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The Nonprofit Career Ladder: Exploring Career Paths as Leadership Development for Future Nonprofit Executives

Pending leadership transitions in the nonprofit sector present a timely need to understand the career path to the executive position, but very few studies on nonprofit career paths have been conducted. A systematic study would help make sense of the existing leadership pipeline to the executive office and offer promising insights that contribute to theory building in the sector. This study investigates the career paths of a national random sample of nonprofit executives serving health and human service nonprofit organizations. Primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed on the experience, education, and credentials these executives hold. The analysis evaluates variations among career characteristics, as well as applies career typologies from within and beyond the nonprofit sector. Respondents also provided qualitative descriptions of their path to executive office, which are insightful about influencing factors that are beyond a resume’s depiction of credentials. The findings are rich in descriptive value and are discussed in light of their utility for nonprofit boards charged with executive selection responsibilities. Finally, the findings are also applied to formulate propositions for future research about how individual career movement may be shaping the nonprofit sector.