Why handover matters

Every organisation eventually loses knowledge when someone leaves a role, whether that's a board member, a committee volunteer, or a staff member. What's easy to overlook is how much of that knowledge never lives in a file at all. It sits in relationships, unwritten habits, half finished projects, and things the departing person has simply learned to keep an eye on. A good handover isn't just about returning property and revoking access. It's about giving the next person, and the organisation as a whole, a genuine chance to pick up where things left off, rather than starting from scratch or discovering gaps only once they've already caused a problem.

This checklist is designed to work for board members, committee volunteers, and staff, across organisations of any size. It won't cover every situation perfectly, so use your judgement about what's relevant to the specific role, and add anything the checklist doesn't capture. The goal isn't to complete every box for its own sake, it's to leave the organisation, and whoever comes next, genuinely set up to succeed.