Exit Interview Questions for Nonprofits

A departing employee is the most honest feedback source an organization will ever get — they have nothing to lose and a full picture of what it is like to work there. Small nonprofits rarely run exit interviews because nobody owns the process. Fix that with a short, structured conversation and these questions.

The questions

1. What made you start looking for another role?
   The push factor, in their words. Don't argue with it.
2. What did you enjoy most about working here?
   Protect what works. Organizations fix weaknesses and accidentally kill strengths.
3. What would you change about the organization if you could?
   The single most productive question on this list. Write down the answer verbatim.
4. Did you have the tools and resources you needed to do your job well?
   Surfaces the chronic under-resourcing that people tolerate silently until they leave.
5. How was the communication between staff and leadership?
   A gentler way to ask "did you feel heard by the people in charge."
6. Did you receive useful feedback and support from your supervisor?
   Manager quality is the top retention lever in small organizations. Ask directly.
7. What could we have done to keep you?
   Sometimes the answer is "nothing" — and sometimes it is one specific thing you can still fix for the next person.
8. Would you recommend this organization as a workplace to a friend?
   The summary question. A hesitant "sure" tells you everything.

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How to run one in a tiny team

• Don't have their direct supervisor do it. People do not give honest feedback to the person they are leaving. Use the executive director, a board member, or an external friend of the organization.
• Do it in the last week, not the last hour. A rushed exit interview on the final afternoon produces polite fiction.
• Take notes, then anonymize. Record the substance, strip names, and share the themes with leadership — not the quotes attached to people.
• Ask what they will tell their replacement. A departing employee's handover notes often contain the most candid assessment of the role you will get. Read them.
• Actually follow up. If three departing employees in a row mention workload, that is not three opinions — it is a finding. Fix one thing visibly.

Related guides

• 10 Staff Survey Questions for Small Organizations — the annual engagement survey, for the people who stay.
• Onboarding Survey Questions for Nonprofits — what to ask new hires after their first month.