any political activity, This action follows other hostile moves by the Israeli government, including blocking access to Muslim religious sites during holy days.

6) Support group for parents of murdered youth winds down

Since 1998, Mothers of Murdered Youth in Colorado Springs, Colorado has provided an understanding and caring space for parents of the slain. MOMY also provided advocacy for affected families and educated the public about youth violence.

Declining funds, the loss of space, and mounting health challenges amongst the leadership all piled up to force the sunset. Despite the organization's dissolution, the group's vice president promises to continue to informally be there for the individuals and families that need the support.

7) Exit To Open - a new framework for preserving, sharing, and reusing organizational knowledge

"At the present moment of unparalleled disruption, the entire nonprofit sector is rethinking everything: language to describe their work, funding sources, partnerships, and even their continued existence. Nonprofit programs and entire charities will be closing, or being merged out of existence. Difficult choices are being made. Who will fill the role of witness and archivist to preserve the knowledge of these organizations, their writings, media, software, and data, for those who carry on, either now or in the future?

We believe leaders in these tough days should consider a model we’re calling Exit to Open (E2O) and related exit concepts to safeguard these assets going forward."

This piece in Stanford Social Innovation Review is a great call to action from Jim Fruchterman and Steve Francis of tech nonprofit Tech Matters.

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