As philanthropy confronts increasing public expectations, accelerating CEO transitions, and growing demands for organizational impact, new research suggests many foundations may be preparing leaders for the challenges of the past rather than those ahead.
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C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group’s new Future-Ready Leadership Index highlights findings from a study of 45 prominent foundations, 62 leadership competencies and 8 critical factors that predict future CEO success.
Today, C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group, a division of SullivanCotter, released The Future-Ready Foundation Leader, a new research study developed using the Hogan Leadership Assessment framework that examines how the role of the foundation CEO is evolving, and the leadership capabilities organizations will need to succeed in the years ahead.
The report introduces the Future-Ready Leadership Index, a research-based framework designed to help foundation boards and executive teams better define, assess, develop, and prepare leaders for the next era of philanthropy.
The research arrives at a pivotal moment for the sector. Foundations are navigating rising public expectations, greater political scrutiny, and growing pressure to address increasingly complex societal challenges. At the same time, many organizations are preparing for significant CEO transitions while facing limited succession pipelines and growing uncertainty about the leadership capabilities required for the future.
To better understand what future leadership success requires, C3 conducted one of the first behavioral science studies focused specifically on the foundation CEO role, using assessment data and insights from Hogan Assessments. Fifty-seven senior leaders and subject matter experts representing 45 prominent foundations evaluated 62 leadership competencies using Hogan’s Job Evaluation Tool (JET) to determine which capabilities are most critical for future CEO success.
“The expectations placed on foundation leaders have changed dramatically,” said Nanci Hibschman, President of C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group. “Boards can no longer rely solely on experience, tenure, or technical expertise when preparing future CEOs. This research provides an evidence-based framework for understanding the leadership capabilities organizations should be cultivating today to ensure they are prepared for tomorrow.”
The Research Reveals Three Important Shifts
While the full report explores the research in depth, three themes emerged consistently throughout the study:
1) Leadership readiness is becoming philanthropy’s next strategic imperative.
As leadership transitions accelerate and external expectations continue to evolve, boards are recognizing that succession planning must extend beyond identifying a successor. Building a sustainable pipeline of future-ready leaders has become a critical organizational capability.
2) The capabilities that predict future CEO success are changing.
The research suggests that long-term effectiveness depends less on traditional measures of experience or institutional tenure alone and increasingly on the ability to navigate complexity, exercise sound judgment, build trust across diverse stakeholders, and lead organizations through continuous change.
3) Leadership decisions can become more objective and evidence-based.
The Future-Ready Leadership Index provides organizations with a practical framework for defining leadership expectations and strengthening executive assessment, leadership development, CEO succession planning, and leadership team effectiveness through a shared set of research-backed competencies and characteristics.
“For decades, many organizations have selected and developed leaders based primarily on past performance, tenure, or expertise,” said Erica Grant, Principal and lead researcher.“This study demonstrates that while those factors remain important, they tell only part of the story. The competencies and behaviors that distinguish future-ready leaders are increasingly strategic, relational, and adaptive. We hope this research gives boards and executive teams a more objective way to define, assess, and develop the leaders their missions will require in the years ahead.”
For additional information on the Future-Ready Leadership Index, download the report or contact us via email.
About C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group
The challenges facing today’s nonprofit organizations demand more than traditional consulting. C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group, a division of SullivanCotter, helps mission-driven organizations reimagine how they lead, organize, reward, and grow to maximize impact. We bring together expertise in governance, leadership, talent, total rewards, and organizational effectiveness to help organizations navigate change, strengthen culture, attract and retain talent, unlock performance, and build the capabilities required for long-term success.
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