interim leadership for San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits, street with trolleys pictured

Our Mission

To achieve transformative executive transitions.

Bay Area Interim Executive Directors (BAIED) is a network of experienced Interim Executive Director/CEOs serving the nonprofit sector in the San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California, and beyond.

Our mission is to achieve successful executive transitions in nonprofit organizations by providing access to a network of experienced, professional interim executives and by offering information and resources during critical leadership transitions. We are invested in achieving nonprofit sustainability, including high functioning and diverse staff and boards, secure funding and revenue streams, and effective operational systems.

Our History & Structure

BAIED: A Trusted Source for Experienced Interim Leadership.

Founding

The San Francisco Bay Area Interim Executive Directors (BAIED) network was formed in 2010-11 in response to a specialized training in Interim work provided by the San Rafael-based Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership. A founding group of four Interims felt it was important to create a supportive environment for those who do the challenging work of transition leadership to share ideas, resources, best practices, the joys and challenges of the work, and to create a network of experienced and trusted former Executive Directors for the region to call upon as needed.

Many pioneers of the Interim Leadership model for nonprofit continuity lived and worked in the Bay Area so there was great support for the formation of this network to become a local resource for the thousands of nonprofits in the region. The research at the time predicted that within the next 10 years the Baby Boomer generation, many of whom had founded influential nonprofits, would prepare to retire. Succession planning and effective transition approaches were critical for the sector to continue to achieve its mission and thrive.

Early Years

In the early stages of formation, the BAIED group met with a variety of funders and search firms to introduce them to the work of Interim Executive Directors as a viable model for nonprofit continuity and success. The network gradually became a sought-after source of referrals for the sector.

Membership Qualifications

Within five years of formation, a visioning and planning meeting led to the development of practice and membership guidelines that continue to be used to this day. These require a minimum of three Interim Executive Director assignments prior to joining the group and 10 years of previous Executive Director experience.

Our Members

Members of BAIED have worked in a wide variety of organizations in the nonprofit sector including social services, education, environment, disabilities, arts, environment, animal rights, housing, and behavioral health, among others. Our membership will also occasionally serve as Interim COOs, are involved in leadership roles within the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, serve on several local boards, and teach in many nonprofit programs at local universities.

BAIED Today

The group maintains an informal structure as independent consultants and provides information and cross referrals to each other without a fee to the inquiring organization. We also offer education and resources to Boards and related professional networks, present at nonprofit management conferences, and periodically advise and counsel organizations engaged in a planned or sudden leadership transition to advocate for the benefits of interim leadership.

A diversity fellowship program was adopted in 2021 to encourage and mentor new, younger, and diverse talent, and a strong commitment was made within the network to support and model DEIA principles and practices. Much of the group actively engages in diversity trainings and online sessions that have exemplified and discussed best practices within the scope of the Interim role.

Our Process to Help Identify an Interim Executive Director.

Our simple, no-fee process ensures that you get quality candidates for your nonprofit’s Interim CEO or Interim Executive Director position:

Step 1

Step 1

After gaining approval to explore the hiring of an Interim Executive Director from your Board, contact BAIED to discuss your interim leadership needs and the potential services of one of our members. There is no fee for this service.

Step 2

Step 2

A representative of BAIED will connect with you to determine the scope of work, the priorities for the interim period and the expected length of time for the assignment. If needed, we can provide advice to help you develop a job description that identifies the details of the role including suggested details regarding time commitment and compensation.

Step 3

Step 3

BAIED will share the opportunity with our members via email.

Step 4

Step 4

Available candidates will contact you to further discuss the details and the terms (hours, salary, timeline). You decide who to interview and how many individuals you wish to meet. We recommend 2-3 candidates.

Our best practice expectation is that interviews include other decision-making Board members and senior staff representatives and that no more than two interviews occur before making a selection. (Remember, you are not hiring for a permanent position).

A volunteer representative from BAIED can reach out to you to check in—supporting your efforts to seek the best possible solution for an executive transition.

Frequently Asked Questions.

A nonprofit Interim Executive Director/CEO serves exclusively in transitional roles in nonprofit organizations. They specialize in change management associated with leadership transitions and are not candidates for the position.

We are a network of experienced, professional interim executives and transition consultants serving nonprofit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. The group functions in the spirit of camaraderie as a collective of like-minded professionals, not as a consulting firm and/or for-profit entity. BAIED’s intent is to advance the field and visibility of transition leadership, learn and support each other and nonprofits in this work, and facilitate cross-referrals and resource sharing among its membership and the broader community of leadership transition professionals.

Our executives are primarily former nonprofit executive directors with a minimum of 10 years of executive director experience and at least three completed interim assignments. Our members have varied backgrounds and specific expertise in a diverse range of nonprofits including health, social services, arts and culture, children and youth, education, disabilities, environmental, immigration, and much more.

Our interims are required to have substantial experience as an executive director and/or interim executive. We also have a number of requirements related to our professional standards. After meeting these threshold requirements, the individual seeking to join must provide references and interview with the group to be approved for membership.

Placement lengths vary depending on the situation and needs of each specific nonprofit organization, and typically range from 4-12 months.

Consultants advise, whereas interim executives provide on-the-ground support, both advising and implementing in the day-to-day decision making and operations of your nonprofit, often serving and functioning as a part-time temporary employee for the length of the engagement.

Most Board members do not have executive nonprofit experience and may find they do not know enough about the role to fill it effectively. Adding the ED’s responsibilities to an existing staff position will ensure neither job is done well, expectations to transition to the ED role will be raised, and it creates additional confusion during a sensitive and stressful time. Both scenarios impede the potential learning and insight that is possible during a time of transition.

At times, based on an organizational assessment prepared by the interims in this network, we discover that there is work to do on key areas of the organization. The interim is engaged in day-to-day operations and may advise that the Board consider hiring another consultant to assist with issues that require more focused attention. Examples include: fundraising planning and execution, capital campaign development, board of directors training in basic governance, and financial modeling for a large building or investment project. Typically, the interim does not carry out strategic planning or the executive search, although that arrangement varies among our membership.

We work primarily for nonprofits within the nine-county region of the Bay Area; however, some are also willing to travel to other areas, and all have the capacity to work remotely.

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

BAIED is primarily a support, education, and referral network for practicing Interim Executive Directors/CEOs. We also provide information about leadership transitions to organizations. If an organization reaches out to the group for assistance in determining if an Interim Executive Director should be considered, a representative of BAIED will have an initial conversation with you to further clarify your needs, priorities, budget and timeline. We ask that a job description be developed that can be shared with the full membership. Available candidates will contact the organization directly to learn more about the position and determine if the fit and conditions support their background and interest in the role and subsequent availability for a formal interview.

We do not charge any fees to either the organizations we work with, or to our members. Initial conversations and/or introductions to our members are provided without cost.

There is no cost to place a member of our network. Available candidates are responsible for negotiating their own terms and conditions for the assignment, including payment, length of the contract, scope of work, and top priorities. Generally, interim executives are not full-time staff; they contribute between 24-30 hours a week and are compensated along the lines of the previous Executive Director’s salary, serving either as a temporary, part-time employee or as an independent consultant.

If you possess the requisite experience as an Interim Executive Director with a minimum of 10 years of permanent Executive Director experience, feel free to contact someone in our network to discuss membership. We also offer a DEI fellowship program for experienced Executive Directors who may not have completed three interim assignments. These are reserved for leaders from diverse backgrounds and communities in order to increase equity within our pool of qualified interims available to the nonprofits we serve.

Several of the Bay Area nonprofits our interims have served with:
Alameda County Behavioral Health
Berkeley Food and Housing Project
San Francisco Marin Food Bank
Ocean Science Trust
Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir
San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis
Congregation Beth Jacob
PEERS
Berkeley Food and Housing Project
San Francisco Marin Food Bank
Ocean Science Trust
Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir
San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis
“Everyone at our organization is grateful to the BAIED member we worked with for her many contributions to the agency as our ten month interim CEO. While the agency was relatively stable when she stepped in during our search for a new, permanent CEO, we all knew that we would benefit from a review from an objective third party. And that she did: a comprehensive review and assessment of virtually all functions, ranging from the Board operations and policies to organizational policies and procedures to the day-to-day activities of key staff and departments. We ended up with a thorough first time ever manual of policies and procedures for the board as well as clarity about where we were doing well and where we could benefit from changes. During it all, she worked with integrity and professionalism, bringing to bear her vast knowledge and experience. All in all, it was an extremely positive experience.”
“The BAIED member we worked with was exactly what we needed when our ED left the organization. He quickly earned the trust of all our staff members. About three months after joining, he understood the organization well enough to write a comprehensive report on the state of the organization with many suggestions for improvements. He implemented some sorely needed financial policies and strategies. He has a vast network of professionals and was able to recommend a great recruiter to handle our search for our permanent ED and another person to facilitate and guide us in our all hands strategic planning offsite.”
“The BAIED interim we hired provided expertise from her previous work with numerous Bay Area nonprofit organizations. Her wisdom and professionalism have been invaluable to our organization. As an intentional listener, she connected with our whole community to understand who we are and to help clarify and define our values and goals. Through her leadership, we accomplished a restructuring of our systems resulting in a new level of professionalism throughout our office processes and for the Board of Directors. Her commitment to our success as we have transitioned this past year from founding conductor to a new Artistic Director, and now to our new E.D. is evident throughout our program, especially through a pandemic! We are a stronger organization thanks to her passion for partnership and her steadfast training in governance and operations.”

Select an experienced interim executive to lead your nonprofit.

The experienced professionals of BAIED are here for your organization’s leadership transition.